Beautiful Blackbird by Ashley Bryan
Bibliography
Bryan, Ashley. 2003. BEAUTIFUL BLACKBIRD. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689847319
Plot Summary
The solid-colored birds of Africa gather to declare Blackbird to be the most beautiful in the forest. Since the other birds have no black, they make a “blackening brew” to decorate themselves to add beauty to their feathers.
Critical Analysis
Ashley Bryan’s retelling of a folklore tale from the Ila-speaking people of Zambia is a highly reviewed Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner. Bryan encompasses the folktale’s message of appreciating your own beauty and value through Blackbird’s repeated phrases. Bryan structures the text on the page with simple yet descriptive imagery, and his use of beat and meter adds a depth to the songs the birds chant on each page.
Ashley Bryan’s brightly cut and collaged bird illustrations encourage the reader to absorb each individual bird on the page. Bryan layers the art on the page to create action and movement. After experiencing the art and story of Beautiful Blackbird, readers will feel inspired to replicate their own version of the designs.
Review Excerpts
Book Links, 01/01/09
Booklist, 01/15/03
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, 02/01/03
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, 2004
Horn Book Magazine, 10/01/03 “Here's a life-enhancing folktale from Zambia--how birds got their black markings--and a simple, scissors-and-brush way of using collage.”
Horn Book Magazine starred, 03/01/03
Kirkus Reviews, 12/01/02
Publishers Weekly, 11/18/02
School Library Journal, 01/01/03 “This unusual and little-known pourquoi tale may supplement larger collections and serves as a thoughtful and entertaining addition to units on self-esteem.”
Wilson’s Children, 10/01/10
Connections
Explore other works and creations of the author. https://ashleybryancenter.org/
Discuss characteristics of a folktale.
Discuss how the author conveys the message of the Ila people of Zambia through this folktale.
Discuss the importance of discovering your value from within instead of your appearance.
Discuss how the author uses sensory language, repetition, and beat to engage the reader/listener.
Create collage art.
Explore other folklore and folktales from varying cultures.
Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock retold by Eric A. Kimmel, Illustrated by Janet Stevens
Bibliography
Kimmel, Eric A. 1988. ANANSI AND THE MOSS-COVERED ROCK. Ill. By Janet Stevens. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 9780823406890
Plot Summary
Anansi, a popular trickster from West African and Caribbean cultures, swindles all the animals of the forest out of food by having them say the magic words to a sleep-inducing moss-covered rock. Little Bush Deer watches Anansi fool all the animals and decides to teach the spider a lesson. The narrator leads the reader to understand that Anansi hasn’t learned a lesson and will be back for more tricks.
Critical Analysis
Eric A. Kimmel engages his readers in this retelling of a folktale popular in Caribbean culture. Kimmel introduces Anansi to the reader with events that show he doesn’t learn a lesson easily. The dialogue with Anansi and Little Bush Deer creates silly energy between the characters.
Janet Stevens brings an expressive artistic representation to this story. She encapsulates the irony and humor through detailed and vivid illustrations in a style that makes the reader feel connected to the West African and Caribbean setting.
Review Excerpts
Book Links
Booklist, 03/01/96
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Elementary School Library Collection, 06/01/00
School Library Journal, 1988 “The text is rhythmic, nicely building suspense to the inevitable conclusion. Stevens' complementary, colorful illustrations add detail, humor, and movement to the text.”
Wilson’s Children, 10/01/10
Connections
Explore Eric A. Kimmel's’ other works and projects. https://www.ericakimmel.com/
Explore Janet Stevens’ other works and illustrations. https://janetstevens.com/
Discuss plot elements of traditional folktales.
Explore trickster characteristics in folktales.
Explore folktales from West African and/or Carribean culture.
Discuss the author’s use of repetition to convey a message.
Compare character traits between Anansi and Little Bush Deer.
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, by A. Wolf by Jon Scieszka, Illustrated by Lane Smith
Bibliography
Scieszka, Jon. 1989. THE TRUE STORY OF THE 3 LITTLE PIGS, BY A. WOLF. Ill. by Lane Smith. New York: Viking Kestrel. ISBN 0670888443
Plot Summary
A. Wolf describes his version of what really happened to the three little pigs. He claims his bad cold only made it appear he was huffing and puffing when he just needed to borrow a cup of sugar. The first two pigs happen to die in the accident and are eaten by the wolf. Who can blame a poor wolf for asking his neighbors for a little help.
