BIBLIOGRAPHY: Zelinsky, Paul O. (1986). Rumpelstiltskin. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 0590056999
PLOT SUMMARY This is a pleasing and beautiful retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin tale. Wanting to impress the king, the poor miller claimed his daughter could spin straw into gold. She was immediately summoned to the castle, led to a straw-filled room by the king, and instructed to spin the straw to gold by the next morning or she would die. Distraught and frightened, the poor miller’s daughter began to cry. Soon a tiny, empathetic man entered the room and offered to spin the straw into gold for her in exchange for her necklace. The next morning, delighted by the spools of gold, the king led her to an even bigger room filled with even more straw. Once again, he told her to spin the straw into gold by morning “if she valued her life.” Again, the tiny man returned and spun the straw into gold for the girl’s ring. The king was amazed and filled with greed when he saw the “piles of golden spools glow[ing] in the morning light” and offered to marry the girl as he took her to a huge room filled with piles of straw. The tiny man appeared and once again offered to spin the straw. Unable to give him anything, the girl promised to give him her first child as he requested. The king and the girl were soon married and a year later had a baby son. Having long forgotten about the tiny man, the now queen was surprised by his sudden appearance. The tiny man had returned for the baby boy. The queen cried and pleaded with the tiny man. Taking pity on her, the tiny man offered the option to keep her child should she know his name after three days. The queen thought about all the names she knew, found out new names from “inquiries made in town”, and sent a servant to find and spy on the tiny man. Upon hearing his name, Rumpelstiltskin angrily shouted “The Devil told you that!” and quickly flew away never to be seen again.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS Paul Zelinsky creates an incredibly appealing book with his elegantly written story and equally refined illustrations. The extraordinary color and detail offered by the full-page, Renaissance-style oil paintings offer a breathtaking background for the story, especially the expanse of the straw filled rooms, the elf-like, bizarre depiction of Rumpelstiltskin, and the gleaming yellow glow of the straw and gold throughout the book. One of my favorite illustrations also reflects the gleaming yellow glow, only this time in the golden flames of Rumpelstiltskin’s cooking fire when he is discovered singing and “riding on a cooking spoon” by the queen’s servant.
REVIEW EXCERPTS 1987 Caldecott Honor Award AMERCIAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION (ALA) Notable Book SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Best Book AMAZON.COM review - “A delightful book worth its weight in gold!” PUBISHER’S WEEKLY review – “[A] sophisticated work that adults will marvel at, and that children will joyfully embrace.”
CONNECTIONS *Teachers can read the story for enjoyment (!) and discuss story elements. *Students can extend their learning by writing an alternate ending. *Students can explore the meaning of their own names. *More award winning books adapted and/or illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky: Zelinsky, Paul O. Rapunzel. ISBN 0525456074 Zelinsky, Paul O. Swamp Angel. ISBN 0140559086 Zelinsky, Paul O. The Wheels on the Bus. ISBN 0525446443
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Lowell, Susan. (1992). Los tres pequeños jabalíes/The Three Little Javalinas. Ill. by Jim Harris. Flagstaff, AZ: Rising Moon, Northland Publishing. ISBN 0873586611
PLOT SUMMARY A smart, entertaining bilingual adaptation of the classic European-American tale of The Three Little Pigs set in the southwestern desert. Three bristly javelina siblings, including a parasol touting sister (la jabalinita), set out into the cacti-filled desert to “seek their fortunes.” After being swooped up by a dust devil, the first javelina builds his home out of spiny tumbleweeds that are easily blown away by the trickster Coyote. The second javelina, unable to find shade from the brutal desert sun, settles on a house built from the dried ribs of a saguaro cactus given to him by a desert woman. The Coyote soon finds him (and his brother) in the saguaro rib house and asks to be let in to which the second javelina responds “Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin” (“Ni por las cerdas de mi bar, bar, barbilla” in Spanish). After the destruction of the house, the brothers run to the smart sister’s small yet solid house built from adobe bricks. Still hungry and not defeated, Coyote finds the javelinas and pretends to be old and weak. Unable to blow down the sturdy adobe home, the Coyote climbs to the flat roof to enter through the stove pipe where the three javelinas have lit the fire to the stove. After the fall and sizzle, the javelinas can only see a coyote-shaped puff of smoke and hear a “Yip, yap, yeep, Yee-oww-oooooooooooo!”
