Rumpelstiltskin

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rumpelstiltskin-paul-o-zelinsky/1101075090?ean=9780613005036

Zelinsky, Paul O. 1986. Rumpelstiltskin. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books. ISBN 0525442650

Summary

A miller boasts to the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king takes the poor girl to the castle right away, where she is locked in a room filled with straw. She is told to spin the straw into gold or she will be killed. A tiny man finds the girl frightened and weeping, and agrees to help her for a cost. The greedy king locks the girl in a room three times, and each night she is visited by Rumpelstiltskin, who spins the straw into gold. However, the girl is forced to promise her first child to the tiny man. The miller's daughter becomes queen and has a handsome baby boy. Rumpelstiltskin agrees to allow the queen to keep her son if she can guess his name. 

Critical Analysis

Paul Zelinsky's Rumpelstiltskin, with some divergence, follows the story's most familiar form found in the Grimms' 1819 edition of Children's and Household Tales. The characters, with the exception of Rumpelstiltskin, remain nameless throughout the story. The miller is a father, who cares more for impressing the king than the welfare of his daughter. The king is a greedy ruler, who only marries the miller's daughter because he thinks she is the richest wife in all the world. The miller's daughter, locked in the castle rooms, is a victim of powerlessness in her situation, and is forced to deceive to save her own life and then the life of her child. Rumpelstiltkin, the only name known to the reader, represents an evil whose power comes from his name remaining unknown and unspoken. The miller's daughter is manipulated by each of the three male characters, her father, the king, and Rumpelstiltskin. These characters' actions reveal universal themes of selfishness and greed. The miller's daughter must depend on her own resourcefulness and her most faithful servant to give this story a happy ending. 

Zelinsky's paintings beautifully illustrate the medieval setting in his retelling of this story. According to his website, Zelinsky chose to paint the pictures in a Renaissance style, using oil over watercolor underpainting. The results are spellbinding. His pictures capture the details of medieval life, and his expressions add feeling to the otherwise one-dimensional characters. Zelinsky's changes to the story are more appropriate to a picture book format. His ending has Rumpelstiltskin flying away on a wooden spoon, rather than the Grimms' more gruesome conclusion of stomping a foot into the ground and tearing himself in two. 

Although Zelinsky has created a magnificent version of this timeless fairytale, it is difficult to pinpoint the story's continued appeal. Perhaps, it teaches the shortcomings of greed and selfishness. The story warns the reader against making promises that cannot be kept. Perhaps, we all just want to see the ordinary miller's daughter triumph over her problems and vanquish the evil Rumpelstiltskin!

Awards

Zelinsky's Rumpelstiltskin was awarded a Caldecott Honor in 1987.

Reviews

Booklist, January 01, 1987, says about Rumpelstiltskin, "Zelinsky's jeweled tones and precise medieval backgrounds make this a particularly handsome rendering of the classic fairy tale."

In the October 01, 1987 issue of School Library Journal, the review explains Zelinsky's illustrations, "Without overpowering the text, the illustrations give depth and background, providing exquisite texture and detail: the castle interior; subtle facial expressions; the foreboding landscape when Rumplestiltskin is overheard to reveal his name. The imp himself is deeply fascinating, with his birdlike features, tiny agile body, and Rackhamesque hands and feet."

Connections

Paul O. Zelinsky's website has a link to lesson plans created by his wife, Deborah Hallen, who is a teacher with long experience in the New York Public Schools. 

One extension activity she suggests is to discuss how people in the United Sates usually have a first and last name. Children can find out the origin of their last name and discuss how they got their first name. 

References

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed September 22, 2013

Grimm, Jacob. Household Tales by Brothers Grimm. North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012. 

Hallen, Deborah. "Rumpelstiltskin." Paul O. Zelinsky.com. Accessed September 23, 2013. http://www.paulozelinsky.com/rumpelstiltskin_lessons.html

Zelinsky, Paul O. "Rumpelstiltskin: Retold and Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky." Paul O. Zelinsky.com. Accessed September 23, 2013. http://www.paulozelinsky.com/rumpelstiltskin.html

The Three Little Javelinas

http://www.jimharrisillustrator.com/ChildrensBooks/Books/Thethreelittlejavelinas.html

Lowell, Susan. 1992. The Three Little Javelinas. Ill. by Jim Harris. Flagstaff, AZ: Rising Moon. ISBN 0873585429

