GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS

Retold by Sarah Delmege

Illustrated by Gavin Scott

Published by Parragon

Copyright 2014

24 Pages

Traditional Literature Book

This book was recently donated to me for my son, Parker Alexander. My friend shared with me that this story was one of her son's favorites and she hopes that we enjoy it as much as they have. As soon as I found the time, I sat down and gave it a good read through. I really enjoyed this traditional literature book. The plot follows the journey of a young girl as she stumbles across a hypnotizing smell which leads her into a strangers home. With many decisions to make, the little girl wears herself out and lies down for a nap. Little did she know a family of three would be returning home very soon.

I am a big fan of picture books, especially ones where the illustrator incorporates the text in his work. Within these pencil drawings and beautiful watercolors, the artists demonstrates the main idea of each section. It takes both the picture and the text to fully understand the work. The illustrator of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Gavin Scott, also uses a very expressionistic technique in this story. This means that he really exaggerates the expressions of the characters to better portray the feelings and emotions each is undergoing. 

This book could be used as a read aloud for a kindergarten classroom. The students could answer prompted questions before, during, and after the reading concerning who the characters are, the setting, and major events that occur in the story. The teacher should even allow the students to assist her in making a bulletin board to display what they learned about the story. 

For the first grade students, a teacher could create a large copy of the book. Then throughout the read aloud, she could call on students (using equity sticks) to identify who is telling the story at various points in the text. Sticky notes would be most beneficial for this activity. Not only would this keep the students focused, but they will be able to apply their knowledge on the shifting points of view. 

One last activity I recommend using with this story would be to create a timeline of events. This could be appropriate for second grade and below. The teacher could create a bulletin board to be displayed by the class. She should begin by putting the students in groups and having each group collaborate and give her one major event from the story. After each of the groups have chosen a different event, the teacher should have them write it onto a piece of paper. Inventive spelling should be encouraged, but more assistance could be given to the younger age groups. The teacher will collect each event and read them one by one. As she reads each paper, the students will direct her on where to place it. Eventually each event will be in the correct order. This may require some guidance by the teacher. After the timeline is in chronological order, the teacher can permanently affix the events to the bulletin board. This activity will encourage group work, class discussion, and the study of the chronological order of events in Goldilocks and the Three Bears. 

What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood: THE WOLF'S STORY

The Wolf's Story

Written by Toby Forward

Illustrated by Izhar Cohen

Copyright 2005

25 pages

Fractured Fairy Tale

There are three sides to every story, as the old saying goes. Why should fairy tales be any different? While roaming through Books-A-Million I found one of my childhood favorite's, Little Red Riding Hood. I had always thought I knew the truth, but boy was I wrong. A gem was lying right beside the classic titled, The Wolf's Story: What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood. There are so many events which occurred that led the wolf to a predicament at his good friend, Grandma's House. The truth is everything was just a large misunderstanding...or was it? 

The illustrator Izhar Cohen, uses a variety of watercolors and pencils to make the images in this story really pop. His great use of perspective and light assist the authors plot by enhancing the wolf's point of view. 

•Example of Perspective/Light and Composition•

Another contribution the illustrator made to the story involved the element of composition. As the reader glides through the text on a page, he can rely on the images to give him the main idea of how Wolf sees the world. 

After analyzing the elements of this story, I would suggest that teachers incorporate this work with their students from ages 7 to 9. With that being said, The Wolf's Story would be most appropriate for the first and second grade classroom. This age group is becoming more capable of understanding different perspectives which could be manipulated into a lesson. Teachers should read both Little Red Riding Hood and The Wolf's Story to allow the children to compare and contrast the different plots. By doing so, the students will have a better understanding of the importance of perspectives. The teacher could also lead the class in a group discussion on which story they think is true. The class could be divided into two separate teams where the students will work together to find supporting details from each book in an attempt to persuade their classmates to join Team Wolf or Team Red.

CLASSIC TREASURY FIRST POEMS

Classic Treasury: First Poems

Compiled and Illustrated by Tig Thomas

Miles Kelly Publishing Ltd 2014

I am extremely interested in building up my personal library, and what better way to do that then add a collection of poems. Classic Treasury: First Poems allows me to view 383 different pieces in one setting. Tig Thomas did a fabulous job compiling each of these works. The illustrations are so eye catching with the illuminating color choices used cover to cover. There is also a table of contents and an index which makes finding the perfect poem as easy as 1, 2, 3. Two of my favorite pieces in this collection are "Betty Botter Bought Some Butter" and "Swan."

"Betty Botter Bought Some Butter"

•Anonymous Author•Page 43•

Everyone loves a great tongue twister and that is exactly what these two poems bring to the table. In "Betty Botter Bought Some Butter" you can challenge your friends with a speed round on who can complete a read aloud without getting tongue tied. While doing so, you can also see if Mrs. Betty Botter finds a solution to her cooking nightmare's of producing a bitter product.

"Swan"

•Anonymous Author•Page 295•

The next poem which I highly recommend for those readers whom love a challenge is "Swan". Much like the first poem, the reader must be extremely careful not to miss a letter sound. It can be very easy to do. The authors purpose of this poem is to do his best at tricking you! Check it out for yourself and see what you can do. 

As I mentioned above, the illustrations throughout this collection are very eye catching. The type of medium used for each of the pages are paintings. The illustrator, Tig Thomas, did a fabulous job ensuring that every image is unique, yet relates to the main idea of the poem. The primary character in "Betty Botter Bought Some Butter" is portrayed at the bottom of the page with a very simple background. She is standing over her bowl, with the butter in reach, ready to cook. The illustrator also uses a simple background for "Swan" with a watercolor painting of a vibrantly colored swan. Once again he used the image to represent the main idea/character of the poem. 

This collection of poems would be the perfect addition for your classroom library. There are many different types of poetry which could offer children a variety of styles to choose from. Each work could be suitable for a variety of ages. I would recommend using this collection for any kindergarten to sixth grade class. The two poems which I discussed would be more suitable for children in either first or second grade. Teachers could use them to reinforce sound patterns since these pieces are tricky tongue twisters. To assist this lesson, the teacher could create a word sort that each student completes at their table. This should be modeled by the teacher first, then the students could apply their knowledge and complete the assignment.