The Persian Cinderella is typical Cinderella story that comes from the stories of the Arabian Nights. Shirley Climo, the author, writes that this story was based on the story “The Anklet” that was a retelling by Naomi Lewis in her book Stories from the Arabian Nights. This Cinderella story is about a young beautiful woman who’s mother has died and she is living with her step-mother, step-sisters, and aunts in the “woman’s section” of her father’s house. She is beautiful and kind, which evokes the jealousy of her stepsisters. Her name is Settareh, which the author noted is still a popular name in Persian and Iran today, and she feels like no one loves her. One day her father comes to tell them that they have all been invited to attend the festival of the New Year called No Ruz, at the Royal Palace where Prince Mehrdad lives. He gives them all money to go and buy clothes with and off the woman go (wearing headdresses in true Islamic fashion) to purchase new clothes. However, Settarah buys almonds (she is very hungry) and a cracked blue pot that turns out to be magical and grants wishes for her.
The author has created several other Cinderella stories in the past, using retellings and cultural studies as her main source of authenticity for her stories. She was noted on the front cover as having being recognized as a respected folklorist and writer. The illustrator, Robert Florczak, spent time studying the different appearances of ancient Persian by consulting and working together with the Persian community in Los Angeles, California. The combined research of these two groups has resulted in a well-written and illustrated book that leaves out the stereotypic ideas of the ancient Persia.
This story seemed to me to extend farther than some other Cinderella stories, because Prince Mehrdad and Settarah actually got to send time together before marrying. Realistically, they could have fallen in love with each other more than some other versions where the prince sees the beautiful maiden, falls for her beauty, and instantly marries her. In this version, the prince was taken with Settarah’s beauty, but spent enough time with her that he grew quite fond of her and went into isolation when she was magically turned into a dove (a symbol for peace and goodness in some cultures). The Prince seemed to have a good heart and would seem to make a good ruler, as seen from his actions toward a gentle dove and Settarah.
The book did remind me of another Cinderella version by Shirley Climo, The Egyptian Cinderella. A bird delivers Cinderella’s shoe to the Pharaoh in that version and in The Persian Cinderella, Settarah is turned into a bird by the magical plan of her evil stepsisters. I don’t know much about either culture, but I could predict that nature and possibly even birds are an important and sacred part of their lifestyle.
I have read three of Shirley Climo’s Cinderella books now, and have not been disappointed. She captures the culture well and does her research before writing and publishing. I think that it says a lot for her as an author to consult with different groups of people from the culture she is writing about before starting her work.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant - Realistic Fiction
Missing May broke my heart, as I’m sure Summer broke May and Ob’s heart that first time that they saw how mistreated she was. I wanted desperately for this little girl to find some happiness in her world. Sure, she knew that she had the love of May (while she was still alive) and Ob, but her world seemed so bleak. I guess this dramatically clashed with my childhood stories of love, “Once Upon a Time”, and “…happily ever after”. When I learned, much later in life, that “…happily ever after” isn’t quite what it is cut-out to be, I had to change my way of thinking a bit.
I have not had the opportunity of reading Cynthia Rylant’s memoir yet, but I feel as if every book I read from her introduces me to her life a little bit more. I imagine that her life, or at least her childhood, was tough. That makes me admire her even more than just as a crafty artist, but as a survivor of life. She is able to write from her own experiences and tap into our own lives at the same time. Tragedy and despair will always come to us, even if we try hard not to let it. We can learn from our sadness and grow, much like Ob and Summer had to do after May’s death. They had been relying on May for so long that now they had to realize that they would always love her, always miss her, and a part of them would always need her, but they could and would survive.
Cletus was a grand character, with his quirky habits and ideas. He was just what Summer and Ob needed at this point in their lives. They needed someone who would take their minds off their sorrow. He drove Summer crazy when she needed a reprieve from life and he intrigued Ob in much the same way that May probably did.
By the reading of this book, I am reminded that life has many feelings and emotions and that books are one fantastic way to connect with characters that have experienced what we will or have experienced in our own lives.
I have not had the opportunity of reading Cynthia Rylant’s memoir yet, but I feel as if every book I read from her introduces me to her life a little bit more. I imagine that her life, or at least her childhood, was tough. That makes me admire her even more than just as a crafty artist, but as a survivor of life. She is able to write from her own experiences and tap into our own lives at the same time. Tragedy and despair will always come to us, even if we try hard not to let it. We can learn from our sadness and grow, much like Ob and Summer had to do after May’s death. They had been relying on May for so long that now they had to realize that they would always love her, always miss her, and a part of them would always need her, but they could and would survive.
Cletus was a grand character, with his quirky habits and ideas. He was just what Summer and Ob needed at this point in their lives. They needed someone who would take their minds off their sorrow. He drove Summer crazy when she needed a reprieve from life and he intrigued Ob in much the same way that May probably did.
By the reading of this book, I am reminded that life has many feelings and emotions and that books are one fantastic way to connect with characters that have experienced what we will or have experienced in our own lives.
Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman - Realistic Fiction
Paul Fleischman is a remarkable writer who has really outdone himself in Seedfolks. He has a way of drawing the reader in and taking you on a ride through different people’s lives that we meet along the way.
In Seedfolks, a young Vietnamese girl, mourning the father that she never knew and who never knew that she existed, plants some lima bean seeds in an old vacant, trashy lot in her downtown Cleveland home. She lives in an apartment complex and on a street with many other people who are just like her; they have problems and are isolated to themselves and their own family, despite being surrounded by many other people. With the growing of these lima beans, many more people enter into the lot and decide to begin growing different plants and vegetation. With the growing of each plant and the changing of each season, the reader is briefly invited into the lives of each person who stakes a claim to a square in the vacant lot, now turned into a garden paradise. This simple task of planting lima beans, and hoping they will grow, has changed an entire community.
