Book Review BUBBA THE COWBOY PRINCE: A FRACTURED TEXAS TALE

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ketteman, Helen. 1997. BUBBA THE COWBOY PRINCE: A FRACTURED TEXAS TALE. Ill. by James Warhola. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0590255061

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Bubba the Cowboy Prince is a comical western version of the classic Cinderella story. Bubba, the good stepbrother, always worked hard at his evil stepdaddy’s Texas ranch while Dwayne and Milton, his mean stepbrothers, just sat back on their horses bossing him around. One day, Miz Lurleen—the “puriest and richest gal in the county"—decided to throw a ball to find herself a “feller” who loved ranching as much as she does. After helping Milton and Dwayne get all “gussied up in their finest duds” to attend Miz Lurleen’s ball, Bubba stays behind.

Suddenly, Miz Godcow shows up to magically transform Bubba into a handsome cowboy who spelled nice too. While dancing with Miz Lurleen, the clock strikes midnight and Bubba turns back into a dirty smelly cowboy. Bubba runs away and loses one boot in the process. The next day, Miz Lurleen sees—and smells—Bubba and knows he is her “prince in cowboy boots.” The two ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after “roping, and cowpoking, and gitting them dogies along.”

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ketteman’s version of a Cinderella story has excellent archetype characters representing good and evil. Bubba is the humble Texas rancher while his mean stepdaddy and stepbrothers are greedy and selfish.

Warhola beautifully illustrates his artwork in oil on a canvas. The illustrations show the stereotypical Texas rancher lifestyle. Miz Lurleen’s house is filled with cowboy hats, a Texas Longhorn and Texas clock on the wall, and other furniture with antlers. The language unique to the west and ranchers comically and stereotypically portray Texas life.

Overall, I believe this is a great version of Cinderella that all children will enjoy reading.

4. AWARDS WORD AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
Golden Sower Award
BOOKLIST: “With a male in the starring role, this charming and funny retelling may hold more appeal for young boys than the traditional version may.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Rustler lingo and illustrations chockablock with Texas kitsch make this ranch-spun Cinder-fella a knee-slappin' tale.”

5. CONNECTIONS
* Bubba the Cowboy Prince is a great way to introduce older readers to the concept of stereotypes and archetype characters.
*Other fractured fairy tales:
Scieszka, Jon. THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. ISBN 0140544518
Stanley, Diane. RUMPELSTILTSKIN’S DAUGHTER. ISBN 0064410951
Yolen, Jane. SLEEPING UGLY. ISBN 0698115600

-Teachers can read and then discuss with students the concept of perspective and point of view with fractured fairy tales (changing who is telling the story will change the story). ---Students can work on Venn diagrams to look for similarities and differences between the stories’ plot, characters, and setting.

Image Credit: capitolchoices.communitypoint.org

Book Review MOONBEAMS, DUMPLINGS & DRAGON BOATS

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simonds, Nina, Leslie Swartz, and the Children’s Museum, Boston. 2002. MOONBEAMS, DUMPLINGS & DRAGON BOATS: A TREASURY OF CHINESE HOLIDAY TALES, ACTIVITIES & RECIPES. Ill. by Meilo So. San Diego: Gulliver Books. ISBN 0152019839

2. PLOT SUMMARY
The authors of Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats introduce readers to traditional Chinese folktales, recipes, and activities for celebrating five Chinese holidays—Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, Qing Ming, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Moon Festival. For each holiday, background information and a folktale explaining the origin of the holiday is given. This is then followed by recipes and arts and crafts activities.

Readers hear about the greedy Kitchen God, the loyal Jie Zitui, the spirit of Qu Yuan, and the Moon Goddess’s jealousy. Along the way, children and their families can learn on how to prepare tasty dumplings, moon cakes, and fresh spring rolls.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Each folktale educates readers about Chinese culture, traditions, holidays and customs. The stories are about four pages each, and all are accompanied with illustrations. The illustrator does a wonderful job of introducing young readers to China through the wonderful Chinese artwork done with watercolors. Drawings of Chinese lanterns, dragons, lions, and Chinese calligraphy decorate the pages.

