The Stray Dog

The Stray Dog

by Marc Simont

Synopsis:

The book opens on a family going out for a weekend picnic. While picnicking, a dog appears to the family. The young girl and boy spend the afternoon playing with the dog they name Willy. But when it is time to go home the children's parents tell them that Willy must stay behind, and that they can't take him home.

For the rest of the week everyone in the family is preoccupied with thoughts of Willy. The next Saturday they return to the same spot in hopes of finding him again. Luckily for them Willy returns! But this time he is being stalked by a dog catcher. The children chase after the dog catcher as he tries to capture Willy. When they catch up to the man, they convince him to let them take the stray dog. He returns with the family and finds a home where he belongs.

Response:

I found the book to be a light and entertaining read. The illustrations complimented the text very well. I enjoyed Simont's use of watercolor for two reasons. First, he managed to paint lasting scenes, easy to visualize even after I had put the book away. And second, he effectively depicted both the general setting of the story and the actions and feelings of the individual characters. Some of the illustrations, especially of the family painstakingly waiting out the week, really captured the thoughts of the characters as the story unfolded. I think The Stray Dog would be an appropriate book to include in an elementary classroom literacy curricula.

Activity:

For this book I think that there are a few different activities that could be done. The book lends itself well to a lesson about predictions of inferences. A teacher could have their students analyze the scenes and make predictions about what is to come later in the story, or have students infer what the characters are thinking/feeling based off of the illustrations. A teacher could also read only part of the story, the beginning or middle, and have students predict what will happen next, having them write down or discuss their changes to the story.

This book also demonstrates basic story structure. The text and pictures combine to form a well defined setting, characters, and plot line. It has a clear beginning, middle, and end. A teacher could use the idea of reading only part of the story and have students build the rest of the story themselves, as a class, or in groups. Students could recreate a different beginning or ending to coincide with the part they've been shown as a way to demonstrate their understanding of the different parts of a story.

Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are

Maurice Sendak

Synopsis:

Our protagonist Max is a young boy with a bit of a wild side. After running around the house and making mischief of one kind, and another– he is sent to his room. Max’s imagination takes over and soon he is where the wild things are. But, he quickly learns being away from the people that love him is not worth being king of all wild things.

Response:

This Caldecott medal winning book combines simply text with gorgeous complex illustrations to create a story that is both heart felt and multi-layered. On the first surface we have a misbehaving boy who finds himself in a bit of trouble for making misguided choices. The boy is a very relatable character to any child who has misbehaved before. Because of this “relatablility“ the audience is able to draw upon life experiences to apply from their life to the story. This ability to relate with the character is crucial to creating an understanding of the text.

Below the first surface, we start to link our experience with the meaning of the text. Max is a boy with a strong imagination; kids will have to work hard to find the meaning between the island Max escapes to, and the realization that he arrives at once he is there. This epiphany is necessary to link with Stray Dog which we will get to soon. However, meaning is somewhat subjective. Is it necessary that the child links the two texts in this way, no, but finding meaning and linking to one’s own experience is the first step to intertextuality.

The deepest layer, the third layer, is the ability to see this book in other books. What that means is, kids are able to look at Where the Wild Things Are relate to the character or story (first level), attach their own meaning (the second level) and link it to another text or media piece and find a new meaning in this link. Intertextuality enhances the meaning of the text and creates a stronger bond between reader and reading.

Activity:

To link these books, we have to make a commonality between then salient after reading and before rereading. Have kids form small groups, call these “families.” Have the kids form bonds with there families and explore the different emotions and feeling that come along with being a member of family. Introduce a stuffed animal (the pet). How does the introduction of this animal effect the family? Next, have the one of the kids “leave the family.” Have the remaining members comment on what it feels like to miss someone you love. Have the “lost member” comment on what it feels like to be absent from a loving group or “family.”

This activity will take some time, however it will help the children learn how to form bonds? How to maintain bonds? And, explain these emotions in constructive way. Have the whole class discuss the experiment afterwards.

How I Became a Pirate

How I Became a Pirate
by Melinda Long

Synopsis:

A day at the beach becomes the adventure of a life time for young Jeremy Jacob once he signs on as the newest crew mate of Captain Braid Beard the pirate. In need of a talented digger to help bury their booty, the crew "convinces" Jeremy to come join their group as long as he's back for soccer practice the next day. But while Jeremy likes the idea of no one telling him to eat his vegetables or brush his teeth, he soon misses the comforts of home. So he devises a plan to get back home...but will he make it back in time for soccer practice?!

