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# 1 ANANSI and the MAGIC STICK
1. Bibliography:
Kimmel, Eric& Stevens, Janet. 2001. ANANSI and the MAGIC STICK. New York: Holiday House, Inc. ISBN 0-8234-1443-4
2. Plot Summary:
Anansi the Spider is sleeping instead of "working, working, working" so he has a messy yard. The other animals laugh at him and call him lazy. So, he steals Hyena's magic stick in order to have a well kept yard without doing the work. However, things get out of hand as the stick's magic won't stop.
3. Critical Analysis:
This Trickster Tale is humorous and delightful as Anansi the
Spider is up to his old tricks by trying to get out of working hard using
a stolen magic stick. The other animals are working hard in their gardens
and it shows as they all have well- kept gardens and homes meanwhile Anansi's house
is falling apart and his garden is messy because he's always sleeping. As
the other animals laugh at him and call him lazy, he wakes up and walks away
angrily only to come across Hyena's secret. As Anansi spies on Hyena, he
observes him using a magic stick to do his work. Anansi then steals the
stick but the magic soon gets out of hand. Hyena later saves the day but
couldn't undo the damage. The animals end up with a beautiful lake and
make the best of it. Anansi, who caused the mayhem, now has a new
houseboat where he continues to sleep all day and plan new tricks. Eric
Kimmel is the author of many children's books and he
brings a wonderful twist to the Liberian story called The
Magic Hoe as he retells the story full of magic and humor.
The author also notes similarities between this tale and the story The
Sorcerer's Apprentice as they both share the common theme of magic getting
out of control. The Caldecott House Honor artist, Janet Stevens, uses detailed
illustrations as she brings the characters to life in this magical story
with digital elements, water color, water color crayons and acrylic.
She even includes an interesting and funny detail in her illustrations as she
illustrates a caricature of herself and the author, Eric Kimmel, floating on
the mighty river with the rest of the animals. Stevens gives the
animals a human appeal and a modern twist as they relax and enjoy their
new lake resort. They are no longer "working, working,
working". Now they are enjoying life and are "playing, playing,
playing." Rhino sports sunglasses, Warthog has a shower cap
and zebra even relaxes in a lounge chair. This is a
wonderful story that teaches resilience and the ability to adapt to
any situation, reminding us of the old saying - if life gives you lemons,
then make lemonade.
4. Awards won and Review Excerpts:
North Carolina Children's Book Award, 2004 (United States)
Booklist:
"Part trickster tale, part sorcerer’s apprentice story, this picture book about Anansi the Spider is loosely based on a..."
Kirkus review:
"Anansi the Trickster meets the Sorcerer's Apprentice in this story loosely based on a Liberian folktale."
School Library Journal:
"Anansi the Spider steals Hyena's magic stick so he won't have to do the chores, but when the stick's magic won't stop, he gets more than he bargained for."
5. Connections:
Kimmel also retells several tales of the fabled West African trickster Anansi the Spider in Anansi and the talking Melon, Anansi and the Moss covered rock, and Anansi goes fishing. In all of the stories, we find Anansi trying to outwit and play tricks on the other animals. He tricks the other animals into believing Elephant's melon can talk as he insults the different animals while hiding inside the melon. In Anansi goes fishing, he plans to outwit and trick turtle into catching fish for him. In Anansi and the moss covered rock, he takes the animals in turn to a magical rock that makes them fall asleep while he steals their food.
Activities:
Activity#1:
We can easily focus on the main character as we use Graphic organizers to study the character traits of Anansi the Spider based on at least three of the Anansi fables retold by Eric Kimmel. The children can be divided into pairs and each pair can use a Graphic organizer to develop a character profile of Anansi the Spider. The pairs can first choose three of the Anansi stories by Kimmel then develop their profiles. It is important to use a rubric with clear expectations of what should be included in a good final product.
Activity #2:
Children can compare similarities and differences between this story and the story Sorcerer's Apprentice using a Venn diagram or other visuals. The students can work in groups and decide on creative ways to present their findings.
Activity# 3:
We can reenact the story. The children can make simple
masks of their characters and we can make props. The children can
present their characters in creative ways. One of the children can be
assigned the role of a narrator.
Activity #4:
In social studies, we can research the
geographic location, culture, flag, currency, history, and other
interesting facts about the country of Liberia. We can encourage the
students to use various means as they research the information, such as the
Internet, books, informational magazines, or even interviews if that can be
arranged.
