Book Review: IN A DARK, DARK ROOM
*NOTE: This book review was created for a class at TWU.

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Schwartz, Alvin. IN A DARK, DARK ROOM. Ill. by Dirk Zimmer. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0060252715

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Alvin Schwartz retells seven scary stories from around the world in this "I Can Read" book geared toward children K-3. The stories range in subject matter from ghosts in a graveyard, a headless woman, close encounters with the undead, and pirates.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Alvin Schwartz has produced a selection of scary stories gathered from around the world in the "I Can Read" book entitled, IN A DARK, DARK ROOM. This is only one of several volumes by Schwartz in which he gathers stories from around the world and retells them, in this case in language that could be easily read by a child aged K-3. The author appears to have carefully selected a range of stories that fit well into the traditional literature and children's literature genres. For instance, in stories such as "The Teeth" and "In the Graveyard," elements of repetition found in traditional literature combine with patterns found in predictable children's books to engage readers and encourage participation in a format with which they are both comfortable and familiar. The interjection "oooh!" is repeated by the fat woman in "In the Graveyard" every other line, inviting the audience to call out along with her. Similarly, the title story from the volume, "In a Dark, Dark Room," uses repetition and patterning in a cumulative tale much like "The House That Jack Built," but with a spooky surprise at the end. Schwartz even includes poetry with the short rhyming piece "The Ghost of John." It is interesting to note that the rhymed words "John," "gone," and "on," are all spelled differently, reinforcing for the emergent reader that rhyming words sound the same, but can be spelled differently.

While the stories have scary elements, Schwartz's foreword and the illustrations keep the tone of the volume light. In the forward, the author writes that, "Most of us like scary stories because we like feeling scared. When there is no real danger, feeling scared is fun." Reinforcing the feeling of fun, Dirk Zimmer's pen and ink drawings are at once colorful and humorous, and if the reader is especially observant, he will notice that most of the tales include a black cat who is patently unfrightened by the events, even when the woman's head falls off in "The Green Ribbon."

Finally, at the end of the book, Schwartz details where each folktale originated. The variety of sources is fascinating, including a Surinamian story from the 1920s and a traditional song. In true folktale fashion, none of the tales have authors with the exception of "The Ghost of John" which was the creation of an 8-year-old Californian.

At first glance, to the adult reader, IN A DARK, DARK ROOM may seem to be somewhat homogenous and lacking in cultural details. However, considering the universality of traditional literature, and the audience for whom the book was written, IN A DARK, DARK ROOM will continue to appeal to most children and be reread and retold over and over again.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
ALA Notable Children's Book
School Library Journal Best Book
BookHive.com: "It is a great book for the beginning reader who is interested in ghosts, skeletons, pirates, and other things that go bump in the night."
Booklist: "The simplicity of the easy-reading text and the comically sinister pictures are perfect for these old stories that draw you right into the suspense without spelling everything out."

5. CONNECTIONS
*Continue with retellings of American scary stories by reading books such as WHEN BIRDS COULD TALK & BATS COULD SING (ISBN 0590473727)
by Virginia Hamilton, and Paul Yee's DEAD MAN'S GOLD AND OTHER STORIES (ISBN 0888994753). Discussions could center on elements commonly found in traditional literature such as the use of repetition, time passing quickly, and settings in the distant past. Students could then note differences and discuss how, although universal, some traditional stories are colored by the culture (in the case of Hamilton's book the American South, and of Yee's book the culture of recent American immigrants from Asia) in which they are told.
*Use the stories and an investigation of Schwartz's other books as a springboard for gathering oral tales from parents, grandparents, extended family members, maybe even the residents at local retirement communities. Students could then choose a tale to type up and illustrate based on the oral interviews.
*For older students, do a unit on the oral tradition and storytelling. Students could pick on of Alvin's Schwartz's tales to learn and tell to younger students at a nearby elementary campus or public library during story hour. As part of a reading or speech class, such a unit would help students' presentation skills while building confidence in a safe environment. See websites such as "Literacy Connections" at literacyconnections.com for storytelling tips.

Book Review: CINDERLILLY
*NOTE: This book review was created for a class at TWU.

