The Three Little Tamales (Traditional)

Kimmel, Eric A. The Three Little Tamales. Ill. by Valeria Docampo. New York: Marshall Cavendish Children, 2009. ISBN 9780761455196

Plot Summary
Three  delicious little tamales escape a taco shop from a sure fate of being someone’s comida (food). Their plan would have gone off without a hitch if it wasn’t for the hungry wolf who happened by their Texas homes. The first and second little tamales barely escape their poorly constructed homes and find their way to their sister’s sturdy home hidden within a cactus. The only question left is what will happen when the wolf discovers the third tamale’s chimney?

Critical Analysis
    Kimmel shines in this rhythmic and humorous version of the three little pigs. The book’s Tex-Mex take on a classic story begins with spunky characters who reveal themselves through their creative choice of homes. As each tamale chooses a home, a new aspect of Texas’  many landscapes is revealed.
    The plot will be predictable to anyone familiar with the traditional tale, but will not stop the book’s charm. Representations of traditional tamale cookery are throughout the text.  A seamless blending of Spanish words into the English text will make native Spanish speakers feel at home. The upbeat and humorous rhyme will encourage read aloud listeners to join in with the big bad wolf’s repetitious threats.
    Docampo’s illustrations are key to this book’s success. Bright and clear oil paintings display traditional Tex-Mex colors and show active movement. Her art gives life and individual personalities to each character. In the end, Kimmel and Docampo’s collaboration will win over readers because of its whimsy and ease. This books will be happily read and reread by all young at heart.

Awards and Review Excerpts
Booklist- “An excellent addition to collections of fairy-tale retellings.”
Library Media Connection- “quite silly, but it works”
School Library Journal- “delightful parody sure to satisfy readers’ appetite for fun”

Connections
*Read this book to young children as an introduction to subtraction. Cutouts of the three little houses will work well as manipulatives for the students as they gradually subtract until there is only one house left!
*Assign students various cultures to research. As part of the project, have students create their own version of the three little pigs that would fit into the assigned culture.
*Compare and Contrast versions of three little pig stories. Examples include...
Artell, Mike. Three little Cajun pigs. New York, N.Y: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2006. ISBN
     0803728158
Geist, Ken. The three little fish and the big bad shark. New York: Scholastic, 2007. ISBN 0439719623
Pichon, Liz. The three horrid little pigs. Wilton, CT: Tiger Tales, 2010. ISBN 1589254236
Trivizas, Eugenios. The three little wolves and the big bad pig. New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks,
     1997. ISBN 068981528X

Joseph Had A Little Overcoat (Traditional)

Taback, Simms. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. New York: Viking, 1999. ISBN 0670878553

Plot Summary
A Jewish man named Joseph wears out his overcoat, but he does not get rid of it. Instead, Joseph reuses what he can to create useful clothing items. The process repeats with Joseph never wasting what is worn, but instead creating wonderful new, albeit shrinking, items of clothing. When finally there is no cloth left to reuse, Joseph does not lose his innovative spirit- he creates something out of nothing!

Critical Analysis
Joseph shows innovation in this waste-not want not tale retold by Taback. The intricate illustrations become critical to Taback’s take on a traditional Yiddish folk song as the book’s words are so few in number. The detail that is lacking in the simple, yet comfortably repetitive story line allows for the intricate pages of art to become the main focus.
    Each page details Joseph’s creation or use of his ever smaller “overcoat” in front of an always curious crowd of adults or animals. Cutouts concretely illustrate to younger readers the reuse of the same fabric in each new object. The many mediums (including pencil, ink, watercolor, gouache, and collage) allow the reader to repeatedly study the art, each time with new insight and revelation. A strong sense of Jewish culture is demonstrated in the themes of working hard and wasting little as well as through the history lesson portrayed via the many Jewish sayings, customs, objects, plays, and people represented in the illustrations. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is a book destined to be well loved, reread, and carefully studied by children.

Awards and Review Excerpts
2000 Caldecott Honor
Publishers Weekly- “effective repetition and an abundance of visual humor”
School Library Journal- “bursting at the seams with ingenuity”
The Horn Book v.76- “clever, visually engrossing, poignant”

Connections
*Use this book to teach sequencing skills with younger children.
*After reading this book, let students cut pictures from magazines to incorporate into their own artwork.
*Another relevant art activity would be to create art out of “nothing”- trash!
*Use this book as a follow up to a unit of study on Jewish culture or after a unity of study on the 3 Rs (Reduce/Reuse/Recycle).
*Read other traditional Yiddish Folktales, including...
Schwartz, Howard. Gathering sparks. New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2010. ISBN 1596432802
Zemach, Margot. It could always be worse : a Yiddish folk tale. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
     1990. ISBN0374436363
Waldman, Debby. A sack full of feathers. Victoria, BC: Orca Book Publishers, 2006. ISBN1551438631

Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock (Traditional)

Kimmel, Eric A. Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock. Ill. by Janet Stevens. New York: Holiday House, 1988. ISBN 082340689X

Plot Summary
A smart and devious spider named Anansi discovers a magical rock with the power to render visitors unconscious. Anasni, being both intelligent and lazy, decides to use the rock’s power to steal other animal’s hard earned food. Fortunately for the other forest animals, one animal catches on and gives Anansi a taste of his own medicine!