CRITICAL ANALYSIS By combining elements from the classic tale with coyote fables told by the Southwestern Indians, Susan Lowell creates a unique and engaging version. Story elements such as characters (javelinas, the coyote, the native woman, and the Spanish-speaking brick maker), desert climate and environment ring true to any southwestern desert. Watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations by Jim Harris are perfectly detailed yet amusing and flawlessly compliment the text. The well written text is presented in Spanish and English so the story can be enjoyed in either (or both) languages.
REVIEW EXCERPTS PUBISHER’S WEEKLY review – “Clever and flavorful change of scene puts a diverting spin on an old favorite.” SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review – “Fast-paced and witty in both languages.”
CONNECTIONS *Students can compare and contrast with another version of the traditional tale. *Teachers can use the text to discuss desert environments: climate, animals, possible housing, and survival under harsh conditions. *More traditional tales by Susan Lowell: Lowell, Susan. Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella. ISBN 0064438643 Lowell, Susan. Dusty Locks and the Three Bears. ISBN 0805075348 Lowell, Susan. The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit/La tortuga y la liebre. ISBN 087358869X *Another southwestern version of the traditional tale by featured author, Eric A. Kimmel: Kimmel, Eric A. The Three Little Tamales. ISBN 0761455191
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Kimmel, Eric A. (2004). Cactus Soup. Ill. by Phil Huling. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 0761458328
PLOT SUMMARY In this vibrant and animated adaptation of the traditional Stone Soup tale, Eric Kimmel adds an authentic southwestern flair. Pending the arrival of a troop of soldiers, the mayor of San Miguel instructs the townspeople to hide all their food as “soldiers are all alike” and “They eat like wolves.” The townspeople busily hide their food including tamales, tortillas, and chiles. When Señor Capitán hears of the town’s poverty, he resignedly offers to make “cactus soup” slowly encouraging the addition of the hidden ingredients until an abundant feast has been prepared.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS Eric Kimmel sets this cleverly adapted version during the time of the Mexican Revolution; a time when townspeople fought to regain political and economic power. The town of San Miguel is inhabited by a variety of authentic characters: men in huge sombreros, woman in long dresses, children, priests, mariachis, and the plump mayor, Señor Alcalde. Illustrator Phil Huling brings these characters to life including the soldiers on “prancing horses” with whimsical interpretations in vivid watercolors. A reader can almost “see” the lanky, relaxed bodies of the townspeople perk up when the soldier, Señor Capitán, suggests adding an ingredient to improve the “cactus soup” but quickly resigns, “Never mind…why ask for what you don’t have?”
REVIEW EXCERPTS PUBISHER’S WEEKLY review – “Kimmel, ever the master storyteller, incorporates especially vivid cadences in the words of the wily, world-weary captain; but it's Huling who makes the story sing.” Starred review in BOOKLIST – “A savory stew to serve alongside traditional versions of the classic tale.”
CONNECTIONS *Students can compare and contrast with another version of the traditional tale. *Students can discuss persuasion: what it is and how it is different from begging –just as the soldiers persuade the townspeople. *More books on the traditional tale: Brown, Marsha. Stone Soup. ISBN 1591127351 Forest, Heather. Stone Soup. ISBN 0874836026 *An even different take on the traditional tale: Compestine, Ying Chang. The Real Story of Stone Soup. ISBN 0525474935
BIBLIOGRAPHY Selznick, Brian. 2007. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.ISBN 0439813786
PLOT SUMMARY Hugo is a young orphan living within the walls of a Paris train station. Having learned about clocks from his late father, Hugo maintains the clocks at the train station for his absent uncle. He steals food to survive and small toys from a toy booth in the station for a secret project started with his father. As one story leads to another, Hugo finds himself involved in a captivating mystery with his secret project, an inquisitive girl, and a bitter old man from the toy booth.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS The story of Hugo Cabret is an intriguing blend of text and illustrations. It is part chapter book, part picture book, and part graphic novel that tells a moving (both literal and figurative) story. The detailed pencil drawings and historical photos found throughout the book not only supplement the story but tell the story as if watching a movie. The illustrations are an integral part of the story that capture the darkness representative of Hugo’s desperation to finish his father’s work, his bleak, secretive life, as well as the excitement and anticipation of the movie discovery and his future. Guest reader, Reace (8), thought it was a great story because of the running chase through the train station at the end and the text-illustration story format that is different from the other books he reads.