Summary

In this Southwest variant of the Three Little Pigs, three little javelinas set off across the desert to seek their fortunes. When they come to a spot where the path divides, the three javelina siblings each go a different way. The first little javelina builds a house of tumbleweeds and that is where the trouble begins. A passing coyote, with many magical tricks, smells the little javelina in his tumbleweed house and becomes intent on a piggy meal. The coyote huffs and puffs the house away, but the javelina escapes and runs to find his brother and sister unaware the coyote tiptoed along behind. The second little javelina who has built his house of long sticks called saguaro ribs is soon joined by his brother. However, it is not long before the sneaky coyote has the little javelinas on the run again to find their javelina sister. The third little javelina who has built her house of adobe bricks welcomes in her brothers and locks the door behind. Coyote has followed their trail, and soon he is huffing and puffing- but to no avail. Coyote tries climbing down the stovepipe of the wood stove and is met with a lit fire, which sends him yowling across the desert in a puff of smoke.

Critical Analysis

In The Three Little Javelinas, anthropomorphic javelinas, two male javelinas and one female, are dressed in in clothing indicative to the American Southwest. The characters are basic and most defined by the different type of house each builds. The first javelina builds a tumbleweed house, the second builds a saguaro rib house, and the third, female javelina, builds a house of adobe bricks. The other central character is sneaky Coyote who tries to use his magic to trick the javelinas in order to eat them up. The javelina characters are archetypes of good and the coyote of evil. The plot is full of action and the danger the of the javelinas being eaten is crucial to the plot. The plot's resolution, all three little javelinas safe in the adobe house while the coyote runs away in a puff of smoke, creates a satisfying happily ever after ending. No one in the story gets eaten or killed in the fire. 

Lowell quickly establishes the story's desert setting, and the characters encounter events, animals and people common to a Southwest desert environment. In the story of The Three Little Javelinas, good triumphs over evil and the story's resolution shows that it does not pay to prey on those weaker. The destruction of the first two little javelinas homes remind children to be diligent and to handle dangers with caution. The cultural markers introduced in the story, such as the Native American woman gathering sticks from inside a dried cactus, help the reader gain insights into the culture and customs of dry southwestern areas. While Lowell 's retelling has regionally specific characters and setting, her story retains the popular, familiar phrase repeated in other retellings of The Three Little Pigs:

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in!"

"No! Not by the hair on my Chinny-chin-chin!"

"I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

Harris' spirited illustrations provide the movement and action the story demands. His depictions of realistic looking javelinas in cowboy clothes add a humorous touch to the story and give the javelinas personalities that the text does not. The colors and style used are appropriate to the desert setting of the story, and the illustrations help the reader to understand the desert vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to children. My favorite illustrations are of sister javelina's tidy adobe house; she a little house mouse that makes several appearances, as well as, very fine taste in art. Extra touches like these and a detailed portrayal of the desert make The Three Little Javelinas a joy to read!

Awards

The Three Little Javelinas was a 1994 Grand Canyon Reader Award winner and a Reading Rainbow book selection.  

Reviews

A Publishers Weekly review from September 14, 1992, states, "In this retelling of The Three Little Pigs set in the American Southwest, the cherished porkers are transformed into javelinas, the hairy, swinelike creatures also known as peccaries. Their pursuer, no longer the wolf of traditional lore, becomes Coyote, that ubiquitous Southwestern trickster. In her first book for children, Lowell spices the story with elements of Native American, Mexican and Old West culture."

A review in the January 01, 1993, Booklist, praises Harris' illustrations, but is more critical of Lowell's text. The review sates, "In a southwestern version of "The Three Little Pigs," Coyote howls every night as he remembers how he landed in the wood stove of the wisest of three javelinas (not true pigs, but animals related to swine that are common to the Southwest). Lowell incorporates bits of the cultures and languages of the Southwest, but her version lacks the drama of the original story, and her explanatory notes intrude rather than enhance the tale. Harris' illustrations are appealing and humorous, however, and children who loved the original will enjoy this version."

Connections

After reading the The Three Little Javelinas, children could discuss which words and concepts used in the story were or were not familiar. Any questions could be discussed. What is a dust storm? Has any ever seen a saguaro cactus? Children could also give suggestions about what animals would appear in a Three Little Pigs retelling for their own region.

