Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky

Bibliography
Zelinsky, Paul O.  1997.  Rapunzel. New York: Dutton Children's Books. ISBN 0525456074

Plot Summary

   This is a retelling of the classic Rapunzel story.  It begins with a young, pregnant mother who experiences extreme cravings for her neighbor's rapunzel herb that belongs to a sorceress.  The mother's cravings were so intense that they feared she would die if she did not have it.  The husband decided to risk going into the garden for his wife's life and when there, he was caught by the sorceress.  The sorceress agreed to let him take some under the condition that she could have the child when she was born.  The husband agreed to do this so that his wife would live.  When the baby was born, she was named Rapunzel and the sorceress took the child and raised her herself.  She locked Rapunzel in a tower when she turned twelve and visited her by climbing the tower using Rapunzel's long, silky hair.  One day, a prince came along and was struck by Rapunzel's beautiful voice.  He watched the sorceress climb the tower and copying her style, climbed his way into the tower one day.  Rapunzel and the prince fell in love and soon, Rapunzel was expecting a child of her own.  When the sorceress found out, she was outraged and sent Rapunzel to a wild country to live.  When the prince came to visit her in the tower, he was greeted by the sorceress who pushed him off the tower and hurt him so badly he was blinded.  After searching and searching blindly through the forest for Rapunzel, he finally found her a year later and the tears from her eyes healed his own and the young family went off to live in his kingdom.  

Critical Analysis

   This is an accurate retelling of the classic fairy tale. The setting is extremely vague with the only written cue being that it was "Long ago".  After reading the author's note, he expresses that he modeled it after the Italian countryside but this is only applicable to adult readers who take the time to read that part of the book.  The overall theme in this book is classic of many fairy tales in that good and true love will triumph over evil.  No matter what the sorceress did, the prince and Rapunzel overcame and lived happily ever after.  The style of the book was true to earlier versions of the story.  The most famous line, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.", is a repeated element of the story. 

    The illustrations in the book helped expressed elements of the setting that the writing did not.  From the illustrations, the reader gets an idea of the country side where the characters lived and are true to what we would think of when picturing Italy.  The illustrations also use very detailed texture and coloring that are reminiscent of old 17th century paintings.  The good characters are drawn to have happy and soft features while the antagonist has a harsh, cruel look to her.  

Review Excerpts

• 1998 Caldecott Winner 
• Publisher's Weekly- "A breath taking interpretation...."

Connections 

*Alternate version of Rapunzel

     -- Rapunzel by Rachel Isadora ISBN  9780399247729

*Show the Disney film adaptation of Rapunzel called Tangled.

The Story of Lightning & Thunder by Ashley Bryan

Bibliography
Bryan, Ashley.  1993. The story of lightning & thunder. New York: Atheneum. ISBN 0689318367

Plot Summary

    This is the story of a mother sheep named Thunder and her son, a ram, named Lightning derived from an old Nigerian folktale.  Thunder and Lightning lived in an African village where they would spend their days chatting and being pet by the villagers.  Whenever the villagers needed rain, Thunder and Lightning would go to the mountains and call rain clouds to come and water the crops.  The villagers were so happy about this that they had a celebration for Thunder and Lightning.  At the celebration, Lightning was so determined to show off his horns to the king that he charged through the crowd knocking everyone over.  This upset the king so much that he banished Thunder and Lightning to the outskirts of the village to protect the villagers from Lightning's destruction.  Thunder then kept an eye on Lightning but that did not stop him from causing more trouble.  At the market, Lightning accidentally knocked down an entire stack of straw hats and got into an altercation with the straw maker which made the king decide to banish them even further into the forest.  In the forest, Lightning got into yet another fight, this time with an ox and when running away, the sparks from his coat caught the crops on fire.  Thunder and Lightning were able to call rain in time to put the fires out but the king was still furious and banished them to live forever in the sky where we know them to live today.  

Critical Analysis    

     This is a pour quoi tale that gives children an idea of what thunder and lightning does and why.  The setting of this tale is vague but gives the reader a good idea of where to begin when imagining it.  The setting is discussed on the first page of the story and is said to be in a village on the west coast of Africa.  The theme of this story is boastfulness.  Lightning would not get into so much trouble if he wasn't always concerned with showing off how strong and tough he is. 

      

     The style of this story makes it very interesting.  First, there are elements of super natural.  Thunder and her song Lightning have the ability to go high into the mountain and call their friend rain to come and water the crops.  There was also repeated elements in the story that captured the sound of spoken language in print.  An example of this is seen periodically throughout the story when the author would say something followed by an "uh-huh".  The spoken language is also evident on the very last page where the author says "I know somebody like that too, uh-huh, I do, but I'm not saying who.". 