As I read Seedfolks, I realized that the people in the story could easily be my neighbors who are living around me. Sure, I don’t live in an urban apartment complex, and unfortunately, Smithfield, Virginia is lacking in a plethora of different races, but they could still be my neighbors. How often I go to work, school, church, and basically about my daily life, only to miss seeing my neighbors and greeting each other on the street. How often I forfeit the opportunity to walk my dogs or ride my bike in the afternoon, to replace the joy of this time with work in front of the computer. Fleischman had many different themes developing within Seedfolks, but one that spoke to me was the idea of enjoying the life that you have right outside your front door. This community of people decided to plant seeds and ended up growing a community of “family members”, all within their reach outside their apartment complex.
The short-story chapters in the book intrigued me. I kept wanting to find out more and more about who was going to enter the garden and how they were going to change it and be changed for the better. The gardening participants, if you will, were seeds themselves. Fleischman quoted Thoreau (our master naturalist and gardener of the past) in saying “I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders”. Well, I can honestly say that I don’t think Henry David Thoreau would have been disappointed with the characters of Seedfolks. These characters were all seeds, with wonder and greatness just waiting to grow up and out of them. They had all kept to themselves and their little world for so long, but now they were changing not only their world, but their neighbors’, as well. Each person was a different seed in the garden of different flowers and plants. I will add that even in a garden of paradise, there seems to be a bit of evil and darkness. Greed showed itself in this way with Virgil’s father. He seemed determined to achieve greatness and success, even if it meant stepping on someone else’s plants. He, however, only seemed to be the “thorn” in the garden.
Sometimes when I read a realistic fiction book I am always sad to put it down, because I meet friends there between the pages, and when the book is finished, I can no longer talk with my friends. I felt Seedfolks was like that for me, also. I want to know what happened to all of my friends, Maricela (who is going to have a baby at sixteen), Nora (who is caring for a man who is a mystery to her), or Curtis (did he ever convince Lateesha to fall back in love with him?). Still, using my imagination, my “friends” can live on and I can share them with other people, much like the garden afforded the opportunity to share within the community.
I am not a gardener, myself, and my thumb is anything but green. Still, one year I became a bit overzealous and planted tulips, daffodils, and sunflowers. I have fond memories of waiting to see each flower pop it’s little stem from the ground. I was so proud of my accomplishment and felt very much at ease with nature. I learned that you have to dig deep to plant tulips (much like you have to dig deep to get to know some people) and that sunflower seeds are very small, but grow to look like skyscrapers among flowers (much like the children that I am teaching in my classroom each year).
In Seedfolks, a young Vietnamese girl, mourning the father that she never knew and who never knew that she existed, plants some lima bean seeds in an old vacant, trashy lot in her downtown Cleveland home. She lives in an apartment complex and on a street with many other people who are just like her; they have problems and are isolated to themselves and their own family, despite being surrounded by many other people. With the growing of these lima beans, many more people enter into the lot and decide to begin growing different plants and vegetation. With the growing of each plant and the changing of each season, the reader is briefly invited into the lives of each person who stakes a claim to a square in the vacant lot, now turned into a garden paradise. This simple task of planting lima beans, and hoping they will grow, has changed an entire community.
As I read Seedfolks, I realized that the people in the story could easily be my neighbors who are living around me. Sure, I don’t live in an urban apartment complex, and unfortunately, Smithfield, Virginia is lacking in a plethora of different races, but they could still be my neighbors. How often I go to work, school, church, and basically about my daily life, only to miss seeing my neighbors and greeting each other on the street. How often I forfeit the opportunity to walk my dogs or ride my bike in the afternoon, to replace the joy of this time with work in front of the computer. Fleischman had many different themes developing within Seedfolks, but one that spoke to me was the idea of enjoying the life that you have right outside your front door. This community of people decided to plant seeds and ended up growing a community of “family members”, all within their reach outside their apartment complex.
The short-story chapters in the book intrigued me. I kept wanting to find out more and more about who was going to enter the garden and how they were going to change it and be changed for the better. The gardening participants, if you will, were seeds themselves. Fleischman quoted Thoreau (our master naturalist and gardener of the past) in saying “I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders”. Well, I can honestly say that I don’t think Henry David Thoreau would have been disappointed with the characters of Seedfolks. These characters were all seeds, with wonder and greatness just waiting to grow up and out of them. They had all kept to themselves and their little world for so long, but now they were changing not only their world, but their neighbors’, as well. Each person was a different seed in the garden of different flowers and plants. I will add that even in a garden of paradise, there seems to be a bit of evil and darkness. Greed showed itself in this way with Virgil’s father. He seemed determined to achieve greatness and success, even if it meant stepping on someone else’s plants. He, however, only seemed to be the “thorn” in the garden.
Sometimes when I read a realistic fiction book I am always sad to put it down, because I meet friends there between the pages, and when the book is finished, I can no longer talk with my friends. I felt Seedfolks was like that for me, also. I want to know what happened to all of my friends, Maricela (who is going to have a baby at sixteen), Nora (who is caring for a man who is a mystery to her), or Curtis (did he ever convince Lateesha to fall back in love with him?). Still, using my imagination, my “friends” can live on and I can share them with other people, much like the garden afforded the opportunity to share within the community.
I am not a gardener, myself, and my thumb is anything but green. Still, one year I became a bit overzealous and planted tulips, daffodils, and sunflowers. I have fond memories of waiting to see each flower pop it’s little stem from the ground. I was so proud of my accomplishment and felt very much at ease with nature. I learned that you have to dig deep to plant tulips (much like you have to dig deep to get to know some people) and that sunflower seeds are very small, but grow to look like skyscrapers among flowers (much like the children that I am teaching in my classroom each year).