References

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed September 20, 2013

Just a Minute

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/landing-pages/Chronicle/catalog/0811837580/cover.gif

Morales, Yuyi. 2003. Just a Minute. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC. ISBN 0811837580

Summary

In Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales, Grandma Beetle is visited by Señor Calavera who has come to take her away with him. However, Grandma Beetle just has too much to do to go with him right away. She repeatedly delays Señor Calavera by telling him, "Just a minute" and  "I'll will go with you right away," but only after completing the tasks that she must finish. Señor Calavera becomes more and more impatient, as Grandma Beetle tallies her preparations from one to ten, while busily completing her tasks. By the time she reaches ten, Grandma Beetle's nine grandchildren have shown up for her birthday party, which is the reason behind all of her preparations. Señor Calavera himself is a guest of the celebration, and he has such a good time that he exits without Grandma Beetle, leaving behind a note ensuring he will be there next year for her birthday party.

Critical Analysis

Just a Minute is a trickster folktale rich with Mexican culture and tradition. The story's setting is quickly established when Señor Calavera knocks on the door of Grandma Beetle's home. The book is both a counting book and a tale of trickery where children learn to count in both English and Spanish as Grandma Beetle outwits Señor Calavera with her counting game. Morales uses a pattern of repetition in her text, Grandma Beetle says  "Just a minute" each time to delay Señor Calavera then counts items in her preparations in English followed by Señor Calavera counting them in Spanish. Readers will identify with the timeless portrayal of family celebrations, and the story resolves happily with Señor Calavera departing alone leaving Grandma Beetle behind to hug her her grandchildren.

The illustrations of Yuyi Morales vibrate with the colors of a Day of the Dead celebration. Señor Calavera's skull is brightly decorated like a sugar skull; and his expressions of impatience add humor to Morales' tale. The depictions of Grandma Beetle remain a calm, serene counterpart to Señor Calavera's agitation. My favorite page is where Grandma Beetle has Señor Calavera in an apron helping to mix the preparations for her six pots of foods. There are many details that illustrate a home rich with Mexican culture: a string of red chiles, beautiful Mexican tiles, brightly colored pinatas, and a table full of traditional Mexican dishes. On the page where Grandma Beetle blows out the candles on her cake, several grandchildren, including Señor Calavera, wear piñata pieces on their heads. 

While Morales' text teaches children to count in both English and Spanish, her detailed illustrations encourage many re-readings of the story. Children will enjoy spotting a black and white kitten that makes an appearance on every page. In fact, nearly every page includes a detail to point out and discuss. Grandma Beetle's wink on last page of the story clues readers into the game, alluding to her tricking of Señor Calavera. 

Awards

Just a Minute won the Pura Belpre Award and the ALA Notable Books for Children Awards in 2004.

Reviews

In the December 01, 2003, Publishers Weekly review of Just a Minute, Morales' handling of the subject of death is explained as, "Like the best folktales, the darker motivation for the skeleton's visit remains elusive for youngest readers, and the sly interplay between hostess and visitor makes light of his role."

Booklist, December 01, 2003, had this praise for Morales' illustrations, "Like the text, the rich, lively artwork draws strongly upon Mexican culture, with hints of Diego Rivera in Grandma's robust form, and the skeleton resembling the whimsical figurines often seen in Day of the Dead folk art. The splendid paintings and spirited storytelling--along with useful math and multicultural elements--augur a long, full life for this original folktale."

Connections

Just a Minute would be a great book to share during a Dia de los Muertos story time, especially for young children since the story is gentle and free of scarier elements. This book illustrates the activity of counting objects and introduces children to counting both in English and Spanish.

In a children's program with a focus on folktales, other trickster tales from around the world could be read along with Just a Minute to compare and contrast this type of story, as well as, the cultural elements of the stories. 

References

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed September 18, 2013

The Snowy Day

                                 

                                           http://publiclibrariesonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/book_cover_a_snowy_day_by_ezra_jack_keats.jpg

Keats, Ezra Jack. 1962. The Snowy Day. New York, NY: Viking Press. ISBN 0670654000

Summary

A small child named Peter wakes up to find the city covered in snow. After breakfast, he puts on his snowsuit and makes tracks in the snow, builds a snowman, forms snow angels, and climbs a snow mountain to slide all the way down. Before returning home, Peter makes a snowball to save in his pocket for tomorrow. Peter, back in his warm house, tells his mother about his adventures as he prepares for bedtime. Peter is saddened when he checks his pocket for his snowball and it has disappeared. He dreams of all the snow melting away, but Peter awakes to another snow filled day, and he sets off to enjoy it with a friend. 

