Down, Down, Down
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Jenkins, Steve. 2008. DOWN, DOWN, DOWN. Harcourt Mifflin Harcourt: Massachusetts. ISBN: 9780618966363.
PLOT SUMMARY:
This book takes the reader on a journey to the deepest depths of the ocean, from the water's edge to the middle of the earth. The underwater creatures grow more and more curious as the drawings and explanations become more and more bizarre.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Steve Jenkins knows how to capture an audience, and proves it once again with DOWN, DOWN, DOWN. This book about the ocean gives detailed descriptions of the world's most insane-looking ocean-dwellers. It begins in the waters just off the coast with animals with which most readers will be somewhat familiar. With each page a deeper look into the sea is revealed (literally!), and by the third page one cannot wait to turn the page to discover the next outrageous living thing that abides in an area that is not likely to be visited by most. The illustrations, which are composed of paper that is cut and torn to create artful impressions of sea creatures, are full of vivid colors, sure to draw even the most cynical eye. The text is small and made to accompany the pictures as opposed to most books, in which the pictures are drawn to go with the text. On the side of each illustration is a scale that alerts the reader to which depth of the sea the page is demonstrating. The journey is as amazing and unbelievable as the introduction promises, delivering the "jellyfish that flash like a neon sign, creatures with teeth so big, they can't close their mouths, and even a squid as long as a bus, which battles to the death with a sperm whale, the largest predator on earth!"
REVIEW EXCERPTS:
ALA Notable Book, 2010
2009 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
One of Eight Most Notable Children's Books of 2009 List, New York Times
2011 Beehive Book Award Nominee
"Once again, Jenkins provides an almost irresistible entry into our natural world for the youngest readers." --Kirkus Reviews
"Depicted in Jenkins's signature handsome collages, the denizens of each level swim against ever-darkening backgrounds ranging from sunny blue to deepest black." --School Library Journal
CONNECTIONS:
Text-to-world connections can be made be easily made by using this book as a read aloud prior to an aquarium visit or a unit on the ocean. Students may find text-to-self connections if they have ever been to the coast and seen or heard of any of the animals described in this book. Text-to-text connections may be discovered by reading other books on the oceans or any of Steve Jenkins' other works, such as BONES, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A TAIL LIKE THIS?, or HOW TO CLEAN A HIPPOPOTAMUS, among others.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Informational Text
We Are the Ship
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Nelson, Kadir. 2008. WE ARE THE SHIP. Ill. by Kadir Nelson. Hyperian Books for Children: New York. ISBN: 9780786808328.
PLOT SUMMARY:
"We are the ship, all else are the sea." This quote by Rube Foster, creator of the Negro National League, epitomizes this book. From the original teams before the league was created to the organization of some of the sport's greatest players, this book tells the story of the struggle for equality in America's favorite pastime.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Written with the title quote in mind, Kadir Nelson tells the story of the Negro League Baseball as if he was in the dugouts, meetings, and on the busses with the players. Not only are several of the players described in short but meaningful paragraphs, the reader is also given the visual treat of Kadir Nelson's amazing artwork. The drawings truly look like photographs taken of these key players of the game and of the struggle for equality. The most striking aspect of the drawings is perhaps the ability of the illustrator to capture the look of sunlight glinting off of a player's dark skin and the look of determination captured in the eyes of these brave men. The story itself is one that even a rookie to the pastime can appreciate. Thrown into the mix are funny quotations and stories that make the characters and situations relatable to the reader. One such story tells of Satchel Paige's visit to a judge after speeding through a small town. The judge fined the player $25 for his violation, but Satchel paid him $50 because he would be "coming back through tomorrow." Upon envisioning this, the reader cannot help but smile and wish Mr. Paige was still around.
REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Coretta Scott King Award
The Robert Siebert Medal
CASEY Award
"Nelson's soulful work about this long-neglected brand of our national pastime deserves- nay, demands - an all-ages audience." --David Davis, LA Times Book Review
CONNECTIONS:
This story is an excellent read aloud on its own, but would make a very interesting addition to a unit on the struggle for equality (possibly during Black History Month). It may be read in conjunction with "The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963", "Birmingham, 1963", "My Brother Martin", or any other book that relates stories of people fighting for freedom (text-to-text connections). Many students will find text-to-self connections (if they are players of baseball) and text-to-world connections (if they are watchers of the sport).
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Nelson, Kadir. 2008. WE ARE THE SHIP. Ill. by Kadir Nelson. Hyperian Books for Children: New York. ISBN: 9780786808328.