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ellwand, David and Christine Tagg. CINDERLILLY. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 0763623288

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this adaptation of the Cinderella story, the Sultan hold an Autumn Ball to choose his bride, the fairest bloom of them all. Predictably, Cinderlilly would like to attend, but is thwarted by her evil stepsisters. With the help of a fairy, Cinderlilly is magically transformed and enchants the Sultan. But, according to her spell, she must leave at midnight. As she runs away, a petal falls, leaving the only clue to her identity. After trying the petal on scores of flowers, the Sultan recognizes Cinderlilly and asks her to marry him. She put on the petal, magically becomes beautiful again, and marries the Sultan.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In the best cases, children's books incorporate text and illustrations which both complement and enrich each other while being outstanding on their own merits. In the worst cases, both illustrations and text are lacking. With CINDERLILLY, the reader gets a mixed bag.

The text, which is written in rhymed couplets, is an adaptation of the Cinderella story. Some aspects of the text are charming. For instance, I enjoyed that the text was written in Acts and kept many of the conventions of a ballet or stage performance, and I liked the way the font changed to highlight some of the words. However, strain of forcing the story into couplets shows in the meter. For instance, in the beginning of the story, we read, "Her name is CINDERLILLY,/and she's beautiful but shy./Forlorn and sad, she smoothes her petals-/she's trying not to cry." Metrically, the second and fourth lines should match up, but the second line has 7 beats, while the fourth only has 6. Such rhythmic awkwardness occurs often enough to cause the reader to stumble and have to reread lines.

In terms of plot, it appears that the story has been changed to suit the illustrations, but not consistently. The prince becomes a sultan, because, I presume, the petals used to make his breeches and his petal hat make him look Middle-Eastern. Yet, rather than listening to beautiful Persian melodies, the characters dance a waltz at a ball. Apart from the mention of the sultan, there are no other cultural trappings accompanying the plotline. It makes the change seem superfluous. Why couldn't he just have been a prince in petal pants?

The illustrations, on the other hand, created with real flower petals and other natural materials, such as fern fronds for trees, and manipulated using Adobe Photoshop are mesmerizing. The way David Ellwand uses the stamens to represent the characters' legs, replete with anther ballet slippers, is beautiful. Dark backgrounds throughout the book add to the three dimensional quality of the photographs. On the pages where Cinderlilly dances alone with broom, her legs and skirt petals have been so ingeniously placed that she literally seems to twirl across the page in her own private ballet. The dustcover notes mention that the poses are based on actual ballet and gymnastic steps, and the back page lists the names of the flowers used to create each character. It would be fun to plant a "Cinderlilly" garden to learn more about the flowers that went into the making of this book.

What the story lacks, the illustrations more than make up for, especially since most children know the Cinderella story by heart. CINDERLILLY would appeal to the gardener, ballet enthusiast, and fairytale lover alike.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library Journal: " Tagg's text, written in reasonably well-rhymed couplets, is thin on plot, character development, and imagery."
Children's Literature: "...this innovative approach stimulates the reader to envision characters and the natural world in new ways. Children easily see the world as animate, and this story will draw them into the garden to find their favorite characters."

5. CONNECTIONS
*For older children studying PhotoShop in their digital graphics classes, CINDERLILLY and other children's stories which include illustration created in PhotoShop such as Don Woods' JUBAL'S WISH (ISBN 043916964S) and Richard Michelson's GRANPA'S GAMBLE(ISBN 0761450343). A good resource for discussing the artists' techniques is Carolyn Phelan's informative article from the December 2000 issue of Booklist, "COMPUTERS AND THE ART OF PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATION.," which can be accessed at www.booklistonline.com
*Compare with other variants of the Cinderella story. The best website I found that has reviews of many of these versions is Children's Literature's site at http://www.childrenslit.com/th_cinderella.html

Book Review: The Legend of the Bluebonnet
NOTE: This review was created for a class at TWU
drawing by Natalie R. from spaghetticlub.com

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
DePaola, Tomie. THE LEGEND OF THE BLUEBONNET. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0399224114

