TRADITIONAL LITERATURE - Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Steptoe, John. 1987. MUFARO’S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS. New York: Lothrop, Lee, & Shepard Books. ISBN 0688040454

PLOT SUMMARY
John Steptoe’s telling of Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters is based on an African folktale published in 1895. The story is set in Zimbabwe, and Steptoe’s illustrations are inspired by the ruins of an ancient city that was found there. In a Cinderella-like fashion, the tale recounts the story of two sisters, one mean-tempered and the other sensitive and caring. Manyara and Nyasha are the daughters of Mufaro. Both beautiful, Manyara is conceited while Nyasha’s goodness is revealed in her humility and kindness. Manyara treats Nyasha harshly unbeknownst to their father. Despite the cruelty of her sister, Nyasha remains humble and compassionate. Mufaro proudly wishes to take both of his daughters to the nearby kingdom when the king summons the women of the land from which to choose a wife. Selfish Manyara leaves in the middle of the night in order to be the first to meet the king. Through a series of compelling events, the true dreadful nature of Manyara is revealed. On the other hand, Nyasha proves her worth to the king through her deeds, and in an unexpected turn of events, it is she the king chooses to take for a wife.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The story, while a variant of the Cinderella tale, is different enough in its telling that it stands alone as its own distinctive parable. The unique nature is most apparent in Nyasha’s journey. She does not arrive at the throne through the magical powers of something beyond herself, but rather because of herself and the way she chooses to live her life with compassion for others. Even Nyasha’s sister, Manyara, is aware of Nyasha’s good heart: “Because everyone talks about how kind you are, and they praise everything you do.” The beauty of the story lies in one of its most subtle lessons. Even after being treated cruelly by Manyara, Nyasha is still good to her sister and forgives her faults. This lesson of forgiveness is only one of many woven through this tale which also touches on issues such as kindness, selflessness, humility, greed, anger, and love.

Steptoe’s ink and watercolor illustrations help the story come alive on the pages. The use of an intricate crosshatching technique provides a feeling of richness and warmth. The proportions of the human form are perfectly captured. For example, the grandeur of the king standing in his white linen robes, gold band upon his arm, glowing with majesty is truly remarkable. Landscapes, animals, birds, and clothing are all portrayed with equal artistry and intensity. The book’s last two page spread is a magnificent panoramic rendering of the recently wed couple overlooking the kingdom. The luxuriant palette of colors used by Steptoe certainly helps convey the sense of royalty.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
* Winner of the 1988 Caldecott Honor Medal
* Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Illustration
* Coretta Scott King Award
* KIRKUS REVIEWS: “Carefully realistic treatment will help make the story immediate and accessible to unsophisticated readers as well as to those who appreciate subtlety. . . .a beautiful book, deserving a permanent place in library collections.”
*SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW: “This folktale shows the traditional qualities, characterizations, and predictability. A magnificently illustrated book, filled with rich textures and vibrant color, and a story that will satisfy young romantics as well as those with a strong sense of justice.”

CONNECTIONS
*Read other variants of the Cinderella tale and note similarities among the stories. Analyze the different elements of each story including name, family structure, theme, symbolism, etc. Discuss how some of these elements are rooted in various ethnic traditions.
* Have students participate in the on-line collaborative program called “The Cinderella Project”. This project allows students to complete and share seven different activities relating to the Cinderella story including surveys, charts, collages, quizzes, and even a writing activity where they rewrite the tale according to the culture and customs of their current lives. The project can be found at: http://www.epals.com/projects/cinderella/
*Other children’s book variants of the Cinderella tale:
1) Martin, Rafe. THE ROUGH-FACE GIRL. ISBN 0698116267
2) Pollock, Penny. THE TURKEY GIRL: A ZUNI CINDERELLA STORY. ISBN 0316713147
3) San Souci, Robert D. CENDRILLON: A CARIBBEAN CINDERELLA. ISBN 0689848889
4) Coburn, Jewell R. DOMITILA: A CINDERELLA TALE FROM THE MEXICAN TRADITION. ISBN 1885008139
5) Louie, Ai-Ling. YEH-SHEN: A CINDERELLA STORY FROM CHINA. ISBN 0698113888
6) Climo, Shirley. THE EGYPTIAN CINDERELLA. ISBN 0064432793
7) de Paola, Tomie. ADELITA. ISBN 0142401870

TRADITIONAL LITERATURE - Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Schwartz, Alvin. 1981. SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK – 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0064401707