Review:

Melinda Long’s How I Became a Pirate is filled with high adventure told through the wild imagination of the main character Jeremy Jacob. The engaging story telling of Long is complimented perfectly by the vibrant illustrations of David Shannon. The pictures of the book bring to life adventure on the high seas for young Jeremy.

Through the use of descriptive language and beautifully detailed illustrations, How I Became a Pirate allows readers to step into the world of pirates, if only while reading the book. It was a fun read that drew striking similarities to Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Jeremy, like Max from Wild Things, offers young readers a character to relate to their own yearnings for adventure, not to mention freedom from everyday chores and responsibilities. But what I really liked, was how Jeremy didn't loose his sense of family during his pirating adventure.

Once he realized that the pirate "family" wasn't quite the same as his real one, he longed to return home for bedtime tucking and comfort during bad times. The feelings of Jeremy in the story are another aspect young readers can relate to, making this an appropriate story for an elementary classroom with many different applications.

Activity:

As stated, How I became A Pirate holds a lot similarities to Where The Wild Things Are. To link the two books together I would conduct a Grand Conversation with students, using the two stories. The focus questions for the discussion would be:

• How do the characters in How I became A Pirate and Where The Wild Things Are resemble one another? In what ways are they different?
• Do you ever wish you could get away like Max and Jeremy? Where would you go? What about home would you miss?

I would record student responses during the Grand Conversation either using an audio/video recorder and notes. After it was finished I would have students do a follow-up activity. Students would be asked to create a short story about getting away from home/family and going to an exotic land. Casting themselves as the central character, students could draw from the two stories and their experiences during the Grand Conversation to create the piece. Students would be given the option to tell their stories through writing or by creating illustrations.

JAMIE O'ROURKE AND THE BIG POTATO

JAMIE O'ROURKE AND THE BIG POTATO

Tommie de Paolo

Synopsis:

Jamie O’Rourke is a lazy Irishmen. He’s so lazy, his wife does all the work around the house. One night, Jamie happens upon a leprechaun. As the legend goes, Jamie is given magic seeds that a big potato. The big potato eases his wife’s worries of having no food for the winter. Using a combination of simplistic pictures and complex dialectic sentences, this Irish legend comes to life. But, what will they do with that potato?

Response:

I found an that both How I Became a Pirate and Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato offered children genuine dialect. This dialect brings the book to life, if offers the reader a chance to give characters depth. Using dialect is an interesting way exemplify the various aspects of speech throughout the world. Having read this book to classes before, I often receive a chuckle from the kids when I break into an Irish accent, but it captures their attention and brings them into the book. Using dialect as a starting point, kids can analyze this text from various dimensions (language, illustrations, plot, character, etc.).

The language in a book is one of the child’s primary assets to decode and link the book to their own experiences; the other being the illustrations. Dialectic books are not meant to be hurtful or disrespectful to different cultural groups, rather, they are used to bring text to life.

Langston Hughes used African-American dialect in his early 20th century prose and poetry, which gave his words a meaning beyond the typical definition. It gave a voice to the poetry. I am not saying that this text and Langston Hughes are approaching dialect from the same angle, but they both use it to convey a point of view. Hughes used dialect to offer political commentary to the time. de Paolo uses it to mimic the time.

Activity:

First thing I thought when I read How I Became a Pirate was dialect. Hence, I linked with Jamie O’Rourke. What better way to link these two pieces then with a “Reader’s Theatre.” Have kids split up into groups and use the dialect from each piece to create their own rendition of the story. They children can add their own lines to enhance the story line.

Strega Nona

Strega Nona
by Tomie dePaola

Synopsis:

Strega Nona is a wise old woman with unexplained magical powers. Of her many powers, one is the ability to make pasta appear out of thin air by casting a magic spell over her special pasta pot. In Nona's old age she decides to take on a helper to clean the house and tend the garden. Big Anthony gets the job and starts his duties right away. One day while Nona is performing the spell over her pot, Big Anthony secretly looks-on and sees for himself how to make the pot overflow with pasta. Anthony waits for his chance, and when Strega Nona ventures out to visit a friend in a nearby village he jumps at his chance to use the pot. But to Anthony's surprise when he uses the spell over the pot he cannot get the pasta to stop flowing! He must hold out hope for the return of Strega Nona or be buried in a sea of pasta!

