Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Favourite Fairytale Retellings

Posted on August 3, 2015 by carriegelson

It’s time for Top Ten Tuesday, a meme created by The Broke and Bookish.

This week’s topic? Ten Fairytale Retellings I’ve Read/Want To Read

I decided to focus on books I have read and loved: 5 of my favourite picture books and 5 of my favourite MG/YA novels. I love fairytales and stories with nuances of fairytale elements. But, I am very particular. It is a pleasure to share what I consider to be some of the very best in this list.

Picture Books:

The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf, and Grandma written by Diane Fox and illustrated by Christyan Fox

Hilarious. Kind of like having a backseat driver “helping” tell a story. Annoying for the narrator. Amusing for the readers. Little Red Riding Hood like you have never before heard it.

The Princess and the Pig written by Jonathan Emmett and illustrated by Poly Bernatene

This lovely little read manages to link to many classic fairy tales while telling a great original story and poking fun at just about everything! A pig and a princess switch places and the happy ending is not what you might predict.

Me and You by Anthony Browne

Browne tells simultaneous stories, letting us into the world of Goldilocks while at the same time we revisit the familiar story about the bears. On the left, sepia images of the little girl, out on an errand with Mom and then suddenly, lost. Her story is wordless, told just through the images. On the right, we follow little bear and his Mummy and Daddy as they head out for a walk and then return home to find a stranger in their home. A version of the Goldilocks story that we are very familiar with. This story blurs the absolutes of fairy tale right and wrong and introduces a lovely element of empathy.

The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz and illustrated by Dan Santat

Certainly not the Three Little Pigs story we thought we knew! A fan of pig power? Girl power? Stories where the bullies don’t win? This book delivers! Kiya!

The Very Smart Pea and the Princess-to-Be by Mini Grey

This book is told from the perspective of the pea! A pea, who plays quite an active role in the outcome of this tale . . .

Novels:

Rump: The True Story of Rumplestiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

Such an interesting twist on the fairytale we know. Loved reading this aloud to my class. Why is this book so special? The children loved the whole idea that this was the “back story” of a well known tale. They felt they were in on some secrets! And what characters! We were rooting for Rump. We loved Red and the Trolls and Nothing, the donkey! We all agreed that the King and the Miller were terrible. The pixies fascinated us. Children begged and pleaded for me to read this book at every possible free minute of out day.

The Prince of the Pond by Donna Jo Napoli

The story of the Frog Prince but told from the perspective of the pond and the frogs. The prince is now a frog and must adjust to pond life and to talking like a frog. It is more difficult than it seems. Certain sounds aren’t possible thus, The Frog Prince is De Fawg Pin. Learn a lot about frogs. And their life cycle. Meet Jade, Pin’s mate. Despise the hag. Root for the froglets! Read this aloud to a group of children and prepare for spit out your milk laughter. Chortles. Giggles. Guffawing. The first in a trilogy.

Breadcrumbs written by Anne Ursu

Inspired by the classic story The Snow Queen with all kinds of modern everything. Yet magical fantasy that feels utterly timeless. Read this to my children who loved the mix between fairy tale and real life and all of the references to stories and books they knew. Beautiful as a read aloud – the words just come off the page, swirl around and we are immersed in the book.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

I became quickly hooked on all things Shannon Hale after reading this book and went on to read the complete Books of Bayern series. Fast paced. Lots of magic. Fantastic characters. The perfect book to get lost in.

Cinder written by Marissa Meyer

Honestly, I was surprised by how addictive this story was for me. I thought it would be a light read but I was drawn in to the drama and intrigue despite suspecting some of the secrets unveiled late in the novel quite early on. Futuristic, fantasy/sci-fi with fairy tale elements and high drama.

What are your favourite fairytale retellings?

Monday May 27th, 2013

Posted on May 27, 2013 by carriegelson

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Join Jen and Kellee’s meme and share all of your reading from picture books to young adult reads! Such a fantastic way to learn about “new to you” titles by exploring all of the blog posts shared! Share your own reading on twitter via the hashtag #IMWAYR

My picture book obsession has continued and so again I have many books to share. Like the last few weeks, I will keep it to my ten favourites.

Brief Thief written by Michael Escoffier and illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo Absolutely hilarious. Dare you to read this and not laugh. Or at least smile. Definitely smirk. My daughter called it disgusting when I read it to her which made me love it all the more. So of course I had to share it with my students. The first three pages each have one sentence. On page three, we find out that the main character (a likeable lizard) has to go poo. Well, of course, . . . that got everyone’s attention. One child even shared that he often had a meal, went to play and then (like the lizard) had to run back in and take a poo! Oh thank goodness, we have created an environment where connecting is valued 🙂 Anyway, I don’t want to give much of the plot away as this book really does need to be experienced. I will say though that the “briefs” on the cover are stolen to deal with a toilet paper crisis, there is a battle with a “conscience” and in the end, heroes (of sorts) win out. That’s all I’m saying (Except – Go read the book!)

