The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell

Image Credit: jimharrisillustrator.com

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lowell, Susan. 1992. THE THREE LITTLE JAVELINAS. Ill. by Jim Harris. Flagstaff, AZ: Northland Pub. ISBN 0873585429

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Written by Susan Lowell, this book is a southwestern version of the famous folktale The Three Little Pigs. In this adaptation, three javelinas set out to live on their own each taking a different path. There is no mention of mom pushing them out the door. Javelinas, also known as peccaries, are hairy wild pigs. The three javelinas, two male and one female, trek across the desert in search of materials to build a home. A house of tumbleweeds made by the first little javelina and a house of saguaro sticks made by the second little javelina prove to be insufficient structures against the wiles of a local coyote, but the third javelina, a female, builds a house of adobe bricks. Her home proves to be too strong for the malicious coyote to destroy, and it becomes a safe haven for all three little javelinas.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This story is well written and stays true to its southwestern flavor of The Three Little Pigs. Descriptions of the desert setting with cacti, tumbleweeds, dust storms, palo verde trees, and the mention of heat are certainly typical of the Southwest. Native animals like the coyote, javelinas, mice, and rabbits are accurately portrayed. From the beginning, Susan Lowell takes the time to incorporate the pronunciation transcription of words that may be new to the readers. “Javelinas (Ha-ve-LEE-nas)” and “saguaros (sa-WA-ros)” are annotated as such to aid the readers. Familiar phrases like “Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin” and “Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in!” clearly remind us of the traditional tale of The Three Little Pigs that this story was based on.
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The illustrations compliment the text perfectly. The pictures are full of color with an emphasis on the earth tones that are so prevalent in the southwest. Vivid details are employed. Individual strands of fur, drops of sweat, and needles on the cacti are present. The javelinas are dressed in stereotypical southwestern gear such as cowboy hats, boots, chaps, bandanas, and belts. Pictures of dry landscapes with purple mountains, cacti, rocks, mice, rabbits, snakes, and skulls fill the pages. There is humor spread throughout the story as well. Notice that the short lived tumbleweed house has an antenna. The house of saguaro sticks has a “(do) NOT disturb” sign on it, and the Mona Lisa is hanging inside the third house built out of adobe bricks. Look closely and see that a small mouse is hidden in many of the illustrations.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly¬: “This clever and flavorful change of scene puts a diverting spin on an old favorite.”
Booklist: “Harris' illustrations are appealing and humorous…
School Library Journal: “Whether read aloud or in amused solitude, this is a picture book that will be enjoyed again and again.”
Grand Canyon Reader Award
Reading Rainbow Book

5. CONNECTIONS
• This book could be explored with other versions of THE THREE LITTLE PIGS.
Grace, Will. THREE LITTLE FISH AND THE BIG BAD SHARK. ISBN 0439719623
Ketteman, Helen. THE THREE LITTLE GATORS. ISBN 9780807578247
Artell, Mark. THREE LITTLE CAJUN PIGS. ISBN 0803728158
• Look at other books illustrated by Jim Harris.
TORTOISE AND THE JACKRABBIT. ISBN 0873585860
JACK AND THE GIANT. ISBN 0873586808
PETITIE ROUGE. ISBN 0142500704

The Three Princes by Eric A. Kimmel

Image Credit: Amazon.com

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kimmel, Eric. 1994. The Three Princes. Ill. by Leonard Everett Fisher. New York, NY: Holiday House. ISBN 082341115X

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this Middle Eastern folktale, a wise and beautiful princess must find a prince to marry. Three eligible princes that she likes happen to be cousins to each other. Two of the princes, Fahad and Muhammed, are wealthy but not necessarily young or good looking. The third prince, Prince Mohsen, is younger than the other two princes and handsome, but he is poor. He is the man the princess would like to marry, but her chief minister is displeased with her choice. To prove that Mohsen is a worthwhile candidate, the princess sends the three princes on a yearlong mission to find and bring back the rarest item they can find. As the year comes to an end, the three princes meet and discuss their treasures. Prince Muhammed possesses a crystal ball. Prince Fajad has a magic carpet, and Prince Mohsen has an orange that can cure any sickness including a deadly one. Using the crystal ball, the princes discover that the princess is on her death bed. Since time is crucial, the three princes use the magic carpet to reach the princess quickly and give her the healing orange to save her life. All three gifts played a role in curing the princess. Using her wisdom, the princess chooses her fiancé.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This story is well written with clear descriptions and easy to understand dialogs. The illustrations are large and colorful and have a soft, blurred look about them. Leonard Everett Fisher, the illustrator, uses reflective lighting and dark shading that creates depth and timeliness to his work. The pictures clearly reflect the Middle Eastern culture. One of the pages that precedes the title page features a magic flying carpet that has its storytelling roots in the Middle East, and the crescent and star that are also present in the picture are shapes used in several of the Middle Eastern flags. The princes don long traditional white thawbs covered by a bisht, and they wear a white keffiyeh upon their heads. The keffiyeh is held in place with a thick cord called the agal. The clothing is indicative of the Middle Eastern culture. This is a wonderful story with a wise ending that would appeal to children and adults.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: “A welcome addition that deserves to become a read-aloud standard.”
Publishers Weekly: “A sprightly retelling with ambient artwork that shimmers with wisdom and magic"
Kirkus: “A smooth, accessible adaptation, much enhanced by the spare, powerful art.”
Booklist: Kimmel uses the familiar fairy-tale construct, but his telling has precision and a bouyancy that gives the story wonderful life.