Critical Analysis
Jon Scieszka crafts a modern storyline for the traditional folktale of the three little pigs. Having the wolf narrate the story allows for added dimension for the well-known characters. Younger readers will enjoy Alexander Wolf’s tone as he describes how he was unfairly implicated and pleads his innocence. Scieszka engages his readers by humorously exaggerating the events and addressing the audience directly.
The intriguing and detailed illustrations created by Lane Smith add another dimension to the words on the page. Smith’s style of saturated watercolor animates the moody sarcastic emotion of the storyline. This artwork masterfully exaggerates the absurd sneezes and aftermath of A. Wolf’s ridiculous predicament.
Review Excerpts
ALA Notable Children’s Books, 1995
Book Links, 03/01/07
Booklist
Elementary School Library Collection, 06/01/00
Horn Book Magazine
Kirkus Reviews, 1989 “Scieszka carries off this revision with suitably mordant humor, ably reflected in Smith's dark, elegantly sophisticated illustrations.”
Publishers Weekly, 07/28/89 “Smith's highly imaginative watercolors eschew realism, further updating the tale, though some may find their urbane stylization and intentionally static quality mystifyingly adult. Designed with uncommon flair, this alternative fable is both fetching and glib.”
Wilson’s Children
Connections
Explore other works by the author, Jon Scieszka https://jonscieszka.com/
Explore other works by the illustrator, Lane Smith https://www.lanesmithbooks.com/
Discuss plot connections between this version and other renditions of the three little pigs folktale.
Discuss narrator’s perspective when telling a story.
Explore character development and the use of dialogue.
Identify and discuss the familiar language used in folktale stories for children.
The Three Pigs by David Wiesner
Bibliography
Wiesner, David. 2001. THE THREE PIGS. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0618007016
Plot Summary
A twist on the traditional telling of the three little pigs, David Wiesner’s version takes the pigs on a journey to a nursery rhyme, fairytale, and still manage to escape the wolf. The pigs travel through pages of other stories and meet characters along the way. With the help of a few friends, the three pigs keep the wolf away and live happily ever after.
Critical Analysis
David Wiesner plays with the text on the page to take the reader on a journey with The Three Pigs. The narrator opens with “Once upon a time...”, but the pigs take over telling the story with clever speech bubbles giving action to the plot. Wiesner also varies the font style as the pigs enter different story book pages. The audience for this picture book will enjoy making connections with these popular characters.
David Wiesner’s illustrations take the main stage in this traditional children’s folktale. The 2002 Caldecott Medal winning artwork begins in Wiesner’s familiar gouache style, then transitions to an innovative change of illustrations. Wiesner cleverly utilizes blank space on a page to show the three pigs falling out of their own story and moving between the pages and into other stories. Wiesner transfers to colorful cartoon illustrations for the cat and the fiddle nursery rhyme, then sketch pencil drawings for the mighty dragon fairytale. Wiesner uses a variety of illustration styles to show a slightly different perspective of the traditional three little pig folktale.
Review Excerpts
ALA Notable Children’s Books, 2002
Book Links, 05/01/04 “Wiesner has created a funny, wildly imagined tale that encourages kids to leap beyond the familiar, to think critically about conventional stories and illustration, and perhaps to flex their imaginations and create wonderfully subversive versions of their own stories.”
Booklist starred, 05/15/01
Caldecott Medal, 2002
Horn Book Magazine starred, 05/01/01
Kirkus Reviews starred, 04/01/01
New York Times, 05/20/01
Publishers Weekly starred, 02/26/01
School Library Journal starred, 04/01/01 “Children will delight in the changing perspectives, the effect of the wolf's folded-paper body, and the whole notion of the interrupted narrative.”
Wilson’s Children, 10/01/01
Connections
Explore the craft and style of David Wiesner’s body of work http://www.davidwiesner.com/
Students compare the characters and plot to other Three Little Pig folktales.
Discuss change in perspective.
Comments
Post a Comment