My New Shirt written by Cary Fagan and illustrated by Dusan Petricic This pair work so wonderfully together. Their recent Mr. Zinger’s Hat is one of my favourite picture books of 2013. My New Shirt came out in 2007 and I happened upon it at my public library today. This isn’t a book for those that don’t like a longer picture book. It is on the lengthy side and would likely be best shared with readers 8 and up just so that the length can be managed and the humour appreciated. It is basically about a young boy who is gifted a new white dress shirt every year on his birthday by his grandmother. This year when his “Bubbie” gives him the shirt, he has a sort of “out of body” experience (that involves an image of endless white shirts floating towards him) and the shirt ends up getting dropped out the window. What happens from there is an amusing romp through the neighbourhood and around the eclectic neighbours as the chase is on after the shirt (keenly held in the pet dog’s teeth)! Maybe this book especially appeals to me because I have “gift receiving anxiety” It’s a lot of pressure to receive a gift gracefully – especially one you might not like – although I have never thrown anything out of the window!

The Big Question written and illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch A simple little picture book that tackles a huge life question: “Why am I here?” Turning the pages allows us to hear many answers to this big question. “You’re here to kiss the clouds,” says the pilot. “You are here to obey,” the soldier states. “So that you many learn patience,” the gardener shares. The book takes us through many answers from people and animals alike. It ends with the wisdom that as you grow, more answers will reveal themselves and includes a place in the back to make notes for when answers are discovered. This book won the Bologna Ragazzi award in 2004. Original edition is in German.

Backbeard and the Birthday Suit written and illustrated by Matthew McElligott All about fun and ridiculous pirate fashion. One of the best pirate books out there. Backbeard is the quintessential pirate – hairy, stinky, and full of pirate swagger.

Puffin Peter written and illustrated by Petr Horacek Absolutely stunning illustrations. A story about friendship, the similarities and differences in birds and the importance of being specific. And whoa . . . a gorgeous whale page!

Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping written and illustrated by Melanie Watt When I shared this book with my class, we had to pull out every Scaredy Squirrel book in the room and these books travelled from child to child during independent reading time. Scaredy Squirrel is the most wonderfully anxious, eccentric character out there. How can you not love a squirrel who dons a survival kit to bring an extension cord to a power outlet so that he can watch TV shows about camping in the safety of his own tree? (Think I just summarized the book in one very long and exhausting sentence) Hilarious!

The Princess and the Pig written by Jonathan Emmett and illustrated by Poly Bernatene This lovely little read manages to link to many classic fairy tales while telling a great original story and poking fun at just about everything! A pig and a princess switch places and the happy ending is not what you might predict.

Not your Typical Dragon written by Dan Bar-el and illustrated by Tim Bowers What happens when a little dragon is born into a long line of wonderful fire breathers and can’t manage to even produce a little puff of smoke? A story about diversity, acceptance and realizing what you need.

Little Red Riding Hood written by Lari Don and illustrated by Celia Chauffrey I have been collecting many fairy tales for our class collection and loved the illustrations in this version. Some twists from the original tale. A Barefoot Books book so just beautifully done and contains a story CD.

Just Ducks! written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Salvatore Rubbino I love the gentle narration infused with facts in this beautifully illustrated book about ducks! And I love ducks. This book would have been a treasure to my childhood self.

In other reading, I finished two fantastic middle grade novels.

Bigger than a Breadbox written by Laurel Snyder So powerful. A sensitive story about a young girl coping with the separation of her parents. Captures emotions and thinking that is so personal and raw. The magic in this book is really well done. It seems possibly impossible and I’m sure would entice young readers to continually ask themselves, what would they do in Rebecca’s place? While this book is about the break up of a marriage and what it does to a family, it also handles all of the emotions of moving to a new place and new school so well. Important and real family moments. Friend anxiety. A perfect middle grade selection.

Hold Fast written by Blue Balliett This is the first Balliett title I have read. I was very curious about this novel. I have seen people rave about it and others have some pretty specific criticism. I was quickly captured by the brilliant word/literacy reverence and the rhythms of language. What held me was the power of family and faith and the desire for home. Such an important book.

