Review for "The Gingerbread Man" by Eric Kimmel

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Kimmel, Eric. The Gingerbread Man. New York: Holiday House, 1993. ISBN 0823408248 

PLOT SUMMARY 

This story is the traditional tale of a fresh-baked gingerbread man who jumps off the pan after he is taken out of the oven and decorated in order to avoid being eaten. As he runs, he passes by several animals, all of which try to get him to slow down. He escapes each one until he meets the sly fox who offers to take him across the river. The fox lures him into jumping on his tail and then gradually tells the gingerbread man to move closer and closer to his mouth to keep from getting wet. When he gets close enough, the foxsnaps the gingerbread man up in one bite. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS 

The Gingerbread Man focuses on the concept of possession. Each character in the book thinks that he belongs to them. This story reminds young readers that just because they want something to belong to them, it doesn’t mean that it is theirs for the taking. It also teaches them to be careful who they trust. The gingerbread man trusted the sly fox, but he was indeed a stranger and ended up gobbling him up!  

The rhyme repetition makes this story a fun and interactive read-aloud for children and helps build fluency skills with early readers. The illustrations are colorful and many of them spread over both pages and create a nice flow to the story.  

REVIEW EXCERPT(S) 

FALL 1994 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY CHILDREN'S BOOKS 

From School Library Journal 1993: "Kimmel brings humor and warmth to the retelling of this spicy classic. His text has a fast-paced rhythm that is perfect for read-alouds or storytelling.” 

CONNECTIONS 

Gather other versions of The Gingerbread Man to read such as: 

•        Kimmel, Eric. The Runaway Tortilla. ISBN 978-1-941821-69-5 

•        Ernst, Lisa Campbell. The Gingerbread Girl. ISBN 978-0525476672 

Gather other Eric Kimmel books to read such as: 

•        Gershon's Monster: A Story for the Jewish New Year. ISBN 978-0439108393 

•       Cactus Soup. ISBN 978-0761458326 

Use this story with small preschool children who have trouble sharing toys and other items in the classroom.  

Use the book to practice story sequencing with young readers.  

Have older readers write a script to the story and perform it in class. 

References 

The Gingerbread Man, Christ Academy. Personal photograph by Emily Adams. February 16, 2017.

Review for "The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs"

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs. New York: Viking Penguin, 1989.  ISBN 0670827592 

PLOT SUMMARY 

This books provides an alternative version of the Three Little Pigs and is told from the perspective of the wolf. Told from his jail cell, Alexander T. Wolf recounts his side of the story about how he was framed, and how all he really wanted from the pigs was a cup of sugar for his granny's birthday cake. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS 

Alexander T. Wolf, or "Al" for short, tries to evoke sympathy from the reader right from the start when he explains that he was visiting the pigs to ask for a cup of sugar for his granny's birthday cake. He insists that he did not "murder" the pigs, but when he came across them "dead as a doornail" he simply did not want good food to go to waste (Scieszka). He describes the pigs as hostile and unwilling to help him and his excuse for all of the huffing and puffing was attributed to a him having a cold and sneezing. While the author does not intend for the reader to believe Al's side of the story, this version teaches them that there are two sides to each story. The media is portrayed to be "the bad guy" which is a concept from the book that could be tied into current events and politics in today's society.  

The illustrations are done in dark and sepia-tones and elude to the idea that Al's story might not be trustworthy. The "torn paper" frames around each page indicate that the this story is an unsolved case or cold case file and give the reader a feeling of mystery and suspense.  

REVIEW EXCERPT(S) 

2009 NOTABLE CHILDREN'S RECORDING by ALSC 

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL TOP 100 PICTURE BOOKS #35 

From Publishers Weekly 1989: “Designed with uncommon flair, this alternative fable is both fetching and glib.” 

From Kirkus Reviews 1989: “Scieszka carries off this revision with suitably mordant humor, ably reflected in Smith's dark, elegantly sophisticated illustrations. .” 

CONNECTIONS 

Gather other versions of The Three Little Pigs: 

•                      Schwartz, Corey Rosen. Ninja Pigs. ISBN 978-0399255144 

•                      Lowell, Susan. The Three Little Javenlinas. ISBN 978-0873585422 

Gather other Jon Scieszka books to read such as: 

•                      Math Curse. ISBN 978-0670861941 

•                      Baloney (Henry P). ISBN 978-0142404300

Use this story as an aide when teaching students about quality, trustworthy sources. Use Al's claim about false reporting to discuss the important of remaining neutral while reporting news. 

Allow students to develop their own version of the 3 Little Pigs from a different character's perspective. (Example: have them write from the police officer's point of view, or a neighbor's perspective)  

References

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Christ Academy. Personal photograph by Emily Adams. February 14, 2017.

Review for "There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly"

BIBLIOGRAPHY 
Taback, Simms. There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly. New York: Penguin Books, 1997.  ISBN 0670869392 


PLOT SUMMARY 
This books is an illustrated version of the well-known silly tale of a woman who swallows a fly, and then swallows increasingly larger animals in hopes to "catch" the fly she swallowed. As she swallows larger animals, such as a cat, readers begin to wonder how much longer the old lady can survive this predicament.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS 

From the very beginning, readers will be drawn to this story because of the use of rhyme and repetition. These elements allow readers are to anticipate what happens next as well as feel like active participants in the story. This story allows readers to be a part of something imaginative and truly absurd before bringing them back to reality on the final page. In the end, readers feel relief when the woman, who is in obvious pain from consuming many animals that are larger than she is, finally dies.  

The illustrations in this book are bold and colorful. The black background of each page makes the illustrations stand out and the large font makes the book a successful sing-long or read-along text. The cut-outs on each page show the items that the woman has swallowed thus far, and help the reader imagine what might have been going on in her stomach. The book makes good use of a double-page layout. New animals are introduced on the left page, and once the right page is turned, the animal is visible in the woman's stomach. Although this book is written after a children's song, the silly little side notes on each page will entertain readers of all ages. There is so much to see in this book, readers can enjoy new things each time they read it. 

REVIEW EXCERPT(S) 

CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK 

NEW YORK TIMES BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK 

From Publishers Weekly 1997: “Children of all ages will joyfully swallow this book whole..” 

From Kirkus Reviews 1997: “the sheer corniness of the verse continues to be deeply gratifying.” 

CONNECTIONS 

Gather other Caldecott Medal books to read such as: 

•                      Steig, William. Slyvester and the Magic Pebble. ISBN 978-0671662691 

•                      Gag, Wanda. Millions of Cats. ISBN 978-0142407080 

Gather other Simms Taback books to read such as: 

•                      Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. ISBN 978-0670878550 

•                      This is the House that Jack Built. ISBN 978-0142402009 

Use the predictable patterns in the story to provide children with fluency practice.

Have students rewrite the ending of the story. Encourage students to use rhyme, repetition and alliteration in their writing as the author does.

Provide students with alternative versions of this tale so they can compare and contrast the stories.

References

There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, Christ Academy. Personal photograph by Emily Adams. February 14, 2017.