Critical Analysis

Ezra Keats has created a picture book for young children that celebrates experiencing the world around you. The universal appeal of The Snowy Day is in the pleasure the main character finds in the many ways to play in the snow. The snow covered cityscape that Peter walks through making various types of tracks in snow is the primary setting of the book, but the warm comfort of Peter's home is also important to Keats' story.  The story of Peter's day is not elaborate; the simple object of a stick becomes a toy that is just right for Peter's snowy adventure. However, Keats' vivid, sometimes repetitive language, such as "Crunch, crunch, crunch…",  brings a day spent in the snow to life, even for children who have never themselves had the experience.

It is worthy of mention, that Peter in The Snowy Day is an African American protagonist. This is as important today as it was in 1962 when the book was published because still too few books in children's literature feature people of color.  However, color of skin or race is not the point of the book. The book' s beauty is found in the universal wonder of a child's experience with snow. In fact, even though Keats handles other themes important to young children, such as being too small to play with older children or the disappointment of losing a treasured object (the snowball in his pocket), the messages in Keats' text are subtle and understated playing second to Peter's delight.

Keats uses a mixed medium of painting and collage to create Peter's bright, radiant snow covered city. His art work is deceptively simple, facial features are not defined, but Keats somehow masterfully captures Peter's emotions and feelings with the tiniest amount of expression or slightest tilt of the head. Keats' use of bright color is appealing for young children, from Peter's bright red snowsuit to the vibrant blue of the sky. Even the snow of Keats' illustrations is not simply white, but instead washed in pinks, blues, and oranges and adds a luminous, magical quality to Keats' world. 

My favorite part of Keats' story is Peter trying to save the snowball in his pocket. What child has not picked up stones from the park or shells from the beach to save a memento from a fun day? I also like how the book shows Peter creating fun all by himself for a day, but then heading out to enjoy the next day with a friend. This is a nice honest look at balanced play. 

Awards

Ezra Jack Keats won the Caldecott medal for The Snowy Day in 1963.

Reviews

A review in Publishers Weekly, January 01, 1996, states, "Now in a sturdy board-book format just right for youngest readers, Ezra Jack Keats's classic The Snowy Day, winner of the 1963 Caldecott Medal, pays homage to the wonder and pure pleasure a child experiences when the world is blanketed in snow."

Connections

After reading The Snow Day, children can share their favorite play for different types of weather: sunny days, rainy days, windy days, snowy days. This book would be good paired in a story time with Linda Ashman's Rain!, which is about a child who experiences all the fun to be had on a rainy day. Children could use brightly colored pieces of construction paper to create collage art that expresses their experiences. 

References

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed September 09, 2013.

The Desert Is My Mother/El Desierto Es Mi Madre

                                                                    http://www.patmora.com/books/the-desert-is-my-mother/

Mora, Pat. 1994. The Desert is My Mother/El Desierto Es Mi Madre. Ill. by Daniel Lechon. Houston, TX: Arte Publico Press. ISBN 1611924081

Summary

In Pat Mora's bilingual picture book The Desert is My Mother/El Desierto Es Mi Madre, a young girl celebrates her love of her desert home. The girl extols the desert's ability to nourish, comfort, heal, and teach by comparing the desert to a mother, a strong desert mother. 

Critical Analysis 

Mora uses repetitive patterns to create the lyrical rhythm of her poetry, on every page of text the girl tells the reader what she asks of the desert with a statement beginning with "I say" followed by a one sentence statement of how the desert answers. Each line of the poem is provided in both English and Spanish. The opposite page illustrates the desert imagery of the text. The desert setting is integral to Mora's picture book, and her text reveals its beauty through metaphor, such as comparing raindrops to teasing, wind to singing, warm air to caresses, and ultimately the desert to a mother. The words used are simple and the theme of the book is universal: a child appreciating all the gifts her environment has to offer. 

Daniel Lechon's paintings bring to life Mora's poem for young readers; each illustration is rich with warm American southwest desert colors. Objects that children may not know, such as prickly pears, chamomile, and cactus blooms, are clearly illustrated for readers. His depiction of a young girl with long dark hair enjoying the desert provides a very understated marker of Hispanic culture that any reader could find relatable. 

Mora's poem is the strength of this book; her words, with a lyrical simplicity, clearly convey to the reader the feelings someone can have for the desert. As someone with no familiarity with the desert, this  picture book gives me an understanding of the child's love for the desert. 

Awards

The Desert is My Mother/El Desierto Es Mi Madre is the winner of the Skipping Stone Honor Award which celebrates ecological and cultural diversity. 