What’s next? Homesick by Kate Klise. This was a recommendation made to me by another blogger from the #IMWAYR community, Ms Yingling, when she saw I had read another title about a child of a hoarder. Will be interesting to see how this topic is handled in this novel.

Princesses and hidden peas

Posted on March 15, 2013 by carriegelson

Fairy tales are fantastic and fractured fairy tales offer fun and quirky twists on those stories that we love.

The Princess and the Pea is one of my favourite stories! So sharing it with the students was a lot of fun.

This week I shared two “alternatives” to the classic Princess and the Pea story.

First we read Mini Grey‘s The Very Smart Pea and the Princess-to-Be

This book is told from the perspective of the pea! A pea, who plays quite an active role in the outcome of this tale . . .

Later that same day we read The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas written by Tony Wilson and illustrated by Sue deGennaro

Our art projects were inspired by these books but I got my original inspiration from my favourite Art Blog, Deep Space Sparkle that highlighted these wonderfully whimsical Princess and the Pea projects. Princess beds, a hidden pea, glitter crowns . . . This project was a lot of fun!

What we did:

First, we drew elaborate princess beds using black crayons (I love that my students get so excited with art projects that they just jump right in and don’t worry about pencils first and everything being perfect!)

Next we piled on the mattresses!

Then we added a princess and started adding colour to decorations to the mattresses. We used oil pastels to add rich colours.

It was then time to add glitter to the crown. We did this before adding paint so that the glitter wouldn’t stick to the wet paint. Children used tiny paint brushes to add white glue on their crowns and then sprinkled gold glitter to cover. We also added a hidden pea at the bottom of the mattresses. Can you spot it in the picture below?

On day two, we painted – adding colour to each mattress and to the background. This princess below is thinking about royalty!

Some students painted all mattresses the same colour for a very effective/colour coordinated look.

Doesn’t this princess look peaceful on her pile of pastel coloured mattresses?

I love that this princess is perched on a pile of precariously balanced mattresses! One mattress is even a glitter mattress!

Doesn’t this princess look peaceful? I have the feeling a pea isn’t keeping her up!

This princess makes it very clear that she cannot sleep! Oh those pesky peas!

Monday March 11th, 2013

Posted on March 11, 2013 by carriegelson

It’s Monday! What are you Reading?

I enjoyed a week of reading fractured fairy tales to my class – various versions of The Princess and the Pea inspired fun art projects like the one on the left.

Now that I am finished report card writing, I was also able to settle back into some indulgent quiet reading time and managed to finish 3 novels!

And, as always, all of my library visits allowed me to discover a variety of fantastic picture books!

Join Jen and Kellee’s meme to share all of your reading from picture books to young adult reads.

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys I absolutely adored these characters and the chance to dive into this book and be immersed in New Orleans in the 1950s. There is much to this novel – mystery, a sense of history, questions of what makes family and how deep loyalty can go. I loved that even though Josie was in many senses abandoned by her mother, she was treasured by so many others.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King This is now my third A.S. King novel and the only thing I don’t like about her is that she hasn’t written more books. I would give this title to my once teenage self and say, “Read this and realize the wonderful strength and wisdom of youth.” King hardly paints fairy tale scenarios. Lots is challenging. Much is ugly. Living and learning and making mistakes run through her titles. In this book, like others, I found the parent child relationship fascinating. My only criticism, is wow, there is a lot of teenage cruelty highlighted. Not saying it wasn’t believable, but heavy. Loved Vera. Loved her journey. Loved her strength.

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool I have heard a lot of buzz about this novel in the last few months and so was excited to finally begin reading it. Unlike many others who weren’t wild (or at least not Newbery wild) about Vanderpool‘s debut novel Moon over Manifest, I loved it. But while Moon was gentle and meandeiring and about the big pictures in the small town, this book requires you to settle into it with your guard up. This book is clearly an adventure and a mystery and a layering of story upon story so at times it doesn’t really matter what is real and what isn’t. There is much sadness in this novel. It’s a novel of loss and finding one’s way. It’s a story of trying to figure out grief. It’s a story of figuring out how the universe connects and what our part in it is. It is also just very much a story of two boys. Early and Jack. What they give to each other and what they learn on their quest. Like other reviews I’ve seen, I think that “navigating” this novel requires a slightly older reader. I can see reading it aloud to my children and stopping to talk and discuss much. I think that while I am now finished reading this book, it isn’t quite done with me.

My favourite picture books of the week:

Something Beautiful written by Sharon Dennis Wyeth and illustrated by Chris K Soentpiet A really emotional story. A little girl searches for her something beautiful amongst surroundings of graffiti, homelessness and a courtyard full of trash. The artwork is stunning – vibrant, colourful and true to life.