The stories are simple but can also teach children to appreciate diversity.

4. AWARD WORD AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
ABC Children’s Booksellers Choices Awards
KIRKUS REVIEWS: “Gorgeous watercolors complement and brighten each sampling as well as attract readers with their simple beauty and elegance.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*All the stories can be read at once to students, or each folktale can be read on the day of the particular holiday falls on.
*Teachers can use the activities the authors provide for each folktale to further supplement the readings.

Other books on Chinese culture
Vaughan, Marcia K. THE DANCING DRAGON. ISBN 1572551348
Lin, Grace. FORTUNE COOKIE FORTUNES. ISBN 0440421926

Image Credit: fun-books.com

Book Review JUST A MINUTE: A TRICKSTER TALE AND COUNTING BOOK

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Morales, Yuyi. 2003. JUST A MINUTE: A TRICKSTER TALE AND COUNTING BOOK. Ill. Yuyi Morales. San Francisco: Chronicle Books LLC. ISBN 0811837580

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this story, Señor Calavera pays a visit to Grandma Beetle’s home to take her to the next life. Grandma Beetle aware of Señor Calavera’s intentions, delays him by saying “Just a minute, Señor Calavera…I will go with you right away…” only after she finished some household chores. After staying to celebrate Grandma’s birthday with her nine grandchildren, Señor Calavera decides to extend Grandma’s lease on life because he can’t wait to celebrate her next birthday.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Yuyi Morales trickster tale incorporates many of the elements that should be included in a folktale. To begin, the characters could not represent good and evil any better. Señor Calavera, the representation of death, is trying to take innocent old Grandma Beetle to the get life.

There are many references to the Mexican culture in Morales tale. Señor Calavera’s (which means skull in English) character is the Mexican symbol for “Dia De Los Muertos” or the Day of the Dead. Throughout the book, festive colors, piñatas, and clay pottery fill the pages.

The language is simple, repetitive, and bilingual. Morales includes the numbers one (uno) through ten (diez) in both English and Spanish to teach readers their numbers.

4. AWARDS WORD AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
Pura Belpre Award
ALA Notable Books for Children
America’s Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature
BOOKLIST: “The splendid paintings and spirited storytelling--along with useful math and multicultural elements--augur a long, full life for this original folktale.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “This deceptively simple read-aloud treat has as many layers as an onion, and is every bit as savory.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*This is a great book to read during Halloween. Teachers can read this and books about “Dia de los Muertos” and discuss the differences between the two holidays.

*Other books on Mexican culture:
Winter, Jeanette. CALAVERA ABECEDARIO: A DAY OF THE DEAD ALPHABET BOOK. ISBN 0152059067
Krull, Kathleen. HARVESTING HOPE: THE STORY OF CESAR CHAVEZ. Ill. by Yuyi Morales. ISBN 0152014373

Image Credit: latinbabybookclub.com

Book Review A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Marcus, Leonard S. 1998. A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION: SIX ARTISTS AND THEIR PATHS TO THE CALDECOTT MEDAL. New York: Walker and Company. ISBN 0802786588

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Leonard Marcus highlights six Caldecott Award Winners in A Caldecott Celebration: Robert McCloskey, Marcia Brown, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, Chris Van Allsburg, and David Wiesner. The author recognizes one winner from each decade beginning in the 1940s to demonstrate a representative sample of Caldecott winners. Each chapter begins with a brief biography of the artists followed by the illustrator’s creative process.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Marcus’s book is geared towards older readers due to its length (48 pages) and lengthy paragraphs. The author includes biographical information for each illustrator, a picture of the book’s cover, working sketches, and what inspired the illustrator/authors. Each chapter is about six pages in length.