PLOT SUMMARY
Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a collection of sometimes funny and oft times frightening stories, songs, and poems. Comprised of tales collected from American folklore, the volume is divided into five chapters. The text is accented throughout by the drawings of Stephen Gammell. Schwartz sets the stage by introducing a bit of history and reasoning surrounding the telling of scary stories, even referring to a famous storyteller from Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. The collection begins with a set of “jump stories” whose sole purpose is to allow the reader to suddenly frighten listeners at the end of the story. The next chapter consists of ghost stories and includes some truly bone chilling tales such as The White Wolf in which a ghostly wolf returns from the dead to take revenge on the hunter who has killed many of his kind. A miscellaneous collection of stories, songs, and even an activity can be found in the third chapter. Chapter four has the reader journey through a series of realistic horror stories much like the contemporary urban legends that surface every now and again. The fifth and final chapter of the book aims to provide some comic relief with stories that at first seem frightening, but in the end provide a good belly laugh. Of this type, The Viper and Wait Till Martin Comes are truly clever. For those interested in origins and further information regarding the tales included in the book, Schwartz provides extensive additional information in the form of notes, sources, and a bibliography.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Schwartz brilliantly introduces his collection of scary stories by emphasizing the fact that they are meant to be told and better yet, to be told in the utter darkness of night. He goes on to elaborate upon how this telling should unfold: “. . .the best way to speak is softly, so that your listeners lean forward to catch your words, and to speak slowly, so that your voice sounds scary.”

The multitude of stories that follow range from silly to downright creepy. For example, in The Viper the reader is led into the suspense of an old widow woman being plagued by phone calls from a man calling himself the viper. The viper issues seeming threats to the old woman of his imminent arrival, building the element of dread. In the end, tension high, the viper does turn up on the doorstep of the woman. . . . .with bucket and cloth in hand, declaring, “I am the viper. I vish to vash and vipe the vindows.” This story illustrates Schwartz’s ability to set foreboding and chilling tones for his stories, regardless of how he chooses to convey the ending. In another story, The Haunted House, Schwartz’s gift for imagery unfolds as he tells the macabre story of a ghost trying to avenge her own murder. A vivid picture of a gruesome and morbid spirit is painted: “She had no eyeballs, but there was a sort of blue light way back in her eye sockets.”

Adding to the menacing effect of the book are Stephen Gammell’s charcoal drawings. Simply turning the page to the ghastly image of a corpse with sunken eye sockets is enough to unnerve any reader, let alone reading the story that accompanies the drawing. Gammell’s use of a loose, sketchy style and his shadowing are excellent compliments to Schwartz’s dark stories. A final critical note about the book deals with the placement of the chapter containing amusing tales. Schwartz’s choice to place this chapter at the end of the book shows his sensitivity toward the subject at hand. He chooses to provide readers with a sense of comedy to end their experience, thus lightening the otherwise ominous feelings created by reading the other stories.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
* Buckeye Children’s Book Award
* Arizona Young Readers’ Award
* HORN BOOK REVIEW: “Traditional ghost tales, contemporary folklore, and chilling stories with surprise endings. . . . superb illustrations!”
* NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY REVIEW: “A fine collection of short tales to chill the bones of young and old.”

CONNECTIONS
*After reading this book with children, discuss the various elements of the stories that make them scary such as setting, suspense, the unknown, gore, pursuit, imagery, and the power of suggestion. If students can explain these concepts, but cannot put technical terms to them, use the opportunity for vocabulary building. Have students point out specific examples of each element from the stories in the book.
* Use these elements to create Venn diagrams showing the similarities and differences between the stories.
*Once students understand the elements behind the horror genre, let them try their hand at writing a scary story themselves. After writing, let students read their stories aloud to each other. Talk about what techniques can be used to make the oral presentation more effective.
*Other children’s book collections of scary stories or ghost stories:
1) Carus, Marianne. 13 SCARY GHOST STORIES. ISBN 0439340217
2) Krovatin, Christopher. THE BEST GHOST STORIES EVER. ISBN 0439574269
3) Dowswell, Paul & Tony Allan. TRUE GHOST STORIES. ISBN 0794502741
4) Kelley, Amy. SPOOKY CAMPFIRE STORIES. ISBN 1560448679

TRADITIONAL LITERATURE - Strega Nona

BIBLIOGRAPHY
de Paola, Tomie. 1975. STREGA NONA. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. ISBN 0138516006