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The Korean Cinderella, by Shirley Climo - Traditional Literature
The book The Korean Cinderella starts off in much the same way that other Cinderella stories start off, with a father and mother having a long awaited for child, the mother dying, and the father searching for a stepmother for the little child. In this story, the stepmother brings in one stepsister, and mother and stepsister alike treat Pear Blossom (Cinderella) with meanness. They dress her in rags, make her do all their work, and call her Pigling! Her father is still alive, however, but he is to old to do anything to save his daughter from the evil and malicious clutches of the stepmother and stepsister! Still, with a little help from some magical animals, a lost straw slipper, and the “love at first sight” of a rich magistrate, Pear Blossom eventually lives happily ever after.
The author notes that in Korea there are several different versions of Cinderella and that this is just one of them. The author also let the reader know in the “Author Notes” how the Korean versions of Cinderella use Tokgabi’s (or goblins) in their stories and how in Korea these are viewed as the spirits of kind people who has passed on. The illustrator notes the work that she did to prepare for this story, but talking about how she visited many Korean cultural festivals and activities in order to accurately portray the Korean colors, symbols, and styles as they would have been depicted 300 years ago.
The illustrations have an “other world” and “heavenly” quality to them when Pear Blossom is being helped by the magical Tokgabis. In these illustrations all of the animals and nature itself is larger than normal in perspective to the characters in the story. Nature and the animals almost seem to be saying that no problem is unsolvable for Pear Blossom because she has a good heart. Pear Blossom is always shown lower on the pages when she is in the illustrations with her stepmother and stepsister, almost to point out to the reader how severe her life is and how inferior they are trying to make her. This changes with the entrance and proposal of marriage from the magistrate. At this point and throughout the rest of the book, she is in equal stature or higher than her stepmother or stepsister, pointing out to the reader that Pear Blossom is no longer under the tyranny of the “negative” duo. The most interesting picture in the book, in my opinion, is the picture of the festival in the village. There is so much activity going on that Pear Blossom forgets about her missing shoe, her mean-hearted stepmother and stepsister, and the fright with the magistrate. The illustrator makes the festival come to life for the reader by using bright colors, wavy and curvy lines, and may diagonal lines and angles. The placement of human figures all over the page in various places doing various things really draws the reader to the conclusion that this if a fantastic festival with so much excitement and nonstop movement!
I know that there really is no Cinderella story, at least not like what I have read about in fairytales. Sure, I have an idea that in history, at sometime, a girl and a boy of higher esteem fell in love and married. Nothing like today’s love stories, however. Still, I find myself drawn to this type of story with a passion. If I see a different version of Cinderella that I haven’t read, I pick it up instantly and read it as if I were eating chocolate candy for the first time. This story has that sweetness that I would expect in a Cinderella book (a mistreated girl finds love and honor with a wealthy man who wants to live happily ever after with her for the rest of his days). What more could the world ask for?
The author notes that in Korea there are several different versions of Cinderella and that this is just one of them. The author also let the reader know in the “Author Notes” how the Korean versions of Cinderella use Tokgabi’s (or goblins) in their stories and how in Korea these are viewed as the spirits of kind people who has passed on. The illustrator notes the work that she did to prepare for this story, but talking about how she visited many Korean cultural festivals and activities in order to accurately portray the Korean colors, symbols, and styles as they would have been depicted 300 years ago.
The illustrations have an “other world” and “heavenly” quality to them when Pear Blossom is being helped by the magical Tokgabis. In these illustrations all of the animals and nature itself is larger than normal in perspective to the characters in the story. Nature and the animals almost seem to be saying that no problem is unsolvable for Pear Blossom because she has a good heart. Pear Blossom is always shown lower on the pages when she is in the illustrations with her stepmother and stepsister, almost to point out to the reader how severe her life is and how inferior they are trying to make her. This changes with the entrance and proposal of marriage from the magistrate. At this point and throughout the rest of the book, she is in equal stature or higher than her stepmother or stepsister, pointing out to the reader that Pear Blossom is no longer under the tyranny of the “negative” duo. The most interesting picture in the book, in my opinion, is the picture of the festival in the village. There is so much activity going on that Pear Blossom forgets about her missing shoe, her mean-hearted stepmother and stepsister, and the fright with the magistrate. The illustrator makes the festival come to life for the reader by using bright colors, wavy and curvy lines, and may diagonal lines and angles. The placement of human figures all over the page in various places doing various things really draws the reader to the conclusion that this if a fantastic festival with so much excitement and nonstop movement!
I know that there really is no Cinderella story, at least not like what I have read about in fairytales. Sure, I have an idea that in history, at sometime, a girl and a boy of higher esteem fell in love and married. Nothing like today’s love stories, however. Still, I find myself drawn to this type of story with a passion. If I see a different version of Cinderella that I haven’t read, I pick it up instantly and read it as if I were eating chocolate candy for the first time. This story has that sweetness that I would expect in a Cinderella book (a mistreated girl finds love and honor with a wealthy man who wants to live happily ever after with her for the rest of his days). What more could the world ask for?
Sunday, March 11, 2007
The Van Gogh Cafe, by Cynthia Rylant - Fantasy
To stay with other Cynthia Rylant books, The Van Gogh Café has that sense of goodness to it. The reader leaves with the feeling that all in life is right and that all problems in life can, and will, be solved. Rylant really outdid herself in this fantasy snap-shot novel. She brings the characters to life in a way that only she can and truly makes the reader want to be a dinner at The Van Gogh Café in Flowers, Kansas.
