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*Picture book, fantasy, preschool through second graders
*Little Miss Muffet as main character
*Rating: David Conway has written a clever picture book, incorporating many of our favorite nursery rhymes that we can share with a whole new generation of children. And of course, Melanie Williamson’s illustrations are cute, cute, cute!

Short, short summary:

Little Miss Muffet is tired of being in her nursery rhyme. She is tired of that spider always scaring her. So, she decides to go to the next page of the book and jump into that nursery rhyme. But each time, she’s unhappy–it’s not so fun falling down the hill with Jack and Jill or running away with the spoon (turns out the dish gets a bit jealous). She winds up causing utter chaos in nursery rhyme world, so she sneaks back to her own rhyme. . .

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Read the NEW way the rhymes are written with Little Miss Muffet put in. See if the children notice the difference. Are they familiar with the other rhyme? How has it changed? Have children repeat both rhymes after you!

2. SO, Miss Muffet still has her problem at the end of the book. Let children problem solve and come up with a way to solve her problem. Could she go to a completely different book? Is there a nursery rhyme that would work for her? Could she befriend the spider in some way?

3. Study these illustrations! They are full of things that are not in the text. What do children notice? How do the illustrations work to tell the story with the text? Let students draw their own illustrations with Miss Muffet in their favorite nursery rhyme after studying the ones in the book.

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*Picture book, fantasy (fractured fairy tales) for preschoolers through third graders
*Young girl as main character
*Rating: The Gold Miner’s Daughter is clever and adorable. One of those “I wish I would have written this” books!

Short, short summary:

Jackie Mims Hopkins writes this adorable tale about Gracie Pearl, who lives in gold minin’ country with her Pa. They are in the midst of hard times, and Mr. Bigglebottom says that they need to give him some gold or else he’ll take Gracie Pearl as his wife. That’s the last thing she wants, of course, and so she goes out to find gold. Instead of finding gold, she finds several fairy tale creatures (imagine an almost Shrek-like romp through fairy tale land), such as Goldilocks who is too busy to help her because she’s got some bears hot on her trail. Gracie Pearl also finds the three pigs tied to railroad tracks and Rapunzel in her castle tower, just to name a few. In the end, Gracie Pearl finds BLACK GOLD and that dastardly Mr. Bigglebottom gets exactly what he deserves. The illustrations by Jon Goodell make this book!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. I love books that have activities built in, and this is one of those. At the beginning of the book, a “key” is shown to students. This key tells them what to do when they see certain symbols throughout the book. So, for example when they see a hand with a finger pointing up, they are supposed to say, “Aha!” Students are involved with the book and having fun while acting out the storyline.

2. There are several fairy tales represented in this book. Ask students to make a list of the characters from fairy tales and then discuss how each of them is being true to their character and playing a role in the plot of this book.

3. Discuss with students what melodramatic means. If possible, show them some footage of a melodramatic movie or scene.

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*Fiction picture book for preschool to third graders
*3 boys as main characters
*Rating: Edgar, Allan, and Poe and the Tell-Tale Beets is a cute take on Edgar Allan Poe’s scary story, “Tell-Tale Heart.”

Short, short summary:

Edgar, Allan, and Poe are brothers who aren’t crazy about their mom’s cooking. Well, who would be when she serves things like beets and liver? But they do love her dessert. The problem is they can’t get any dessert until they finish all their dinner, and that’s impossible until. . .they discover the loose floorboard. The brothers decide to cause a distraction and then put the disgusting food in the floorboard. The plan works perfectly, and they get to eat all kinds of delicious dessert until . . .they start hearing Beet. Beet. Liver. Liver. And the smell! The food stinks under the floor board, and finally, they confess everything they’ve been doing right before a huge explosion occurs.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. You can use this book when also studying nutrition. Talk to students and children about why the boys’ mother was making and serving this food. Discuss alternative healthy foods she could serve. For example, what could she serve instead of liver or beets that have the same vitamins but are tastier? Ask students to write a letter to the mother and suggest these alternative foods.

2. Natalie Rompella does a great job with word choice in this book. There are tons of description words and strong action verbs. Make a list of the strong word choices in this book and post it on the wall. Point it out to students when they are busy writing.

3. Older primary students would be able to learn about Edgar Allan Poe and some of his work. Then talk to students about how this version is similar and different from “Tell-Tale Heart.”

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*Picture book for preschoolers through 2nd graders, fantasy (fractured nursery rhyme)
*Dish and Spoon as main characters
*Rating: Kids love books like The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon that play off an old nursery rhyme and have loads of fun stuff in the illustrations.