PLOT SUMMARY:
"We are the ship, all else are the sea." This quote by Rube Foster, creator of the Negro National League, epitomizes this book. From the original teams before the league was created to the organization of some of the sport's greatest players, this book tells the story of the struggle for equality in America's favorite pastime.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Written with the title quote in mind, Kadir Nelson tells the story of the Negro League Baseball as if he was in the dugouts, meetings, and on the busses with the players. Not only are several of the players described in short but meaningful paragraphs, the reader is also given the visual treat of Kadir Nelson's amazing artwork. The drawings truly look like photographs taken of these key players of the game and of the struggle for equality. The most striking aspect of the drawings is perhaps the ability of the illustrator to capture the look of sunlight glinting off of a player's dark skin and the look of determination captured in the eyes of these brave men. The story itself is one that even a rookie to the pastime can appreciate. Thrown into the mix are funny quotations and stories that make the characters and situations relatable to the reader. One such story tells of Satchel Paige's visit to a judge after speeding through a small town. The judge fined the player $25 for his violation, but Satchel paid him $50 because he would be "coming back through tomorrow." Upon envisioning this, the reader cannot help but smile and wish Mr. Paige was still around.
REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Coretta Scott King Award
The Robert Siebert Medal
CASEY Award
"Nelson's soulful work about this long-neglected brand of our national pastime deserves- nay, demands - an all-ages audience." --David Davis, LA Times Book Review
CONNECTIONS:
This story is an excellent read aloud on its own, but would make a very interesting addition to a unit on the struggle for equality (possibly during Black History Month). It may be read in conjunction with "The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963", "Birmingham, 1963", "My Brother Martin", or any other book that relates stories of people fighting for freedom (text-to-text connections). Many students will find text-to-self connections (if they are players of baseball) and text-to-world connections (if they are watchers of the sport).
Monday, March 7, 2011
Poetry
Come Sunday
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grimes, Nikki. 1997. COME SUNDAY. Ill. by Michael Bryant. Wm. B. Eerdmans: Michigan. ISBN: 0802851088.
PLOT SUMMARY:
The poetic free verse in this book begins on Sunday morning, where the main character's mother is waking her up to get ready for church that day. The story is told through the eyes of this character, a young girl, who loves everything about Sundays (with the exception of the blue-haired women at church pinching her cheeks). She loves the balcony and looking down onto the various hats being worn by women in the congregation, the way her mother's gloves look on her hands, and the music. This book takes the reader through LaTasha's baptism, her inner conflict with how much she should give in the offering, Sunday School, and the lunch at church after the service. It ends with her tummy growling (for the second time at church that day) and her father leading her out the door to start another week.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Anyone who attended church regularly as a child can relate to this book. The excitement of seeing what everyone was wearing, the jubilation of getting baptized, and the growling stomach at lunch time are all great connections to which many people will be able to relate. The illustrations are water color, and the development of shadows and lighting is very indicative of the fluorescent church lighting that the reader can envision overhead. The choir robes and clothes worn by parishioners reminds one of a childhood spent in the sanctuary of her own church. LaTasha's anticipation of the meal and her attitude about every event that takes place that day can only be described as sweet and delicate. Her attitude and this book can be summed up by her description of why she keeps an eye open while praying at the altar (which can invoke goose bumps in some readers!). She says she keeps her eyes open in order to "catch a miracle". She describes these miracles as, "the exact second God's Spirit touches" the person to whom the miracle is happening. She doesn't realize that the blessing may just be the fact that she is so dedicated to God's miracles in life.
REVIEW:
ALA Notable Book
California ReadersCalifornia Collection - elementary reading list
"Whatever their religious backgrounds, readers will smile at the jubilation." - Kirkus Reviews
"This is a wonderful book for introducing children to church life." - Publisher's Weekly
CONNECTIONS:
This book would really touch the young readers that have attended church at any point in their lives as text-to-self connections.
Text-to-text Connections:
"Because of Winn Dixie" (the church aspect of the book, the main characters)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grimes, Nikki. 1997. COME SUNDAY. Ill. by Michael Bryant. Wm. B. Eerdmans: Michigan. ISBN: 0802851088.
