SWAMP
ANGEL BY ANNE ISAACS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Isaacs, A., & Zelinsky, P. O. (1994). Swamp Angel. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.
ISBN 0525452710
PLOT SUMMARY
Swamp
Angel by Anne Isaacs is an endearingly funny tale of young women named
Angelica Longrider who becomes the greatest woodswoman in Tennessee. This
larger than life story begins with the birth of Angelica who is described as scarcely
taller than her mother. The reader can easily see Angelica is extremely
large for her age. She begins building log cabins at the age of two and by the
time she is full grown, she has accomplished great wonders in Tennessee. The name Swamp Angel was bestowed upon
Angelica, at the age of twelve she saved a group of settlers in
Dejection Swamp. The settlers believed she was an angel walking in the foggy mist sent
to save them. One of the greatest tales
ever told about Angelica was her fearsome battle with Thundering Tarnation, a
bear terrorizing the backwoods of Tennessee.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Isaac’s
writing style with its use of slang, hyperbole, and outrageous descriptions
make this story entertaining. I excitedly
continued reading to see what hilarious antics the author could conjure next.
Through Isaac’s writing I can hear the narrator speaking in a Tennessee accent.
I also envision Angelica taking hold of
the tornado, wrestling the bear, and drinking up the whole lake dry. The story is engaging, amusing, and highly
energetic.
Paul
Zelinsky’s folk art illustrations painted in oils on cherry maple and birch
veneers give this book a timeless touch.
Angelica’s large features are visually appealing and expertly drawn.
Although
I enjoyed this book tremendously, it was a little difficult to read aloud to my
six year old nephew. Throughout the
story I had to change, define or omit some of the words in the book so he could
stay interested. He did enjoy the
pictures of Angelica and quickly pointed out how large she was compared to
everyone else in the story. Overall, we had
a great time discussing all the adventures Angelica experienced in the hills of
Tennessee.
REVIEW
EXCERPT(S)
This valiant heroine is certain to leave youngsters
chuckling-and perhaps even keeping a close watch on the night sky. (Publishers
Weekly, 1994)
I think she can catch the bear because she is older and big. (Wyatt G. 6 years old)
CONNECTIONS
History
Connect
the story to American history and geography with the help of a historical atlas
or an illustrated book about the frontier. Discuss how the people dressed, the
kinds of houses they lived in, how they traveled and how they celebrated.
English
Distinguish
between the "tall tale” and a true story, and identify parts of the tall
tale that are like real life.
Identify
and describe visual details about how settlers lived on the frontier.
Enjoy
other books by Anne Isaacs
- Dust Devil
- Treehouse Tales
- Cat up a Tree
- Pancakes for Supper!
- The Ghosts of Luckless Gulch
- Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
Awards
A
Caldecott Honor Book
An
ALA Notable Book
A
Time magazine Best Book of the Year
A
New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year
Winner
of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award
A
Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
THE THREE PIGS
BY DAVID WIESNER
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Wiesner,
D. (2001). The three pigs. New York, New York: Clarion Books.
ISBN 0618007016
PLOT
SUMMARY
David Weisner’s The Three Pigs story mimics the classic
tale of the Three little pigs by Joseph Jacobs, which build their
homes out of straw, bricks, and sticks. This tale has an unexpected twist instead
of the wolf huffing and puffing to destroy the houses and eat the pigs, he has
blown the pigs into another dimension. Using
the pages of the old tale, the pigs build an airplane and take off on an
adventure. White blank pages follow and
when you think the story has ended, the three pigs nonchalantly saunter into the
“Hey Diddle Diddle” story. Uninterested
in this new tale they soon depart the cartoonish world with the cat and the
fiddle in tow. Looking for a new adventure
they discover a dragon high on a hill. Fearful
the prince will slay the dragon they help him escape and save the golden
rose. As the pigs weave in and out of fairy
tales they come back to their own tale where they defeat the wolf and live
happily ever after.
