Iktomi and the Boulder: A Plains Indian Story

Bibliography

Goble, Paul, reteller. 1988. Iktomi and the boulder: A Plains Indian story. Ill. by Paul Goble. New York: Orchard Books. ISBN 0531057607

Plot Summary

Iktomi the trickster gets dressed in his finest outfit to visit his relations in the next village. As the afternoon heats up Iktomi decides he has no need to carry his blanket, so he gifts it to a great big boulder to keep the sun off. When Iktomi realizes that a thunderstorm is approaching he goes back to the boulder and claims that he was only lending the blanket. Iktomi takes the blanket and shelters from the rain, but before long, he hears the thump-crash-bump of the boulder coming to take the blanket back. Iktomi runs this way and that trying to outwit the boulder, losing parts of his fine outfit along the way. The boulder ends up pinning Iktomi to the ground. Iktomi asks the animals for help, but the boulder is too heavy for them to move. Night comes and Iktomi sees bats flying about. Iktomi tells the bats that the boulder is making fun of them. The enraged bats attack the boulder, chipping off piece after piece until Iktomi is freed. The story explains why bats have flattened faces, and why the Great Plains have rocks scattered all across.

Critical Analysis

This trickster tale is meant to be read aloud. Black text tells the story, with grey text indicating places where the storyteller should pause and allow the audience to comment on the pictures and the elements of the plot of the story. Smaller text near the pictures gives voice to Iktomi’s thoughts and gives names for the traditional Indian garb and accessories that Iktomi wears.

The ink and watercolor illustrations show the intricacy of the patterns in traditional Native American clothing. Each page shows Iktomi’s outfit suffering more and more damage until the end when it is little better than rags. The final picture is interesting because it shows Iktomi walking away in his torn clothing with the addition of a striped sock and a baseball cap.

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: “A deft blending of text and illustration which will appeal to a wide audience.”

The Horn Book: “Goble has chosen a lesser known story and has judiciously pruned it of extraneous material; the result is a brief and lively tale suitable for the youngest listener. . . . Humor is inherent in trickster tales, and Goble has perfectly captured Iktomi's shenanigans for the amusement of young readers.”

Connections

Other Native American folktales retold by Paul Goble:

Goble, Paul. 2001. The girl who loved wild horses. ISBN 0689845049

Goble, Paul. 2005. All our relatives: Traditional Native American thoughts about nature. ISBN 0941532771

Goble, Paul. 1991. Star boy. ISBN 0689714998

Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story

Bibliography

De Paola, Tomie. 2002. Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella story. Ill. by Tomie de Paola. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 0399238662

Plot Summary

Adelita is cherished by her widowed father and raised by her nurse Esperanza. When her father gets remarried Adelita welcoming to her new stepmother and stepsisters. When Adelita’s father dies suddenly, Adelita’s stepmother fires Esperanza and forces Adelita to be the kitchen maid. One day an invitation arrives for a party being thrown to welcome home Javier, a handsome neighbor. Adelita and her stepsisters are eager to attend the party, but Adelita is forbidden from attending by her stepmother.

Esperanza comes to the rescue with a beautiful dress and an embroidered rebozo (a shawl) to wear to the party. When Adelita arrives, she calls herself Cenicienta (Cinderella) because she is in disguise and spends the evening dancing with Javier. At midnight, Javier gives Adelita a kiss, which causes her to run away because she is sure his family would never allow him to marry a maid.

The next day Javier comes to town to search for his Cenicienta. Adelita’s stepsisters are eager for a second chance to impress Javier. Adelita hangs her mother’s reboza from her window so Javier will see it and know where to find her. Once he has found her, Javier proposes and they live happily ever after just like Cenicienta and her Principe.

Critical Analysis

Tomie de Paola’s literary tale set in Mexico follows the familiar Cinderella storyline, except that, in this version of Cinderella there is no magic. The dress and cart are provided by the nurse who helped raise her, and it is cold feet that cause her to run away at midnight. The watercolor illustrations depict traditional Mexican architecture and culture. The illustrations show religious décor, Mexican pottery, and food such as tortillas and chiles.

Review Excerpts

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: “The sentences are often short and choppy, but the tale is sprinkled with Spanish phrases explained within the text (a glossary is also included) that add fluidity to the storytelling.”