Set in the small, quiet town of Flowers, Kansas, a father (Marc) and daughter (Clara) run a café that use to be an old theater. This café is anything but uneventful and as the reader learns, “Anyone who has ever seen anything happen on a stage – anything – knows that a theater is so full of magic that after years and years of opening nights there must be magic enough to last forever in its walls”. Odd things, magical things, occur at The Van Gogh Café, but nobody (particularly Clara) is worried. They just know that this is what happens at the café and that magic is always abounding in a good way. The book runs periodically (each episode or chapter has its own special story that really is separated from the other chapters, but doesn’t loose it’s identify with the café and the Flower’s residents) and sequentially (the reader will follow the story from fall on into winter and spring).
I would consider this a low fantasy book, because it takes an everyday place and adds a bit of magic to it to draw onto the fantasy aspect of this book. Each little chapter has a theme and a life lesson that we can learn from and live life by. Cynthia Rylant captivates the readers with this precious little book for life lessons just as she does in her other works, An Angel for Solomon Singer, The Old Woman Who Names Things, and The Relatives Came, to name a few. It would be a joy to sit back in The Van Gogh Café, sip a cup of coffee, have a boiled egg with toast (and even some magical lemon pie – if the mood in the café was right) and just “feel” the magic coming through the walls of the café.
Each little story touched my heart, but my favorite two were The Possum and Magic Muffins. I was drawn in by the possum story because I feel that all people need a place in life and a purpose to follow. However, with that said, often times, we get off track or ignore our purpose and lead lives of despair and loneliness. In this story, a man saddened by his wife’s death, is leaving town. He is not really sure where he is going, because he feels that a chapter in his life has closed before he was ready for it to. We readers will go through these times in our lives, also. Sure, it may not be the death of a spouse, but a lost job, a relationship broken, a separation; there are all types of “life chapters” being closed all around us. Open your own eyes! I bet you can see one near you! It took a possum, hanging from a tree limb outside The Van Gogh Café to make people stop and care. Relationships were mended and a few hungry animals got a safe haven when our wayward traveling widower found his next chapter in life when he stayed in Flowers and opened up an animal shelter.
The Magic Muffins touched my heart to its very core! I am a teacher and one day a mother (God willing) and the thought of children being in a car accident, hurt, cold, and feeling abandoned, tugged my very heart strings. I loved how the concept of these muffins came to be, with a woman moving to New York City stopped to have a quick bite at the café, and decided to leave a “tip” of magic muffins. Marc and Clara thought to eat the muffins, but decided not to, in order to ward off wishes that could go wrong. Oh, how smart they were. They may have gotten their wishes, but fourteen little children may not have been healed and saved. How important a lesson for all to learn that saving something, to use at the right time, is such an important thing to do.
Set in the small, quiet town of Flowers, Kansas, a father (Marc) and daughter (Clara) run a café that use to be an old theater. This café is anything but uneventful and as the reader learns, “Anyone who has ever seen anything happen on a stage – anything – knows that a theater is so full of magic that after years and years of opening nights there must be magic enough to last forever in its walls”. Odd things, magical things, occur at The Van Gogh Café, but nobody (particularly Clara) is worried. They just know that this is what happens at the café and that magic is always abounding in a good way. The book runs periodically (each episode or chapter has its own special story that really is separated from the other chapters, but doesn’t loose it’s identify with the café and the Flower’s residents) and sequentially (the reader will follow the story from fall on into winter and spring).
I would consider this a low fantasy book, because it takes an everyday place and adds a bit of magic to it to draw onto the fantasy aspect of this book. Each little chapter has a theme and a life lesson that we can learn from and live life by. Cynthia Rylant captivates the readers with this precious little book for life lessons just as she does in her other works, An Angel for Solomon Singer, The Old Woman Who Names Things, and The Relatives Came, to name a few. It would be a joy to sit back in The Van Gogh Café, sip a cup of coffee, have a boiled egg with toast (and even some magical lemon pie – if the mood in the café was right) and just “feel” the magic coming through the walls of the café.
Each little story touched my heart, but my favorite two were The Possum and Magic Muffins. I was drawn in by the possum story because I feel that all people need a place in life and a purpose to follow. However, with that said, often times, we get off track or ignore our purpose and lead lives of despair and loneliness. In this story, a man saddened by his wife’s death, is leaving town. He is not really sure where he is going, because he feels that a chapter in his life has closed before he was ready for it to. We readers will go through these times in our lives, also. Sure, it may not be the death of a spouse, but a lost job, a relationship broken, a separation; there are all types of “life chapters” being closed all around us. Open your own eyes! I bet you can see one near you! It took a possum, hanging from a tree limb outside The Van Gogh Café to make people stop and care. Relationships were mended and a few hungry animals got a safe haven when our wayward traveling widower found his next chapter in life when he stayed in Flowers and opened up an animal shelter.
The Magic Muffins touched my heart to its very core! I am a teacher and one day a mother (God willing) and the thought of children being in a car accident, hurt, cold, and feeling abandoned, tugged my very heart strings. I loved how the concept of these muffins came to be, with a woman moving to New York City stopped to have a quick bite at the café, and decided to leave a “tip” of magic muffins. Marc and Clara thought to eat the muffins, but decided not to, in order to ward off wishes that could go wrong. Oh, how smart they were. They may have gotten their wishes, but fourteen little children may not have been healed and saved. How important a lesson for all to learn that saving something, to use at the right time, is such an important thing to do.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Sidewalk Circus, by Paul Fleischman and Kevin Hawkes - Picturebook
Reading Sidewalk Circus really makes you stop and want to stare at the things surrounding you. I read this story, with the intent of working through it quickly, and found myself much later, still studying every picture. Paul Fleischman has really capitalized on the concept of how when we lead busy lives, we stop observing. Here is this little girl, who is later replaced by a little boy, who is just “people-watching” as she/he waits to get on the bus (an elepahant). While waiting, they see a fantastic circus show that really is only an everyday occurrence on this part of the block. A man selling newspapers becomes the Ring Master, workmen walking on steel beams become tightrope walkers, a woman flipping pancakes becomes a juggler, and many, many more. How very like a child to sit back and observe what we adults would probably never see because we are too busy rushing places and multitasking. The beauty of this book is really in the background and shadows of the figures that we see. It is in the background that you see the circus performers come out. You see the haphazardly boys on skateboards turn into clowns and you see a dog on a leash become a lion. I especially like the dentist “sword swallowers” act, because there really is no need to imagine, going to the dentist really does look like that (and feels like that sometimes, too)!