2. PLOT SUMMARY-
In a retelling of an old Comanche tale, we learn of the origin of the state flower of Texas, the bluebonnet. After a long drought, the Comanche ask the Spirits what to do and receive the answer that they must make a burnt offering of their most prized possession. No one in the tribe is willing to make this sacrifice, except for She-Who-Is-Alone. The young girl, who has lost her whole family, gives up the last tie to that family, a warrior doll with blue feathers. After making her sacrifice, she falls asleep and awakens to find the hillside covered in blubonnets and a warm rain falling. The tribe gives thanks and renames her One-Who-Dearly-Loved-Her-People.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Tomie DePaola's retelling of the Comanche tale in THE LEGEND OF THE BLUEBONNET is an excellent example of both traditional and multicultural literature. It is a classic "porquoi tale," explaining the appearance of bluebonnets each spring. Like most traditional stories, it requires us to suspend our disbelief and embrace the universal theme of generosity and sacrifice. DePaola masterfully embeds repetition and the number three into the tale, evoking the sense that it comes from the oral tradition. "For three days," says the narrator, "the dancers danced to the sound of the drums, and for three days, the People called Comanche watched and waited." The sense of oral language is reinforced in poetic line breaks and the use of alliteration such as, "dancers danced," "watched and waited," belt of bone...beautiful blue feathers." THE LEGEND OF THE BLUEBONNET also fosters an awareness of the Comanche people without stereotyping the characters. Since the book is a folktale, the characters are fairly flat, and the plot simple, but the people are shown as both good and bad, selfish and selfless. DePaola uses culturally accurate details in describing the shaman and the dress of the girl's warrior doll. Beautifully illustrated in DePaola's signature simple, soft style, THE LEGEND OF THE BLUBONNET is a must-read for any resident of Texas and any fan of folktales.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Children's Literature: "Tomie dePaola provides a charming retelling of the Native American legend about the origin of Texas' state flower, the bluebonnet."
Spaghetti Book Club: "I recommend this book for everyone because it teaches you about giving up something that is important. I think students of all ages can enjoy this book and learn about sharing." (Natalie R., age 9)

5. CONNECTIONS
*For older students, use THE LEGEND OF THE BLUEBONNET to study female voices in picture books. Examples: McKissack, Patricia C. GOING SOMEPLACE SPECIAL, and Paul, Ann Whitford. ALL BY HERSELF
See also the following website for ideas:
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/%7ekvander/Feminist/fempic.html
*Create a unit around the children of Indian folklore using books such as FIRST SALMON by Roxane Beauclair Salonen and Cynthia Rylant's LONG NIGHT MOON. Themes can include the importance of ritual in our lives, the importance of nature and giving back to the earth. Would be a great tie-in for Earth Day.
*Read and compare DePaola's other legends of flowers - THE LEGEND OF THE INDIAN PAINTBRUSH and THE LEGEND OF THE POINSETTIA. Use the books as a springboard for creating a classroom garden or for studying the native flowers of Texas.

Book Review: The Three Pigs
Note: This book review has been created as part of a course at TWU.








Picture courtesy of http://www.vickiblackwell.com/lit/threepigs/html

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Wiesner, David. 2001. THE THREE PIGS. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 0618007016

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Wiesner's tongue-in-cheek take on the classic folktale The Three Little Pigs plays with plot and perspective in a postmodern break from traditional narrative. The story begins familiarly enough, replete with beautiful Grimm's style pen and ink illustrations. Yet things go awry quickly when the wolf blows the first pig right out of the story. This, in turn, saves the pig from being eaten, allowing it to save the other two pigs. The reunited threesome then wreaks havoc on the pages of the story, using one to make a paper airplane on which to fly. After a bumpy landing, the pigs enter a nursery rhyme and classic knight's tale in succession, taking a nursery rhyme cat and the dragon with them. Upon returning to the original story, the dragon makes short work of the wolf, and the pigs, plus dragon and cat, retire to the third pig's brick house to live "happily ever after."

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Wiesner's truly brilliant interplay of illustrations, text, and white space create a story that is fresh and enduring. At the beginning, The Three Pigs is as traditional as a Grimm's fairytale, with beautiful illustrations, but as soon as the first pig is blown out of the story, the illustrations take on a life of their own. Any part of a character which has escaped from its text is drawn in pen and ink in a more realistic manner, with three dimensionality and shading. One of my favorite examples of this is when the pigs enter the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle." Unless the reader is looking closely, she might not notice that the cat with the fiddle has one paw outside the text, but it foreshadows the cat's imminent escape to join the pigs.

Yet the escaped characters are not the only ones affected by the blurring of textual boundaries. If one looks closely at the pages left behind, one will notice that the characters and story have changed to reflect the absence of one or more characters. This is best represented near the end of the story when the pigs, cat, and dragon are roaming between pages of stories which surround them like rows of walls reminiscent of "The Matrix." On this page, flying fish and a little boy appear to be gaping at the entourage from their story.