PLOT SUMMARY
In this simple yet charming story, Tomie dePaola recounts an old Italian folktale set in the town of Calabria. Strega Nona is the “Grandma Witch”, known for helping the villagers with her magical gifts. Alas, the little witch is getting older and needs help around the house. Enter Big Anthony, the gangly and inattentive lad Strega Nona hires to help with the chores. One day, Anthony becomes intrigued when he sees Strega Nona’s magic pasta pot, so he tells some villagers. They laugh at Anthony, making him determined to reveal the truth. When Strega Nona leaves town, Anthony decides to show everyone the true magic of the pasta pot (despite being instructed to never touch the pot!). Singing Strega Nona’s song, Anthony watches the pot fill with hot pasta to the delight of the townsfolk. Everyone lines up to partake of the feast. Anthony is a hero. . . . .at least for awhile! The secret for stopping the magic pot is not known (thanks given with three kisses), so the town soon fills with a sea of pasta. Strega Nona returns to save the day, even rescuing Anthony from the angry villagers. The story ends happily, but not before Big Anthony learns his lesson in a very unique way.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The text of this book is straightforward, as it subtly conveys lessons on listening, pride, and thankfulness without being didactic. Foreshadowing alerts the reader to one of these embedded morals when Big Anthony is introduced as someone “who didn’t pay attention.” In addition, dePaola sends an unpretentious message with his declaration, “Big Anthony was angry and that wasn’t a very good thing to be.” The sprinkling of Italian words such as “grazia” and “si” help transport the reader to the Italy of long ago, enhancing the folkloric experience of the tale.

The true beauty of the book, however, lies in the illustrations. The book is filled with delightful watercolor, tempera, and acrylic panels. The palette of sun-washed colors chosen by de Paola lends a sense of authenticity to the book, giving it a genuine old world feel. The illustrations are clever in their telling. For example, there is a two page spread where Big Anthony is serving up steaming plates of pasta to the people of the town. Many of the villagers are posed in an almost pious stance with mouths held in unison, paying homage, one supposes, to the sudden bountiful harvest. The use of lines to create movement is very effectively utilized in the four panels showing the overflowing pasta pot. In fact, as these four panels progress into the following spread, it’s as if Big Anthony is riding a wave of pasta out of the kitchen and through the village. The last two pages of the book depicting Big Anthony’s just punishment prove that a picture is worth a thousand words.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
* Winner of the 1976 Caldecott Honor Medal
* ALA Notable Children’s Book - 1975
* SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW: “In a retelling of the old story about a magical cooking pot, Strega Nona becomes nearly as well-loved as her creator, whose extensive body of work includes folktales, religious stories, anthologies, and autobiographical picture books.”
* NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW: “dePaola's illustrations aptly capture the whimsy of this ancient tale.”

CONNECTIONS
*Read the various books featuring Strega Nona and Big Anthony in random order. Have students put the stories in chronological order and then create a timeline of the events in the books.
* Discuss what morals are and what purpose they serve. Identify the moral in each of the Strega Nona and Big Anthony tales. Can a story have more than one moral? Think of an example.
*Other children’s books featuring Strega Nona & Big Anthony:
1) de Paola, Tomie. STREGA NONA: HER STORY. ISBN 0698118146
2) de Paola, Tomie. BIG ANTHONY: HIS STORY. ISBN 0698118936
3) de Paola, Tomie. STREGA NONA’S MAGIC LESSONS. ISBN 0152817867
4) de Paola, Tomie. STREGA NONA MEETS HER MATCH. ISBN 0698114116
5) de Paola, Tomie. BIG ANTHONY AND THE MAGIC RING. ISBN 0156119072

PICTURE BOOKS - Picture This: How Pictures Work

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bang, Molly. 2000. PICTURE THIS – HOW PICTURES WORK. San Francisco: SeaStar Books. ISBN 1587170302

PLOT SUMMARY
The book is a nonfiction work dealing with visual techniques in picture making. In the book’s preface, Bang offers a simple introduction to her cut paper medium which involves creating pictures out of simple shapes cut from four colors of construction paper. The author traces the origins of her project from its early stages of working with third graders all the way through to consulting an expert on the psychology of art. The book goes on to visually show the basic artistic principles that are the foundation of Bang’s work concerning the emotion behind pictures. By utilizing the classic children’s story, Little Red Riding Hood, Bang walks the viewer through the principles. She shows how manipulating such aspects as size, shape, color, and orientation can dramatically change the overall effect of a picture. The book concludes with a step-by-step analysis of ten distinct principles and a guide for personally exercising the principles presented.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Art elicits emotion. We know this to be true even if we are unsure why. What Bang accomplishes in this engaging work is remarkable. She defines and illustrates a set of principles that underlie the emotion in art, providing a straightforward yet rich understanding of the viewing experience.