CRITICAL
ANALYSIS
The
writer uses clear short paragraphs to convey a story told from the point of
view of the three pigs. Weisner uses
short phrases and sentences to chronicle the pigs mischievous adventures, acts
of heroism and unlikely friendships. I
liked the way Weisner personified the dragon, usually perceived as a naturally vicious
animal, and makes him appear meek, kind, and noble. Some readers may not appreciate
Weisner’s disregard of a classic fairy tale story line, but nonetheless he spins a
great adventure that could be used to discuss and compare other three little
pig stories.
The
illustrator uses watercolor, gouache, colored ink, pencil and colored pencil on
Fabriano hot press. The three pig’s story
begins on a flat cartoon like grassy meadow, progresses to blank white sheets,
and settles into the original one dimensional drawing. Goldenberg’s use of techniques, various
styles, and placement of art inspires the reader to distinguish between the old folktale
and the new story. A unique element used
throughout the book was the placement of pictures, for example, when the wolf
blew the pigs off the page the disarray left the reader and the wolf asking
what happened to the three pigs.
REVIEW
EXCERPT(S)
Satisfying both as a story and as an
exploration of the nature of story, The Three Pigs takes visual narrative to a
new level. (Goodreads)
CONNECTIONS
Reading
Listen to and recognize there are different
versions of the same stories.
Retell folktales and fables to relate to prior
experiences with those stories
AWARDS
2002
Caldecott Medal Award
Enjoy
other David Weisner Books
- Fish Girl
- Mr. Wuffles!
- Art & Max
- Flotsam
- The Loathsome Dragon
- Sector 7
- June 29, 1999
- Tuesday
- Hurricane
- Free Fall
JOSEPH HAD A
LITTLE OVERCOAT BY SIMMS TABACK
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Taback,
S. (1999). Joseph had a little overcoat. New York, New York:
Penguin Group.
ISBN
060878553
PLOT
SUMMARY
Joseph
had a little overcoat is an engaging tale of reusing and repurposing
a well-loved item. Joseph wears a long
yellow plaid overcoat with a few patches to cover up the holes. While out in the field milking the cow, he
notices that his beloved overcoat has become old and worn, but instead of
throwing the coat away, he makes it into a jacket and dances at his nephew’s
wedding. The jacket becomes old and worn, so he makes a vest out of it. The
story continues on the same way, each time making a new article of
clothing. The vest becomes a scarf, the scarf
becomes a necktie, the necktie becomes a handkerchief, and finally it becomes
so small that the only thing it can be made into is a button. He places the button on his outfit, it
soon falls off and is lost. Joseph is
now left with nothing. So instead of
giving with nothing he decides to write a story about his little overcoat
that turned into a button. Joseph
learned that although it may seem you have nothing there is always a way to
make something.
CRITICAL
ANALYSIS
Joseph
never speaks in the book, it was told through narration. The story is written with short sentences on
each page, which makes it easy to read. As
a child, Simms Taback had a favorite Yiddish folk song, which he adapted to make Joseph had a little overcoat. Repetitive
lines of “Joseph had a little…” keeps the reader engaged and makes them feel
like they are singing a song. Another
interesting feature of the book is several pages have cut outs which displays
pieces of clothing, when the page is turned it shows the new article of
clothing that Joseph made from the old, worn piece. This is a great way to hold the attention of
the reader. It takes the story to new levels by making the book interactive and
fun. Taback’s message of re purposing items is a great lesson to teach children at any age.
The
style and techniques used for the illustrations are watercolor, gouache,
pencil, ink, and collage. Entire pages filled
with vibrant cartoon drawings of characters and scenery highlight the illustrator’s
creativity. The illustrator seems to use
a mixture of real items, such as, the vegetables in the field, plates on the
wall, photographs of people, and then he mixes in some cartoon like drawings
of homes and animals. I found it odd that there are real photographs of people
on the walls, yet the rest of the characters in the book are drawn in cartoon
style art. Overall, I enjoyed reading
this book and hope to share it with my students.