The illustrator made the comment that while he was working on this book, he spent a lot of time in Portland, Maine, watching all the action going on in the city. He thanked Paul Fleicshman for “opening his eyes” to all the things going on in the city. I would like to thank Paul Fleischman for opening my eyes, also. I sit and rush through life, trying to get as much accomplished as possible, and never really noticing the beauty, mystery, and excitement of what could really be happening around me and allow my imagination to take my reality into a world of controlled fantasy.
This is what I consider to be the true definition of a picture book. In this we have a story being played out with the pictures, and the words only helping. Usually you have the story being played out in words and the pictures only helping. I found myself really wanting to be sitting at this bus stop, witnessing the “sidewalk circus” through this little girl’s eyes. I thought that the inclusion of the little boy at the end, after the little girl had boarded the bus and left (or hopped on the circus elephant and rode away), was making an important statement. This type of “circus” could happen for anyone anywhere, you just have to open your eyes and mind and see beyond what is really occurring.
The use of acrylic in the pictures was an interesting move, because they let the reader see that these people in the story could be real, but really are not. So, the perspective of reality being imagined into fantasy is there. City streets really do not have that “beauty” that these pictures have brought out, but isn’t that where our imagination takes us anyway. We never remember things exactly as they occurred, but with an embellished sense to them, one way or another.
I have paid a lot of money going to a circus before, now I know that I can get a great show, just by sitting on a block in my town and watching what happens in the shadows and behind the scenes.
The illustrator made the comment that while he was working on this book, he spent a lot of time in Portland, Maine, watching all the action going on in the city. He thanked Paul Fleicshman for “opening his eyes” to all the things going on in the city. I would like to thank Paul Fleischman for opening my eyes, also. I sit and rush through life, trying to get as much accomplished as possible, and never really noticing the beauty, mystery, and excitement of what could really be happening around me and allow my imagination to take my reality into a world of controlled fantasy.
This is what I consider to be the true definition of a picture book. In this we have a story being played out with the pictures, and the words only helping. Usually you have the story being played out in words and the pictures only helping. I found myself really wanting to be sitting at this bus stop, witnessing the “sidewalk circus” through this little girl’s eyes. I thought that the inclusion of the little boy at the end, after the little girl had boarded the bus and left (or hopped on the circus elephant and rode away), was making an important statement. This type of “circus” could happen for anyone anywhere, you just have to open your eyes and mind and see beyond what is really occurring.
The use of acrylic in the pictures was an interesting move, because they let the reader see that these people in the story could be real, but really are not. So, the perspective of reality being imagined into fantasy is there. City streets really do not have that “beauty” that these pictures have brought out, but isn’t that where our imagination takes us anyway. We never remember things exactly as they occurred, but with an embellished sense to them, one way or another.
I have paid a lot of money going to a circus before, now I know that I can get a great show, just by sitting on a block in my town and watching what happens in the shadows and behind the scenes.
Weslandia, by Paul Fleischman - Picturebook
I had to read Weslandia two times before I could really sit down and analyze it, and even then, I needed the help of my third graders to urge me along. The story, while it has excellent themes and aesthetically pleasing pictures, just really didn’t move me like some do. However, the many morals and themes in this story could not, and should not, be overlooked.
In this picture book we learn about Wesley who is anything but an ordinary boy. To put it lightly, he chooses to walk his own path in life and not to follow the sameness of others in his community. Unfortunately for this, he gets constantly ridiculed, even by his own parents!
The cover of Weslandia instantly reminded me of James and the Giant Peach. His larger than life plant “swist” looks as large as a pine or oak in a forest, just like the characters and the peach were to James. My third graders instantly thought of Harry Potter, especially when they saw the picture of Wesley. True, his looks resemble Harry, but really, the similarities go deeper. Harry has to deal with the cruel prejudices of his aunt and uncle and Wesley has to deal with the fact that his parents want him to be like everyone else (including to cut his hair into a mohawk, like all the other boys!). After being ridiculed and picked on by the majority of the people in his community (like Harry is at Hogwarts when his name gets pulled out of the Goblet of Fire), he decides that he has had enough with them and creates his own empire.
I do wonder who many people who came over to the New World of America were also tired of trying to fit into English society and were ready to start their own way of life? I used this book to introduce the ancient empires of Mali, Greece, and Rome. While the connection for the students was a bit lost, each empire had its specialization (like Wesley had his “swist”) and each empire thrived on being different or trading with other empires (like Wesley “allowing” the other kids to buy sunscreen/bug screen made from the plant swist). Wesley is the rare diamond of intelligence and difference in a community that only allows sameness. I am sure that Wesley would have been “released” at an early age in the book The Giver.
The author does an excellent job at weaving his craft. We start out much uninformed about how special Wesley is, but feeling sorry for him in the sense that he is always picked on by the other kids and his parents. However, as we read further and further, each page allows us to see into Wesley’s untamed imagination and to see each step of progress into his new empire. He amazes us with each page with each new concept Wesley has introduced into his community. He had a fantastic empire going, with written language and his own method of telling time, all between the time he got out for school and the time he entered! Pretty good for not wasting away during the summer!
