Little Red Renditions

More Fractured Fairy Tales!!!

This time it's Little Red's turn. Little Red Riding Hood is one of the Brothers Grimm classics that children learn by heart. Variations on the tale come in all shapes and sizes. Here are some of my favorites:

Little Red Riding Hood (retold and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman) - Winner of a Caldecott Honor, this gorgeous retelling is true to the original and a great place to start if you are looking for the classic version of the tale. Be aware: The Brothers Grimm did not shy away from gore or violence in their tales and this one is complete with huntsman and the wolf's pelt nailed to his door.

Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood (by Mike Artell; illustrated by Jim Harris) - What a fun read! I think I developed a Cajun accent by reading a text full of dialect masterfully rhymed by Mike Artell.  Check out the opening verse: "Back in de swamp/ where dat Spanish moss grow,/ I heard me a story/ from long time ago." An ol' gator named Claude stands in for the wolf in this tale set in the bayou. My boys loved his ridiculous grandma disguise, complete with tied on duck beak (Little Red is a duck in this version.) The clever ending is rendered in perfect Cajun fashion and involves hot sauce. I will not say anymore. If you can't get enough Cajun fairy tales, try Three Little Cajun Pigs by the same team.

Carmine: A Little More Red (by Melissa Sweet) - This elaborately layered retelling casts Carmine (a shade of red) in the roll of Little Red. She is an artist and this is an alphabet book highlighting the vocabulary that drives the story. With her trusty dog Rufus, Carmine sets off to join Granny for alphabet soup, but she stops to paint along the way. Yes, there is a wolf, but since nothing else is typical about the classic Little Red in this story, neither is the ending! A unique and colorful offering by artist Melissa Sweet (and the first book she has written AND illustrated!).

Auntie Tiger (by Laurence Yep; illustrated by Insu Lee) - Pair ancient China, sibling rivalry, and trickster tales and you've got Auntie Tiger. Two sisters constant fighting gets them in trouble when they invite a tiger disguised as Auntie into the house while their mother is out. But when the younger girl gets gobbled, the older sister realizes she should have done more to protect her. Using her wits, she outsmarts the tiger and finds a way to get her sister back.

Betsy Red Hoodie (by Gail Carson Levine; illustrated by Scott Nash) - Now here's a different take on the tale. Betsy is one of the shepherds of Bray Valley. And who is the other? Zimmo the wolf. Betsy has to take the sheep with her as she travels to grandma's house, but she tells Zimmo to stay home: "Wolves aren't good for grandmas." Zimmo begs to go, however, and Betsy gives in. This quirky tale moves along with a regular dose of pun-filled and sassy speech-bubbles from the sheep. As they get closer to grandma's, Zimmo runs off. Could Betsy have been wrong about him?

Little Red Hot (by Eric A. Kimmel; illustrated by Laura Huliska Beith) - A southwestern retelling complete with red hot chili pepper trickery. Señor Lobo doesn't stand a chance.







And here's one more from a previous post:

Clara Ann Cookie duet

Oppositional behavior. This storm is fierce at my house. When I came across Harriet Ziefert's Clara Ann Cookie books, I thought she had been reading my mind. Written in a jaunty rhyming verse, Ziefert highlights two difficult times of day for young children (and their parents) - the beginning and the end.

In the first book, simply titled Clara Ann Cookie, she doesn't want to get dressed. When her mother helps make it into a game, it takes Clara Ann's mind off the task and makes this bothersome daily chore fun.

In Clara Ann Cookie, Go To Bed! (both illustrated by Emily Bolam), Clara Ann's mother is not as energetic or creative in dealing with her daughter's behavior. She leaves Clara Ann to go to bed on her own and Clara Ann acts out her frustration with bedtime in a role reversal as she puts her toys to bed. You'll have to read the story to see how she responds when Popcorn the bear refuses to go to bed!

PPBF: The Purple Balloon

Perfect Picture Book Friday

Title: The Purple Balloon
Author/Illustrator: Chris Raschka
Publisher/Date: Schwartz & Wade Books/2007
Genre/Audience: Fiction/All ages
Themes: death & dying, including child; community; support

Opening: 
"No one likes to talk about dying. It's hard work."