The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas by Tony Wilson and illustrated by Sue deGennaro I love fairytales. Many fractured fairytales, not so much. They are too often just “too done” and lose so much in the mixing up. Some though are fresh and fun and the twists take us to new perspectives worth thinking about. This is one of those worth a read fractured tales because it pokes fun at the “sensitive” ( I call it high maintenance) princess who is supposedly the ideal “wife to be.” Prince Henrik is instead looking for someone who shares his interests ( hockey, camping) and who had a nice smile. The “princess” he finds is actually an old friend and someone who he can actually enjoy his time with. A fun story and great inspiration for some Princess and the Pea art projects that we hope to finish this week. (See an example of stage one above)

Peep! A Little Book about Taking a Leap by Maria Van Lieshout A sweet simple book about courage. It depicts all of the up and down emotions associated with fear and then the courageous leap . . .

Kitty and Dino by Sara Richard So this is my “Wow!” discovery of the week! Nearly wordless, this book explores the new pet in the house theme. But, this book feels like nothing you might have read before. First of all, the new pet is a dinosaur who has come to share the house with Kitty (who is really having none of it). Second, check out this dinosaur!! The book is part graphic with illustrations inspired by Japanese ink paintings. Stunning. Wild. Gorgeous. Third, when Kitty finally does warm up to the idea of another pet in the house, the dinosaur/Kitty interactions are divine. Pure joy and beauty in this book!

Baboon by Kate Banks and illustrated by Georg Hallensleben I enjoyed the rhythm of the language and the soft gentle story of little baboon and mother exploring the world. With each new thing he discovers, little baboon thinks he has discovered the way the world is until he discovers another animal or aspect of his habitat that teaches him something different. Mother Baboon is always wise and reassuring. For example, when little baboon watches a turtle, he remarks,

“The world is slow,” he said.

“It can be,” said his mother.

An Island Grows by Lola M. Schaefer and illustrated by Cathie Felstead The ideal information story book for young readers – lyrical text and striking illustrations explain how an island forms over time. There are more details in the back of the book to enhance further discussion.

I am currently finishing Juniper Berry by M.P. Kozlowsky with my student book club and plan to start The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth as my next novel.

What are you reading?

The Three Ninja Pigs

Posted on January 25, 2013 by carriegelson

The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz and illustrated by Dan Santat was our BLG book this week! Thank you to Pearl for sharing it with us. This was certainly not the Three Little Pigs story we thought we knew!

This was one fun fractured fairy tale! A not to be missed adventure!

Instantly, we were charmed by these three pigs who were not about to let a big mean wolf boss them around. The fact that they went to Ninja School? Absolutely fascinating!

Each pig chose a different martial art to practice. Akido, jujuitsu and karate! Wow, we were intrigued. Santat’s illustrations are so engaging and the students all strained to get close up looks of the pictures. All of the action scenes, the bravado, the humour has huge kid appeal and we were hooked completely.

Unfortunately, the first two pigs had not paid enough attention to the learning and practice necessary to become masters of their chosen martial art. Neither could overpower the wolf. When Pig Three announced that she was a “certified weapon,” a hush fell over the room. The wolf might have tried to be brave as he hurled a few choice insults at the pig, calling her bacon and claiming not to be intimidated, but we knew he was scared. And so he should have been. Pig Three was a keen student. She was ready to take on this wolf and realizing he was outrivaled, the wolf retreated, making the third little pig a hero!

There was some surprise that the third pig was female. One student interrupted, “Hey! Hold on! I didn’t know there was a girl.” But while students were writing their reviews, a few girls mentioned to me that they were happy that the smart pig was a girl pig. When I read this book to my own children, my daughter cheered at the end. “Yes! Girls! They are full of determination!”

A fan of pig power? Girl power? Stories where the bullies don’t win? This book delivers! Kiya!

Student reviewers respond:

Vicky: My favourite part was when the third pig showed karate to the wolf. I was thinking about the Three Little Pigs Book. This was funnier. Why did the first pig and the second pig not listen?

Shereese: That was funny when pig #1 fell asleep. I like when pig #3 was learning.

Ethan: The first pig fell asleep and he did akido. The second pig did jujitsu. He did a little better than that first pig. The first pig did better than every pig and the wolf too. I like the end. It’s a happy ending.

Pheonix: Pork Chop! Pork Chop! I like that part best.

Gracie: My favourite part is when the wolf says to the third pig, “Yo Bacon! I’m not scared of you.” It’s funny. But why did the first pig fall asleep? And I liked that the third pig was a girl! 🙂

Giovanni: That wolf started to shake!