By pinning her principles to the story of Little Red Riding Hood, Bang ensures a common framework for her readers. The familiarity of the story lends itself to the visual manipulation of a particular scene in which the wolf is pursuing the girl. Since the scene is a “known quantity”, it is understood that the emotion conveyed should be dark, frightening, and foreboding. Bang systematically builds the scene, exploring a set of visual principles along the way. With each new addition to the picture, she shows how varying the element can either contribute to the effectiveness or completely change the mood created by the picture. For example, in one panel, the shape of the wolf’s eye is changed from a sharp, slender diamond to a chunky, equilateral triangle. Suddenly, before the viewer’s eyes, the wolf is transformed from a lurking and evil predator into a complacent, even foolish looking figure.

Eventually, the book breaks away from the Little Red Riding Hood connection. A more in-depth look at the principles is provided through the use of various other illustrations. Bang’s further analysis of the ten self-identified principles gives even more insight into the art-emotion relationship. Her offering of activities to exercise the principles provides the ability to put the learned concepts into practice.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
* HORN BOOK REVIEW: “Using the familiar story of "Little Red Riding Hood" as a touchstone, Bang translates characters and situations into abstract shapes, exploring the range of emotions that can be elicited by the interplay of shapes, sizes, and colors on a page.”
* SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “A familiar story is the vehicle for Bang's unique approach to explaining composition using unadorned shapes and carefully chosen colors. A challenging blend of psychology and form, just right for adolescents.”

CONNECTIONS
* After exploring the visual principles of pictures with students, have the students illustrate a scene from their favorite fairy tale using the cut paper technique.
* Bang explains her color choices in this book. Continue to explore colors with students, discussing feelings that they evoke and meanings attached to colors. Have students create their own four color palette, explaining their choices and connections.
*Other books related to illustration in children’s picture books:
1) Styles, Moraq & Arizpe, Evelyn. CHILDREN READING PICTURES: INTERPRETING VISUAL TEXTS. ISBN 0415275776
2) Shulevitz, Uri. WRITING WITH PICTURES: HOW TO WRITE AND ILLUSTRATE CHILDREN’S BOOKS. ISBN 0823059359
3) Nodelman, Perry. WORDS ABOUT PICTURES: THE NARRATIVE ART OF CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS. ISBN 0820312711

PICTURE BOOKS - Yo! Yes?

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Raschka, Chris. 1993. YO! YES?. New York: Orchard Books. ISBN 0531054691

PLOT SUMMARY
Using only 19 different words, author and illustrator, Chris Raschka, details the burgeoning friendship of two boys who meet and talk on a city street. The drama between the characters plays out through the exchange of punchy one and two word phrases. A theme of diversity is woven into the book in the portrayal of the boys’ differing ethnic backgrounds and personalities. The initial uncertainty, developing trust, and ultimate joy experienced by the characters closely follows the stages of all budding friendships.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Raschka’s media for this book are charcoal pencils and watercolors, and the effectual use of this media is startling in its simplicity. The expressions that Raschka manages to capture lend a sense of authenticity to the story. All manner of emotions are touched upon as the reader views the faces, posture, and movement of the characters as their story plays out. Another tool of paramount importance to this telling is the author’s clever use of punctuation. The questions, exclamations, and straightforward statements each add to the development of the characters. “Well?,” questions one boy, hands on hips, leaning forward, and expectantly awaiting an answer to his query.

While the text is meager, it does form a sort of cadence that flows easily along: “Yo! Yes? Hey! Who? You! Me?” The rhythm is especially apparent when the book is read aloud. A final device used by Raschka is the color of the text. All of the words are hand lettered, and the vast majority are colored black. However, Raschka changes the text color to red in a few key places. For example, one boy is replying to a question about why he isn’t having any fun. His reply is, “No friends.” This phrase is written in red, indicating the central conflict in the story. The last word of the picture book is also written in large red letters: “Yow!” This signals an exuberant resolution to the conflict once the two boys have decided to become friends.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
* Winner of the 1994 Caldecott Honor Medal
* PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Like a two-character play with no scenery and minimal dialogue, the story relies on the expressiveness of the "actors" and the raw energy of the artwork to hook the reader. At least in the small realm of this cheeky picture book, less is definitely more.”
* SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW: “Against pastel backgrounds, in vibrant, colorful images, an African-American boy and a white boy meet on the street. With a beautifully balanced, economical style, the book illumines the peaks and pitfalls of getting acquainted, and puts in a good word for brotherhood as well.”