Reviews

A January 15, 1995 review in Booklist states, "With a playful, poetic text, this bilingual picture book celebrates a child's connection with her desert home. "I say feed me. / She serves red prickly pear on a spiked cactus." On each double-page spread the child makes a demand, and the pictures show how the desert satisfies her. The feelings are universal; the words are precise and physical."

Publisher's Weekly, December 05, 1995, writes that, "Mora invokes the grand powers of the desert."

Connections

This book could be used for a desert themed story time. It could be read along with Barbara Cooney's Roxaboxen, a picture book where children find things around the desert to build their imaginary town. Also, The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Howell would be a great companion, it is an American southwest retelling  of The Three Little Pigs that would be further reinforcement of  the desert setting for children.

References 

Books in Print. Texas Woman's University Library. Accessed September 04, 2013.

A Ball For Daisy

                                               http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ball-for-daisy-chris-raschka/1100058597?ean=9780375858611

Raschka, Chris. 2011. A Ball for Daisy. New York: Random House. ISBN 9780375858611

Summary

A Ball for Daisy is a story of a dog and her beloved ball. Daisy plays with her ball in the house, sleeps with her ball, and takes her ball to the park. Another dog joins a game of fetch in park, biting Daisy's ball too hard causing it to pop. Daisy mourns the loss of her ball and is comforted by her child. Upon returning to the park, Daisy is presented a new ball by the child of the dog who popped her ball. Daisy plays in the park with her new ball and her new dog friend, then returns home to sleep with her new beloved ball.

Critical Analysis

Raschka creates, in this wordless picture book, a vivid and distinctive character in Daisy as she experiences a dog's ecstatic joy and mournful loss of a treasured object. Children will be able to easily follow the story's logical series of events as Daisy moves between home to the park with the passage of time marked by her sleeping on the couch. The minimalistic plot allows the reader to fully focus on Daisy's emotions from the title page where Daisy is given her new red ball to the climax when the ball is popped and then the story's resolution where she is given a new blue ball by a friend in the park. The story's believable conflict is matched with a satisfying resolution, and readers of all ages and cultural backgrounds can identify with Daisy's emotional arc as she experiences the loss of something special. The book's thematic value is in the truths revealed subtly with no explicit statement, and readers are left with an understanding of joy, loss, and friendship.

Raschka's illustrations are the heart of this story told without text. His use of line clearly conveys how Daisy is feeling. Bold strong lines show when she is feeling confident, her tail is drawn up with lines that show she is wagging it, her face is drawn smiling and cheerful. When her ball is thrown behind a fence, her tail is lowered and her face looks apprehensive. At Daisy's lowest point in the story, after her ball is popped, Raschka's draws lines which are more shaky and squiggly showing Daisy frustration and sadness, her tail and face are lowered and her eyes are closed. His use of color shift serves to create the story with Daisy playing first with her red ball under a cheerful yellow washed sky. Her sadness from losing her ball is shown by shifting the color to a dark purple that follows Daisy home as she mourns for her ball. Daisy is given a blue ball in the park showing it is new and different toy, but at the book's end Daisy is sleeping with her new blue ball on the couch conveying to readers she loves it just as much as the red ball and all is well. 

The book's strengths lie in Raschka's distinctive illustrations that allow the reader to clearly understand exactly what Daisy is feeling. One weakness of the book's format is the multiple panels on some pages may be too confusing for very young children to follow, but this weakness also is a strength because the panels make the book an enjoyable read to older children.  

Awards

A Ball for Daisy was the winner of the Caldecott Medal and the American Library Association Notable Books for Children Award in 2012. 

Reviews

An August 01, 2011 review in School Library Journal  points out "Raschka's genius lies in capturing the essence of situations that are deeply felt by children. They know how easy it is to cause an accident and will feel great relief at absorbing a way to repair damage." While Booklist, June 01, 2011, states," this story about loss (and joy) is accomplished without a single word, which is perfect it puts you directly in the head space of its canine protagonist." 

Connections

This wonderful picture book could be shared in a storytime where the children collaborate to tell the the story from their own interpretations of the illustrations. After reading the book children, could share in Daisy's joy by playing with balls of all colors or sizes. Children could also create a Daisy related craft, such as a paper bag puppet of Daisy complete with a red or blue construction paper ball, of course!

References 

Books in Print. Texas Woman's University Library. Accessed September 02, 2013.