Andrew: My questions: Why did the first pig fall asleep? Why did the second pig left the dojo? The third pig did all of her training. I learned I should listen.

Heman: It was funny when the first pig fell asleep in the middle of training. My favourite part is when the third pig scared the wolf away. The third pig did karate!

Kala: It reminds me of a karate kid movie. The wolf is being naughty. I like that they went to school.

Ashley: My favourite part was that the pig fell asleep. It was funny so much! The number three pig was good at listening. The wolf seems mean to the pigs. I like the number three because she listens so much.

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs

Posted on November 24, 2012 by carriegelson

Our latest BLG book brought in by Deborah was Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems. Well, to say that we are Mo Willems fans in our classroom is a bit of an understatement. In fact upon realizing that this book was a Willems book, a definite hush fell over the room. Students were wide eyed and attentive. When someone spotted a pigeon in the cookie jar in the second full page spread, well . . . The magic of Mo Willems descended (“That’s a sneaky one,” muttered one little guy) and nobody dared look away for fear of missing a hidden pigeon on a subsequent page.

Willems brings a new twist to an old tale putting his humorous and silly stamp on the Goldilocks story. In his version, it is three scheming dinosaurs who leave their home to go “someplace else.” (Note to readers – you might think you see dinosaurs hiding in the woods spying on Goldi but that would just be your imagination). This Goldilocks is a little bit more than presumptuous. She is downright spunky. And while on the one hand, she appears to have very little sense (just how much chocolate pudding should one girl eat?), eventually she does discover that she isn’t in the safest of places and that she had better escape and quick. In the meantime she comes across some very tall and uninviting chairs (“There’s feets on those chairs!” one of the children noticed) and a number of clues that this house she happened upon might not be the safest of places. We particularly liked the door mat that said, “Wipe your talons.”

Willems’ illustrations are so much fun. We really get the sense of Goldilocks’ size relative to all of this extra large furniture and home accessories. She can practically take a swim in the chocolate pudding bowls! “She’s tiny. That’s why everything is big,” someone explained. “Nope,” argued another student. “Those dinos are just gigantic.“

Students were sympathetic to the dinosaurs’ failed plans. “The little one was crying,” someone observed. “I saw a little tear.” We also really liked the morals at the end of the story – one for Goldilocks (and the rest of us without predatory natures) and one for the dinosaurs.

Student reviewers respond:

Gracie: My favourite part was when she ate all of the bowls of chocolate pudding. And why did the dinos want to eat Goldilocks so badly? I liked that Goldilocks.

Kevin: I like when we found the pigeon eye in the cookie jar. My favourite part was when Goldilocks fell into the chocolate pudding. I’m thinking the dinos will make a trap. I think in the the next book the dinos will eat Goldilocks.

Arianne: When I saw the pigeon, it was my favourite. I was thinking about the author. I like him!

Brian: My favourite part was when we found the pigeon. It was my very best part.

Vicky: My favourite part was when we found the pigeon. Goldilocks ran out to the back door. I was thinking of Piggie and Gerald when I listened. Where do you get these books Deborah?

Kassidy: I like when the chairs was too tall! When Goldilocks ate the chocolate pudding it was silly when she fell in!

Ashley: I liked Goldilocks and the three Dinosaurs. My favourite author is Mo Willems and he does funny books. We saw the pigeon in this book and I like that book!

Heman: My favourite part was when Goldilocks fell in the chocolate pudding. I liked it when we found the pigeon in the cookies. I thought the dinosaurs will make a trap. Why are the pigeons only in some pages? I wonder why Goldilocks went in the dinosaurs’ house? Why didn’t the dinosaurs eat Goldilocks under the tree?

Kala: I wonder why she sneaked in the house. It was funny when she went in the chocolate pudding.

Giovanni: My favourite part was that the chairs were too tall. Why did the dinosaurs arrive too late?.

Kelvin: My favourite part was Goldilocks eats the chocolate pudding. The dinos made a trap to eat Goldilocks. The dinosaurs opened the front door and jumped in at Goldilocks. In the book, there were some pigeons in the pages.

Andrew: When we found the pigeon it was my favourite. Goldilocks went in the Dinosaurs’ home. I was thinking the dinosaurs will make a trap. Why are the pigeons in some pages? Why was Goldilocks too small to go on Daddy, Mommy and little Dinosaur’s chairs?

Mo Willems and an original twist on a favourite tale. It couldn’t get better! If you have not read this book yet, race out and find it! (Just keep your eye out for lurking dinosaurs who may be a little peckish)