Cinderella retold by K.Y. Craft

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Craft, K Y. Cinderella. New York: SeaStar Books, 2000. ISBN 9781587170041

2. PLOT SUMMARY
This is a traditional retelling of Cinderella. An orphaned girl is raised by her stepmother and two wicked stepsisters. She meets the handsome prince while she is tending to a wounded bird in the forest. The stepsisters are invited to several balls. Cinderella comes to the balls beautifully dressed and leaves before midnight. She leaves behind a glass slipper and the prince comes to find her. While fitting the slipper on Cinderella, the prince doesn’t see any rags just her inner beauty. Cinderella forgives her stepsisters, marries the prince and they live happily ever after in a beautiful castle.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The retelling of this story differs slightly because the prince and Cinderella meet in the woods while she is tending to a wounded bluebird. He immediately sees her gentleness and humanity while treating the bird. The bluebird later comes back as the fairy godmother. What has made this book truly unique are the illustrations and use of elegant language. As stated in the book, Craft depicts the setting around the time of Voltaire, who lived in the seventeenth and eighteenth- century France. Every page is framed with ornate fine lined patterns that add a magical appeal to the page. The first initial on each page has its own box with elaborate details that flow beautifully into the framed text. The use of yellows, reds and blues add to the illusion of riches and gold. The medium used is oil over watercolor with such magnificence that captures your eye to search for all the fine details. The dark backgrounds lush with flowers and plants lets you focus on the characters and evokes a special magical fairy tale atmosphere. The gowns and clothes of all the people are filled with such details that you can imagine that they are made of diamonds, pearls, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. The blue hues in the flowers, clothes, pillows and skies helps you make the connection to the bluebird that Cinderella helped at the beginning of the story. The illustrations create a mood of elegance, wealth and the history period in France during the seventeenth and eighteenth century. K.Y. Craft state he text was adapted from The Arthur Rackham Fairy Book and Andrew Lang’s The Blue Fairy Book.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)- Awards
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2000 (Vol. 68, No. 20)) “This beautiful and very traditional retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale is lavishly illustrated in a very painterly style, with oils over watercolors and placed in imaginary settings of 17th- and 18th-century France. A nice addition to any library or classroom, and a lovely gift book, this is clearly the most elegant of the year's avalanche.”

Marsha Harper (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 13, No. 4))
The unusual part of this Cinderella is the emphasis given to the kindness and generosity of the heroine. She is kind to the birds, to the small animals--even to her haughty, abusive stepsisters.

Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, November 2000 (Vol. 54, No. 3)) The point of this title is not the storytelling, however, but the lavish illustrations.
Best Books:
Best of the Year, 2000 ; Child Magazine; United States
Booklist Book Review Stars, Nov. 1, 2000 ; United States
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, Supplement, 2002 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Children's Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006 ; H.W. Wilson; United States

5. CONNECTIONS
• This book lends itself to comparing and contrasting the different books about Cinderella. You can easily point out the different types of illustrations and the different types of fairy godmothers. This book has a bluebird that Cinderella healed who later returned as the fairy godmother. In other books, what other objects or people were used for the fairy godmother? Explore some other Cinderella books for different animals and fair godmothers.
Cinderella Penguin, or, The little glass flipper 1993 Janet Perlman.
ISBN 9780670847532
The gift of the Crocodile : a Cinderella story 2000 by Judy Sierra ; illustrated by Reynold Ruffins. ISBN 9780689821882
Trollerella 2006 by Karen M. Stegman-Bourgeois ; illustrated by Ethan Long.
ISBN 9780823419180
Chickerella 2005 by Mary Jane and Herm Auch. ISBN 9780823418046
The Turkey Girl : a Zuni Cinderella story retold by Penny Pollock ; illustrated by Ed Young. ISBN 9780316713146