Short, short summary:

What happened after the dish ran away with the spoon? Well, this book will answer that question. From trying their luck in a vaudeville show to buying a car and shopping for jewelry and furs, the Dish and Spoon have quite an adventure. It’s all fun and games until the Dish meets a rock, and the Spoon meets jail. Will these two ever make it together again?

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Read the nursery rhyme to children, “Hey Diddle, Diddle!” Ask children to imagine other things about this nursery rhyme. For example, ask them, “Why do you think the cow jumped over the moon?” “Why did the little boy laugh?” “What are the cat and the fiddle doing?” You can record answers on a piece of chart paper and create a classroom display by asking students to illustrate their answers. Be creative! Mini Grey sure was.

2. Study the illustrations carefully, especially the ones on the sidebars. What else do the illustrations tell about the story of the Dish and the Spoon that the text doesn’t tell? Discuss with students how in the picture book genre illustrations are as important as the text, and both work together to tell the story.

3. This is a book about friendship. Spoon and Dish are friends, they trust each other, and they love each other. Talk to students or your children about being a good friend. What are the qualities of a good friend? How do Dish and Spoon show these qualities? How do you show these qualities in your everyday life?

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Before I talk about this cute book (I love fractured fairy tales), I want to announce the winner of Plank Road Summer. Again, thank you to everyone who left comments and questions for the authors. It seems to me that historical fiction is always a big hit, in spite of what the “big publishers” in New York are telling us. So, the winner is. . .June S. Congratulations to June!

The Three Little Rigs by David Gordon

*Picture book, fantasy for preschoolers through second graders
*Three little rigs as main characters
*Rating: What a cute twist on The Three Little Pigs. Great for your little ones who love trucks and big rigs!

Short, short summary: The Three Little Rigs by David Gordon is a version of The Three Little Pigs. In this story, each rig has to go out and build a garage. The first rig chooses wood, and the big, bad wrecking ball easily destroys it. The second rig builds his garage out of brick, and the big, bad wrecking ball wants to be let in. Of course, the rig answers, “Not by the chrome on my chinny chin chin.” The wrecking ball easily ruins the garage. Then there’s the third and brilliant, hard-working rig. He builds his out of steel. The wrecking ball can’t wreck it, but he is so big and bad–he doesn’t stop there. He enlists some help from a magnet and cutters. What will the rigs do to save this garage and live happily ever after?

So, what do I do with this book?

1. One of the best activities to do with fractured fairy tales is compare and contrast them to the original using art, a writing journal prompt, or a shared writing experience with a Venn diagram, depending on the age and ability level of your students or children. (By the way, David Gordon has other fractured fairy tale books such as Hansel and Diesel and The Ugly Truckling.)

2. This is a great book to discuss problem solving with children. How do the rigs finally solve their problem? With teamwork and cooperation from their friends. Children can talk about a problem they have had (or someone else’s problem) and how people worked together to solve the problem. You can also bring in current events, depending on what is going on in the world or your community when you read this book (and again the age of your children). For example, how do government officials solve a problem like the oil spill in the ocean? It takes a lot of people working together. This is a good book to lead into a character education segment on teamwork and being part of a team.

3. Books like The Three Little Rigs are meant to be read aloud and to have students do echo reading and even role playing. Let students read with you (or after you): “Not by the chrome of my chinny chin chin.” Let students act out the different parts. For an end of the year celebration, you could even do a play based on this book for parents.

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photo by pareerica www.flickr.com

*Picture book for preschoolers through third graders, based on a fairy tale
*Sorghum cookie boy as main character
*Rating: Cookie Boy Travelin’ Arkansas is a clever twist on the old tale–”The Gingerbread Man.” Anyone living in or visiting Arkansas will especially love this book!

Short, short summary:

A young couple in Arkansas bake a sorghum cookie boy, who runs away as soon as the oven door is opened. As Cookie Boy rolls down Highway 71 in Arkansas, he meets a deer, whom he tries to convince not to eat him because the people who made him used salt instead of sugar. Little does Cookie Boy realize that deer love salt, but he manages to get away anyway. Along his adventures, Cookie Boy winds up in places such as Clinton at the Chuckwagon Races, the Old State House in Little Rock, and Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs. He meets many animals who want to eat him, but he manages to escape until. . .well, you’ll just have to read Cookie Boy Travelin’ Arkansas to find out!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Make sorghum cookies with your children or your students. (Be careful if you make them in the shape of a cookie boy!) When you cook with children, they are learning/working on many skills: following directions, reading comprehension, and measurement. You can even ask children to double the recipe to work computations. And learning to bake or cook is a great life skill for anyone! Here are some different sorghum cookie recipe choices from Cooks.com.