REVIEW
EXCERPT(S)
“With
its effective repetition and an abundance of visual humor, this is tailor-made
for reading aloud.” (Publishers Weekly, 1999)
CONNECTIONS
A
great book to read with students of all ages and discuss ways they can recycle
and repurpose items they no longer need.
Make
a collage using old magazines that tells something about yourself. These things might include your favorite
color, pets that you have, siblings, or favorite activities. I have actually used this activity in my high
school life skills classroom and the students were able to search through
magazines and find pictures that represented them. We then cut out silhouettes
of their face and glued the pictures on.
Make
a quilt- students bring in old pieces of fabric from home and have the teacher
sew it together. If you do not want to
use fabric have the students draw a picture on a piece of paper and glue all of
the pieces together.
Awards
The
Caldecott Medal
Enjoy
other books by Simms Taback
- There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
- This is the House that Jack Built
- Postcards from Camp
- I Miss You Ever Day
- Peek-a-Boo...Who?
- Quack Like a Duck
ASHER AND THE
CAPMAKERS by Eric A. Kimmel
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kimmel,
E., & Hillenbrand, W. (1992). Asher and the Capmakers (1st
ed.). New York, New York: Holiday House.
ISBN
0823410315
PLOT
SUMMARY
Asher
and the Capmakers, is an enchanting story of a young boy who ventures
out to the neighbor’s home in the middle of a storm to borrow an egg for the
family’s latkes. While walking in the
woods, Asher becomes lost and encounters a fox caught in a trap. Once the fox is free, he motions to Asher to
follow him. Reluctantly, Asher follows
the fox to a little house with a lamp shining above the door. An old woman wearing an peculiar red cap answers
the door and invites Asher in. He is
surprised to see two women busily working while surrounded by a vast
array of red, blue, and green caps.
Although, it was nice and warm in the home, Asher did not sleep, for he
feared that these old women were not human beings. Suddenly the door flew open and a group of
tiny people rush in, singing “It’s time.” The singing and commotion awakens the three old
women and they excitedly put on their caps and are whisked away to pasha’s
Palace in Jerusalem. Asher and the
capmakers dance and sing through the night, until the pasha storms in with a
group of soldiers. Asher is caught and
sentenced to death. Fearing for his
life, Asher outsmarts the hangman and returns home with a single egg.
CRITICAL
ANALYSIS
Asher
and the Capmakers is set in the forest high in the Carpathian
mountains and is told through third person limited point of view. The front cover illustrates a young boy
holding a single egg in his hand, while being watched by a hungry looking
fox. The story is separated into long
paragraphs, which may be difficult for young readers to read. I think the writer’s use of imagery and foreshadowing
makes the story feel dark, and dreary.
I was disappointed, although the story is set during Hanukkah, it didn’t
teach much about the holiday, like I was expecting from the front cover illustration.
The
majority of the artwork is in gray, blue, black, and white. The illustrator’s use of dark dreary colors
conveys a cold, icy atmosphere. I feel
the characters are not very realistic, Asher actually looks like an old
man instead of a young boy. I feel this
book may be a little frightening to younger children due to the dark graphics,
story line, and Asher’s death sentence. I probably would not recommend this book to a
child younger than ten years old.
REVIEW
EXCERPT(S)
None
available
CONNECTIONS
I
would use Asher and the capmakers as
a springboard to teach students about traditions in different cultures by
asking them to research and prepare different foods, locate pictures of
different types of clothing worn in other countries, listen to music and discuss
holiday traditions they celebrate.
Awards
Eric
A. Kimmel is a Caldecott Medal Honor and has received numerous awards.
Enjoy
other books by Eric A. Kimmel
- The Chanukkah Guest
- Even Higher!
- Gershon's Monster
- Hanukkah
- Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
- A Horn for Louis
- Joha Makes a Wish
- Joseph and the Sabbath Fish
- The Mysterious Guests
- The Story of Esther
No comments:
Post a Comment