Caldecott Award Winning Traditional Literature

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Taback, Simms. Joseph had a Little Overcoat. New York, NY:  Viking ,1999.

ISBN 9780670878550

Summary of Plot:

Joseph is a very practical man who has an overcoat that is beginning to show some wear. Soon his overcoat becomes old and worn he makes a jacket out of it. Then the jacket becomes old and worn, but Joseph makes a vest out of it. The pattern continues with each new item becoming old and worn and Joseph is able to come up with something new and a little smaller each time. Finally the last thing Joseph is able to make is a button. Unfortunately the button falls off and it appears that Joseph may be left with nothing, however, he is able to use his experience to make a book. The book ends with the moral of the story…”you can always make something out of nothing.”

Critical Analysis:

The illustrations by Simms Taback easily capture the reader’s attention. The pictures contain colorful details and on some pages there are actual holes in the clothing and once the page is turned the new article of clothing made from the old one is revealed.

The story is based on a Yiddish folksong and the actual song the story is based on is printed in the back of the book. The illustrations help portray the culture of a Jewish man and the moral of the story, making something out of nothing, reflects the ideals of not being wasteful as seen in Jewish beliefs. Some illustrations also reveal writings in Yiddish.

Reviews & Awards:

“With its effective repetition and an abundance of visual humor, this is tailor-made for reading aloud.”--Publishers Weekly

Caldecott Award winning book

Connections:

*Make a list of what can be done with worn out clothing and discuss how reusing materials is important to our community.

*Cut out pictures from a magazine and glue together to make an overcoat collage. The pictures can be representative of a particular theme.

*Collect old items and put them together to make something new.

*Make predictions about what Joseph might make next as you read the story aloud.

The 3 Little Pigs: A New Version

Scieszka, Jon, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs. Ill.by Lane Smith New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1996.

ISBN: 0670827592

Summary of Plot:

Al, a.k.a. the Big Bad Wolf, is finally given the opportunity to tell his side of the story about what really happened with the three little pigs. He recalls making a cake for his granny and needing a cup of sugar. He decides to go borrow a cup of sugar from his neighbors, the three little pigs. He could not help it when as he knocked on the doors of the pigs houses he would huff and puff and sneeze. Unfortunately the pigs homes were not sturdy and could not endure a wolf sneeze. The accidental death of the pigs was ill-fated and the he felt bad letting a juicy pig go to waste, so that is why he gobbled them up. Poor Al, framed and imprisoned, if only his pig neighbors would have been friendlier!

Critical Analysis:

Scieszka presents a witty new version of the traditional story of The Three Little Pigs. This version is from the point of the traditional antagonist, the wolf, which instantly draws the readers in by offering an “insider” view point. The element of the traditional “bad guy,” the wolf, takes an interesting turn as the wolf makes a case for why he now should be the “good guy.”

Lane Smith adds to the humor of the story by including clever details within the pictures such as, bunny ears sticking out of the cake the wolf makes for his granny and the pattern of a set table that the sticks fall in after the second little pig’s house falls down.

The overall message of good triumphing over evil is not as prevalent as perhaps the message that there are two sides to every story and both sides need a voice. Children may learn that only the best judgment can be made after hearing both sides of the story.

Reviews and Awards:

“One of the best books of the year, exuding vitality and energy.”—Bookseller

“Pure creativity.”—Junior Bookshelf                                         

ALA Noteable Book

 School Library Journal, NY Times, and Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

Connections:

*Compare and Contrast the traditional tale of the three little pigs with Scieszka’s True Story of the 3 Little Pigs.

*Write the Wolf a letter about why you either believe or disbelieve his story.

*Write your own version of the three little pig story.

*Illustrate a “Wanted” or “Free the Wolf” poster.

*Act out the three little pigs story as it was recounted by the wolf.

Folktale- Eric Kimmel

Kimmel, Eric. BABA YAGA: A Russian Folktale. Ill. by Megan Lloyd. New York, NY: Holiday House. 1991.

ISBN: 9780823408542

Summary of Plot:

A young girl, Marina, has been born with a horn on her forehead. Marina is mistreated by her father’s wife and stepsister and is forced to be a servant in her own home when her father does not return home. One day Marina is set to the wicked witch, Baba Yaga. Along the way she meets a frog who offers her some friendly advice, which saves her from the witch and replaces the horn on the forehead of her unkind step sister.

Critical Analysis:

Kimmel’s adaption of Baba Yaga clearly reflects the theme of good triumphing over evil. Readers quickly empathize with Marina because of the loss she has suffered, the horn on her head, and the dreadful stepmother and stepsister that she must endure. The story’s ending brings new and happy beginnings for Marina and reveals a not-so-delightful fate for her stepmother and stepsister.

Kimmel’s portrayal of the good character, Marina, is unique in that he describes her with a horn on her head. This portrayal is visually different from the Cinderella because the horn is so unfortunate for Marina.

The illustrations help to keep the book light and appropriate for young readers. Upon hearing the story orally one might visualize a scary witch, but the illustrations set an appropriate tone and still reveal the true nature of the characters.

Reviews and Awards:

“Kimmel's ( Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins ) waggish, well-turned retelling of this popular legend contains the requisite elements of classic folktales.”—Publishers Weekly

Caldecott Award winning author

Connections:

*Compare and Contrast Cinderella and Marina.

*During reading list elements of folktales as seen Kimmel’s adaptation of Baba Yaga

*Complete a story map for Kimmel’s Baba Yaga

Mo Willems

 

 

Willems, Mo. The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2008.