2. One thing I love about this book, especially for Arkansas parents and teachers, is the appendix in the back. Cheryl Davis has included all the places she mentions in the book that Cookie Boy visits such as Elkhorn Tavern, Mount Magazine State Park, and the Cossatot River–she gives a description and provides a beautiful photograph. The appendix is like a guide book through Arkansas. Go through this appendix with your students. Take a survey to see how many places your students or children have visited. Plan a field trip to a place mentioned that is fairly close to your school or home. Let older students do further research on each place.

3. Compare and contrast Cookie Boy Travelin’ Arkansas to the original tale of “The Gingerbread Man.” You can use a Venn diagram for your comparisons. Children can also vote on which one of the stories they like better. Older children can write a paragraph about their choice and give reasons to support it. Younger students can fold a piece of paper in half and draw an illustration on each half of a scene from the stories.

There’s still a chance to win Dr. Caron Goode’s book Kids Who See Ghosts by leaving a comment on yesterday’s post (Wednesday, May 26). I also interviewed Dr. Goode, and her answers provide great tips for parents! One winner will be chosen on Friday from all the comments. Thanks!

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photo by gamene www.flickr.com

*Picture book (based on fairy tales) for preschoolers to first graders
*Big Bad Little Good Wolf as main character
*Rating: Good Little Wolf has few words, but the illustrations tell us all about this little wolf! Very cute.

Short, short summary:

The Big Bad Wolf is here to tell you, the reader, that he is actually a Good Little Wolf. He explains that he keeps his friends cozy in the winter, that he is very helpful and provides a place (in his mouth) for his friends to stay dry when it rains, and that he only likes to dress up like Little Red Riding Hood to help tell bedtime stories to his friends. In the spirit of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, Good Little Wolf by Kristina Andres lets us know the wolf’s true character.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. If you are reading this book to a classroom of children, then do a K-W-L chart with them about the Big Bad Wolf or wolves in fairy tales. What do they know about the Big Bad Wolf? What do they wonder? After reading Good Little Wolf, what do they learn about this storybook character? If you are at home reading this book, discuss what your child believes about the Big Bad Wolf before reading the book together.

2. In this book, the illustrations tell the WHOLE story. Children can learn from reading the Good Little Wolf that in picture books, the illustrations are as important as the text. The text and illustrations work together to tell a story. They can also learn that if they are having trouble reading a page, the illustrations might give them a clue as to what the text says. Sometimes, we assume that children already know that they need to carefully look at illustrations and the importance of the pictures, but this is often not true unless we draw their attention to it.

3. On a T-chart, ask students to put their opinion of the wolf–do they think he is a Good Little Wolf or a Big Bad Wolf? To make this an interactive activity, give students a post-it note, ask them to write their name on it, and then put it on the chart under their opinion. When all children have voted, discuss the chart and why students believe what they do about the wolf. If you are reading this book at home, you can discuss with your child after reading this book (and maybe The True Story of the Three Little Pigs too) about what she thinks about the wolf. Ask your child to defend her opinion with specific events from the books.

Okay, so I have to ask–what do you think about the Big Bad Wolf? Is he just misunderstood?

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by Phyllis Root www.flickr.com

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*Paula Bunyan (Paul Bunyan’s sister) as main character
*Rating: Paula Bunyan is a clever, cute picture book with a twist on the old classic Paul Bunyan tale. Phyllis Root has thrown a little environmental education in there, too.

Short, short summary: Did you know Paul Bunyan had a little (well, not quite so little) sister named, Paula? Well, according to Phyllis Root, he did! And she’s as lovable of a giant as he is. Instead of a blue ox, Paula has a grizzly bear as her sidekick. She spends her days catching 100-pound fish, singing harmony with the wolves, and rescuing her bear from mosquitoes. Things are going along pretty well when Paula notices that all her beloved trees are being cut down and not replaced by some irresponsible lumberjacks. She quickly devises a plan (WARNING! WARNING! Read this section before you read to kids–no big deal, but Paula undresses to her “skivvies”, just be prepared) to get rid of the lumberjacks and replenish the forest.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. One of the easiest activities to do with this book is compare and contrast the story of Paul Bunyan to Paula Bunyan using a Venn diagram. For younger children, you can do this as a shared writing activity. For older children, they can each make their own Venn diagram.

2. Students can write their own Paula Bunyan adventure. You can have them write it as a) a letter from Paula to Paul about an important event b) a journal entry about a day in the life of Paula Bunyan c) in the same voice as the book and another adventure of Paula’s.

3. Students can study tall tales with this book and make a list of characteristics of tall tales. You can also talk to students about exaggeration/hyperbole and why authors use this technique in their stories.

Have you used Paula Bunyan in your classroom? If so, leave us a comment and tell us about it. Do you have a favorite tall tale or fractured tall tale? Let us know!

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