• Different countries have their own versions of Cinderella. Comparisons can be made with different versions. Small groups of students can use a Venn diagram to study the Cinderella stories of two or three countries and then share as a whole group.
The Korean Cinderella 1993 by Shirley Climo; illustrated by Ruth Heller. ISBN 9780060204327
Abadeha : the Philippine Cinderella 2001 adapted by Myrna J. de la Paz ; illustrated by Youshan Tang. ISBN 9781885008176
Adelita : a Mexican Cinderella story 2002 written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola. ISBN 9780399238666
The Persian Cinderella 1999 Shirley Climo; art by Robert Florczak. ISBN 9780060267636
The golden sandal : a Middle Eastern Cinderella. 1998 by Rebecca Hickox ; illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. ISBN 9780823413317
The Irish Cinderlad 1996 by Shirley Climo; illustrated by Loretta Krupinski. ISBN 9780060243968
Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society 2005 Adeline Yen Mah. ISBN 9780060567347
Smoky Mountain Rose : an Appalachian Cinderella 1997 by Alan Schroeder ; pictures by Brad Sneed. ISBN 9780803717336
Cendrillon : a Caribbean Cinderella 1998 Robert D. San Souci ; illustrated by Brian Pinkney. ISBN 9780689806681


• Another connection can be made by researching different illustrated books that use the period of history during Voltaire’s lifetime seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in France.
• Students could compare and contrast the socioeconomic differences of the people of France during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Song of Creation by Paul Goble

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Goble, Paul. Song of Creation. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2004. ISBN 9780802852717
2. PLOT SUMMARY
“O all you (insert the name of an animal, flower, or object) Lord, bless you the Lord: praise him and magnify him forever.” This simple phrase is stated over and over throughout the entire book. Different animals, plants, and creations are prayed for.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book resembles the song from The Book of Common Prayer. The title page includes an illustration that depicts The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men being saved from the fires of death by the power of prayer. The men are shown with hands up in the air, behind a wall of fire and surrounded by angels. Paul Goble states that he has made some changes in verse order to fit comfortably with the illustrations, and a few words and verses were changed or left out. His use of watercolor is superb. Goble has used American landscapes and animals for his book even though the book was originally set in England. His work shows roots to the Native American culture. Landscape scenes of the Black Hills of South Dakota are depicted on every page. Goble takes great care to incorporate many of the animals in their natural surroundings with different types of birds on each page. A page giving thanks for the fish illustrate many of the common fishes like bass, trout, sturgeon, sunfish, catfish, and minnows. The birds migrating from the north to the south are portrayed using beautiful backgrounds with snow and fields of grass. Seasonal changes show autumn leaves, spring flowers, and snow covered tree branches with snowy mountains in the background. The changes in sky show different acts of nature like sunsets, rain, lightning, daytime, nighttime and cloud formations. In smaller print the verse differs to include many different animals, flora and fauna.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Barbara L. Talcroft (Children's Literature) “For those familiar with the author’s body of work drawing on the legends and natural environment of the Plains Indians, this book may or may not be a surprise.”

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 16)) “Goble's instantly recognizable illustration style is at its best, from the herd of charging wild horses on the cover to the snowy mountain on the final page.”