MultiCultural Review: “This retelling is an exceptional resource to use for compare/contrast studies with other Cinderella stories. [The book] is a must-buy for every elementary setting and study of the Cinderella tale.”

Connections

* Compare and contrast this version of Cinderella to other versions.

* Compare the depictions of Mexican culture in this book to books about life in modern Mexico.

Other Mexican themed books by Tomie de Paloa:

De Paola, Tomie. 1997. The legend of the poinsettia. ISBN 0698115678

Schoolyard rhymes: Kids’ own rhymes for rope skipping, hand clapping, ball bouncing, and just plain fun

Bibliography

Sierra, Judy, comp. 2005. Schoolyard rhymes: Kids’ own rhymes for rope skipping, hand clapping, ball bouncing, and just plain fun. Ill. by Melissa Sweet. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0375825169

Plot Summary

A collection of 50 rhymes, songs, and chants collected from playgrounds across the country. Nonsensical and fun these rhymes are perfect for skipping rope and clapping games. Kids are sure to recognize some of their favorite playground chants, learn new verses, and discover new rhymes.

Critical Analysis 

This collection presents a sample of rhymes including traditional rhymes and some newer playground generated poems. The rhymes run riot with the illustrations in this book. Each page has one to three rhymes surrounded by watercolor and fabric collages depicting the zany action in the rhymes. The colorful illustrations compliment the playful spirit of the rhymes.

I shared this book with my daughter and we were both excited to find rhymes that we knew. It was also interesting to see how the version in the book differs from the version we know.

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: “Sierra has selected some of the funniest and most memorable schoolyard rhymes available in this appealing collection”

The Horn Book: “This picture book rejoices in the rhymes of childhood--not the adult-approved Mother Goose nursery rhymes but the sometimes spiteful, always zesty rhymes chanted by children themselves.”

Connections

* Have children share the versions of these rhymes that they know. Compare and contrast the versions.
* Have children create a book with the rhymes that they chant on the playground.

Leonardo the Terrible Monster

Bibliography

Willems, Mo. 2005. LEONARDO THE TERRIBLE MONSTER. Ill. by Mo Willems. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786852941

Plot Summary

Leonardo is a terrible monster; he can’t scare anyone no matter how hard he tries. Leonardo searches for the most scaredy-cat kid in the world to try to scare. When Leonardo finds Sam, he thinks he has finally found his perfect victim. Sam isn’t scared though, he has other reasons to be upset, and Leonardo decides that it would be better to be a wonderful friend than a terrible monster.

Critical Analysis

This is a simple, fun story about wanting one thing and discovering something even better. Leonardo is adorable, when he would rather be frightening. Sam appears to be cowering, when he is in fact stewing over the injustices of his life. The frustration of both characters is apparent and their eventual friendship is a satisfying outcome. The tone of the story is playful and fun even though the characters are upset to begin with. Leonardo’s desire to scare the “tuna-salad” out of someone and Sam’s list of grievances are particularly amusing.

Mo Willems uses both illustrations and text to add depth to the story. Leonardo is drawn as a small fuzzy monster, while the monsters that he wants to emulate are huge with lots of teeth or eyes. The drawings are very expressive and show Leonardo’s sadness, his earnest attempts to be scary, his mischievousness, and his happiness at finding a friend. The background on most of the pages is empty, however the colors of the background change on each page, this adds interest while drawing your attention to the details of the characters. The text also changes color, placing emphasis on particular words and phrases. Sam’s list of reasons for crying fills up an entire page in bold letters.

Review Excerpts

Booklist: “A winner for story hours, with plenty of discussion possibilities.”

School Library Journal: “Willems's familiar cartoon drawings work hand in glove with the brief text to tell this perfectly paced story.”

Awards

Winner: American Library Association Notable Books for Children - 2006

Connections

~ Have children talk about what they would have done if they were Leonardo or Sam.