Critical Analysis
In this trickster folktale retold by Eric Kimmel, the reader catches a glimpse of many of humanities worst traits in the leading character, Anansi. His selfish and lazy ways sharply contrast his friendly and innocent animal counterparts in the jungle. It does not take long for the reader to begin cheering for the jungle animals and hoping for Anansi’s defeat. Despite their support for the assortment of jungle animals, readers will find themselves laughing as animal after animal repeat the same mistakes.

The idyllic jungle setting presented by the bright and cheerful illustrations provide the perfect setting to this book. Readers can easily imagine the large spider relaxing in paradise while planning his deceptions. Traditional African animals and fruits hint at the story’s origins, but do not prevent the story from being universally understood. A quick introduction into the story allows for an action packed book that begs to be read with exaggerated expressions and wide sweeping gestures.  Comical illustrations, paired with repetition of plot will allow even the youngest of readers to understand the absurdity of the situation. Young children will love reenacting Anansi’s discovery of the magical rock and his evil conniving, along with the dramatic collapse of each forest animal. Readers will be glad when good triumphs evil, but will not be disappointed to learn that Anansi has not yet learned his lesson!

Awards and Review Excerpts
Booklist Monthly Selections 1993
Children’s Books of the Year 1990
Nevada Young Readers Awards
School Library Journal- “colorful illustrations add detail, humor, and movement”

Connections
*After story becomes familiar, allow early childhood students to act out parts as the book is read.
*Turn this book into a reader’s theater for older elementary students.
*With middle school and high school students, allow this book to serve as an introduction to world cultures, specifically African cultures.
*Pair this book with other Anansi tales to guide students through in depth character analysis.
Aardema, Verna. Anansi does the impossible! : an Ashanti tale. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2000.ISBN 0689839332
Kimmel, Eric. Anansi goes fishing. New York: Holiday House, 1992. ISBN 0823410226
Kimmel, Eric. Anansi and the magic stick. City: Holiday House Inc, 2001. ISBN 0823417638
Kimmel, Eric. Anansi and the talking melon. New York: Holiday House, 1994. ISBN 0823411672
McDermott, Gerald. Anansi the spider: a tale from the Ashanti. New York: Henry Holt and Co, 1986.
     ISBN 0805003118

City Dog, Country Frog (Mo Willems)

Willems, Mo. City Dog, Country Frog. Ill. by Jon Muth. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2010. ISBN 1423103009

Plot Summary
The poignant story by Willems follows a dog through a memorable year in which he discovers the joy of friendship and the sorrow of loss. Dog finds a close friend in a frog during spring. Through summer they continue to grow in friendship. As fall comes and the easiness of summer fades, frog begins to show his age and so the pair of friends remember their time together. With winter comes the sad loss of frog. The book concludes with spring’s reemergence and a reminder that life is an ongoing cycle.

Critical Analysis
Few words are printed on each page, and yet Mo Willems and illustrator Jon J. Muth have accomplished creating an epic story of friendship. The free spirited dog from the city and kind frog from the country make an odd but endearing couple. The characters speak for themselves during portions of the book, providing insight into their friendship, while the narrator quietly gives a detached account of the friendship. This understated style of writing allows readers of all ages to put their life knowledge and experiences into the story and take out of it what they will.

Vibrant, colorful water colors give life to and carefully expresses both of the main characters’ personalities. The vivid illustrations also provide the perfect back drop to the plot’s changing seasons in the countryside.

Readers of all ages, young and old, will find themselves making connections with the "city" dog and "country" frog, and implicitly understanding their friendship. Loss and renewal is a universal theme, lovingly depicted in this carefully crafted story.

Awards and Review Excerpts
School Library Journal- “Spare, poignant, and ultimately upbeat”
Booklist starred review- “Adults and children will each take away something”

Connections
*This book is great lead in to discussions on seasons and loss/grief.
*After reading this book, make a collage to represent each of the four seasons. Suggested readings to accompany a discussion of the seasons include the Celebrate the Season book collection by Linda Glaser.