5. CONNECTIONS
• This book could be used to introduce a social studies unit on the Middle East.
• Use with other tales from the Middle East.
Kimmel, Eric. THE TALE OF ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP: A STORY FROM THE ARABIAN NIGHTS. ISBN 0823409384
Johnson-Davies, Denys. GOHA THE WISE FOOL. ISBN 0399242228
Van Woerkom, Dorothy. ABU ALI: THREE TALES OF THE MIDDLE EAST. ISBN 0027913104

The Ugly Duckling by Jerry Pinkney

Image Credit: Amazon.com

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pinkney, Jerry. 1999. The Ugly Duckling. Ill. by Jerry Pinkney. New York, NY: Morrow Junior Books. ISBN 068815932X

2. PLOT SUMMARY
One summer a mother duckling sat upon her six eggs. She studied them curiously because one of the eggs was much larger in size and different in shape. Nevertheless, she faithfully keeps all the eggs warm, and even after the five small eggs hatch, she continues to sit upon the large egg until it hatched. This new duck was “monstrous” in size and ugly in comparison to its five siblings. Life proves to be difficult for the large “duck”. He is ridiculed and tormented by his siblings, other ducks, and hens. He eventually runs away and temporarily finds a home with an old woman. Later, he finds a home with a man and his family, but he feels a need to leave those places to return to the water. Time passes. Seasons go by, and soon it is spring again. The ugly “duck” decides to join a flock of beautiful white birds at a stream. At one point, the ugly “duck” looks in the water and sees a reflection of himself and discovers that he is no longer a hideous duck. He is a beautiful white swan.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Beautifully written and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, this story is true to the traditional tale told by Hans Christian Andersen. The written work is full of nice descriptive sentences. “Before the sun rose, the five little eggs were empty, and five pairs of eyes were gazing out upon the green world.” The text is easy to read and flows beautifully. Pinkney’s illustrations are large, detailed, and colorful. Each painted illustration covers a two page spread, leaving just enough room for the text. Details are abundant. Ripples in the water, reflection of trees and birds on the water’s surface, and patterns on the various animals are clearly defined. Even the fine bits of snow can be seen on the man’s beard and eyebrows. Color abounds in various hues of each illustration. It is no wonder that Jerry Pinkney has received the Caldecott Award and Caldecott Honor Award multiple times.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus: A spirited, artistic adaptation, and a welcome addition to the shelves.
Publishers Weekly: “Pinkney's keenly observed watercolors honor nature in all its splendor. A flawlessly nuanced performance by a consummate craftsman.”
School Library Journey: “The appeal of this tale is as strong today as it was 150 years ago, and Pinkney has done an admirable job of repackaging it for a new generation.”
Amazon.com Review: “Three-time Caldecott Honor artist and four-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, Jerry Pinkney doesn't disappoint with this lovely, old-fashioned, richly textured watercolor adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling.”
Caldecott Honor Book


5. CONNECTIONS
• This book could be used in a study of Randolph Caldecott Award winners in an art class.
• It could be read along with THE UGLY DUCKLING written by Hans Christian to study the differences. ISBN 0735821461
• This could be one story combined with others in a study of fairy tales.

Eloise by Kay Thompson

Image Credit: BarnesandNoble.com

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Thompson, Kay. 1955. Eloise. Ill. by Hilary Knight. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. ISBN 067122350X

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this sixty year old picture book, Kay Thompson brings to life a rather loquacious character by the name of Eloise. Eloise, who is all of six years old, lives in a posh hotel called The Plaza Hotel located in New York. Although she lives with her nanny on the top floor, Eloise is free to roam the entire building. She tells the audience about her many adventures within the walls of The Plaza. Eloise describes the games she plays using the elevator and the joy of room service that she loves so much. Eloise speaks of her pets, toys, nanny, tutor, and daily routines sporadically jumping from one topic to another. She knows the employees personally and shares her encounters with them. Extroverted Eloise, a self proclaimed nuisance, simply delights in describing her life and shenanigans in The Plaza Hotel to her audience.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
By today’s standards, this book is rather lengthy for a picture book. It consists of sixty-five pages that may be a bit too long for a preschooler. It is better suited for readers in elementary school or older. Kay Thompson writes from a six year old’s point of view and uses a six old’s vocabulary. Her sentences are easy to understand, and they reveal so much of Eloise’s personality. With the exception of some quotation marks and a few commas, Kay Thompson does not use punctuation in her book. Young readers may have trouble deciphering where the sentences end.
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Hillary Knight uses only shades of pink, black, and gray in all of her illustrations. He draws cartoon like pictures with some fine details such as individual strands of hair and the pattern on a turtle’s back. When Eloise imagines things, Hillary Knight draws those items using pink outlines, making it easy to distinguish the imaginative creatures from the real things. The facial expressions are also easy to interpret.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal - ““Eloise is an icon of New York, a classic character who has represented the verve and excitement of Manhattan for generations of readers,” Paul LeClerc