     The illustrations in this story really capture the style of Africa.  The colors the illustrator used are bright and are similar to many images we see of Africa with straight lines and visuals of earth elements like fire, water, and the sky.  The illustrations also help the reader imagine the setting of the story.  We see pictures of the village, mountains, forests, and crops.  The images of the villagers are also extremely helpful in this book.  By seeing these images, the young readers can get an idea of African dress, instruments, and festival celebrations.  

Review Excerpts

• Publishers Weekly-"Joyful in both word and palette"
• Kirkus Review-"A delightful adaptation of a Nigerian folktale"

Connections

*More stories by Ashley Bryan

    --Beautiful Blackbird ISBN 9780689847318

    --The Night Has Ears:  African Proverbs ISBN 9780689824272

*Find clips on YouTube about life in Nigeria that include video of classrooms, music, and marketplaces to give the readers a glimpse into real life Africa.  

     

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

Bibliography
Scieszka, Jon. 1989. The true story of the 3 little pigs.  Ill by Lane Smith. New York, N.Y., U.S.A.:          Viking Kestrel.  ISBN 0670827592

Plot Summary 

     This is another version of the beast tale, The Three Little Pigs.  This version is told from the point of view of the wolf.  It begins with the wolf baking a cake for his grandmother and battling a cold.  While baking his cake, he runs out of sugar so he decided to go and ask his neighbors for some.  The first neighbor he approaches is a pig who lives in a house made entirely of straw.  When the wolf gets no answer from the pig, a sneeze overcomes him and he accidentally blows the entire house down, killing the pig.  The next neighbor is also a pig but his house was made of sticks.  After being told to go away by this neighbor, another sneeze over came the wolf and he ended up blowing this house down and killing the pig as well.  The wolf decided to try another neighbor after this but this neighbor was smarter and built his house out of bricks.  The pig in this house was so rude to the wolf that it upset him enough to make him act out of anger and that is when the cops arrived.  The cops arrested the wolf and the news reporters twisted the story into what we all know as the big, bad wolf in the The Three Little Pigs.  

Critical Analysis 

     This story is very typical of traditional literature for children in several ways.  First, the setting is very vague.  We know that it takes place "way back in Once Upon a Time time" on a road with at least four houses but are not given anymore information besides that.  Second, there is a strong theme in this story and it is that there are always two sides to every story and that people are not always what they seem.  The wolf in this story had good intentions but kept running into unfavorable circumstances.  The style of this story is also similar to those of traditional literature.  "Mr. Pig, Mr. Pig, are you in?" is a repeated element throughout the story making it easy for the children reading the book to remember.

    The illustrations in this book are appropriate for the book.  The illustrator used warm colors that are reminiscent of the earlier versions of the story.  The illustrations compliment the story nicely as well.  In particular, the illustrations that show the houses in crumbles after the wolf blew them down are intriguing.  All the reader sees is a pile of straw or sticks and the rear end of a dead pig sticking up.  This is humorous for children and adults alike.

Review Excerpts

• Junior Bookshelf- "Pure creativity!"
• The Bookseller (1989)- "One of the best books of the year, exuding vitality and energy."

Connections

*Similar titles-

    --The three horrid little pigs by Liz Pichon ISBN 9781589250772

    --The three little pigs by James Marshall ISBN 0803705913 

*Have the young readers write a letter to Alexander T. Wolf in jail.  They can ask him questions they might have about the incident or simply show their support.  

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Bibliography
Sendak, Maurice. 1963. Where the wild things are. New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 0060254920


Plot Summary
This is the story of a young trouble maker named Max.  One night, Max finds himself sent to his room without dinner after talking back to his mother.  While in his room, Max imagined that his surroundings turned into a forest where wild creatures lived who made him their king.  Max and the wild creatures spent their time having a party in the forest until Max came to the conclusion that he was lonely and wanted to be back home where his family was.  Max said goodbye to the wild things and wound up back in his room where his dinner was waiting for him still hot and ready to eat.

Critical Analysis
Maurice Sendak's story about Max takes the reader on a fun and exciting adventure without even leaving the comfort of Max's room.  Max is a very relatable character in that like most of us, we just want to feel like someone out there appreciates us even when we're in trouble.  Max's story has the underlying theme of the fact that in the end, our family is who we belong with and will always be there for us.

The illustrations in this book help the story immensely by showing the reader just what Max is imagining up in his room.  The forest creatures have big, sharp teeth and bodies covered in hair.  The forest is full of tall trees, starry skies, and colorful scenery.  Sendak does an amazing job illustrating Max's smug expressions throughout the story and other emotions such as his relief to find that his dinner was waiting for him in his room.

Review Excerpts 

• 1964 Caldecott Award Winner
• From the HornBook: "Arguably one of the greatest Caldecott Medal winners ever".