Synopsis: (From Publishers Weekly)

"Raschka (The Hello, Goodbye Window) broaches the topic of death in this solemn book, crafted for terminally ill and/or grieving children. Filmy balloons, potato-printed in muted watercolor on beige backgrounds, drift over the cover and endpapers; balloon heads, with facial features limned in dots of ink and string-lines for bodies, take on the roles of families, friends and professionals. The fragile but buoyant balloon image comes from art therapy, as an author's note explains: "When a child becomes aware of his or her pending death and is given the opportunity to 'draw your feelings,' he or she will often draw a blue or purple balloon, released and floating free." Raschka eases into his distressing subject by first depicting an old person's lined face, on a green balloon, and a child's face on a red balloon. When the elderly person dies, the green tint changes to lavender, the face becomes peaceful and the balloon's string curves and lifts to shape two open arms or angel wings. The predictable death sets up the second act: "There is only one thing/ harder to talk about than/ an old person dying—/ a young person dying." Concerned friends, therapists, doctors and relatives cluster around to support the sinking red-balloon child, whose eyes grow heavy. "Good help makes leaving easier," the text asserts, as the child's gently smiling face looks out from an ascendant lavender balloon. Without going into specifics, Raschka acknowledges pain and fear, and provides a "What You Can Do to Help" list. This evocative, nondenominational book strives to comfort those at hospices and hospitals."

Why I Love This Book: 

I have to admit, I had no idea what I was grabbing when I pulled this from the shelf and tucked it into my library bag. I am glad I read it before my kids. It is a beautiful, haunting, and incredibly simple depiction of death; first of an elderly person, then of a child. In straight-forward text and soft illustrations, Raschka emphasizes the importance of family, friends, and support. This book can be used as a springboard for discussing one of the most difficult subjects to talk about with children.

Resources:
The final page of the book offers a "What You Can Do To Help" list for children who have sick friends.

Art therapy can be an outlet for all feelings. Draw your feelings when you are angry, sad, cheerful, grumpy, etc.

Children's Hospice International Resources

For more links to Perfect Picture Books, a collection of bloggers who contribute at Susanna Leonard Hill’s site, click here.

PPBF: Peanut & Fifi Have a Ball

Perfect Picture Book Friday

Title: Peanut & Fifi Have a Ball
Author/Illustrator: Randall de Seve/ Paul Schmid
Publisher/Date: Dial Books for Young Readers/2013
Genre/Audience: Fiction/Ages 3-5
Themes: sharing, siblings, imagination

Opening: 
"Peanut had a ball. It was brand-new. It was bright blue. And it was special."

Synopsis: (From Amazon.com)
"For every kid who has ever had trouble sharing a special toy.

Peanut has a new ball and her big sister, Fifi, wants to play with it. Peanut doesn't want to share, so Fifi tries to entice her with the many different imaginary games they could play with the ball--they could tell fortunes, or have a bakery, or let a seal balance the ball on its nose! Peanut is NOT convinced, until Fifi comes up with a spectacular imaginary adventure that Peanut can't refuse: a trip to space! But is it too late for her to join the game? 

Illustrated in bold graphics and bright colors by an illustrator Maurice Sendak calls "an artist with a superb eye for line and composition," here's a story where the older sibling doesn't always have the upper hand."

Why I Love This Book: 

The illustrations are sparse. The story is simple. But the theme is age-old. I can relate to Peanut's stubborn "mine" and the repeated attempts of Fifi to play with the toy. My boys show me examples of this story everyday! But Fifi goes further. Her imaginative ideas for how to play with the ball get more and more elaborate. Paul Schmid's terrific illustrations effectively show Fifi playing with the ball without actually possessing the ball. And this is the key. Fifi realizes that she doesn't need a toy to use her imagination. It is a sweet book that transforms sibling frustration into shared storytelling. A very satisfying read.

Resources:
Randall de Seve author page

Parenting article about sibling sharing

Stimulate your child's imagination

For more links to Perfect Picture Books, a collection of bloggers who contribute at Susanna Leonard Hill’s site, click here.

When Spanish and English Join Together...

There has been a proliferation in recent years of books that use both English and Spanish text. What better way to give students whose first language is Spanish, or Spanish is spoken at home, access to reading and to story?

Ann Whitford Paul has a series of picture books in this vein. With a Southwestern vibe, four friends (Iguana, Conejo, Tortuga, and Culebra, i.e. Iguana, Rabbit, Turtle, and Snake) share many adventures. Paul has a way of crafting her stories so that the Spanish words are understandable to English speakers and vice versa. This technique could make for a stilted or explanatory story, but it does not. Spanish words are repeated in English by another character or the context gives a direct clue as to the word's meaning. There is also a glossary in each book, if you're stumped.

Ethan Long furnishes the illustrations, which offer colorful characters and exaggerated expressions. They also provide an excellent scaffold for deciphering the meaning of unknown Spanish/English words.