By mere observation, this book did not grab my attention. The book cover is colorful and cluttered with pictures, but nothing pulled me in. After flipping through the pages, I saw a lot of text. The unappealing nature of this book is unfortunate because after reading the book, I found it to be information but more importantly fun and interesting.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
BOOKLIST: “A beautifully made book, this will serve as a fine resource for children interested in illustration and for teachers researching author/illustrator studies."
THE HORN BOOK: “The text is remarkable for the smooth integration of explanatory material with overall commentary, and selective detail creates a sense of intimacy and understanding.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Teachers can use this book to introduce students to an illustrator and then read the book they received the Caldecott reward for.
*Students can pick one illustrator and then read selected books illustrated by them.
*Students can be divided into groups and create a poster for an assigned illustrator. The poster can include biographical information, a picture of the illustrator, pictures from the award winning book, etc.


Image Credit: Amazon.com

Book Review HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Nelson, Kadir. 2005. HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS. Ill. by Kadir Nelson. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc. ISBN 0803728506

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Kadir Nelson’s turns one of American’s best-known spirituals into a picture book. His artwork of a little African American boy and his family bring to life the lyrics of “He’s got the Whole World in His Hands.” Nelson’s illustrations show the beauty of nature, family, and community.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Nelson uses the lyrics to one of America’s most popular spirituals to compliment his illustrations. The lyrics are written in big letters perfect for teachers or librarians reading aloud to children. The characters of the book are an African American family showing the diversity of the world.

Set in San Francisco, Nelson beautifully illustrates with pencil, oil, and watercolor the city’s mountains, oceans, rivers, and parks. His artwork shows how all the world—its people and nature—is connected. In his book, Nelson brings new life to this old-time favorite spiritual and spreads the message of hope.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “The artist's mix of watercolor, oil and pencil creates often velvety-looking portraits…”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “…Nelson gives fresh, thought-provoking interpretations to the lyrics that will stir the imagination and spark discussion.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Lead a discussion and ask students why they think “He” has everyone in his hands. This question will hopefully lead students to understand and appreciate diversity and everything on earth.

*Other spiritual picture books
Lewis, E.B. THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE. ISBN 068983179X
Bryan, Ashley. LET IT SHINE: THREE FAVORITE SPIRITUALS. ISBN 0689847327


Image Credit: Amazon.com

Book Review JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Taback, Simms. 1999. JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT. Ill. by Simms Taback. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 0670878553

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this picture book, Simms Taback writes about a man, Joseph, who has an overcoat. The overcoat eventually gets old and worn which consequently leads Joseph to turn it into a jacket. The jacket then gets old too, so Joseph makes the jacket into a vest. This same thrifty pattern continues until the once overcoat is turned into a button. Joseph loses his button, and because there is nothing physically left of the jacket, Joseph writes a story about it. The moral of the story is you can always make “something out of nothing” by being creative and imaginative.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Taback uses simple language, short sentences, and plenty of repetition throughout the book. The author’s style of writing is sure to get young readers involved and trying to read along. In the story, Joseph models to children—rather than preaching—that one most make the most out of the things one has.

Most of the story, however, comes from Taback’s illustrations. The watercolor and collage-style artwork is bold, bright, and detailed. The illustrations show the reader that Joseph is an older Jewish man who lives in a farm, but also add some humor and cleverness to the story. One example of this is a newspaper thrown on the ground with the headline “Fiddler on Roof Falls off Roof” with a picture of an arrow pointing to a house roof labeled “scene of accident.” Taback’s captivating illustrations, bold colors, and die-cuts are sure to charm young children, and his clever wit is sure to entertain older readers.

4. AWARDS WORD AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
Caldecott Medal
American Library Association Notable Books for Children
National Jewish Book Awards

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “A book bursting at the seams with ingenuity and creative spirit.”
BOOKLIST: “Taback's mixed-media and collage illustrations are alive with warmth, humor, and … a million details to bring children back again and again.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Another book about reusing old things:
Wong, Janet. THE DUMPSTER DIVER. ISBN 0763623806

*Lead a discussion about the importance of reusing, recycling, and/or donating old items with children. Children can then bring in one old item from home to make something new out of it.
*Gather other books by Simms Taback and discuss his unique style of art work. Look at the colors, techniques, and details and discuss what they add to the story.

Taback, Simms. THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY. ISBN 0670869392
Taback, Simms. THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT. ISBN 0142402001


Image Credit: Amazon.com