Response:

After reading through Jamie O'Rourke I chose this book to read because of the similar illustrations, not realizing that both were written by Tomie dePaola. After I read Strega Nona I was interested in finding out what other books dePaola had written. As it turns out dePaola has written many books, and many of them are influenced by different cultures and their traditions.

It seemed to me, that after reading Jamie O'Rourke, Strega Nona, and some of his other books: Big Anthony: His Story and The Legend of Indian Paintbrush, that dePaola paints a pretty vague, stereotyped picture of the cultures he describes in his stories. It's not to say that the writing negatively portrays the people and cultures it uses, but the stories are based off really general, surface level descriptions of culture.

If I used these books in a classroom it would definitely not be as part of a look into the cultures of the people he represents in his books. They seem to centered around stereotyped ideas about how people from certain times and places acted. Though I don't believe dePaola meant to create pigeonholed depictions of these various cultures, he definitely succeeded in reinforcing some widely held stereotypes about specific cultures and peoples.

Book Link Activity:

The picture book Strega Nona links to Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato through the author Tomie dePaola, as he wrote both books. This central tie between the two books makes them a good choice for an author study or for a Questioning the Author discussion activity.

For an author study I would include Strega Nona and Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato with some of his other books (Big Anthony: His Story; The Legend of Indian Paintbrush) to study how an author's style and voice can be seen across their different works. In dePaola's work he likes to use old folk tales, and work cultural traditions and myths into his story telling. Through reading and re-reading students would identify common language, story structure, and themes that make the books unique to the author's style of writing.

For a Question the Author discussion, students would take the knowledge that dePaola wrote both stories and try to find out how both stories display his idea's and biases about the myths he is retelling. Students would analyze his use of dialect and the stereotyped cultural traditions and roles he uses to tell his stories. Questions to guide the discussion activity would be:

• How does dePaola describe/depict specific cultures in his writing? (What character names does he use? Settings? Cultural foods? Roles/traditions?)
• Can you (students) relate to any of the cultures he depicts in his writing? (What does he depict accurately? Does he miss anything? Does he include anything that is not typical of the specific culture?)
• What do his representations say about how he views these cultures/peoples? (Did he research these cultures? Write from his own experience? How did he get the information to write his stories?)
• How would you write a fairy tale about your own culture? (Would it sound like dePaola's? Different? In what ways?)

Stone Soup

Stone Soup

Marcia Brown

Synopsis:

3 soldiers are on their way back from the war. While traveling through an unfamiliar land the soldiers become hungry and tired. As was custom, the townspeople would offer their food and homes to make the soldiers comfortable. When no food is readily available the soldiers lead the community as they make stone soup. Where there was once little food, no a boils a full pot of hardy soup.

Response:

This is an interesting book for a couple of reasons 1) it is a great call to the community and 2) the soldiers can be seen as swindlers. Here are a community of people struggling to feed themselves and along come three soldiers who make soup in which all the people contribute.

Is this the intent of the text, by no means do I think so, but it is a great way to look at the text. The story on the surface seems well-intentioned, however, the soldiers knew the people were poor and still they persisted.

On the flip side, one could argue that they put there meager scraps together and made a delicious soup that fed the entire village, and our hungry travelers. In a way the soldiers did a good deed.

Activity:

Compare the soldiers and Anthony (from Strega Nona). Have the kids debate. Was Anthony just trying to impress everyone? Were the soldiers merely filling their bellies? Let the students decide, but offer them chances to take both sides of the debate.

The Emperor's New Clothes

The Emperor's New Clothes
translated by Eve Tharlet - original by Hans Christian Andersen

Synopsis:

The Emperor's New Clothes, a classic fairy tale originally told by Hans Christian Andersen, tells the story of two swindlers that trick an entire town into believing the lies they've spun about the clothes they spin. Upon entering the town and learning that the emperor is a vain man interested in how he looks above all else, the two thieves disguise themselves as weavers and devise a plan to get their hands on the kingdom's riches. They tell the emperor that they can make for him the most beautiful garment in all the world. To hide the fact that the cloth is not real, the tricksters tell the emperor and his subjects that it is invisible to stupid people and those unfit for their jobs. The emperor, vain as he is, gives the swindlers anything they need to make the outfit and a parade is set for him to unveil the lavish "outfit."