CONNECTIONS
* Talk about the various feelings portrayed in the book. What are the different emotions felt by each boy? How do you know? Why do they feel this way?
*Allow the book to serve as an introduction to the topics of diversity and multiculturalism. Read aloud and then discuss the differences and similarities between the two boys.
* Encourage young readers to continue the story. What happens next?
*Other children’s books dealing with multicultural friendships and/or diversity:
1) Hooks, Bell. SKIN AGAIN. ISBN 078680825X
2) Yolen, Jane. MIZ BERLIN WALKS. ISBN 0698118456
3) Katz, Karen. THE COLORS OF US. ISBN 0805071636

PICTURE BOOKS - The Man Who Walked Between The Towers

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gerstein, Mordicai. 2003. THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS. Brookfield, CT: Roaring Brook Press. ISBN 0761317910

PLOT SUMMARY
In this simple yet thoughtfully recounted story, Gerstein chronicles the aerial feat of Philippe Petit’s 1974 high wire walk between New York City’s famed Twin Towers. To begin with, a vividly illustrated flashback panel portrays Philippe’s background as a French aerialist who also walked a tight rope strung across the steeples of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The reader is introduced to Philippe’s spirited and determined nature: “If he saw three balls, he had to juggle. If he saw two towers, he had to walk. That’s how he was.” Gerstein continues to draw the reader into the story by tracing Philippe’s accomplishment from its inception to its dramatic conclusion. Philippe’s feat is even more astounding when one learns of the obstacles surmounted to achieve the traverse. Poetic justice prevails when Philippe is arrested after his hour of walking, dancing, and lying down on the high wire. He is sentenced to perform for the children of New York City as “punishment” for his infraction. The story concludes with a poignant reminder of the towers’ fall, but also a promise of a memory that will not fade.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The text of the story does an excellent job of detailing the events leading up to Philippe’s tower walk. Gerstein’s repeated use of numbers helps to convey the enormity of the feat (“a quarter of a mile high”, “one thousand three hundred and forty feet”, “a four-hundred-and-forty-pound reel of cable”, “one hundred and eighty stairs”, etc.). Composed of ink and oil paintings, the artwork sets the varying moods of the story. For example, Gerstein’s dark blues, blacks, greens, and purples work together to create a dark and ominous feeling, suggestive of all the obstacles faced by Philippe and his friends while preparing for the event. Conversely, the yellows and light blues that are prevalent as Philippe walks the wire at dawn reflect his sense of freedom, happiness, and accomplishment.

Gerstein’s striking use of line and perspective are particularly noticeable on the book’s two full-page foldouts. By his use of these visual elements, Gerstein allows the reader to vicariously experience the dizzying heights of the infamous walk between the towers. A final arresting tool is the use of negative space to make a subtle yet profound statement about the World Trade Center’s demise: “Now the towers are gone. But in memory, as if imprinted in the sky, the towers are still there.”

REVIEW EXCERPTS
* Winner of the 2004 Caldecott Medal
* BOOKLIST REVIEW: “Gerstein's simple words and dramatic ink-and-oil paintings capture the exhilarating feats, the mischief, and the daring of the astonishing young acrobat.”
* SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW: “With its graceful majesty and mythic overtones, this unique and uplifting book is at once a portrait of a larger-than-life individual and a memorial to the towers and the lives associated with them.”

CONNECTIONS
*Use the book’s multiple number references to enhance math and science skills. Allow youngsters to actively participate in measurement and observation activities. Through discovery learning, permit children to explore the distance represented by a quarter of a mile. How heavy is four hundred and forty pounds? What it is like to stand on something only seven-eighths of an inch thick?
*With the book’s emphasis on the World Trade Center Towers, it could be used as a discussion starter or lead-in to a lesson on the events of September 11, 2001.
*Other children’s books related to the World Trade Center or 9/11:
1) Kalman, Maira. FIREBOAT. ISBN 0142403628
2) Levy, Debbie. GREAT STRUCTURES IN HISTORY – THE WORLD
TRADE CENTER. ISBN 0737720719
3) Louis, Nancy. GROUND ZERO. ISBN 1577656571