PLOT SUMMARY:
The poetic free verse in this book begins on Sunday morning, where the main character's mother is waking her up to get ready for church that day. The story is told through the eyes of this character, a young girl, who loves everything about Sundays (with the exception of the blue-haired women at church pinching her cheeks). She loves the balcony and looking down onto the various hats being worn by women in the congregation, the way her mother's gloves look on her hands, and the music. This book takes the reader through LaTasha's baptism, her inner conflict with how much she should give in the offering, Sunday School, and the lunch at church after the service. It ends with her tummy growling (for the second time at church that day) and her father leading her out the door to start another week.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Anyone who attended church regularly as a child can relate to this book. The excitement of seeing what everyone was wearing, the jubilation of getting baptized, and the growling stomach at lunch time are all great connections to which many people will be able to relate. The illustrations are water color, and the development of shadows and lighting is very indicative of the fluorescent church lighting that the reader can envision overhead. The choir robes and clothes worn by parishioners reminds one of a childhood spent in the sanctuary of her own church. LaTasha's anticipation of the meal and her attitude about every event that takes place that day can only be described as sweet and delicate. Her attitude and this book can be summed up by her description of why she keeps an eye open while praying at the altar (which can invoke goose bumps in some readers!). She says she keeps her eyes open in order to "catch a miracle". She describes these miracles as, "the exact second God's Spirit touches" the person to whom the miracle is happening. She doesn't realize that the blessing may just be the fact that she is so dedicated to God's miracles in life.
REVIEW:
ALA Notable Book
California ReadersCalifornia Collection - elementary reading list
"Whatever their religious backgrounds, readers will smile at the jubilation." - Kirkus Reviews
"This is a wonderful book for introducing children to church life." - Publisher's Weekly
CONNECTIONS:
This book would really touch the young readers that have attended church at any point in their lives as text-to-self connections.
Text-to-text Connections:
"Because of Winn Dixie" (the church aspect of the book, the main characters)
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Poetry
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
by Sonya Sones
PLOT SUMMARY:
This poetic novel uses free verse to tell the story of Ruby, daughter of the famous actor Whip Logan and his ex-wife. While most kids would be much more interested in the famous parent, Ruby is more concerned with her mother, who recently died. The 15-year-old is now forced to move to L.A. to live with her father, who she has not seen in 13 years. This book takes the reader on a ride that many teens would love to be on, but not in the same situation as Ruby Milliken, who just misses her mother, her friends, and her home. Ruby eventually finds her way in this strange new place, but not without a few more heart-wrenching events take place in her life.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
She is not the classic bitter teenager, though. Ruby has deep thoughts about her mother (who she still emails though the messages keep getting sent back to her with "fatal errors"). She befriends her father's assistant, Max (who she lovingly refers to as Aunt Max given his sexual orientation). She has trouble fitting in at her new school, and she misses her best friend and boyfriend back east. Then Ruby stumbles into some even more troubling times, times filled with the death of a classmate who she has never met and the knowledge that her best friend and boyfriend share an ugly secret. Her world comes crashing down, almost literally, and she finds the father she didn't realize she had always had, along with the comfort of new friends and the prospect of a new love. It ends just the way every girl reading it will want her own life to end. The poetry in this novel is beautiful, and even heartbreaking at times. At one low point in the book, the main character describes her pain as "as if my heart's been Novocained." The reader cannot help but tear up as the word choice and even the spacing reflects pain as she tells of the moment her mother died with
"I was holding her hand
when it finally happened."
REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Arizona Young Reader's Award
Garden State Teen Book Award
Iowa Teen Award
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
SCASL Book Award
Volunteer State Book Award
"A winning portrayal of a teenage girl's loves and losses." - Publisher's Weekly
CONNECTIONS:
WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW by Sonya Sones
STOP PRETENDING- WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MY BIG SISTER WENT CRAZY by Sonya Sones
by Sonya Sones
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Sones, Sonya. 2004. ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 1416907882.