The illustrations are beautiful and compliment the text in the way that a picture book requires. Sure, we readers could read about his civilization, but we never would have been able to picture how magnificent it really was until we saw it for ourselves. They are all large page bleeds and span the entirety of both pages. Nothing is small, much like Wesley’s civilization. Excellent!
In this picture book we learn about Wesley who is anything but an ordinary boy. To put it lightly, he chooses to walk his own path in life and not to follow the sameness of others in his community. Unfortunately for this, he gets constantly ridiculed, even by his own parents!
The cover of Weslandia instantly reminded me of James and the Giant Peach. His larger than life plant “swist” looks as large as a pine or oak in a forest, just like the characters and the peach were to James. My third graders instantly thought of Harry Potter, especially when they saw the picture of Wesley. True, his looks resemble Harry, but really, the similarities go deeper. Harry has to deal with the cruel prejudices of his aunt and uncle and Wesley has to deal with the fact that his parents want him to be like everyone else (including to cut his hair into a mohawk, like all the other boys!). After being ridiculed and picked on by the majority of the people in his community (like Harry is at Hogwarts when his name gets pulled out of the Goblet of Fire), he decides that he has had enough with them and creates his own empire.
I do wonder who many people who came over to the New World of America were also tired of trying to fit into English society and were ready to start their own way of life? I used this book to introduce the ancient empires of Mali, Greece, and Rome. While the connection for the students was a bit lost, each empire had its specialization (like Wesley had his “swist”) and each empire thrived on being different or trading with other empires (like Wesley “allowing” the other kids to buy sunscreen/bug screen made from the plant swist). Wesley is the rare diamond of intelligence and difference in a community that only allows sameness. I am sure that Wesley would have been “released” at an early age in the book The Giver.
The author does an excellent job at weaving his craft. We start out much uninformed about how special Wesley is, but feeling sorry for him in the sense that he is always picked on by the other kids and his parents. However, as we read further and further, each page allows us to see into Wesley’s untamed imagination and to see each step of progress into his new empire. He amazes us with each page with each new concept Wesley has introduced into his community. He had a fantastic empire going, with written language and his own method of telling time, all between the time he got out for school and the time he entered! Pretty good for not wasting away during the summer!
The illustrations are beautiful and compliment the text in the way that a picture book requires. Sure, we readers could read about his civilization, but we never would have been able to picture how magnificent it really was until we saw it for ourselves. They are all large page bleeds and span the entirety of both pages. Nothing is small, much like Wesley’s civilization. Excellent!
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
The Giver, by Lois Lowry - Science Fiction/Fantasy
To quote Lily’s Purple, Plastic Purse, “Wow! That’s all I could say. Wow!” I totally loved The Giver and I totally did not think that I would when I picked it up. I mean, the front cover has a picture of a man that looks like Santa Claus (and in a way he is like Santa Claus, but with a twisted way of gifting a young boy) and it is Science Fiction. Ok, so I am a book snob! I admit it. The genre of Science Fiction just doesn’t appeal to me, or so I thought. Still, what I thought I was going to have to plunge through turned out to be my favorite book I have read in a while. I even want to read the second and third in this series, but I understand that the main characters in The Giver will not be in it. Therefore, what happens to Gabe and Jonas is really left up to my imagination.
The way that Lois Lowry worked her writer’s craft was remarkable. I was drawn more and more into the story and was feeling the exact same way that Jonas must have been feeling. I began reading the book with the thoughts that something was amiss in this little community, but nothing like what I found out little by little as I read. Lowry had a way of making my experience of finding out about the characters, the events, and the community, in general, much like Jonas’ “awakening” to his community and everything that they were not seeing or understanding. The entire time I was reading the book I kept getting surprised by little things that happened in the community and would outwardly go “Oh my!” in much the same way that Jonas was doing as he was receiving the memories from the Giver. Eventually Jonas could have taken my place as the reader, because he really was an on-looker in the community, just as I was.
I was reminded of Hitler’s Nazi Regime while I read this, with his trying to create a perfect nation, without flaws and with his people all alike. How horrible it was for them to instantly release a baby who was not “progressing” properly (much like Hitler did with the physically or mentally handicapped). How very interesting too, that everyone thought of “release” as such a joy, when you were older, but nobody really knew what was going to occur. I, as the reader, didn’t even know exactly what release was and was horrified, just as Jonas was, about it. To think that they were going to do this to little Gabe because he could sleep through the night! Preposterous!
The concept of taking medication for “stirrings” when the teenagers started into puberty was slightly humorous (how many of us who work with teenagers wouldn’t love to stop those raging hormones if only for a class period?), but sad. Those pills kept the community members from seeing reality and from feelings. Jonas wanted his parents to love him and feel proud of him, but they never would, or never could. Ironically, the feeling of embarrassment was not “dulled” when Asher was given his job at the Ceremony. My heart broke for him as he stood before the entire community and they reminded everyone of how difficult speaking came to him. They actually smacked him time and again until he stopped talking at all for a little while! Horrible!
It was a very fitting ending to my last experience with the Giver when he told Jonas that Rosemary, the last Receiver who had failed, was his daughter. I’m glad the Giver decided to stay and help the community. This way of life was obviously not a good one!
The way that Lois Lowry worked her writer’s craft was remarkable. I was drawn more and more into the story and was feeling the exact same way that Jonas must have been feeling. I began reading the book with the thoughts that something was amiss in this little community, but nothing like what I found out little by little as I read. Lowry had a way of making my experience of finding out about the characters, the events, and the community, in general, much like Jonas’ “awakening” to his community and everything that they were not seeing or understanding. The entire time I was reading the book I kept getting surprised by little things that happened in the community and would outwardly go “Oh my!” in much the same way that Jonas was doing as he was receiving the memories from the Giver. Eventually Jonas could have taken my place as the reader, because he really was an on-looker in the community, just as I was.