And another plus? Some of these are fractured fairy tales! Enjoy!

Mañana, Iguana (2004) - A retelling of The Little Red Hen.

Fiesta Fiasco (2007) - The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books calls this “A creatively executed original trickster tale.”

Count on Culebra: Go from 1 to 10 in Spanish (2008) - Culebra plays doctor and gets Iguana to forget her throbbing toe through counting.

Tortuga in Trouble (2009) - A retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.

PPBF: Tap Dancing on the Roof

Title: Tap Dancing on the Roof
Author/Illustrator: Linda Sue Park/Istvan Banyai
Publisher/Date: Clarion Books/2007
Genre/Audience: Poetry/Ages 4-8
Themes: sijo (Korean poetic form), events in a day, school year, seasons

Opening: (First poem)

BREAKFAST

For this meal, people like what they like, the same every morning.
Toast and coffee. Bagel and juice. Cornflakes and milk in a white bowl.

Or--warm, soft, and delicious--a few extra minutes in bed.

Synopsis: (From Amazon.com)
"A sijo, a traditional Korean verse form, has a fixed number of stressed syllables and a humorous or ironic twist at the end. Like haiku, sijo are brief and accessible, and the witty last line winds up each poem with a surprise. The verses in this book illuminate funny, unexpected, amazing aspects of the everyday--of breakfast, thunder and lightning, houseplants, tennis, freshly laundered socks. Carefully crafted and deceptively simple, Linda Sue Park's sijo are a pleasure to read and an irresistible invitation to experiment with an unfamiliar poetic form. Istvan Banyai's irrepressibly giddy and sophisticated illustrations add a one-of-a-kind luster to a book that is truly a gem."

Why I Love This Book:
I love that sijo is a lesser-known cousin to haiku. It has a specific number of syllables and, with a surprise ending, each poem delights. There are so many ways to extend this to the literacy classroom. Linda Sue Park has proven herself a master of many children's genres, from her Newbery Award winning novel A Single Shard to picture books and poetry, her books are a sure bet.

Resources:
Great general resource: Sijopoetry.com

Sijo writing competition, open to students grade 12 and younger

Linda Sue Park's website

For more links to Perfect Picture Books, a collection of bloggers who contribute at Susanna Leonard Hill’s site, click here.

Author/Illustrator: Paul Schmid

Does your library display books on top of the children's shelves? Mine does. For me, this is eye candy. This is the check-out line impulse buy. I scan the book covers and take half the inventory. The librarians have to restock the displays when I'm done. (And they probably cringe when they see me coming.) Shelf-top books are where it's at.

This is where I found the next treasure I'm going to share with you. And the treasure is author/illustrator Paul Schmid. You know you've found gold when you read a book and immediately request everything else that person has written. So it was for me and Mr. Schmid. Let's take a tour, shall we?

A Pet for Petunia (2011): Opening: "Petunia likes skunks. No, that's not exactly right. (page turn) Petunia LOVES skunks!" I was hooked. This is a simple, quirky, perfectly preschool read. Petunia does what any child who wants a pet does: she begs, she promises her parents impossible things, she pleads, and when her parents refuse ("'They stink,' say her parents."), she throws a tantrum and plays all her cards (it's not fair, you don't love me, I'll die if I don't get one, and, my favorite, "Why did I have to get born into THIS family?"). Petunia is determined, but in for a surprise. Read this clever take on an age-old childhood request to find out how Petunia reacts when she discovers her parents are telling the truth.

Petunia Goes Wild (2012): Petunia is back in another animal-related adventure, but this time, she's the animal. Opening: "Monday morning Petunia, growling and snorting, ate her breakfast off the kitchen floor." Again, an excellent hook. In this pet book with a twist, Petunia's parents are the ones who throw a tantrum and use every line in the book to refuse her request. This fresh, fun sequel is just as entertaining as the first.

Hugs from Pearl (2011): Pearl is a lovable porcupine with a problem. She loves to hug, but her hugs "were just a little ouchy." I like the voice in this book. The narrator speaks to the reader and you feel like you are right there with Pearl, watching her try various ways to solve her prickly problem. She has empathy, perseverance, and, by the end, lots of hugs to share.

Perfectly Percy (2013): Percy is Pearl's little brother. In this sequel, he also has a prickly problem to solve because his favorite things are balloons: "But HAPPY little porcupines with balloons are soon SAD little porcupines." Percy thinks hard to find a solution, but he can only think of ice cream. Pearl's ideas "were not very practical" and mom is busy. When Percy has run out of thoughts, a solution presents itself. Even if it means skipping breakfast :)