PLOT SUMMARY:
This poetic novel uses free verse to tell the story of Ruby, daughter of the famous actor Whip Logan and his ex-wife. While most kids would be much more interested in the famous parent, Ruby is more concerned with her mother, who recently died. The 15-year-old is now forced to move to L.A. to live with her father, who she has not seen in 13 years. This book takes the reader on a ride that many teens would love to be on, but not in the same situation as Ruby Milliken, who just misses her mother, her friends, and her home. Ruby eventually finds her way in this strange new place, but not without a few more heart-wrenching events take place in her life.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
She is not the classic bitter teenager, though. Ruby has deep thoughts about her mother (who she still emails though the messages keep getting sent back to her with "fatal errors"). She befriends her father's assistant, Max (who she lovingly refers to as Aunt Max given his sexual orientation). She has trouble fitting in at her new school, and she misses her best friend and boyfriend back east. Then Ruby stumbles into some even more troubling times, times filled with the death of a classmate who she has never met and the knowledge that her best friend and boyfriend share an ugly secret. Her world comes crashing down, almost literally, and she finds the father she didn't realize she had always had, along with the comfort of new friends and the prospect of a new love. It ends just the way every girl reading it will want her own life to end. The poetry in this novel is beautiful, and even heartbreaking at times. At one low point in the book, the main character describes her pain as "as if my heart's been Novocained." The reader cannot help but tear up as the word choice and even the spacing reflects pain as she tells of the moment her mother died with
"I was holding her hand
when it finally happened."
REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Arizona Young Reader's Award
Garden State Teen Book Award
Iowa Teen Award
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
SCASL Book Award
Volunteer State Book Award
"A winning portrayal of a teenage girl's loves and losses." - Publisher's Weekly
CONNECTIONS:
Excerpts from this book would be beneficial in teaching the trait of Sentence Fluency in students' own writing.
WHAT MY GIRLFRIEND DOESN'T KNOW by Sonya SonesWHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW by Sonya Sones
STOP PRETENDING- WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MY BIG SISTER WENT CRAZY by Sonya Sones
Poetry
Birmingham, 1963
by Carole Boston Weatherford
The word choice allows the reader to step into the shoes of this young girl and be a member of this church. One can almost hear the screams of the other parishioners as a short description of the event unfolds. The author spends quite a bit of the short book building up to the event. She describes not only the events that led to the bombing, such as water hoses and dogs being turned lose on pedestrians, but also what the narrator has for breakfast and how excited she is to be performing a solo in church that day. It really sets the tone of the unrest that had become so commonplace at this moment in history. The horrifying occurrence itself is mentioned without great detail, as if the child doesn't want to get too far into what she saw. The rest of the day is described, and there is a sadness beyond her years as she speaks not of the birthday party that she will no longer have that day, but of the four girls who will have no more birthdays and of the mayhem in the streets of her town on the heels of this tragedy. The point of view in this book makes it all the more evident how terrible this day really was, and that very young children were witnesses to the atrocities that took place on that infamous day. The book's pictures are real photos taken that day. They show families crying out in the streets and utter confusion on the faces of the residents of Birmingham that awful day, a day that will stand out in the history of that city and of our nation forever.
by Carole Boston Weatherford
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2007. BIRMINGHAM, 1963. Pennsylvania: Wordsong. ISBN 9781590784402.
PLOT SUMMARY:
This historical fiction free verse tells the touching story of a fictional narrator who turns ten the day that the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama. The story is told from the narration of a young girl who turns ten on the day this tragic event takes place. The book starts off talking about the year the girl turned ten as a year of major events in the Civil Rights Movement. It then transitions into an account of how these events are seen through the eyes of an innocent young girl. After discussing the tragedy itself, a description of the aftermath is told. It paints a picture of chaos and fear in this girl's world. This was a day of devastation, and it is evident in the way this story is told.
The word choice allows the reader to step into the shoes of this young girl and be a member of this church. One can almost hear the screams of the other parishioners as a short description of the event unfolds. The author spends quite a bit of the short book building up to the event. She describes not only the events that led to the bombing, such as water hoses and dogs being turned lose on pedestrians, but also what the narrator has for breakfast and how excited she is to be performing a solo in church that day. It really sets the tone of the unrest that had become so commonplace at this moment in history. The horrifying occurrence itself is mentioned without great detail, as if the child doesn't want to get too far into what she saw. The rest of the day is described, and there is a sadness beyond her years as she speaks not of the birthday party that she will no longer have that day, but of the four girls who will have no more birthdays and of the mayhem in the streets of her town on the heels of this tragedy. The point of view in this book makes it all the more evident how terrible this day really was, and that very young children were witnesses to the atrocities that took place on that infamous day. The book's pictures are real photos taken that day. They show families crying out in the streets and utter confusion on the faces of the residents of Birmingham that awful day, a day that will stand out in the history of that city and of our nation forever.
REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
Jane Addams Children's Literature Honor
Jefferson Cup
Best Book, Librarian's Choices
"Exquisitely understated design lends visual potency to a searing poetic evocation of the Birmingham church bombing of 1963." Kirkus Reviews
CONNECTIONS:
This book would be excellent to read as an introduction to THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. It would also be an beneficial addition to a unit on Civil Rights (maybe during Black History Month or on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day).
