Traditional Literature Book Reviews

 All of these reviews are completed as an assignment for a Masters class for SHSU.

Zelinskey, Paul. 1986. RUMPELSTILTSKIN. New York: E.P. Dutton. ISBN: 0525442650

 Plot Summary: Paul O. Zelinsky retells and illustrates a famous tale called Rumpelstiltskin.  A poor miller in a town decides to impress the king one day and tells him that his daughter can spin straw into gold.  The king loves this idea and brings her to a room in his castle filled with straw. She’s told she needs to spin the straw into gold in one night or she will die.  The poor miller’s daughter is in tears trying to figure out what to do when a mysterious little man appears and helps her for the price of her necklace.  The king is so impressed that he puts her in a larger room the next day. The little man returns and helps her turn the straw into gold for the ring her on her finger.  The king is so impressed that if she does this a third night, he will marry her.  The miller’s daughter has nothing left to give, so she promises the little man her first born child.  Once the new queen has her first child, the little man returns to claim his reward.  The queen doesn’t want to lose her child, so the little man makes her a deal.  The queen has three nights to guess the little man’s name so that she can keep her child.  The queen sends her faithful servant into the woods to find him and learns his name is Rumpelstiltskin.  To Rumpelstiltskin’s surprise, the queen guesses his name on the third night, and he is never heard from again.

 Critical Analysis: Zelinsky does an incredible job of illustrating and retelling this classic tale.  The tale adds a little magic to the reader’s world.  Even though it is retold from the Brothers Grimm, the language and plot are easy for the reader to understand and to follow.

On top of the story being one that is enjoyable for any library to own, the illustrations, which are paintings, awarded Zelinsky a Caldecott Honor Award. With illustrations like these, any reader is more likely to enjoy this traditional tale.

 

Review Excerpts:

Goodreads: “Richly hued oil paintings complement a story simply and gracefully told.”Kirkus: “A distinguished edition of one of Grimm's favorite tales.”

 Connections: This retelling of a traditional tale helps the reader to see elements of a traditional tale like good vs. evil and right vs. wrong. Using this book for some upper-level discussion would be very beneficial.  Students could discuss if the miller’s father was justified in lying to the king; they could also discuss what would have happened if Rumpelstiltskin wouldn’t have helped the miller’s daughter.

 

 

 

 Artell, Mike. 2006. THREE LITTLE CAJUN PIGS. Illustrations by Harris, Jim. New York: The Penguin Group. ISBN 9780803728158

 Plot Summary: The classic tale of Three Little Pigs is taken to whole new level in Three Little Cajun Pigs.  Any reader who knows about the Cajun culture will be immediately attracted to our three little pigs Trosclair, Thibodeaux, and Ulysse who build their three houses of straw, sticks, and brick.  Instead of a big, bad wolf coming after the three pigs, in true Cajun form, the reader meets Ol’ Claude the big gator from the bayou who uses his tale to whack the pigs’ houses.  In the end, the gator climbs to the chimney of the third little pig’s brick house and doesn’t realize the pigs are making a hot roux that burns the gator’s tail and sends him back home to pack tail with ice and is never heard from again.

 Critical Analysis: Artell spins our classic tale in such an entertaining way that any reader will find enjoyment.  Readers who are familiar with Louisiana and the Cajun world will find the language and the characters relatable.  If readers are unfamiliar with the Cajun culture, they will still love learning through the language.  The reader might find the pronunciations difficult, but Artell offers a Glossary at the beginning of the story that not only shows the reader how to say the more difficult words, but also gives definitions.  

The illustrations are very attractive to any reader with simplicity and similarity to other versions of this famous tale.  The gator isn’t drawn too scary for young readers, and is portrayed in a sillier, carton like way that will attract young readers.  The illustrator included background details, like the décor in the pigs’ houses, on each page that are very attractive to the observant reader.

 

Review Excerpt:

Kirkus: “Harris’s playful and detailed watercolor and pencil illustrations heighten the quirky humor of Artell’s rhyming verse, which is characterized by heavy, but accessible, Cajun dialect.”

Goodreads: “This hilarious tale from the creators of the popular Petite Rouge (which School Library Journal declared "A treat from start to finish") will once again take you to the heart of the Cajun swamps and show you the Three Little Pigs like you've never seen them.”

 Connections: Students will love to use this version of Three Little Pigs to not only learn a little about the Cajun culture, but also to compare this version with the traditional tale.  Students could even complete a project on another version of the classic tale by finding a fractured fairy tale version or a Three Little Pigs story from another cultural background.