Children’s Response:
When I read the story to my pre-kindergarten students, they
enjoyed the story but they did not get the underlying message in the
story. They focused on the different animal characters and proudly named
all of the animals. My third grade son found the spider very cool, so he
focused on the main character and his shenanigans. However, my 8th grade
son got an underlying message from the story. He said you that we
can't always take the easy way out because we will pay for it later.
Resources used:
(Image obtained from: http//www.barnesandnoble.com)
#2 Three Little Pigs
1. Bibliography:
Sommer, Carl & Budwine, Greg. 2009. Three Little Pigs Los Tres Cerditos, Houston: Advance Publishing, Inc. ISBN -13: 978-1-57537-168-9 ISBN - 10: 1-57537-168-5
2. Plot Summary:
A family of pigs live happily in the forest. The pigs are warned by their father to build a sturdy house and to study in order to learn how to build one. However, two of the little pigs did not heed their father's warning and so the wolf easily blew their houses down. Hardy, the other little pig who always listened to papa and mama pig, studied and learned how to build a sturdy house. The wolf couldn't blow his house down and all three of the little pigs were safe inside. Hardy outsmarted the wolf in the end and got rid of him for good.
3. Critical Analysis:
In this version of Three Little Pigs, Sommers teaches the virtue of obedience and hard work.
The little pigs come from a happy loving home. Papa and mama pig are loving parents who teach their sons many things. Dozey prefers to do anything other than listen to his parents and Pokey would start out obeying but would soon complain and quit. Hardy on the other hand never gives up, always listens to his parents and works hard. The Little pigs grow up and must finally go out on their own. Papa pig warns his boys to study and built sturdy houses so that the big bad wolf wouldn't get them. Of course Dozey and Pokey do not listen to their papa and spend little time building sturdy houses instead they play and relax. Hardy takes heed to his papa's warning, studies and builds a sturdy house. He even goes a step further by researching how to get rid of the wolf for good. In the end his obedience and hard work pays off as his house becomes a haven for the three pigs. He finally gets rid of the wolf and his brothers learn their lesson. Sommers is awesome in his portrayal of these animals in such a human way. We can easily relate to the story and the message is loud an clear. Obedience and hard work certainly pay off. The illustrations are interesting and truly brings the story to life. The illustrations are detailed and captures the reader's attention. For example the musical notes that show that Hardy is whistling while he works and Pokey sweeping the dust under the rug clearly indicates that he is not completing the task.
4. Awards won and Review Excerpts:
The Another Sommer-Time Story Series of 20 character-building story books and read-along have won the following awards:
Teachers Choice TM Award, Moms Choice Award, Fore Word magazine Book of the Year Award, Benjamin Franklin Award, The Communicator Award, Family Review Center Gold Award, Parenting Media Award, and Family Choice Award.
Reviews:
Amazon Editorial Reviews:
"This is an old folklore but with a new way of telling. Names have been added so it feels more friendly. Dozey, Pokey and Hardy listen to what their parents tell them about building their houses but Dozey and Pokey take the easy way out and their houses are blown down by the wolf. Hardy teaches us about diligence and self-discipline by building a brick house. It is an easy reader with great illustrations. The book teaches about virtues in a disguised manner so I would purchase it for the media center." --June Wilson, Shaver Elementary School, Parkrose S.D.
"It is an excellent story, and the illustrations are quite interesting to view. I would definitely recommend this one!"Kelly Crespin --Kelly Crespin Eclectic Home school Reviews
5. Connections:
Three Little pigs is one of the books in the Another Sommer-Time Story series of children's books and read-along. The Another Sommer-Time Story Series are 20 character-building story books and read-along that are designed to impart values and principles for success in children. For example in The Sly Fox and the Chicks, the lesson is stranger danger. In this story we also see papa and mama giving their children a warning. Mama and Papa warned their chicks not to have anything to do with strangers. However the sly fox disguised himself as a little lamb, and tricks the chicks into going with him. Clucky always listened to Papa and Mama and doesn't go along. Wendy escapes from the Sly fox and learns the importance of obedience and to be aware of strangers.
Activities:
Activity # 1:
Choose several books from the Carl Sommers Another Sommer Time Story series and have the children compare and contrast Three Little Pigs to another story in the series of their choice. Have them use visuals to present their findings to the class. Give clear directions as to what the students are expected to do.
Activity # 2:
Read several versions of the Three Little pigs and use a Graphic Organizer to compare and contrast them. A whole month could be dedicated to studying different versions of the story and at the end of the month, we could compare and contrast them. We can also create a graph
Children's Response:
The pre-kindergarten children in my class loved the Three Little Pigs story. However, they did not get any underlying messages. They just saw the wolf as bad and the three pigs as good. Of course they rallied for the little pigs because they didn't want them to be eaten. They also could relate to them having a mom and a dad. Some of them even understood the pigs leaving home because they've had an older sibling to leave home.