I was reminded of Hitler’s Nazi Regime while I read this, with his trying to create a perfect nation, without flaws and with his people all alike. How horrible it was for them to instantly release a baby who was not “progressing” properly (much like Hitler did with the physically or mentally handicapped). How very interesting too, that everyone thought of “release” as such a joy, when you were older, but nobody really knew what was going to occur. I, as the reader, didn’t even know exactly what release was and was horrified, just as Jonas was, about it. To think that they were going to do this to little Gabe because he could sleep through the night! Preposterous!
The concept of taking medication for “stirrings” when the teenagers started into puberty was slightly humorous (how many of us who work with teenagers wouldn’t love to stop those raging hormones if only for a class period?), but sad. Those pills kept the community members from seeing reality and from feelings. Jonas wanted his parents to love him and feel proud of him, but they never would, or never could. Ironically, the feeling of embarrassment was not “dulled” when Asher was given his job at the Ceremony. My heart broke for him as he stood before the entire community and they reminded everyone of how difficult speaking came to him. They actually smacked him time and again until he stopped talking at all for a little while! Horrible!
It was a very fitting ending to my last experience with the Giver when he told Jonas that Rosemary, the last Receiver who had failed, was his daughter. I’m glad the Giver decided to stay and help the community. This way of life was obviously not a good one!
Saturday, March 3, 2007
The Egyptian Cinderella, by Shirley Climo - Traditional Tale
I am not ashamed to say that as a child, Cinderella was my favorite book character. I wanted to be her, marry Prince Charming, and live in a huge castle ("Happily Ever After" - of course) for the rest of my days. Well, as with all thoughts and understandings that pass from childhood, I began to realize that Cinderella really was not living as glamorous a life as I would want (at least not in the beginning), that Prince Charmings can all have very bad breath in the morning, and that the huge castle comes with a morgage payment! Still, my romantic daydreams as a child really haven't been squished so completely (my husband brushes his teeth and takes me to visit castles in England!). Therefore, the though of reading three Cinderella books was like a present from a long past childhood instead of a required reading.
The Egyptian Cinderella follows much the same way as many of the Cinderellas, with the young, beautiful girl being treated badly by others who are jealous of her and eventually finding the love and devotion of a person who is "king" of their land. In this version, Rhodopis (our Cinderella character) was kidnapped as a child from her home in Greece and taken to Eygpt, where she was sold as a slave. She was treated nicely by her master, but the other servant girls were jealous of her and made her life terrible. Her only friends were the animals she would entertain with her dancing and singing in the evening, some birds, a monkey, and a hippopotamus. She is given golden shoes by her master when he sees her dancing one day, and this further evokes the wrath of the jealous servant girls. They tell her to do all the work and one day don't let her go to see the Pharaoh. Of course, one of the shoes ends up in the Pharaoh's hands. Pharaoh, in turn, searches the entire empire for the only girl whose foot will fit in the golden shoes. Upon finding Rhodopis, Pharaoh marries her and makes her his queen.
The illustrations, done by Ruth Heller include a lot of pastels and lighter colors when Rhodopis is around. She almost seems to blend into the scenery that surrounds her - comparing her beauty with the landscape. The animals that appear in the books are always "larger than life", specifically the falcon that delivers the golden shoe to the Pharaoh. This seems fitting, as the ancient Egyptians thought of birds as messengers from Gods. All of the pictures of the Egyptian girls are very dark and situated towards the side (to capture the look of the Egyptian complexion), which reminded me of Egyptian pyramid drawings and paintings.
I really don't see any violence in the story, which most fairtales seem to have. However, with most Cinderella stories, Rhodopis is confined to be a slave or destined to be rescued by a man. She never takes up for herself and never tries to convince the master to let her go to see the Pharaoh. This girl is definetly confined by a sexist world. The themes of kindness, patience, and endurance are present throughout, with Rhodopis treating other servants and animals with love and gentleness. The story moves quickly from beginning explanation, to rising action, to climax, and finally to happily ever after.
I really found this version of Cinderella enchanting and when I finished reading the book and read the Author Notes, I was further entranced. This story actually, in some form, is true. There actually was a slave girl, who was kidnapped from her home of Greece who ended up marrying Pharaoh and becoming his queen. This story had been passed down orally from generation to generation until someone had finally written it down. Rhodopis, a Greek slave girl did marry Pharaoh Amasis and became his queen. Wow! Who would have thought a Cinderella story really did exist in time somewhere? That is impressive! Also impressive is that one of her fellow slaves was believed to have been Aesop who told her funny stories about animals. Very interesting to find out how so many stories in children's literature fit together. Maybe there really is a "happily ever after", after all!
The Egyptian Cinderella follows much the same way as many of the Cinderellas, with the young, beautiful girl being treated badly by others who are jealous of her and eventually finding the love and devotion of a person who is "king" of their land. In this version, Rhodopis (our Cinderella character) was kidnapped as a child from her home in Greece and taken to Eygpt, where she was sold as a slave. She was treated nicely by her master, but the other servant girls were jealous of her and made her life terrible. Her only friends were the animals she would entertain with her dancing and singing in the evening, some birds, a monkey, and a hippopotamus. She is given golden shoes by her master when he sees her dancing one day, and this further evokes the wrath of the jealous servant girls. They tell her to do all the work and one day don't let her go to see the Pharaoh. Of course, one of the shoes ends up in the Pharaoh's hands. Pharaoh, in turn, searches the entire empire for the only girl whose foot will fit in the golden shoes. Upon finding Rhodopis, Pharaoh marries her and makes her his queen.