BECOMING BILLIE HOLIDAY by Carole Boston Weatherford
MOSES by Carole Boston Weatherford
I, MATTHEW HENSON by Carole Boston Weatherford
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Traditional Literature
Sky Dogs
by Jane Yolen
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Yolen, Jane. 1990. SKY DOGS. Ill. by Barry Moser. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 0-15-275480-6.
PLOT SUMMARY
This story takes the reader back in time, via the memory of a Native American elder, to a time when horses were first introduced to his tribe. He was a motherless Piegan boy who was as astounded as everyone else when three Kutani people and three horses ride up to his village. This was the first time his people had seen horses, and they named them "sky dogs". The boy timidly was the first to approach one of the horses and touch it. The father of the boy married the Kutani woman, who taught the boy all about horses. He comes to be called He-who-loves-horses and earned a place in the council of warriors.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In this adaptation of several Native American legends, Jane Yolen captures the voice of the Native American people. This book is difficult to read aloud without using a Native American accent, which tells you how strongly the characters come through. The word choice is truly beautiful, and the story is one that warms the heart. At the same time, a feeling of sorror is almost overwhelming as the reader contemplates how much this man has seen in his life. He went from a time of his people respecting the land, through learning how to ride like the wind, then to a point where he no longer rides and the land now belongs to the white man. The pictures are all set in browns, oranges, and tans, which makes the reader feel the heat of a peaceful sunset and possibly a warm fire glowing nearby, where all of the elders are sitting and telling legends much like the story itself.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
ALA Notable Book, 1990
Walden Books Best Children's Book of the Year Honor, 1990
Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List, 1990
Young Hoosier Picture Book Award nominee, 1990
"Writer and artist together have produced a fine evocation of a place and a people." - Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle
CONNECTIONS
This book is an excellent to read during a unit on legends and folk tales. Though this is an adaptation, its voice and word choice really convey the importance of respect for land and nature and the life of our Native American predecesors.
"Night Tree" by Eve Bunting
"The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush" by Tomie DePaola
by Jane Yolen
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Yolen, Jane. 1990. SKY DOGS. Ill. by Barry Moser. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 0-15-275480-6.
PLOT SUMMARY
This story takes the reader back in time, via the memory of a Native American elder, to a time when horses were first introduced to his tribe. He was a motherless Piegan boy who was as astounded as everyone else when three Kutani people and three horses ride up to his village. This was the first time his people had seen horses, and they named them "sky dogs". The boy timidly was the first to approach one of the horses and touch it. The father of the boy married the Kutani woman, who taught the boy all about horses. He comes to be called He-who-loves-horses and earned a place in the council of warriors.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In this adaptation of several Native American legends, Jane Yolen captures the voice of the Native American people. This book is difficult to read aloud without using a Native American accent, which tells you how strongly the characters come through. The word choice is truly beautiful, and the story is one that warms the heart. At the same time, a feeling of sorror is almost overwhelming as the reader contemplates how much this man has seen in his life. He went from a time of his people respecting the land, through learning how to ride like the wind, then to a point where he no longer rides and the land now belongs to the white man. The pictures are all set in browns, oranges, and tans, which makes the reader feel the heat of a peaceful sunset and possibly a warm fire glowing nearby, where all of the elders are sitting and telling legends much like the story itself.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
ALA Notable Book, 1990
Walden Books Best Children's Book of the Year Honor, 1990
Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List, 1990
Young Hoosier Picture Book Award nominee, 1990
"Writer and artist together have produced a fine evocation of a place and a people." - Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle
CONNECTIONS
This book is an excellent to read during a unit on legends and folk tales. Though this is an adaptation, its voice and word choice really convey the importance of respect for land and nature and the life of our Native American predecesors.
"Night Tree" by Eve Bunting
"The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush" by Tomie DePaola
Traditional Literature
Rapunzel
by Paul O. Zelinsky
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Zelinsky, Paul O. 1997. RAPUNZEL. Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-525-45607-4.