Julie Cummins (Booklist, Oct. 1, 2004 (Vol. 101, No. 3)) “Goble uses his elegant signature watercolors in a gloriously illustrated creation prayer that sings praise to God. In striking graphic compositions, Goble creates magical, yet concrete, scenes of birds, beasts, fish, and more, conveying a personal and a universal reverence for and connection to nature.”
Best Books: Children's Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Kirkus Book Review Stars, August 15, 2004 ; United States
Top 10 Religion Books for Youth, 2005 ; American Library Association-Booklist; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes: Midwest Book Award, 2004 First Place Picture Book United States. Paul Goble was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1979 for his book The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses. His books have also earned praise form the National Council of Social Studies, the International Reading Association and the Children’s Book Council.
5. CONNECTIONS
• Students can conduct a study of Native Americans and their culture. Then they can look closely at prayers and chants with this book and compare and contrast the types of chants and prayers used with Native Americans and the Anglican Church.
• Students can discover some of the many contributions Native Americans have made to world cultures.
• Students can focus on the theme of migration. They learn the variety of reasons why groups of people migrate like herd of animals.
• Students can create different types of clouds and acts of Mother Nature with different landscapes.
• Students can create animals that are nocturnal with star patterns in the sky.
• Read books about Native Americans.
Native North American wisdom and gifts 2006 Niki Walker & Bobbie Kalman. ISBN 9780778703846
Famous Native North Americans. 2004 Bobbie Kalman & Molly Aloian.2004 ISBN9780778703792
Lasting echoes: an oral history of Native American people 1997 Joseph Bruchac; assemblage and painting by Paul Morin. ISBN 9780152013271
Native Americans: an inside look at the tribes and traditions. 2001 by Laura Bullet; consultant, Darren Ranco. ISBN 9780789479778
As long as the rivers flow: the stories of nine Native Americans 1996 by Paula Gunn Allen and Patricia Clark Smith. ISBN 9780590478694

Yummy Eight Favorite Fairy Tales by Lucy Cousins

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cousins, Lucy. Yummy: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2009. ISBN 9780763644741

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Great classic fairy tales are retold with bold illustrations. Favorites such as Little Read Riding Hood, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Enormous Turnip, Henny Penny, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Little Red Hen, The Three Little Pigs, and The musicians of Bremen.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lucy Cousins uses large bold print that helps bring out the text and make it easy to read. Simplistic black bold outlines of the characters against bright primary colors makes the characters pop out at you and your focus is on each picture and the text. Most have a white outline behind the black paint strokes that give the illusion of being cut and pasted onto the page. The lack of an illustrated background makes the characters the main focal point. Throughout the book Cousins uses onomatopoeia to attract the reader to the action taking place. The tales have villains and heroines but none feel overly threatening. The violence is downplayed due to the illustrations creating a more of a cartoon and young aged characters. The emotions of the characters are easily seen with simple lines defining their unique facial expressions. Animal characters are personified by wearing clothes or holding objects that people use. The mood of the book is light hearted by the expressions of the animals and people.





4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Keri Collins Lewis (Children's Literature) “Though Cousins uses simple language to tell the stories to a younger audience, she manages to convey the wit and wonder of these tales with an admirable economy of language.”
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2009 (Vol. 77, No. 13))
“…on the whole this lap-sized collection offers younger children an eye-opening cross-section of the far-from-innocuous world of folk literature.”
Carolyn Phelan (Booklist, Oct. 15, 2009 (Vol. 106, No. 4)) “Absolutely perfect for the youngest.”

Booklist *Starred Review*
5. CONNECTIONS
• Read other books by Lucy Cousins and compare and contrast her style of writing and illustrations. She has written and illustrated over 200 books and has won numerous honors for her work.
Maisy, Charley, and the wobbly tooth 2006. ISBN 9780763629045
Lucy Cousins' big book of nursery rhymes. 1998. ISBN 9780333722695
Maisy's snowy Christmas Eve 2003. ISBN 9780763621964
Hooray for fish! 2005. ISBN 9780763627416
Noah's ark 1993. ISBN 9781564022134
Za-Za's baby brother 1995. ISBN 9781564025821

• These stories would be great to create a Reader’s Theatre and students act out each part. Students could easily make a paper plate mask and say their parts.

• An engaging activity would be to collect a stand alone book of each of the fairy tales and compare and contrast the stories and illustrations. Students could then find out the meaning of an anthology that includes several fairy tales.

• Students could vote on which type of book they liked a book with one fairy tale or an anthology. They could also look at different anthologies with the same tales in them and compare and contrast those books.