5. CONNECTIONS
• This book could be used in a class lesson on punctuation. Students could tell what kind of punctuation is needed throughout the book or portions at a time.
• Eloise could be paired up with other books that have young humorous female characters.
Cabot, Meg. ALLIE FINKLE’S RULES FOR GIRLS; BK 2. ISBN 9780545040495
Park, Barbara. JUNIE B. JONES AND THE STUPID SMELLY BUS. ISBN 0679826424

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave

Image credit: goldmedalbooks.wordpress.com

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hill, Laban Carrick. 2010. Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave. Ill. by Bryan Collier. New York, NY: Little, Brown. ISBN 0786818700

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Laban Carrick Hill tells a beautiful story about a man named Dave who lived in the nineteenth century. Dave, who did not have a last name because he was a slave, was a talented artist and poet. Laban Hill describes the process of making clay pottery as Dave would have done in the early to mid nineteenth century. Later in the book, Laban Carrick Hill includes a real photograph of some of Dave’s actual pieces of pottery, and he expands upon Dave’s poetry with examples and includes some facts and thoughts about each one.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
With a poetic flair, Laban Carrick Hill writes an informative story in two parts. Through the use of similes and a touch of alliteration, he reveals the potter’s job in easy to comprehend verses that are filled with descriptive words. He then describes Dave’s poetry in an informative style.

The illustrator Bryan Collier creates colorful, vivid pictures that are pleasing to the eye. He uses various textures that are so detailed the reader can almost reach out and touch them, and his incorporation of reflective lighting and shading is beautiful. Each pair of pages in the book about pottery making has a large illustration next to a solid colored page. It looks as if the pictures were carefully torn out and placed in a scrapbook. Most of the text is printed on the solid colored paper.

The combination of Laban Carrick Hill’s written words and Bryan Collier’s illustrations is a beautiful piece of work. Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave will appeal to children and adults.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist: “A beautiful introduction to a great lost artist.” Daniel Kraus
School Library Journal: “An inspiring story, perfectly presented”–Paula Willey
2011 Caldecott Honor Book

5. CONNECTIONS
• This book could be used in an art class and would be particularly effective as an introduction to a pottery class.
• Dave the Potter could be read as part of an historical lesson on slavery.
• This work could also play a part in a unit about biographies.

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

Image from Amazon.com

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Willems, Mo. 2004. Knuffle Bunny. Ill. by Mo Willems. New York: Hyperion Books. ISBN 0786818700

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this very believable tale, Mo Willems describes the woes between a father and his young child as they set out on an ordinary errand. Trixie, along with her beloved toy bunny, and her daddy set out for a walk to the local laundry mat. Upon arrival, the two of them successfully load the washing machines and decide to return home while the clothes are washing. On the way home, Trixie realizes that she has lost something. Nonverbal Trixie tries her best to tell her daddy what’s wrong but to no avail. With some help from mom, Trixie’s needs are revealed.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Mo Willems writes, in a very direct and simple manner, a story that children and most parents can relate to easily. His three main characters are an ordinary father, toddler, and mother. He uses common words and simple sentences to effectively describe how a distressed toddler and confused father feel. Words like “boneless,” “aggle flaggle klabble,” and “wumby flappy” show humor and wit that will delight readers. Young readers will easily relate to Trixie’s dilemma, and adults will relate to mom or dad.

The illustrations Mo Willems creates in Knuffle Bunny are a combination of two art mediums. He overlays brightly colored cartoon like characters on top of black and white photographs of the settings. This technique is very effective because the characters seem to pop out of the picture. Certain items that belong to the characters are also brightly colored like the people in the story. The contrast is striking. Not to be missed, the facial expressions on the characters are distinct and very easy to interpret. Mo Willems also frames each page with green that seems to tie the story together like a photo album. Most of the text is printed in black on top of the green areas.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Review – “Willems is a master of body language”.
Association for Library Service to Children – 2005 Caldecott Honor Book
School Library Journal – In 2009, Knuffle Bunny was number 10 in the top 100.
Booklist Online – “This comic gem proves that Caldecott Medal-winner Willems, the Dr. Spock and Robin Williams of the lap-sit crowd, has just as clear a bead on pre-verbal children as on silver-tongued preschoolers.”

5. CONNECTIONS
• To hear more about Trixie and Knuffle Bunny, read Knuffle Bunny Too. ISBN: 1423102991 and Knuffle Bunny Free. ISBN 0061929581
• Use with other rabbit book to create a bunny story-time:
Wells, Rosemary. Bunny Cakes. ISBN: 0670886866
Arnosky, Jim. Rabbits and Raindrops. ISBN: 0399226354