Wiesner plays with perspective as well. First, in depicting the three pigs flying on a paper airplane made from one of the pages of their story, the author uses the white space of the book to show them zooming in toward the reader, then away to the very upper corner of the text. In another case of tinkering with perspective, one of the pigs is illustrated up close, its face filling more than a page, as if inspecting the reader while commenting, "I think...someone's out there."

The Three Pigs plays with text, illustration, and tradition in many other ways that beg the reader to open the book again and again. Each reading brings new discoveries and new life to an old beloved story.

Wiesner won his second Caldecott Award for this book in 2002. His first Caldecott was awarded for his book, Tuesday.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
BOOKLIST: Starred review. "Wiesner has created a funny, wildly imagined tale that encourages kids to leap beyond the familiar, to think critically about conventional stories and illustration, and perhaps to flex their imaginations and create wonderfully subversive versions of their own stories."
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: Starred review. "Witty dialogue and physical comedy abound in this inspired retelling of a familiar favorite."

5. CONNECTIONS
*Use this book with secondary students to illustrate elements of post-modernism/point of view
*Check out this great website that has lots of ideas for using the book in the classroom: http://www.vickiblackwell.com/lit/threepigs.html
*Find other books that play with perspective such as Wiesner's wordless picture book FREE FALL (ISBN 068810990X) or Istvan Banyai's ZOOM (ISBN 0140557741) and RE-ZOOM (ISBN 014055694X)
*Collect several versions of The Three Little Pigs to compare and contrast.

TALKING WITH ARTISTS
Note: This book review was created for a class at TWU
Book Review: TALKING WITH ARTISTS, VOL. 3

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cummings, Pat (ed.). 1999. TALKING WITH ARTISTS, VOL. 3. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 0395891329

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In the third volume of the series, Talking with Artists, Pat Cummings compiles the first-person stories of 13 children's book illustrators, along with snapshots of them as children and adults, works they created as children, and illustrations they've published as adults. Each artist also answers five to ten questions focusing on what it's like to be an artist, the daily work of an artist, techniques, and inspirations. At the end of the book, the artists give "secret techniques" they use in illustrations, and list four or five of the favorite books they've illustrated.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Cummings has compiled another volume of inspiring and thought-provoking portraits of well-known children's book illustrators, centered on five basic themes: where their inspirations come from, whether they were always good artists, what their days are like, why they became artists, and their advice for becoming an artist. The theme of growth and change is highlighted by the way the text and illustrations work together, and is one of the most valuable aspects of the work. The reader not only gains insight into the artists as people, but begins to recognize that even if one is a "born" artist, becoming and artist, much like becoming an adult, is the result of experience, practice, and growth. The book both demystifies and personalizes art, while encouraging artists of all ages.

The volume is well-organized and easy to navigate with each artist's section following the same pattern. First, there is a picture of the artist as a child, along with the artist's signature (sometimes a work of art in itself) and birthday. Next, the artist tells his or her own story, followed by a current photograph of the artist. One is immediately struck by how much the person has changed and yet stayed the same. For instance, Betsy Lewin remarks that, "The things I liked to draw best as a child were horses, elephants, fish, and people peeking out from behind trees...Even today, when I'm drawing for my own pleasure, or developing characters for a new story, I find that my old childhood favorites keep popping up on paper and sometimes find their way into my books." The artist's stories are fresh and unpretentious, sounding as though they came right from the heart. Third, a picture of the artist's early work as a child, including size, media, and age at which the work was created is accompanied with a quote by the artist, and followed by interview questions and answers. Sometimes the answers are surprising. Responding to the question of what he likes to draw the most, Peter Sis said, "Water, because I'm from a landlocked country. We had no oceans where I grew up, no sea." A third photo of the artist and/or children and pets is included, and on the final pages of the artist's section, there is a large color example from one of the books that artist has illustrated. Again, the reader is invited to compare the early childhood work with the mature art.

The book is beautiful, with glossy color pictures and illustrations, and very accessible, with readable, engaging prose that reveals the artists as individuals.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Review in BOOKLIST: "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."

Review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "While many readers will find the artists' tips that conclude the volume useful, all will appreciate these insightful conversations."