PLOT SUMMARY
This classic tale begins with a married couple deeply in love that had finally conceived after many years of trying. The wife had cravings for the rapunzel that grew in a sorceress' garden. This sorceress found the husband stealing the herb, and insisted that he give her the infant when she was born. The sorceress took the baby, named Rapunzel, to live with her and put her in a tower in her teen years. The only entrance into the tower was gained by Rapunzel letting down her hair and allowing someone to climb up the hair into the tower. A prince wandering by learned of this secret entrance one day, and he and Rapunzel secretly married. Soon she became pregnant. When the sorceress found out, she chopped off her hair and cast the pregnant Rapunzel into the wilderness. The prince was pushed out of the tower window by the evil sorceress and became blind. He wandered into the wilderness where he found Rapunzel, whose tears healed his blindness, and his twin children. The family made its way back to the prince's kingdom and lived happily ever after.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
I will admit that I do not remember much about the Rapunzel tale I was told as a child, but this tale surprised me in many ways. It does not seem appropriate for elementary-aged children, though it was found in my school library. Pregnancy was introduced in the book by the women's clothes growing tighter. Rapunzel's parents did not seem very upset about giving up their only child, and they were not mentioned again. The prince was pushed out of the window of the tall tower, but was not killed. In true fairy tale fashion, his blindness was cured by the tears of his true love. The ending was also a fairy tale ending, complete with the marriage to royalty and a perfect family. Zelinsky chose elements from Grimm's version as well as older version of the tale in order to compose this adaptation. The pictures in the book are beautiful paintings with vivid color and exceptional detail. The characters' clothing alone captures the detail of billowing robes and silks. It is truly beautiful to look at.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Reviews: "Grandly evocative, composed and executed with superb technical and emotional command."
Horn Book: "Simply put, this is a gorgeous book; it demonstrates respect for the traditions of painting and the fairy tale while at the same time adhering to a singular, wholly original, artistic vision."
Winner - Caldecott Medal, 1998
CONNECTIONS
This book can be read along with other versions of "Rapunzel" and used as a tool for comparing/ contrasting characters and events throughout the variants of the tales.
"Rapunzel" Grimm's Fairy Tales
Disney's Tangled (Book and movie)
"Rapunzel and Other Maiden in the Tower Tales from Around the World (SurLaLune Fairy Tale Series)" by Heidi Anne Heiner
by Paul O. Zelinsky
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Zelinsky, Paul O. 1997. RAPUNZEL. Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-525-45607-4.
PLOT SUMMARY
This classic tale begins with a married couple deeply in love that had finally conceived after many years of trying. The wife had cravings for the rapunzel that grew in a sorceress' garden. This sorceress found the husband stealing the herb, and insisted that he give her the infant when she was born. The sorceress took the baby, named Rapunzel, to live with her and put her in a tower in her teen years. The only entrance into the tower was gained by Rapunzel letting down her hair and allowing someone to climb up the hair into the tower. A prince wandering by learned of this secret entrance one day, and he and Rapunzel secretly married. Soon she became pregnant. When the sorceress found out, she chopped off her hair and cast the pregnant Rapunzel into the wilderness. The prince was pushed out of the tower window by the evil sorceress and became blind. He wandered into the wilderness where he found Rapunzel, whose tears healed his blindness, and his twin children. The family made its way back to the prince's kingdom and lived happily ever after.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
I will admit that I do not remember much about the Rapunzel tale I was told as a child, but this tale surprised me in many ways. It does not seem appropriate for elementary-aged children, though it was found in my school library. Pregnancy was introduced in the book by the women's clothes growing tighter. Rapunzel's parents did not seem very upset about giving up their only child, and they were not mentioned again. The prince was pushed out of the window of the tall tower, but was not killed. In true fairy tale fashion, his blindness was cured by the tears of his true love. The ending was also a fairy tale ending, complete with the marriage to royalty and a perfect family. Zelinsky chose elements from Grimm's version as well as older version of the tale in order to compose this adaptation. The pictures in the book are beautiful paintings with vivid color and exceptional detail. The characters' clothing alone captures the detail of billowing robes and silks. It is truly beautiful to look at.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Reviews: "Grandly evocative, composed and executed with superb technical and emotional command."
Horn Book: "Simply put, this is a gorgeous book; it demonstrates respect for the traditions of painting and the fairy tale while at the same time adhering to a singular, wholly original, artistic vision."
Winner - Caldecott Medal, 1998
CONNECTIONS
This book can be read along with other versions of "Rapunzel" and used as a tool for comparing/ contrasting characters and events throughout the variants of the tales.
"Rapunzel" Grimm's Fairy Tales
Disney's Tangled (Book and movie)
"Rapunzel and Other Maiden in the Tower Tales from Around the World (SurLaLune Fairy Tale Series)" by Heidi Anne Heiner
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