Under the guise that the outfit is so glorious and magnificent it can be seen only by the competent, the two men deceive the entire town into thinking themselves fools for not being able to see the cloth. The fear of being deemed stupid and incompetent keeps everyone from pointing out the fact that there is no garment. Only the brutal honesty of a young child breaks the spell the thieves cast over the town. One can only hope the emperor will come to his senses before displaying his "outfit" in front of the whole kingdom!

Response:

This classic fairy tale focuses on the pitfalls of vanity compared against the importance of being honest. If just one person in the town had commented that they did not see the robe, it might have stopped the two thieves from getting away with the kingdom's riches. Instead, in fear of looking stupid, everyone goes along with the lie and pays for it quite literally in the end.

For young readers, this tale can show why going with the crowd can be a dangerous and foolish decision, and that thinking for yourself and relying on your own instinct can keep you looking better than any pair of clothing ever could. I really like the message of this story and think that it's moral is still relevant to today's readers.

One version of the story, adapted and illustrated by Eve Tharlet, provides illustrations that do well to capture the thoughts of the characters in the story. By reading this book young students have an opportunity to think about and discuss why it is important to tell the truth and think for themselves instead of just going along with the crowd.

Book Link Activity:

Similar to Stone Soup, The Emperor's New Clothes depicts the story of incoming travelers deceiving local townsfolk. A major difference between the two stories is the intentions of the characters as they deceive. Both stories conclude with a lesson to be learned and offer themselves as comparison books as part of a "Moral Decisions" activity.

A "Moral Decisions" activity asks students to make judgments and evaluate all or parts of a story while focusing on a central statement provided by the teacher. Using the statement:

• The townsfolk (or the king for Emperor's New Clothes) got what they deserved.

Students would split into small groups to explore reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with the statement. The groups respond by brainstorming and recording their justifications for why they would either agree or disagree with the statement. After the students reach a consensus within their groups the class returns comes together as a whole. Each group is given an opportunity to report their final decision to the rest of the class.

Tom Tit Tot

Tom Tit Tot

Joseph Jacobs

Synapse:

“Nimmy, nimmy, nimmy, not. My name is Tom Tit Tot.” Little did he know this couplet would cost him a bet with a desperate maiden. This heavy dialectic fairy tale chronicles the a struggling young women as she is imprisoned by the king and forced to spin five skins everyday. Along comes a creature and makes her a deal she can’t refuse, but is he just spinning her a lie?

Response:

Fairy tales are set in a distant place, in distant time. They once-upon-a-time you to magical setting. This particular tale has all the elements of fairy tale rolled into it: poor mother, damsel in distress, Good vs. Evil , an oppressive king.

Rooted in the oral tradition, this tale utilizes the dialect of Northern Europe to bring this picture-less text to life.

Activity:

Explore the genre. Fairy tales are more than just stories that Disney has ruined. They are generational stories once used as a means to teach children morals. Conduct an investigation of fairly tales. This is more than questioning the author– this is questioning the genre. Analyze multiple fairy tales and look into the message, the characters and other fictional elements. Open the discussion up to the kids and have them explain what they like or don’t like about fairy tales. Are they teaching kids or scaring kids? Try to use original versions of the tales (Gimms, Christian-Anderson, Jacobs, etc).

The Girl Who Spun Gold

The Girl Who Spun Gold
by Virginia Hamilton

Synopsis:

The Girl Who Spun Gold tells the tale of a little man, Lit'mahn Bittyun, whose silly games and magical powers combine to save a queen and destroy himself. The story opens as a field worker and her mother are approach by the local king. To cover up for making so much noise, the field worker's mother tells the king that she is rejoicing because her daughter can turn plain thread into gold! This comes as news to the daughter who does not actually have the power.

The king, out of admiration of the girl's gift, marries her, crowning her Queen Quashiba. But as a stipulation, Quashiba must spin for him three full rooms of golden thread. She is saddened by the impossible task and the greed of her new husband. But as she weeps out of fear, a little man appears in the room and agrees to spin the thread on one condition. If after three days of spinning and guessing, him spinning, her guessing, she cannot figure out his name, he will turn her into a creature even smaller and nastier than he, and he was small and nasty!