Henny Penny 2006 Vivian French ; illustrated by Sophie Windham. ISBN 9781582347066
Little Red Riding Hood 2007 [written and illustrated by] Jerry Pinkney. ISBN 9780316013550
Little Red Riding Hood 2004 retold by Josephine Evetts-Secker & illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. ISBN 9781841486215
3 tales retold and illustrated : The three little pigs, Goldilocks and the three bears, Three billy goats Gruff 2007 Edward Miller. ISBN 9780805079166
Three billy goats Gruff 2005 illustrated by Alison Edgson ISBN 9781904550440
The enormous turnip 2002 Alexei Tolstoy ; illustrated by Scott Goto. ISBN 9780152045845
Goldilocks and the three bears 2010 Emma Chichester Clark. ISBN 9780763646806
The three little pigs 2000 retold and illustrated by James Marshall. ISBN 9780448422886
The musicians of Bremen 2005 a Brothers Grimm tale retold and illustrated by Niroot Puttapipat. ISBN 9780763627584

Talking With Artists Volume 3 by Pat Cummings

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cummings, P. (1999). Talking with artists : volume three : conversations with Peter Catalanotto, Raul Colon, Lisa Desimini, Jane Dyer, Kevin Hawkes, G. Brian Karas, Betsy Lewin, Ted Lewin, Keiko Narahashi, Elise Primavera. New York: Clarion. ISBN 9780395891322

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Pat Cummings talks with different authors and has them respond to the same questions. Questions include short biographical information about their lives with photos of them as children and adults. This book can inspire artists of all ages. All of the artists have individual answers like their art.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Pat Cummings gets the artists to discuss their lives in a way that is simplistic but allows them to elaborate on what makes them unique. The artists draw upon their personal background to inspire their work. Cummings asks the artists the same questions. Where do you get your ideas? What is a normal day like? Where do you work? Do you have any children? Any pets? What do you enjoy drawing the most? Do you ever put people you know in your pictures? What do you use to make your pictures? How did you get to do your first book? Their responses are all varied but their love for their work is very evident. The reader sees what the artist wants you to see about their work. It adds a very personal touch to understand what the artist might have drawn about. Pictures of the artists and their work at different stages of their lives lets you see that at a very young age their personality was coming through. It is interesting to find out how the artist got their first book. Anyone who is thinking about becoming a published artist should read about how other artists got started.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Carolyn Phelan (Booklist, March 15, 1999 (Vol. 95, No. 14))
”Beautifully designed to draw readers, this book will inspire many children to make art and possibly even to choose it as a career some day.”

Tanya Tullos (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 12, No. 1))
“A special section on "Secret Techniques" will perhaps inspire young artists to try new techniques.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Other books for children about illustrators: Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators talk to
Children About Their Art by Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book
A Caldecott Celebration by Leonard Marcus
Pass it Down: Five Picture Book Families Make their Mark by Leonard S. Marcus
Show and Tell: Exploring the fine Art of Children’s Book Illustration by Dilys Evans
* Have students create their own art while using the style of a famous artist.
* Gather other books illustrated by the different artist and compare and contrast their work.
Andy Warhol by Joanne Mattern
Mary Cassatt by Joanne Mattern
Georgia O”Keeffe: painter of the Desert by Jacqueline A. Ball and Catherine Conant
Monet by Mike Venezia

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Willems, M. (2007). Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 9781423102991

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Trixie and Sonja took their exact stuffed bunnies to school to share with their friends. The girls started fighting about their Knuffle bunny in class. The teacher took away their bunnies but returned them at the end of the day. However, the bunnies were switched. At 2:30 in the morning both girls learned they had the wrong bunnies. In the middle of the night the fathers and daughters met each other in town and exchanged bunnies. The girls had their original stuffed bunny and became best friends.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The sentences in this book are limited to one to three sentences at the most. The real story is told through the photographs and illustrations. The background photographs are in black and white and show actual scenes of a city, home, and school. The illustrations are in color, in a cartoon style that pop out at you. Mo Willems uses a non-structured approach to his drawings. He uses more whimsical and lyrical lines than fluid lines. The focal points are the characters and not the background. He takes a more elementary approach with pointy triangle noses and round marble eyes which younger kids can easily relate to. You can get a feel for the setting of the city from the photos. He drops his characters into the photographs’ shadows so they easily match and make sense. The illustrations depict the daily life of a pre-school to early elementary aged child. You can see the emotions through the illustrations and the photos give the background information you need to follow the storyline. I love the pages where Trixie is in bed. The clock on the wall is Knuffle Bunny with its ears pointing to tell the time. The book is cleverly designed to show what parents do to help ease the anxiety of child losing something very special.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 13)) “Too often, sequels come off as obviously calculated attempts to cash in on success; this offering, with its technical brilliance and its total and sympathetic understanding of the psychology of the preschooler, stands as magnificent in its own right.”