 

Bryan, Ashley. 2003. BEAUTIFUL BLACKBIRD. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780689847318

 Plot Summary: Beautiful Blackbird is an African tale about the beautiful and colorful birds in Zambia who are envious of the one blackbird.  The blackbird seems to gleam all the colors of the sun and the other birds think they will be perfect if they just have a little bit of black coloring. The blackbird uses his paintbrush to add a little black coloring to each bird, but reminds the birds each time that beauty isn’t on the outside. Rather, beauty is what’s on the inside that makes you special and unique. The story ends with all birds possessing a small touch of black, but the beautiful blackbird still seems to radiate beautiful colors.

 Critical Analysis: The story is a very straightforward plot to follow with a very common lesson. All the colorful birds are envious of one bird that is different, but the lesson is still voiced that beauty is truly on the inside, not the outside. This moral was mentioned a few times in the story, but the lesson wasn’t completely taught in the end. All the birds received a little black coloring, but it didn’t seem to change things for them.  The author didn’t really teach the lesson of beauty on the inside versus on the outside.

The author notes at the end of the story that the illustrations are done using scissors and colored paper. What’s great is that the lines are crisp and clean, which makes them very eye appealing to the reader. The reader can automatically tell from the front cover illustration that this could be an African tale.

 Review Excerpts: Publisher’s Weekly: “But if the ending creates a bit of confusion, Bryan's collages make up for it with their exhibition of colorful splendor and composition. Scenes of the rainbow of wings are outdone only by a lakeside view of their colors intricately "mirrored in the waters." And Bryan's lilting and magical language is infectious.”

Kirkus: “Still, the rolling language and appealing illustrations make this a must.”

 Connections: This African tale could link to an entire research project on the country of Zambia.  Student researchers could use two different websites to start their research to link with this story: the tourism website: https://www.zambiatourism.com/ and the national country homepage: https://zambia.co.zm/

Students could also do further research on the author and illustrator Ashley Bryan and review other books like Freedom Over Me (2016) and Let it Shine (2007) to name a few.  Students could then compare the different stories.

 

Issacs, Anne. 1994. SWAMP ANGEL. Illustrations by: Zelinsky, Paul. New York: Puffin Books. ISBN 9780140559088

 Plot Summary: Angelica Longrider didn’t seem like much of girl when she was first born, no taller than her mother and she couldn’t climb a tree without help. However, as she began to grow, she proved otherwise.  She puts out fires with water from a cloud and she builds a log cabin at the age of two.  Angelica earns the nickname Swamp Angel when she lifts a band of covered wagons out of the swamp.  Along comes a bear that no one in the town can kill. The men ensue on a hunt so that they can feed the town.  Swamp Angel fights through a swamp, the sky, and a lake and ends up killing the bear and feeding the town.

 Critical Analysis: Swamp Angel is a great story that shows a female hero who triumphs in all her adventures if the reader believes her stories to be true.  She not only shows a good vs. evil them when she triumphs over the bear, but Swamp Angel also refuses to listen to the men in her story that tell her she needs to be cooking rather than hunting a bear.  Isaacs using imagery and analogies that lead the reader to believe he or she is reading a true tale from Tennessee.

Zelinsky does an incredible job with the illustrations using muted colors and clothing that resembles a time in history on the prairie.  The reader feels like the illustrations are taken straight from a history book.

 Review Excerpt:

Goodreads: “Caldecott Medal-winning artist Paul O. Zelinsky's stunning folk-art paintings are the perfect match for the irony, exaggeration, and sheer good humor of this original tall tale set on the American frontier.”

Kirkus: “To say that you are entering Caldecott land doesn't begin to do this book justice.”

Connections: This book is such a great tale to coincide with the famous Paul Bunyan story.  Students could read both stories and compare the actions of the heroes, along with the imagery language that is used. 

Readers could also locate other books with Zelinsky’s illustrations, like Rumpelstiltskin, and compare who he changes or doesn’t change his illustration style.

Social Media Exploration

 Using social media for the classroom and/or the school library seems like a necessity if an educator wants to reach the students on a new level.

Facebook: 

    What's great about Facebook is that I'm already a part of quite a few professional library groups and follow several library pages. I use them as resources for lesson ideas, new activities, library décor, and advice when I have difficult students or situations in the library.  Even though Facebook seems to be on a slight decline in users due to Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and now TikTok, it still holds social media value. Facebook is easy to use especially when it comes to various ages.  In this case, having a school library page would be very useful for both students, parents, and grandparents. In the last few years of teaching, I have had a lot of grandparents as the primary guardian of my students.  Having a library Facebook page as a resource would be very valuable.

    One library page I enjoy following is that of Anderson Elementary in Spring ISD.

The librarian posts school updates, holidays and school closures.  She also uses it as a resource to advertise for events like her book fair. This is an easy way for parents and students to be reminded about the event and have access to any online shopping that could contribute to this event.

    Another library page that I follow is Smith Elementary, also in Spring ISD.  This librarian note only gives district and school updates, but also shares virtual events like book talks and author presentations.

I love that something as simple as a Facebook page will offer valuable resources to the community.

Twitter:

    I am not as familiar with Twitter as I am with other social media sites, however, I do see the appeal for using it as a resource.  It's simple, user friendly, and easy to post and use.  I can find up to date information on book bans, holiday topical library information, and see new technology being developed that I can use in the library.  Jim Lerman even offers instructional practices that will help with student engagement, so not only are teachers getting technology and lesson ideas, but actual tactics to better reach students.

    I really enjoyed checking out Gwyneth Jones, The Daring Librarian, @GwynethJones.  She gives links to the resources she suggests using and shows off what students are doing in her library. I really like this Tweet about some banned books.

    Following technical leaders and not just librarians is extremely useful for today's librarians because our job doesn't entail just books anymore, but also a Media Specialist portion of the job. Librarians need to be able to work with, understand, and teach new technology.  

Instagram:

    Instagram seems to have become popular not only with the posts you can share, but also with videos, highlights, reels, and stories. Insta features seem to be more catered to a younger audience, which gives the chance for educators to reach their immediate community on a level where the students are more the experts. Sharing pictures as the primary part of the posts gives students an eye-catching way to see featured student library work, feature authors, and share current events within the library.  As much as there is to learn from and share on any social media platform, the adults need to monitor any commentary that can become negative.  The authors and creators should strive to make their social media platforms a place of positivity and inspiration for all community members.

I have just begun a library Instagram, but please follow me @@LibraryLifeWithLaura

Insta Video Post

Photo Insta Post

Resources:

Hudson, H. (2016, August 7). 10 Surprising Ways to Use Instagram in the Classroom - 

We Are Teachers. WeAreTeachers. Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.weareteachers.com/10-surprising-ways-to-use-instagram-in-the-classroom-2/

Picture Book Reviews

 These reviews were created as an assignment for an SHSU course.

Willems, Mo. 2019. THE PIGEON HAS TO GO TO SCHOOL!. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 9781368046459

 

Plot Summary: Mo Willems has done it again with his funny pigeon character talking about something he doesn’t want to do. In this story, the pigeon doesn’t want to go to school.  He discusses all the reasons he doesn’t want to go, but doesn’t really seem to understand what school really entails.  A lot of his reasons are very similar to what children say in real life about school.  The pigeon has a great realization at the end of the story.

 

Critical Analysis: Willems’s writing is very easy for the reader to understand.  The reader feels like the pigeon is having and actual conversation with him or her.  Willems also has a variety of punctuation used as the pigeon expresses his feelings about school, so the reader can “hear” the volume of the pigeon’s voice going up and down.  The reader can relate to the pigeon’s fear of school because his reasons of being fearful of the teacher and all the stuff there is to learn are fears of kids in school. 

As an illustrator, Willems draws simple pictures that are colorful and attractive to the reader. His pigeon is a little goofy, which is perfect for his children audience.

 

Review Excerpts:

Starred Review in School Library Journal: “Deftly balancing genuine concerns with humor and buoyant reassurance, this irresistible offering starring a fan favorite is sure to become a first-day-of-school classic.”

Starred Review on Booklist: “Children on their way to kindergarten may recognize themselves in Pigeon’s story and take heart at his (eventual) enthusiasm.”

 

Connections: Every fear that the pigeon cites about going to school are relatable for children going to school for the first time and those attending new school.  The pigeon says he doesn’t like mornings, and he’s concerned the teacher doesn’t like pigeons.  He also worries about his heavy backpack, what others will think of him, and all the things he needs to learn.  Students can have discussions and even write about how they felt coming to school for the first time and how they can relate to the pigeon. 

The book is filled with speech bubbles and different forms of punctuation.  This can spark some great lessons and conversations detailing how to read different forms of punctuation and the emotions that are conveyed when you see a period versus an exclamation point along with large bold letters.  This book is a great back to school read aloud for every classroom to enjoy.

Thompson, Kay. 1955. ELOISE. Illustrations by Knight, Hilary. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743489768

 

Plot Summary: Eloise is a young girl who is enjoying life at the Plaza. The story covers her crazy antics including sliding a stick on the doors of her neighbors as she walks down the hallway, having temper tantrums, and answering the phones of other guests in the lobby.  Everyone knows Eloise.  Her nanny and tutor do their best to support her but must make life easier by spoiling her sometimes.  When she’s not bothering the people also living at the Plaza, she keeps herself from boredom by imagining all kinds of creative scenarios.

 

Critical Analysis: Thompson seems to be catering to a child reading her story in that she rarely uses punctuation, but still shares a story that a child could easily relate.  It’s almost like Eloise is really talking to the reader and sharing her life that everyone should understand.  Eloise’s parents are not around, and her daily activities are supported by her nanny and tutor. The trouble she gets into reflects that of a lonely yet imaginative child.

The illustrations are simple with a slight bit of color to attract the readers’ attention.  Knight utilizes the pink very well when showing Eloise’s made-up stories. The reader automatically know what Eloise is doing and where her visions come into play.

 

Review Excerpt:

Amazon: “Eloise's taunts are terrible, her imagination inimitable, her pace positively perilous. Her impertinence will delight readers of all ages. (Ages 5 and older)?”

 

Connections: This book would be excellent for children who are struggling with a missing parent. It shows the reader that others who care for you can become family, take care of you, and provide what you need. 

This book also gives children an opportunity to discuss creativity and independence, what some may think is a simple idea, but might be hard for some children.  Children aren’t given a lot of opportunities within the academic world to be creative and problem solve. Eloise shows her readers that she can entertain herself when needed, even though her boredom sometimes steers her to trouble.

McCloskey, Robert. 1941. MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780758700568

 

Plot Summary: Mr. and Mrs. Mallard Duck are on a very long search to find just the right spot to lay their eggs and start a family.  Mrs. Mallard dismisses multiple places before landing near Charles River near Boston.  They meet a nice policeman, Michael, who feeds them.  Mr. Mallard leaves one week while Mrs. Mallard teaches the babies how to swim, dive, and stay away from moving things like bicycles.  After a week’s amount of time, Mrs. Mallard, and her ducklings travel to the Boston Public Gardens to meet Mr. Mallard. Along they way, Michael and other police officers need to escort them away from moving cars and other city dangers. 

 

Critical Analysis: Most of the story is easy to follow, however a reader with little knowledge of the geography might get lost with some of the vocabulary. For a picture book, it might also be a little lengthy for a younger reader to enjoy unless he or she is really vested in the plot.  McCloskey focuses on a theme of friendship and family which is sure to attract most readers.

I love that even though McCloskey’s illustrations are basically pencil gray drawings there are still various details, which is no wonder he won a Caldecott Medal for this book.  Down to the wrinkles in the policeman’s clothes and the flag outside the State House, McCloskey helps the reader visualize each place where the ducks traveled.

 

Review Excerpts:

Kirkus: “…an enchanting and very original book.”

The Horn Book: “Their (Bostonians) enthusiasm is rewarded with plucky, astonishingly detailed ducks (apparently modeled after ducks in McCloskey’s bathtub) and a wealth of beloved Boston landmarks (Beacon Street! The Charles River! The swan boats in the Public Garden!).”

 

Connections: This book can be used to focus on family units and how important care for family members is within a community.  Not only does Mrs. Mallard understand that Mr. Mallard needs to leave to explore the rest of the river, but she also shows a mother can take care of her family.  Michael, even though he is human and not a direct member of the Mallard family, becomes an extension and shows the reader that family is not always directly related to you.  The values of family can be shown among friends.

Mattick, Lindsay. 2015. FINDING WINNIE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS BEAR. Illustrations by: Blackall, Sophie. New York: Little Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316324908

 

Plot Summary: Mattick does an incredible job of using her family to tell the story of beginning of one of the world’s most beloved bears.  She begins where she is telling her son a bedtime story about her great-grandfather, Harry Colebourn, who loves animals and goes to war to take care of the horses.  Along the way, Harry meets a man with a bear and decides to purchase him and bring him to his army camp.  Winnipeg (Winnie for short) quickly becomes the mascot for the men earning himself a lookout job and even poses for the group picture.  As time goes on, Harry realizes that the war is not the best place for Winnie and takes her to the London Zoo so she can be loved.  The zoo is where Christopher Robin meets Winnie and Winnie becomes a part of their family. Mattick’s son, Cole, names his stuffed bear Winnie and so begins the stories of our famous bear.

 

Critical Analysis: This is a beautifully written story about a beloved character that is tied so well to a family history.  As Mattick is telling her bedtime story, Cole chimes in with comments just as children do at bedtime.  Mattick keeps the reader engaged wondering when Christopher Robin will enter the story along with hoping and praying that the bear will find her true home. 

Blackall’s illustrations are done in Chinese ink and watercolor giving such life-like qualities to all the characters including the bear.  Her illustrations capture the history of war and the time-period so vividly that the reader believes he or she is actually there in the story.  The end of the book adds even more to the “bed-time” story by showing actual photographs of Harry, Winnie and the army, and various artifacts.

 

Review Excerpt:

Starred Review Booklist: “Blackall’s warm, beautiful gouache-and-ink illustrations capture an impressive depth of feeling, even in relatively simplified faces. The visuals not only complement the fablelike cadences of Mattick’s text but also include subtle details that enrich the story—the opening pages, for instance, recall a storybook forest before melting into the surroundings of Cole’s bedroom, where he hears the story of Colebourn and Winnie.”

 

Connections: This book is an amazing bedtime story that offers the reader a chance to dive into a unique family history. This book could be the jumping off point for students to start conversations with their parents and grandparents to learn family stories.

Students could also do research using the photographs at the back of the story to find truth to this family history and to find other interesting war stories of animals that might have accompanied soldiers.

Blog Readers and Blogs

February 5, 2022

Blog Readers and Blogs

 

I spent some time looking through and exploring the top RSS Feed Readers as listed in Lindsay Liedke’s article 7 Best Free RSS Feed Readers (2022 Edition) and decided that I really enjoyed Feedly the best.  It seems to be easier to navigate for me as I have never used Feed Readers as a tool.  Feedly also makes it easy to create different feeds based on what topic you are looking to follow.  For example, I was able to make a “Leadership” feed and a “Library” feed.  I found various blogs that support my love of books and offer library information to help further my career in Library Science.  I was able to find separate blogs to follow that will help grow my leadership skills.  When searching for new blogs to follow, Feedly seemed to give me the most options.  I liked Inoreader at first based on the look of it. It seemed to have a nice feature of creating offline folders to access my needed information, but it really wasn’t user-friendly. For a brand-new Feed Reader user, I needed it to be easily understandable.

            One blog that I found to follow is The Library Voice, which can be found at https://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/.  Sharon McClintock Miller is not only a librarian, but an author and international speaker.  She shares current activities to use in the library that combine favorite books with new technology.  As a Librarian/Media Specialist it is imperative to best support my community by understanding and using books with technology support.

            Another blog that I am enjoying is The Trapped Librarian.  Laura Trapp is an elementary librarian whose focus is to help other librarians make the library the center of your school.  In her experience, it’s very hard to juggle finding great books for kids and supporting teachers especially during the last two years.  She shares up to date lessons, bulletin board displays, library events, remote learning resources, and so much more.   You can find her blog at http://trappedlibrarian.org/blog/.

            You’ll also want to check out The American Library Association of School Librarians (AASL) at https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/ for another resourceful blog.  The AASL is great to follow to keep up with the most recent library news, award-winning books, and their reviews along with professional development.  The tabs for “News” and “Blog Topics” make it very user-friendly to find what you need quickly.

            Another great blog that I found to be very helpful is No Shelf Required.  This blog is especially helpful because of the up-to-date information on digital content that can be used in libraries, higher education, and publishing.  The librarian’s job is not just about books anymore. The position also entails being a Media Specialist and knowledge of technology.  I love that this blog focuses on the new educational digital content, hence the name No Shelf Required.  The tabs at the top containing News, Highlights, and Resources point the user in the right direction to get started.  They even recommend e-courses to utilize.  You can find this blog at http://www.noshelfrequired.com/ .

            One more blog that I discovered is Librarian’s Quest.  I find this one useful because not only can educators express views about books, but students and parents can partake as well.  My educational and library first-hand experience has only been at the elementary level.  This blog gives information on recent topics for middle schools. There are also links to previous years if the user needs reviews and activities on older books.  You can locate this blog at http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/ .

 

You can find my Tumblr account at  librarylifewithlaura.tumblr.com

 

 

References

 

American Association of School Librarians. Knowledge Quest.  Retrieved February 4, 2022 from

 

https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/

Liedke, L. (2022, January 6). 7 Best Free RSS Feed Readers (2022 Edition). Blogging                Wizard.   Retrieved February 3, 2022 from

https://bloggingwizard.com/free-rss-feedreaders/

McClintock Miller, S. The Library Voice. Powered by Blogger. Retrieved February 4, 2022 from                https://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/

Myers-Culver, M. Librarian’s Quest. Retrieved February 4, 2022 from                                http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/

Roncevic, M. No Shelf Required. Retrieved February 4, 2022 from http://www.noshelfrequired.com/

Trapp, L. The Trapped Librarian.  Retrieved February 4, 2022 from                   http://trappedlibrarian.org/blog/