Connections

*After reading the book, watch the film adaptation.  Make notes of the differences between the two.

*Have students share a dream they might have had where they found themselves in a world much like Max's and then draw what that dream looked like.  

Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora

Bibliography 
Mora, Pat.  1997. Tomás and the library lady. Ill. by Raúl Colón. New York: Knopf. ISBN 0679804013


Plot Summary
Tomás is a young boy from Texas who travels with his family as migrant workers.  One day Tomás' grandfather encourages him to go to the local public library in the small town in Iowa where they were working so that he could get his fill of books and stories to share with the family.  When Tomás arrives at the library, he is greeted by a kind librarian who introduces him to many different books that provide him with an escape to magical lands and adventures.  Tomás shares these wonderful stories with his family and when it is time to return to Texas, he leaves Iowa with a new found love of libraries and books that will stay with him into adulthood.

Critical Analysis 
Tomás and the Library Lady does a great job of showing young readers of all ages and backgrounds just how beneficial reading can be to their lives.  Tomás uses reading in the library to escape from the sadness he feels about missing his home in Texas.  On top of this, we see a positive look into the life of a migrant family.  Tomás and his family are kind and hard working people who encourage his interest in learning.  Pat Mora uses a blend of Spanish and English phrases that will stick with readers as they grow up in a world where Spanish language is becoming more and more prominent.

 Raúl Colón illustrates the story in a way that nicely compliments the text.  The illustrations use warm earth tones and textures that match well with the Iowa farm land setting of the story.  The pictures add to the story when Tomás is in the library by depicting what he is reading about in the stories.  When Tomás is reading about dinosaurs, we see a picture of what he is imagining in the story.

This book would be great to share with children of all backgrounds because it would introduce some readers to the life of migrant families and it would give other young readers a character to identify with.  It also does much to promote libraries and reading.

Awards

• Winner of the 1997 Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award
•  1998 Teachers' Choices Award from the International Reading Association
• 1999-2000, Texas Bluebonnet Master List Title

Connections

*Take time to introduce readers to the real Tomás Rivera by talking about his life as Chancellor at the University of California and the road he took to get there.

*Create Spanish/English flash cards using useful, every day words as well as words the readers themselves would like to learn.  

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Bibliography
Selznick, Brian. 2007. The invention of Hugo Cabret: a novel in words and pictures. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439813785


Plot Summary
This is a picture book combined with a chapter book that follows the adventures of 12 year old Hugo Cabret who lives in a Paris train station in the 1930s.  Hugo finds an old, broken automaton and spends his spare time restoring it with parts he steals from a local toy booth.  When the toy booth owner catches Hugo in the act, he discovers Hugo's book of repair notes and confiscates it which in turn devastates Hugo.  Hugo successfully repairs the automaton without the book and discovers that the machine draws a picture of a famous film his father had seen as a boy.  Through some research at a local film library, Hugo discovers that the toy booth owner is in fact the creator of the automaton and also a classic film director and magician.  This book uncovers the pasts of all the major characters through pictures and text.

Critical Analysis
The overall theme of this story is that behind every misunderstood person is a deeper story and a reason for their actions.  To most of the characters in the book, Hugo is just another thief stealing toys and food for fun while in reality, he's stealing to survive.  The toy booth owner is seen as a grouchy old man but his bad attitude turns out to be a mask for the pain from his past and losing his passions.  Through well developed and relatable characters, Brian Selznick creates a story that keeps the reader in suspense and ultimately satisfied by the feel good, happy ending.

Selznick's illustrations and images pair up nicely with the text.  Some images are drawings by Brian Selznick but occasionally the reader is treated to an image taken from the films discussed in the book.  The illustrations move at a quick pace to build the tension and anticipation the reader feels as they go through the story. As each page turns, the illustration moves and often the image is a close up of the page before.  For example, on one page, the reader sees Hugo going through a vent in the wall and on the next page, we see a close up of just his foot going through the wall.  Illustrations and pictures are in black and white and show detailed texture which makes for attractive and interesting character features such as beards or setting characteristics like the sidewalks of Paris.

This book provides a fun escape to the 1930s in Paris while at the same time educates readers of all ages about the earliest times of classic films and automatons.

Review Excerpts

• 2008 Caldecott Award winning book
• #39 on the School Library Journal's Top 100 Children's Novels list
• Starred review in Publisher's Weekly: "A true masterpiece"

Connections
*After reading the book, search for clips on YouTube showing films from featured director and toy store booth owner Georges Melies.
*Other books by Brian Selznick:
    The Houdini Box. ISBN 1416968784
   The Boy of a Thousand Faces. ISBN 0064410803




Below, author and illustrator Brian Selznick talks about how he found inspiration for Hugo's story and how the illustrations came to life.