ISBN 9781423109600

 

Summary of Plot:

The Pigeon declares that he REALLY wants a puppy, at least since last Tuesday. He talks about how he will give the puppy plenty of sunshine and water. The pigeon goes on to discuss how much he loves puppies and demands to have one at that very moment. Finally a puppy shows up and it seems maybe the pigeon did not want a puppy after all. He had not realized how big it was. He had not imagined that the teeth, claws, and slobber would be so overwhelming. The pigeon’s dream of having a puppy quickly changes and he decides to set his sights on a pet walrus.

 

Critical Analysis:

Mo Willems uses simple illustrations and minimal text as he relays a range of emotions from his pigeon character. By using dialogue that is reminiscent of many children, young readers can easily relate to the pigeon. These phrases and the personality of the pigeon entice readers to read along with the story with emotion and expression.

 

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy  is a great read aloud choice because the dialogue involves the listener. The pigeon asks questions such as “Do you even want me to be happy?” and listeners will surely give all their attention to the reader. Humor is another reason that would make this book a great read aloud. The pigeon’s personality is hilarious and children will be laughing out loud.

 

There are several books in the pigeon book series and children will surely want to check out more after they see the antics of this funny little pigeon.

 

Reviews and Awards:

 

Willems's hilariously expressive illustrations and engaging text are cinematic in their interplay. Maybe kids won't appreciate the genius behind it the way adults will, but that won't stop them from asking for this book again and again.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan in School Library Journal

Caldecott Medal winning author

Connections:

*Discuss reading with emotion and expression. Have students take turns reading aloud pages they have selected using emotion and expression.

*Do a Mo Willems author study.

*Write the pigeon a letter explaining what he should know in order to be ready for a puppy.

Caldecott Medal Winner 2005

 

Henkes, Kevin. Kitten’s First Full Moon. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books, 2004.

ISBN 9780060588281

Summary of Plot:

Kitten is excited by her first full moon because she thinks it is a big bowl of milk. She tries to lap it up, but tastes bugs instead. Then she leaps for it, but falls. Next she runs to try to reach it and climbs a tall tree, but she cannot seem to get to her bowl of milk in the sky. Suddenly, Kitten sees her bowl of milk in the pond below the tree and dives into it. She finds herself wet and tired and decides to head home. Upon her return, Kitten discovers what she had been looking for all along was waiting for her on the front porch of her home. Lucky Kitten!

Critical Analysis:

Through its black and white illustrations and use of a delicate kitten character, Kitten’s First Full Moon sets a soothing and soft tone for readers. Henkes does an excellent job of evoking emotion through the use of the kitten’s facial expressions and the journey the kitten embarks on to reach her bowl of milk. For example, readers may feel sorry for the kitten when she leaps of the porch and hurts herself, but they may laugh when the kitten eats a bug because she is trying to lap up the bowl of milk in the sky.

Henkes’ approach for the illustrations is truly unique. He uses black, white, and grey for all the illustrations, but through the use of bold lines and shading, details are able to stand out on the pages.

The tender tone of the book makes it a great candidate for a cozy bedtime story, but would also make a great read aloud because of the repetitive lines children could chime in on during a reading.

Awards & Reviews:

Caldecott Medal 2005

Parents’ Choice Award 2004

NY Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year 2004

“In a surprisingly new guise, Henkes turns his hand for his 34^th book to a retro look, with rough-hewn, black-and-white illustrations that pair perfectly with this deceptively simple story” - Kirkus Reviews.

 

Connections:

*Sequence the events of the story and retell the story to work on story comprehension.

*Research and identify other phases of the moon.

*Read Happy Birthday Moon by Frank Asch and compare the kitten and the bear.

Classic Picture Book

Eastman, P.D. Go,Dog.Go!. New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 1961.

ISBN 0394800206

Summary of Plot:

Dogs of all colors and sizes are busy going about their daily routines such as driving around in cars, playing, reading, working, and even conversing about hats. The dogs sleep at night and they go during the day. Eventually all the dogs start driving to a central location and they all end up at a big dog party!

Critical Analysis:

The simple and repetitive language of Go, Dog. Go! makes it a valuable piece of literature for emergent and beginning readers. The simple language also allows beginning readers to build fluency and phrasing as they continually come to prepositional phrases. The illustrations by Eastman are very detailed and can be humorous at times. For example on one page Eastman writes simple sentences about it being night and all the dogs are asleep, the illustrations provide more depth by showing a bed that spans both pages and sleeps all the dogs. The illustration also depicts one dog who is still awake, a teeny-tiny dog sprawled in the center of the bed, and one dog whose bottom half sticks out from under the bed. The extra details allow readers to communicate about what they see in the illustrations, providing more depth to the story. The book's words and illustrations make it humorous and entertaining for readers. There is an interchange between a girl poodle and a boy dog who converse about the poodle's hat. The dog repeatedly states he does not like her hat, but in the end she surprises him with an outrageously large and ornate hat that he finally likes. That particular interchange is surprising, funny, and evokes emotion from the reader. Go, Dog. Go! is an entertaining book that builds excitement for reading at an early age.

Reviews:

School Library Journal lists Go, Dog. Go! as number 28 in it top 100 picture book lists.

Connections:

*Draw a picture of something you do from day to day and write a sentence that mimics the sentences from the story. For example, the sentence may contain a color word or positional word to describe the picture.

*Get creative and design a hat that the yellow dog in the story would indeed like.

*Use opposites from the book and write them on index cards to play a matching game.

*Write a short that mimics the antics of the dogs, but change the characters to another animal.