Resources used:
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#3 Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
1. Bibliography:
Taback, Simms. 1999. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. New York: Penguin Group.
ISBN 0-670-87855-3
2. Plot Summary:
Joseph had an overcoat that with time had become old and worn but instead of throwing it away, he used the material to make another article of clothing. When that article of clothing became old and worn he made something else out of it, and so he continued until all he had left was a little button.
3. Critical Analysis:
Joseph had a Little Overcoat is based on a Yiddish song. It is a story of a Jewish farmer who had an old worn overcoat that he first made into a jacket that he used to go to the fair. When the jacket got worn, he made a vest that he used to go to his nephews wedding. As the article of clothing gets old and worn, he makes another useful item out of it albeit smaller than what he had before. So, then he makes a scarf, after that a necktie, then a handkerchief and lastly a button. He losses the button but makes a book about it. The moral of the story is that "you can always make something out of nothing." This story is brilliantly retold and illustrated by Taback Simms. It is comical, easy to follow, and has a wonderful message. Simms uses rich and vibrant colors, detailed illustrations of things that grow on a farm, farm animals, and artifacts found on a farm. His illustrations also gives us a glimpse of artifacts that are part of the Jewish culture such as a menorah, photographs of orthodox Jews, and the word "mazitov" in a frame. Also the way in which his illustrations capture bits and pieces of The fiddler on the roof ,another Yiddish tale, by using an open book, articles,
clippings , and an actual fiddler on a roof is quite clever. The illustrations also indicate a Russian setting as we observe the clothing and dance and the fact that the setting of the Fiddler on the Roof was Russia. Simms uses skillfully placed die-cuts as a preview of the next article of clothing. The die-cut illustrations consist of water color and collage.
4. Awards won and Review Excerpts:
The Caldecott Medal(2000), National Jewish Book Award(1999), Jewish Children Book Award
Reviews:
Goodreads:
"Joseph had a little overcoat, but it was full of holes—just like this book! When Joseph's coat got too old and shabby, he made it into a jacket. But what did he make it into after that? And after that? As children turn the pages of this book, they can use the die-cut holes to guess what Joseph will be making next from his amazing overcoat, while they laugh at the bold, che..."
Booklist:
"This enchanting animated adaptation of Simms Taback’s Caldecott Medal winner
(2000), complete with authentic Eastern European-style klezmer ... "
School Library Journal:
"Sharon Grover and Liz Hannegan explore the role singing plays in early literacy development and how audio books can be used to further this growth. From Janis Ian’s The Tiny Mouse to Simms Taback’s Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, these titles make excellent sing-along picks for preschool story times."
5. Connections:
Simms also retells and illustrates the poem and song There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.
This is also a cumulative tale in which the Old lady first swallows a fly, then a spider in order to get rid of the fly, a bird and other animals(each larger than the one before). Again Simms uses a die-cut hole where her stomach should be so that the reader can see all the things she swallowed. Finally the size of the horse which enlarges her stomach too much causes her demise.
Both books have wonderful detailed illustrations that are quite humorous. Both teaches a lesson. The old lady was greedy and should have stopped at the fly. Simms also uses bogus and comical headlines in the story.
Activities:
Activity #1
Review the parts of a book. Call the children's attention to the gold medal and ask students what they think it is. Then explain the significance of the gold medal. Do a picture walk and allow the students to describe what they see. Talk about the setting. " Where does the story take place? Have students justify their answers. Talk about other animals that live on a farm. Read the story. Ask students: "What do you think the author wants us to learn from this story?" This story is great for oral development.
Activity # 2
After reading and discussing the story, we can put students in pairs and give them die cuts of the articles of clothing Joseph made and then have them put them in sequential order as they retell the story. We could then give each student a paper cut-out of an overcoat, scissors, and glue and have them make something new from the overcoat.
Children's Response:
There was lots of oral discussions during the reading of the story. The pre-kindergarten children had lots to say about the illustrations. They loved the illustrations and were eager to name the farm animals and the different fruits and vegetables they saw. They also noticed that each time an item got old and worn, Joseph would use it to make something else. So, during the read-aloud, the children would predict that Joseph was going to make something new out of the article of clothing but they couldn't tell what it would be. The children did not understand the underlying message but they enjoyed the story. I think that for this grade level this story would be great for a unit on the farm.
Resources used:
