Rapunzel

Adapted and Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

Bibliographic data

Zelinsky, Paul O. 1997. Rapunzel. New York: Dutton Children’s Books.

ISBN 0525456074

Plot Summary

This is a story of a girl named Rapunzel, who had long beautiful hair. She is raised by a sorceress in a high tower that contains no doors. The only way up or down is by saying “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.” Along comes a Prince who falls in love with Rapunzel. When the sorceress finds out about Rapunzel’s betrayal, she sends her far away from the Prince. To find out if they live happily ever after you will have to read the story.

Critical Analysis

Not only is this story beautifully written, but Zelinsky’s illustrations are phenomenal. All of his illustrations are very precise and life-like. I can envision these illustrations being displayed in a museum.

Every illustration has so many pieces that would take a reader several readings to really see every item. Zelinsky seems to have a fondness for animals and creatures. On almost every page he has added an insect or animal to the scenery. Two animals that occur multiple times are a cat and a male peacock. The detail of the peacock’s feathers is remarkable. The cat seems to be a pet of Rapunzel because it is drawn in many scenes with Rapunzel.

The first illustration of the sorceress’s garden really caught my eye. Every tree, bush, statue, and grass has their own shape and style. It reminds me of a garden you would see at a palace or castle. I also found it amusing how Zelinsky strategically places the animals in the garden. There looks to be a large type of lizard on the grounds, a bird in a tree, a peacock hidden within the plants, and a creature that looks like a monkey hidden in a tree. A reader would miss seeing these if they were just focusing on the text and not really taking the time to view and analyze the scene.

The colors throughout the book are bold and subtle at the same time. Unlike some books, Zelinsky provides a lot of detail in his character’s facial expressions. This allows the reader to really see what the character is feeling. Just like many of the favorite fairy tales, this story shares a happy ending that everyone will enjoy.

At the end of the book Zelinsky provides a history behind the story of “Rapunzel.” It is an interesting and educational piece of the historical aspects that led Zelinsky to his adaptation. This is a true classic book and story that should be appreciated for a lifetime.

Review Excerpts

 v 1998 Caldecott Medal Winner

 v ALA notable Children’s Books 1998

 v “Simply put, this is a gorgeous book; it demonstrates respect for the traditions of painting and the fairy tale while at the same time adhering to a singular, wholly original, artistic vision.” Horn Book, starred review

 v “A breathtaking interpretation gives the fairy tale new art-historical roots, with illustrations that daringly- and effectively- mimic the masters of Italian Renaissance painting.” Publishers Weekly

 v Kirkus Reviews called the art “grandly evocative, composed and executed with superb technical and emotional command.”

Connections

 v Have students act out the story.

 v Compare and contrast other versions of the Rapunzel story.

 v List good and bad qualities of the sorceress.

The Three Little Tamales

Written by Eric A. Kimmel
Illustrated by Valeria Docampo

Bibliographic data
Kimmel, Eric A. 2009. The Three Little Tamales. Ill. by Valeria Docampo. Tarrytown: Marshall Cavendish Children.
ISBN 9780761455196

Plot Summary
This is a story of three little tamales that runaway for fear of being eaten. They each find a home to their liking and settle in. Just like the story of “The Three Little Pigs,” a big bad wolf, Señor Lobo, comes to huff and puff and blow their houses down.

Critical Analysis
The only people in this story are seen in the beginning. The main characters are three tamales, Señor Lobo (the big bad wolf), and some friendly tortillas. Docampo presents personification by giving the tamales and tortillas human facial features and expressions. I found it very cute and clever how Docampo gave the tamales seperate personalities in her illustrations. One of the female tamales has glasses, eye lashes, rosy cheeks, and her tie is around her waist like a belt. The other female tamale has eye lashes, rosy cheeks, and her tie is around her head like a headband. The only male tamale has bushy eyebrows and a mustache.

Docampo used oil and pencils to create her fantastic illustrations. She used very bright and vibrant colors that allow the illustrations to really pop. She also used a whole array of colors, but she really brings out the greens near the end of the story. This is due to the setting being a house made of cacti. Docampo’s pictures are extremely detailed and if you look closely you can see little additions, like a snail and a snake. One of my favorite parts of her illustrations is the way she created the wind that Señor Lobo uses to try and blow the casitas (houses) down. She used a lovely variation of colors from the setting with spirals and circles. You can really visualize the air moving. There are also birds and leaves within the spirals to show the debris caught in the cross fire.

I am a native Texan, so I truly enjoyed the integration of Spanish in the text. It really gives the reader a sense of Texas culture that has derived from Mexican immigrants. Throughout the story Kimmel replaces Spanish words for the English equivalents. To provide a reader with little or no knowledge of Spanish, Kimmel has a glossary of the Spanish terms and their English meanings before the title page.

I loved this version of “The Three Little Pigs.” It is a story that your ESL students will love. After reading this tale I made sure to mention it to the ESL teacher at my school. She was thrilled to learn of the story. This is definitely a must read. I would recommend reading it out loud.
Review Excerpts

v “An excellent addition to collections of fairy-tale retellings.” Booklist

v “Kimmel’s text is eminently readable, as usual.” Horn Book

v “A flavorful addition to the folktale shelf that begs to be shared with a group.” Kirkus Review

v “…a delightful parody sure to satisfy readers’ appetite for fun.” School Library Journal

Connections

v  Have the students create their own version of “The Three Little Pigs”.

v  Compare and contrast “The Three Little Tamales” to “The Three Little Pigs”.

v  Have students find other variations of the folktale.

The Greatest of All

Retold by Eric A. Kimmel
Illustrated by Giora Carmi

Bibliographic data
Kimmel, Eric A. 1991. The Greatest of All. Ill. by Giora Carmi. New York: Holiday House.
ISBN 0823408856

Plot Summary
This is a retelling of a Japanese folktale. In the tale, father mouse is in search of a husband for his daughter to marry. He is not looking for just any husband, but “the greatest of all” to marry his pretty daughter. The story ends with a marriage, but you have to read it to find out who becomes the husband.

Critical Analysis

This tale exhibits many areas of repetition. As father mouse approaches each possible husband he repeats the same phrases. “I bring good news. My daughter Chuko wishes to marry. My wife and I want only the best for her husband. We have chosen you, because you are the greatest of all.” With every suitor that father mouse approaches they say that there is someone greater than he. An interesting piece of the story is that the prospective husbands consist of an emperor, the sun, a cloud, the wind, a wall, and a mouse. An ironic part of the tale is at the end where the father says that he knew all along that the mouse was the right husband for his daughter, when at the beginning he believed there to be others better suited. Kimmel and Carmi present personification with the mice wearing clothes and shoes, and the facial features of the sun, cloud, wind, and wall. In a couple of illustrations you can see the mice wearing Japanese sandals.

Carmi does a fantastic job with the illustrations of the folktale. The strokes and coloring allow the reader to really see the texture of the images. There is an array of colors, but they are subtle instead of bright. Every page has a background color of a dark coral with specks of ivory. The main illustrations and text are in panels with black borders that provide a very clean and organized structure. There is a lot of detail in all of the illustrations. I was really drawn in to the features of the mice, especially the detail of their feet. I observed that Kimmel and Carmi did not provide any emotions for the characters in the text or illustrations. There are no smiles, frowns, or excitement for the facial expressions. All characters contain a straight face. Much to my surprise, this did not take away from the concept and pleasant storyline.

Review Excerpts

v “Carmi’s earthly elements are ferocious yet friendly, and Kimmel’s Father Mouse is comical rather than tragic.” Booklist

v “Warmly colored, amusing illustrations.” Horn Book

v “Warm colors and distinctive texture mark Carmi’s illustrations, which include effective renderings of the anthropomorphic nature elements.” Publishers Weekly

Connections

v Have the students discuss their favorite folktale.

v Discuss the wardrobe of the characters and the Japanese culture.

v Discuss what a haiku is and have the students produce their own.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Written and Illustrated by William Steig

Bibliographic data

Steig, William. 1969. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781416902065

Plot Summary

This is a story of a donkey named Sylvester who collects pebbles. On a rainy day he finds a magic pebble that makes wishes come true. On his way home he encounters a lion that frightens him, and Sylvester makes a wish that causes some unexpected events. Because of these events Sylvester is unable to return home, and his family begins to worry. By the end of the story Sylvester learns a very valuable lesson and becomes reunited with his family.

Critical Analysis

This is a very didactic story that teaches the reader the lesson of being careful what you wish for, and to be happy with what you have. Sylvester has to learn the hard way that wishing for something can turn out to be trouble when he turns into a rock.

Steig’s is a great illustrator and the drawings are very realistic and colorful. The way he blends the colors is exceptional. Instead of just a blue sky in the fall scene he chose to use some reds, whites, and different shades of blue.

Personification is very present in this tale. There are no humans, but the animals are portrayed as humans. They live in houses, wear clothes, and have human emotions. There is also a cultural reference present. The cops in the story are pigs. This book was written in the late sixties and most likely Steig intentionally did this.

This book is not as short as most picture books, but it has a great lesson to teach.

Review Excerpts

·       1970 Caldecott Medal Winner

·       “This tale of a donkey who wishes on a magic pebble has charmed a generation of readers and will no doubt go on to attract a new one.” Publisher’s Weekly

Connection

 

·       Have a discussion about what the students would wish for it they found a magic pebble.

·       Talk about cause and effect and how it relates to the situations in the book.

·       Have students make a character map for Sylvester.

·       Have a discussion about if the students collect items and what they are.

Kitten's First Full Moon

Written and Illustrated by Kevin Henkes

Bibliographic Data:

Henkes, Kevin. 2004. Kitten's First Full Moon. Greenwillow Books. ISBN 9780060588281

Brief Plot Summary:

In this playful book the main character, kitten, mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk. In the kitten's pursuit of the "milk", the kitten licks a bug, gets hurt trying to jump for it, climbs up a tree, and jumps into a pond. After so much effort the kitten ends up wet, hungry, tired, and no milk to show for it. Distraught, the kitten returns home and to her surprise finds a bowl of milk on the porch.

Critical Analysis:

Henkes does an excellent job in his use of gouache and colored pencils for the illustrations of the book. The black and white coloring is a good way to emphasize the bowl of milk that the kitten is searching for. On the pages where the kitten and the moon are the only illustrations, Henkes's uses shading behind the drawings to make them stand out.

 

The story exemplifies personification by the kitten's emotions throughout the story. The reader still knows that the kitten is not human, but she portrays human emotions. There are several places in the story where Henkes uses repetition. The repetition reinforces the idea of the moon being a bowl of milk, and what the kitten's goal is. The repetition is seen in the text as well as the illustrations.

 

This is a very lovable story that shows how objects can been seen in other ways. I would definitely recommend this cute story to parents and children.

Review Excerpts:

v "The rhythmic text and delightful artwork ensure story time success." Wendy Lukehart School Library Journal

v "The narrative and visual pacing will keep children entranced, and the determined young heroine and her comical guest will win them over." Publishers Weekly

Connections:

v Teach the phases of the moon as an extension activity.

v Talk about "reflections" to explain the moon's reflection in the pond.

      v Have students act out the actions of the kitten in the book.

 

City Dog, Country Frog

Written by Mo Willems

Illustrated by Jon J Muth

Bibliographic data

Willems, Mo. 2010. City Dog, Country Frog. Ill. By Jon J. Muth. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 9781423103004

Plot Summary

This is a touching tale of a dog from the city and a frog from the country that become friends. They first meet in spring when the dog first runs free in the country. Over the seasons, the frog teaches the dog frog games, and the dog teaches the frog dog games. Things soon change for the frog and the dog, and the dog ends up with a slightly different friend.

Critical Analysis

Muth does a great job in his use of watercolors in his illustrations. The pictures are beautiful and allow the reader to really visualize the story. The vibrant colors are very true to the natural seasons.

The spring and summer illustrations are very bright with more than just green coloring. As the fall season approaches the colors become darker, and the frog’s color becomes muted. This is an indication of the frog growing old. There is also a similarity in the coloring of the frog and the colors of the dying trees. It is never said that the frog passes away, but the illustrations elude the reader to this conclusion. Another indication of the frogs dying is the picture in the clouds of the two friends remembering the games they played. As the story comes to an end and the dog meets the chipmunk, the reader can see the complete cycle that the dog has gone through with the frog and started with his new friend.

Willems’ simple and effective text and Muth’s delicate illustrations allow the readers to have an emotional relationship with the characters. This is a very touching story of friendship and a must read for all ages.

Review excerpts

v Starred review in School Library Journal: “Making expert use of color and texture, Muth’s expressive paintings clearly convey the tale’s emotional nuances.”

v Starred review in Booklist: “It’s hard to imagine a picture book that more consistently (and touchingly) hits all the right notes.”

v New York Times “…picture-book writing at its best.”

Connections

v Have students make predictions about what the book is about after just looking at the book cover.

v Have students research each animal in the book, describe their natural habitat, and create more frog and dog games than what are presented in book.

v Extend the discussion of the four seasons and discuss what the seasons represent.

Here goes nothing...

 I am really excited that I am finally joining the blogging community. Thanks goes to Dr. Vardell's class on Literature for Children and Young Adults. 

Look for future postings on children and young adult book reviews.