Out of options, the girl agrees, and spends two days guessing incorrectly. But during dinner of the third night, her husband tells her a story from his hunting trip. Him and his men stumbled upon a little man singing a song about himself and his name... Could this be the same man that spins the thread? Or will Quashiba be turned into a nasty little creature for the rest of eternity? For the queen's sake she must hope her husband stumbled across the right, little man!

Response:

The Girl Who Spun Gold by Virginia Hamilton, is an adaptation of Tom Tit Tot, the English version of the original German story, Rumpelstiltskin. As that, it was a logical link to Tom Tit Tot. The two books tell the same basic story with different cultural influences that are made obvious from the start and draw a nice contrast between two similar stories.

One thing I liked about this story was the opportunity to see Leo & Diane Dillon doing more illustrations. I came across their work while reading Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears and comparing the illustrations of the two books was quite interesting. In The Girl Who Spun Gold the Dillons use metallic paint over painted with gold to emphasize the color. The effect is vivid images that pop off the page!

Book Activity:

The two books, The Girl Who Spun Gold by Virginia Hamilton and Tom Tit Tot by Evaline Ness, are both adaptations of the original Rumpelstiltskin. I would have students compare and contrast the different versions as an extension activity after reading the books. Students would chart the differences in characters, setting, the event time lines, and endings of the books. A point would be made to cue students into the common elements of the stories as well as the unique perspectives that the authors and illustrators brought to each rendition. Questions to guide the activity would be:

• What events in the story are common to all three versions? What differences?
• How did the change in events/characters work to make the story different?
• In the end did you think the three stories were the same? Why/Why Not?

Tikki Tikki Tembo

Tikki Tikki Tembo

Arlene Mosel & Blair Lent

Synopsis:

Based on an ancient Chinese folktale, the story of Tikki TIkki Tembo explores the origins of short Chinese names. When Tikki’s brother rushes to fetch him help, this one-to-many-syllable name almost costs Tikki his life.

Response:

Although the book does seem to elicit some ethnic stereotypes, it is classic chinese folklore. It’s hard to distinguish between what folklore is acceptable and what is not. For instance Blue Beard is fairy tale that attacks Middle Eastern people. These stories were written hundreds of years ago, and passed along from generation to generation. What is at stake is not the content as much as the tradition that is passed along.

Similar to fairy tales, folk tales are rooted in an oral tradition and passed along. The focus of folk tales specifies the creation of things or habits. The focus of fairy tales is hinged more on the battle between Good and Evil, and tips for living your life.

Although there are some similarities between folk tales and fairy tales, they both draw distinct lines. Folk tales have a communal affect, perhaps this is what makes them live on, the fact that they strive to explain how things came into being.

Activity:

Form book clubs. Have multiple book clubs that discuss Tikki Tikki Tembo and The Girl Who Spun Gold. How has the oral tradition changed? Why? Are these books still relevant today? What is out dated?

Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in people's Ears
by Verma Aardema

Synopsis

Ever wonder why those bothersome mosquitoes won't quit buzzing in your ear? Well this West African folk tale lets us in on why everyone is so angry with those pesky mosquitoes.... One day while drinking from his waterhole, the iguana is visited by the mosquito who tells him a story so outlandish he plugs his ears with sticks to drown out the nonsense. But while the sticks bring peace to the iguana's ears, he doesn't notice the friendly hello of the python snake. Out of confusion the snake runs to hide thinking the iguana is playing a trick on him and in the process sparks an unfortunate series of events that effects all the animals of the forest!

After a horrible accident involving the monkey and a young owlet casts the forest into darkness, an investigation by King Lion is undergone to get to the bottom of the big trouble started by the little mosquito... But will the forest animals live in darkness forever? Will Mother Owl ever bring up the sun? Will the mosquito get what he deserves for starting so much mischief? Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears gives the answers to all these questions in this fun and animated folk tale.

Response

While reading this story I really enjoyed the illustrations of Leo & Diane Dillon that accompanied the writing of Verma Aardema. The pictures, stenciled water colors, used vibrant colors that brought to life the various animal characters of the story. I found the story to be light and funny, with the exception of the owlet being killed by the monkey, while staying true to the style of typical folk tales.

Similar to Tiki-Tiki Tembo by Arlene Mosel, this story told a tale of how today's behaviors were influenced by a single causal change from the past. In Tiki it was falling into a well that caused everyone to give their children short names, in Mosquitoes it was the commotion in the forest caused by the mosquito that had him buzzing in people's ears ever since, asking, "Zeee! Is everyone still angry with me?" Overall I liked this book's elaborate explanation for such an everyday aggravation and I would definitely think to use it in the classroom!