REVIEW EXCERPTS 2008 Caldecott Medal Award #1 NEW YORK TIMES Best Seller Starred review in PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY – “Here is a true masterpiece—an artful blending of narrative, illustration and cinematic technique, for a story as tantalizing as it is touching.” Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “Breathtaking.”
CONNECTIONS *Students can write their own word and picture stories. See Scholastic for more here. *More books on mystery, movies, and machines: Selznick, Brian. The Houdini Box. ISBN 0689844514 Mast, Gerald and Kawin, Bruce. A Short History of the Movies. ISBN 0205210627 Peppe, Rodney. Automata and Mechanical Toys. ISBN 1861265107
BIBLIOGRAPHY Gág, Wanda. 1928. Millions of Cats. New York, NY: Penguin Group. ISBN 9780399233159
PLOT SUMMARY An endearing story about a lonely old man and old woman. The old man ventures out to find a sweet, pretty cat for his wife but instead finds an entire field of cats. There are too many to choose from so he brings them all home! Unable to keep them all or to choose one from the billions of cats, the old couple allow the cats to decide which is the “prettiest."
CRITICAL ANALYSIS Known as one of America’s first picture books and a rare picture book recipient of the Newbery Honor, Millions of Cats paved the way for modern picture books. The basic black and white drawings and hand written text add character and interest to the simple story line while maintaining its sincerity. Gág’s seminal use of the double-page for carrying out illustration and text within the book has been adopted by many contemporary authors and illustrators. Children will enjoy the rhythmic, repetitive refrain in the story -“hundreds of cats, thousands of cat, millions and billions and trillions of cats.”
REVIEW EXCERPTS
1929 Newbery Honor Award 1958 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (posthumous) SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “One Hundred Books that Shaped the Century” THE NEW YORK TIMES – “A perennial favorite.”
CONNECTIONS *Teach children the recurring refrain in the book and have them join in when reading aloud. *Children can draw and describe (verbally or written) the cat they find the “prettiest.” *Other award winning books by Wanda Gág: Gág, Wanda. Nothing at All. ISBN 0816644187 Gág, Wanda. ABC Bunny. ISBN 0698114388 *Also see recipients of the Wanda Gág Book Award here.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Mora, Pat. 2009. A Piñata in a Pine Tree: A Latino Twelve Days of Christmas. Ill. by Magaly Morales. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 0618841989
PLOT SUMMARY Author Pat Mora re-creates this traditional Christmas song by blending Mexican and American holiday traditions for the daily gifts from a secret amiga. Revealed at the end of story, the secret “amiga” is an especially delightful surprise for the family.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS This is an engaging, rhythmically appealing version of the traditional folk song. Magaly Morales creates colorful, festive illustrations in vibrant acrylics that add to the excitement and anticipation of the daily gifts. The story features text in both English and Spanish. Non-Spanish speakers will appreciate the Spanish phonetic pronunciations included within the illustrations and glossary at the back of the book. My Spanish speaking readers (sons) enjoyed the cheerful illustrations, story, and included music notation although would have preferred the text to be entirely in Spanish without the pronunciations as they found them distracting. Although I do enjoy the insertion of a word or phrase in another language for emphasis sometimes found in dual languages books, I tend to agree with my sons as the strong Spanish rhyme of the gifts seems to overwhelm the initial English phrasing “On the (first, second...) day of Christmas, my amiga gave to…” However, considering the end, maybe the author wanted to stress the “amiga” within that phrasing.
REVIEW EXCERPTS 2010 Américas Commended List HORN BOOK review – “[A] zippy spin on the ‘twelve days of Christmas.’” PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY review – “A luminous holiday pick, especially for new big brothers and sisters.”
CONNECTIONS *Students can learn to sing the song. *Students can brainstorm additional special gifts from their own holiday traditions. *Another favorite book about the Twelve Days of Christmas: Knight, Hilary. The Twelve Days of Christmas. ISBN 0689835477