The illustrations, done by Ruth Heller include a lot of pastels and lighter colors when Rhodopis is around. She almost seems to blend into the scenery that surrounds her - comparing her beauty with the landscape. The animals that appear in the books are always "larger than life", specifically the falcon that delivers the golden shoe to the Pharaoh. This seems fitting, as the ancient Egyptians thought of birds as messengers from Gods. All of the pictures of the Egyptian girls are very dark and situated towards the side (to capture the look of the Egyptian complexion), which reminded me of Egyptian pyramid drawings and paintings.
I really don't see any violence in the story, which most fairtales seem to have. However, with most Cinderella stories, Rhodopis is confined to be a slave or destined to be rescued by a man. She never takes up for herself and never tries to convince the master to let her go to see the Pharaoh. This girl is definetly confined by a sexist world. The themes of kindness, patience, and endurance are present throughout, with Rhodopis treating other servants and animals with love and gentleness. The story moves quickly from beginning explanation, to rising action, to climax, and finally to happily ever after.
I really found this version of Cinderella enchanting and when I finished reading the book and read the Author Notes, I was further entranced. This story actually, in some form, is true. There actually was a slave girl, who was kidnapped from her home of Greece who ended up marrying Pharaoh and becoming his queen. This story had been passed down orally from generation to generation until someone had finally written it down. Rhodopis, a Greek slave girl did marry Pharaoh Amasis and became his queen. Wow! Who would have thought a Cinderella story really did exist in time somewhere? That is impressive! Also impressive is that one of her fellow slaves was believed to have been Aesop who told her funny stories about animals. Very interesting to find out how so many stories in children's literature fit together. Maybe there really is a "happily ever after", after all!
Thursday, March 1, 2007
The Tale of Despereaux, By Kate DiCamillo - Fantasy
I have to say that at first I thought that this was going to be one of those books that I really was going to drag through reading. Sure, I liked the short chapters (I have liked these types of chapters in novels since I was a child) and the author bringing me (actually talking to me!) into the story, was rather interesting. Still, a mouse falling in love with a human princess? I just wasn't buying into it. Plus, how in the world did that mouse grow up so quickly? It was like one minute he was being born and the next he was scampering through the castle and finding the open book in the castle library! However, I am glad it was a required reading, because I got more into it with the second book. I guess that I am just a plot driven person and until the entrance of more characters other than the mice in the castle and Despereaux (as cute as I am sure he is), I just wasn't into the book. With the entrance of the second book and the understanding of Chiaroscuro as a sinister rat that only wanted to see and be surrounded by light, I really picked up interest. What creepy characters rats played in this book. This is much different from The Rats of Nemph, in which rats are only trying to survive from the main enemy of human invasion. In this story, they are horrible creatures that only live to make others miserable, and how easily they dothis! I was really expecting Chiaroscuro to change with the entrance of light into his life, but he never really did. All in all, he stayed the sinister and horrible rat that he was born into being. I wanted him to change to show that there was some goodness, even if only a little, down there in that dungeon. The only goodness was Gregory and he ended up being lost in total darkness and died alone in the dungeon.
I have read one other of the author's books and that being Because of Winn-Dixie. As I read The Tale of Despereaux I tried to connect the two stories and styles together somehow, but I had a difficult time. I guess that the main characters are similar in that they are both trying to find themselves in a world that doesn't seem to accept their differences very easily. However, in Opal's case in Because of Winn-Dixie, she tends to gather other outsiders in with love and acceptance and poor little Desperaux tends to work through life on this own. Both also had endings that seemed somewhat happy, but nothing with that "fairy-tale-happily-ever-after" feel to them. Opal's mother never returned, but she seemed to finally except this in the end and Despereaux and the Princess Pea did not "fall in love and marry" (though honestly, I would have had a harder time relating to that). However, the king in The Tale of Despereaux and Opal's father (the Preacher) were both lost in their own worlds of sorrow and trying hard to hold on to their daughters. As a read I began to wonder if Kate DiCamillo writes all of her stories with a theme of unfortunate characters who find acceptance in a world that seems difficult? At the end of the story I was ready to make little Despereaux the most comfortable mouse in the castle for the rest of his days with books galore for him to read!
I happened to ask one of my students if she had read The Tale of Depereaux and instantly she said she had and that it was definitely a book that she loved so much that she couldn't put it down! Therefore, maybe my older age is starting to kick in and maybe I am not enjoying fantasy as much as I should. Maybe I could use a bit more "Once Upon a Time... and ...Happily Ever After"!
I have read one other of the author's books and that being Because of Winn-Dixie. As I read The Tale of Despereaux I tried to connect the two stories and styles together somehow, but I had a difficult time. I guess that the main characters are similar in that they are both trying to find themselves in a world that doesn't seem to accept their differences very easily. However, in Opal's case in Because of Winn-Dixie, she tends to gather other outsiders in with love and acceptance and poor little Desperaux tends to work through life on this own. Both also had endings that seemed somewhat happy, but nothing with that "fairy-tale-happily-ever-after" feel to them. Opal's mother never returned, but she seemed to finally except this in the end and Despereaux and the Princess Pea did not "fall in love and marry" (though honestly, I would have had a harder time relating to that). However, the king in The Tale of Despereaux and Opal's father (the Preacher) were both lost in their own worlds of sorrow and trying hard to hold on to their daughters. As a read I began to wonder if Kate DiCamillo writes all of her stories with a theme of unfortunate characters who find acceptance in a world that seems difficult? At the end of the story I was ready to make little Despereaux the most comfortable mouse in the castle for the rest of his days with books galore for him to read!
I happened to ask one of my students if she had read The Tale of Depereaux and instantly she said she had and that it was definitely a book that she loved so much that she couldn't put it down! Therefore, maybe my older age is starting to kick in and maybe I am not enjoying fantasy as much as I should. Maybe I could use a bit more "Once Upon a Time... and ...Happily Ever After"!
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