Book Link Activity

The structure of this book, light story-telling with a clear sense of cause-and-effect, coupled with a lot of different characters would lend itself for use in a Readers' Theatre activity. I think students would really enjoy performing this story. With all the personified animal characters and the funny, drawn out reasoning for why mosquitoes annoyingly buzz around people's ears students would enjoy acting this out in a Readers' Theatre.

The book has eight in-story characters: mosquito, iguana, snake, rabbit, crow, monkey, mother owl, and lion, as well as short declarative sentences that could be broken up to allow for multiple narrators. Students would benefit from increased reading opportunity related to this folk tale that gives a rather funny explanation for such an annoying occurrence!

Another idea is to have students create a Simulated Newspaper telling the events of the story. Students could "interview" characters from the story and write articles or weather forecasts according to the events that took place. It would provide students with a creative alternative to demonstrate their understanding of the book.

There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Seashell

There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Seashell

Lucille Colandro & Jared Lee

Synopsis:

She swallowed a shell, but she wouldn’t tell. Then a whole bunch of stuffed followed. This quirky book will keep you and your class laughing in anticipation to see what goes down this old lady’s gullet next. A beautiful combination of predicability and sequencing make this book engaging and re-readable time and time again.

Response:

These books are fun ways to get your students thinking about literature. Granted, the text is silly and repetitive, but it is also exactly why this text works well. This cause and affect style lends itself to early literacy components as they pertain to plot awareness development and reasoning.

The book finds itself within a cleverly written series of books that bring their wit and charm to all seasons and holidays. Anytime of the year an Old Lady book can be brought out for the youngsters.

Activity:

This book is a great way to introduce cause and affect books. Start with this book and link it with Why Mosquitos Buzz in People’s Ears by letting kids explore the Old Lady books. See if kids can create their own Old Lady book. Once they have done that, see if they can create a similar Mosquito book.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

by Laura Joffe Numeroff

Synopsis:

While at home one day a boy discovers a mouse who asks him for a cookie. Seeing no harm in the small demand, the boy grants his request. But as soon as the mouse gets his cookie, he realizes he’ll need a glass of milk to go with it, and how can he be expected to drink his milk without a straw to sip it?! As the story continues, the mouse’s requests get more and more outlandish and wear the boy into the ground. And just as it seems the demands will cease, the boy is in for a rude awakening! For the mouse realizes that he’d like another glass of milk…and if he has a glass of milk he’s going to need a cookie to go with it!

Response:

This story by Laura Joffe Numeroff, with illustrations by Felicia Bond, was another enjoyable read. After thinking about the domino effect of action seen in the last two linked books, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie jumped out at me as the next book to read. After looking through other books in the series, If You Give a Pig a Pancake and If You Give a Moose a Muffin, the original “If You” series book was the book I settled on linking.

This simple story with fun and detailed illustrations is a strong example of cause-and-effect to be shared with young children. Just as in There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Seashell and Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears, this story shows how one small action can start a series of events with very unexpected repercussions!

The bossy mouse may give students a reminder of an older sibling or family member, as it did with me, and would allow students an opportunity to see how blindly following the direction of others doesn’t always work out in their favor. Plus the recycled action of the story, though not as clearly presented as in There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Seashell, offers young children a book in which they can follow along and participate.

Activity:

For this book I would incorporate more than one of the “If You” series books to work with students on making predictions about story events, and would have to take place over a few days. I would read one or two of the series books with students, pausing during reading to ask about what the animal character might ask for next. After taking student responses I would continue reading the story to the finish, pointing out how the action is in an infinite loop as the animal character makes the same demands at the end of the book and starts the story all over again.

After reading one or two of the books I would reveal the title of the third story but before reading it have students create their own version of what will happen, using their knowledge of the story structure present in the first two books. After students finished their versions, they could share them with the class and the third book would be read to compare their original stories with Numeroff’s books.

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear

Don and Audrey Wood

Synopsis:

This gorgeous picture book offers readers a dazzling journey of one mouse and his quest to protect his red, ripe strawberry. Follow the mouse as he hides, protects and eventually shares his tasty morsel.