Other books by Mo Willems:

Willems, Mo. 2003. DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! ISBN 078681988X

Willems, Mo. 2004. KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY TALE. ISBN 0786818700

Talking With Artists

Bibliography

Cummings, Pat, comp. and ed. 1992. TALKING WITH ARTISTS. New York: Bradbury Press. ISBN 0027242455

Plot Summary

Pat Cummings compiled this series of autobiographies and interviews of successful picture book illustrators to inspire young artists to keep drawing and to show them that it is possible, and enjoyable, to make a living doing what they love. The autobiographies of each artist are witty and describe the sometimes rocky path to discovering that they wanted to be artists. Each of the artists came to their art in different ways and children should be able to identify with aspects of each story. The authors featured in this volume are: Victoria Chess, Pat Cummings, Leo and Diane Dillon, Richard Egielski, Lois Ehlert, Lisa Campbell Ernst, Tom Feelings, Steven Kellog, Jerry Pinkney, Amy Schwartz, Lane Smith, Chris Van Allsburg, and David Wiesner.

Critical Analysis

Each section begins with a brief autobiography of the artist, followed by the answers to eight of the most common questions that children ask when illustrators do school or library visits. The artists talk about where they get their ideas from, what a normal day is like for them, where they work, whether they have children or pets, what they enjoy drawing the most, whether they ever draw people that they know, what materials they use to create art, and how they got to do their first book.

For each author there is a photo from when they were a child, a photo of them as an adult, an example of their artwork from childhood, and examples of artwork from their published books. Some of the early childhood artwork examples show extraordinary talent, others look like the artwork on any mother’s refrigerator. The examples of artwork from published picture books show a wide range of styles and mediums.

The predictable nature of each interview makes it easy to compare and contrast each artist. The autobiographies and answers to the questions are written with a child audience in mind. At the end of the book is a glossary to explain the technical terms that the artists use in describing their artwork and careers.

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: “Well designed and well conceived, this book will be welcomed in all those classrooms in which children's literature has become central to the curriculum.”

Awards

Winner: Boston Globe-Horn Book Award -1992

Connections

~ Project: Have a group of children write a letter to a favorite picture book illustrator. Have them ask some of the questions that Pat Cummings used, or have them come up with their own.

~ Talk about the ways in which each child can identify with the illustrators and their depictions of their childhoods.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Bibliography

Selznick, Brian. 2007. THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET: A NOVEL IN WORDS AND PICTURES. Ill. by Brian Selznick. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439813786


Plot Summary

Hugo is an orphan who lives within the walls of a Paris train station in the 1930’s. Hugo maintains the clocks in the train station, and tries to stay hidden. Hugo is working to repair an automaton, a mechanical man, which his father was repairing when he died. Hugo is convinced that if he can get the automaton to work it will write a message from his father. When Hugo is caught trying to steal a windup mouse from a toy vendor in the train station, events are set in motion that will give Hugo a family and reunite a famous inventor, artist, and movie maker with his long lost passion.

Critical Analysis

This is a book unlike any other; part picture book, part novel, part graphic novel. The story is exciting and fantastical on its own with hidden passageways, mystery, magic, and incredible machines. The pen and ink drawings don’t just illustrate the story, they tell the story. Series of drawings, each drawing zooming in on a particular detail, carry the plot along in much the same way that a good movie does. Occasional movie stills are interspersed with the drawings and take you by surprise. Each drawing and movie still adds to the plot, although the significance of the movie stills are not revealed until near the end of the book.

Review Excerpts

Publishers Weekly: Starred Review. “Here is a true masterpiece—an artful blending of narrative, illustration and cinematic technique, for a story as tantalizing as it is touching.”
School Library Journal: Starred Review. “With characteristic intelligence, exquisite images, and a breathtaking design, Selznick shatters conventions related to the art of bookmaking”

Connections

I chose to review this book because I was curious to find out why my daughter was so fascinated with it. She checked it out from the school library in 4th grade, and again in 5th grade, then it went to the top of her Christmas list. My daughter is not a prolific reader, so I was amazed that she would read a 533 page novel over and over again. She told me that the “artisticness and creativity” was what she liked about it. This book will appeal to upper elementary school children, even the reluctant readers.

Other books by Brian Selznick:

Selznick, Brian. 2008. THE HOUDINI BOX. ISBN 1416968784
Selznick, Brian. 2001. THE BOY OF A THOUSAND FACES. ISBN 0064410803