5. CONNECTIONS
*At the secondary level, this book could be used to inspire students to write and illustrate their own memoirs or children's books in writing class, or in the art classroom as a springboard for discussing what it means to be an artist.
*Collect all three volumes of Pat Cummings's books entitled Talking with Artists
*Partner these books with other texts where writers and illustrators talk about their work and core beliefs.
TIKVAH: CHILDREN'S BOOK CREATORS REFLECT ON HUMAN RIGHTS. ISBN 0587170981 (Serious and definitely thought-provoking - suitable for grades 9-12)
SPEAK! CHILDREN'S BOOK ILLUSTRATORS BRAG ABOUT THEIR DOGS. ISBN 0152778489 and PURR: CHILDREN'S BOOK ILLUSTRATORS BRAG ABOUT THEIR CATS. ISBN 01572008373 (Fun and for a good cause - proceeds go to a non-profit that offers grants to animal welfare agencies)

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE
Note: This book review was created for a class at TWU

Book Review: I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Martin, Bill Jr. and Michael Sampson. 2002.I PLEDGE ALLIEGIANCE. Ill. by Chris Raschka. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 0763616486


2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this colorful picture book, whimsically illustrated by Chris Raschka, children's book author Bill Martin, Jr., and literacy expert Michael Sampson guide children through the meaning behind the words of the Pledge of Alliegiance. Along the way, the authors offer insight into the history and background of the words every school-aged child knows by heart. Each page defines and illustrates one or two words from the Pledge, reveals the symbolism of the flag, and details the historic dates associated with our flag and the Pledge itself. The final pages include the Pledge in its entirety, along with some thoughts on what the United States of America stands for, what the American flag symbolizes, and how these abstract concepts connect to the lives of children.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Bill Martin, Jr., famed author of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? joins Michael Sampson to tackle the Pledge of Allegiance with insight and creativity, while avoiding didacticism and over-simplification. The authors define such difficult terms as allegiance, "Allegiance is loyalty," and indivisible "Indivisible means unbreakable - our country cannot be split into separate parts." At each key concept, they pause to elaborate, as in the case of indivisible, "No matter how much we might disagree about some things, we all agree on one thing: we are strongest when we stick together and help each other out." The language is precise and fresh, breathing life back into words that have become an exercise in rote memorization for many. Through this book, young and old will discover the beauty of Francis Bellamy's words and the depth of meaning underpinning them.

Chris Raschka's illustrations complement and reinforce the text in this book beautifully. Mixed-media pictures, using torn paper and watercolor, function to visually extend the meanings of the words defined on each page. For example, the text definition for pledge reads, "A pledge is a promise." A promise is still an abstract concept, but with the help of Raschka's playful watercolor sketch of two people clasping hands, highlighted by a square of red paper for the background behind the clasped hands, the abstract becomes concrete. Near the end of the book, Raschka uses the same torn squares of paper in a myriad of colors to represent "all." Each square contains an understated sketch of a face, with the merest of brushstrokes indicating hair, eyes, and expression. Yet each is so different that the reader is drawn in to examine every one carefully.

Even the authors' notes on back flap of the dust jacket are insightful. Each gives a quote responding to what the Pledge means to him. Bill Martin, Jr. calls it "the most beautiful chain of language I know," while, surprisingly, Chris Raschka comments that his parents "have always respectfully refused to recite the Pledge..." and that he was drawn to the project because in America, "we each have the freedom to choose, including the freedom to choose whether or not to say the Pledge."

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Starred Review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Raschka's eye-catching and appealing illustrations done in ink and torn paper add interest and lightness to the pages."
Starred Review in BOOKLIST: "Finally, here's a picture book that helps young children move beyond rote recitation of the Pledge to find meaning in its language."

5. CONNECTIONS
*Although this book is primarily aimed at children aged K-4, the abstract concepts in the book and the engaging presentation would make it a great springboard for discussion in both 8th and 11th grade U.S. History classes.
*Collect other books illustrated by Chris Raschka, winner of the Caldecott Award. Look at how he adapts his artistic style to fit the content of the book, from Dylan Thomas's A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES to his most recent effort, A KICK IN THE HEAD: AN EVERYDAY GUIDE TO POETIC FORMS.
*Other books for children about the American flag and the American spirit:
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. THE FLAG MAKER. ISBN 0618267573
Celebrating America (ed.). A COLLECTION OF POEMS AND IMAGES OF THE AMERICAN SPIRIT. ISBN 0399220364