Response:

Pictures are the main focus with this book. The large illustrations are accompanied by minimal text. Beginning readers can catch many cues from these beautiful pictures. And, don’t think just because there is minimal text that there aren’t big words for younger readers to decode.

We once again find a mouse in a predicament. The mouse seems to be a very popular charcter to be the underdog in some literature. It can a symbol of cunning wit, or helplessness, or occasionally mischief. In this instance the mouse is a mischievous underdog, albeit, hungry.

Activity:

Using both this text If you Give a Mouse a Pancake, and various other mouse character texts, have the kids analyze the different ways mice are portrayed in literature. Once they have analyzed the mouse, they can move onto another character.

Flotsam

Flotsam
by David Wiesner

Synopsis:

Flotsam tells the story of a boy's day at the beach with his family. This wordless picture book illustrates the young boy's retrieval of an underwater camera while spending a day in the sand. Curious about what images the camera holds, the boy rushes to get the pictures developed, and an hour later he is sifting through the film prints. The boy sees wondrous sea shell villages on the backs of sea turtles, larger than life starfish towering above the ocean floor, and even small alien species visiting earth on a class field trip!...or does he?

The ambiguous nature of wordless picture books allow the reader to interpret the illustrations from seemingly endless perspectives. David Wiesner's Flotsam is a "reading" experience that not many will want to pass up!

Response:

The book Flotsam is not a story told in the traditional sense, with words accompanying illustrations. The book asks the reader to construct the meaning while using the detailed illustrations provided by the author David Wiesner. While I was originally drawn to reading this because I was reminded of the front cover while I flipped through Red Ripe Strawberry, it did bear some similarities other than the use of red.

I thought both stories were a good demonstration of how a story can be told through illustrations. The feelings of the mouse in Red Ripe Strawberry, and his determination to hold onto his prize were made clear even without the words, and obviously Flotsam is a story told completely without text. The story is the illustrations.

That fact allows for complete interpretive authority on the part of the reader. For young students it's an opportunity to create their own story using a medium that traditionally gives you the complete story, in writing, from start to finish. It is unique to see a bound picture book with no words and I think the Wiesner's artistic ability makes the book a joy to "read" over and over again!

Book Activity:

This book would be a great way to demonstrate multiple perspectives or interpretations of a text. The nature of the story being open-ended would make a clear connection for students of the ability to interpret the same text in many different ways. That being said, the book activity for Flotsam is clear.

As a class we would do a picture walk, even though the story is all pictures, without telling students there were no words to go along with the story. I would give students the opportunity to make observations and predictions about the text - what is happening, will happen next, etc., as such occurs in a typical picture walk. Then we would go through the book again, with their observations and predictions in mind, and reveal the fact that there are no words to tell the reader exactly what is happening. After that students would create their own story to accompany the illustrations of this book.

For this type of lesson/activity I would have extra copies of Flotsam available, along with other wordless picture books. Students would be allowed to create an original story to go with any of the available wordless picture books.

Black and White

Black and WHite

David Macaulay

Synopsis:

Four stories are told in this Caldecott winning book, on each page. The quadrants on each page tell a separate story! This book offers the reader a chance to read the book from several different perspective. Read it anyway you like, either way it’s a different adventure.

Response:

Pictures interacting with text is more than making something ascetically pleasing, it can be useful to convey the story. These stories all have a unique aspect to them, namely the illustrations. They are each so much different than the others. They come together towards the end when each is in black and white. The final page shows different aspects of each story in the others.

It sounds more confusing than it is. The book is fun! Whether you’re reading Seeing Things, Udder Chaos, Problem Parents, or A Waiting Game, you can’t help, but to see the other stories going on. It’s hard to read a story in isolation. Above all, this book lends itself to the scope of this assignment, there is more to a single book than the text on the page. Each book is an extension of other books.

With that this book is a great introduction to intertextuality. Younger classes could assess this text one story at a time. Then after doing so, looking at how they each link toothier.

Activity:

Flotsam uses no words throughout the book. Black and White manipulates illustrations and text. Both have their own distinct way of manipulating the original story. Have the kids manipulate the traditional story. Here are two radically different books and yet two pleasing books to explore. Have the kids make their own story. Maybe some kids don’t like to write stories, but love to draw. Maybe others like to do both. Maybe some like to write. Either way, a story will have to be conveyed, the elements of fiction need to be utilized and demonstrated.