Ashlee Smith (Children's Literature) ”Mo Willems uses simple text and simple characters to bring out a complex message about the importance of friendship and individuality.”

5. CONNECTIONS
• Discussions can be shared about losing something special and then getting it back.
• Teachers can have a special bring your stuffed animal to school day. Older students can write about adventures their favorite stuffed animal has been on.
• Discussions can be made about going to school in the city versus going to school in a suburb or rural school.
• Books about losing something special:
Red Ted and the Lost Things by Michael Rosen ISBN 978-0-7636-4537-3
Rumble Tum by Stephanie Peters ISBN 978-0-525-42156-6
Long Tail Kitty by Lark Pien ISBN 978-1-934706-44-2

Lion and the Mouse By Jerry Pinkney

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pinkney, Jerry. The Lion and the Mouse. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009. ISBN 9780316013567

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Jerry Pinkney retells Aesop’s classic fable the Lion and the mouse through illustrations and a few words. The mouse running away from an owl flees into the paws of a lion. The lion lets the mouse live. The mouse in return frees the lion when it is entangled in a hunter’s net. The moral of the story proves that little friends may prove to be great friends.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
People of all ages will enjoy this book. The illustrations are breathtaking. Jerry Pinkney’s use of pencil, watercolor, and colored pencils on paper provide so many intricate details that you can easily see what the book is about. When you pick up this book your eyes are immediately drawn to the details. Pinkney uses cross hatching for the shading instead of short choppy stokes. He uses tints and shades of yellow to play off the African grasslands. He adds more water to dilute the colors which make the pencil strokes more transparent. The use of foreground, middle ground and background are evident in almost all of his illustrations. You get a great depth perception and perspective with the large objects in the foreground which are sharp and clean. The background objects get more blurred and smaller and are not full of details. The lion drawings have warm colors more reds oranges, and yellow and the backgrounds have more cool colors with blues, purples and greens. Pinkney uses different points of view from an aerial to ground views to show different settings. The intricate details will keep the older children engaged and will capture the younger children’s vision of what is transpiring throughout the story. The depth and beauty of each portion of the pictures lets you see it is a true masterpiece.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2009 (Vol. 77, No. 15)) A nearly wordless exploration of Aesop's fable of symbiotic mercy that is nothing short of masterful.

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, November 2009 (Vol. 63, No. 3)) Aesop tales are usually more about the morals than the animal actors; here’s a retelling that puts the animals front and center and breathes a note of furry reality into the proceedings.

5. CONNECTIONS
*Other books for children about fables:
Rocco, John. WOLF WOLF! ISBN 9781423100126
Tingle, Tim. WHEN TURTLE GREW FEATHERS: A FOLKTALE FROM THE CHOCTAW NATION. ISBN 9780874837773
Stone, Chuck. 2003. SQUIZZY THE BLACK SQUIRREL: A FABULOUS FABLE OF FRIENDSHIP. ISBN 9780940880719
Hartman, Bob. 2002. THE WOLF WHO CRIED BOY. ISBN 9780399235788
* Gather other books illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and compare and contrast their illustrations to THE LION AND THE MOUSE.
Grifalconi, Ann. 2007. AIN’T NOBODY A STRANGER TO ME. Illus. by Jerry Pinkney. ISBN 9780786818570
Andersen, Hans Christian. 1999. THE UGLY DUCKLING. Adapted and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. ISBN 9780688159320