Glaser, Linda. It's Fall. Brookfield, Conn: Millbrook Press, 2001. ISBN 0761313427
Glaser, Linda. It's Spring. Brookfield, Conn: Millbrook Press, 2002. ISBN 0761313451
Glaser, Linda. It's Summer. Brookfield Conn: Millbrook Press, 2003. ISBN 076131735X
Glaser, Linda. It's Winter. Brookfield, Conn: Millbrook Press, 2002. ISBN 0761316809

*Listed below are other books that can be combined with City Dog, Country Frog to address and open discussions of different types of loss experienced by children.

Carlstrom, Nancy. I'm Not Moving, Mama. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1999. ISBN 0689828810
Demas, Corinne. Saying Goodbye to Lulu. Boston New York: Little, Brown, 2004. ISBN 031604749X
Varley, Susan. Badger's Parting Gifts. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1984. ISBN 0688115187
Viorst, Judith. Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move. New York, NY:     Aladdin Paperbacks, 1998. ISBN 0689820895
Viorst, Judith. The Tenth Good Thing About Barney. New York: Aladdin Books, 1988. ISBN 0689712030

Millions of Cats (Wanda Gag)

Gag, Wanda. Millions of Cats. New York: Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 1928. ISBN 0881035602

Plot Summary
A man and woman live in an ideal home but are lonely. The man sets off to find a companion and discovers many cats, but is unable to choose just one. Millions of cats accompany the man back home. At their arrival, the wife is aghast and insists that they are unable to support so many cats. The cats are then asked to choose the prettiest to stay with the couple, and a vicious fight ensues. In the end, only one cat remains.

Critical Analysis
The main characters of this story are not distinctive or individualized as is the case in many modern children’s books. Instead, this book stands out as a classic because of Gag’s ability to weave a timeless story story with characters that are universal in nature. A child listening to this story can quickly place themselves in the position of the old man, unable to pick just one cat, one of the cats, wanting to be thought the prettiest, or the old lady, nurturing and caring for their beloved pet.

Rhythm and repetition will endear children to the book as it is read aloud. Vivid descriptions of each cat’s appearance, along with descriptive accounts of the cats draining of the pond will help children in the creation of their own mental imagery. Simple black and white drawings done reminiscent of old world dutch figurines add further dimension and bring life to the story. The younger readers will depend on the pictures to grasp the sometimes mature vocabulary and the nature of such large numbers of cats. Even young children will understand the implied theme that being pretty on the “inside” and not on the outside is what ultimately counts.

Awards and Review Excerpt
1929 Newbery Medal Honor
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award Book
Children’s Literature- “text and illustrations [...] flow together”

Connections
*This book would be ideal for use as a readers theatre in the classroom with parts for a narrator, old woman, old man, and several cats.
*Have students rewrite the story from the perspective of one of the millions of cats.
*Do an author study after reading Millions of Cats, introducing Wanda Gag through the book Wanda Gag, The Girl Who Lived to Draw.

Ray, Deborah. Wanda Gág : The Girl Who Lived to Draw. New York, N.Y: Viking, 2008. ISBN 0670062928

Kitten's First Full Moon (Kevin Henkes)

Henkes, Kevin. Kitten's First Full Moon. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2004. ISBN 0060588292

Plot Summary
It is an exciting night when kitten experiences his first full moon. Kitten mistakes the large white moon for a delicious bowl of milk. In a series of mishaps, Kitten chases his dream of savoring the big bowl of milk before sadly walking home with an empty tummy. Fortunately for Kitten, and for the reader, Kitten comes home to a happy surprise.

Critical Analysis
This is an incredibly simple, yet emotional story that absorbs the reader into a magical nighttime adventure. The author guides the reader through a straightforward plot using expressive artwork and simple statements. The author’s style works to give insight to Kitten’s determination and gives voice to the readers’ sympathy for Kitten.

The candid black and white illustrations and thoughtful text placement will give depth to young readers’ understanding of the text, bringing the Kitten’s emotions of desire, determination, fear, and sadness to the forefront. With repeated readings, listeners will enjoy joining in with the reader on expressive statements, such as “Poor Kitten!” and “What a night!”.  Young readers will laugh at Kitten’s naivety in thinking the moon is a bowl of milk and yet secretly wish him success after witnessing Kitten’s determination.

Readers of all ages will enjoy the drama of this book while discovering the inspirational theme of persistence through setbacks and disappointments.

Awards and Review Excerpts
2005 Caldecott Medal Winner
The Washington Post- “What a picture book!”
School Library Journal Best Book- “An irresistible offering from the multifaceted Henkes.”

Connections
*This book is a great introduction for students learning to read and write with expression.
*With young kids, this book is a great introduction to exploring emotions.
*Other Kevin Henkes picture books that can be used to explore emotions include:

Henkes, Kevin. Lilly's purple plastic purse. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1996. ISBN 0688128971
Henkes, Kevin. Chrysanthemum. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1991. ISBN 0688147321
Henkes, Kevin. Wemberly worried. Pine Plains, N.Y: Live Oak Media, 2001. ISBN 0061857769