Jazz by Walter Dean Myers

Bibliography

Myers, Walter Dean. 2006. Jazz. Ill. by Christopher Myers. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 978-0-8234-1545-8

Plot summary

This award winning father and son have joined up once again to create a beautifully illustrated book of fifteen poems celebrating jazz bands, vocalists, and instruments. From rag-time to be-bop, you'll love swinging your way through this stylish and hip book.

Critical analysis

Walter Dean Myer's poems are like a form of free jazz.  He drifts from rhythmic poems (Mercy, mercy, mercy / Please have mercy Mr. Slide Trombone) to a syncopated style (He's steady stroking in a / Music pool / The piano's come alive and / I know that she'll be driving) and I wasn't always able to understand the beat. I can't help but feel that to experience the full glory of the poems, the audiobook would better. I'd love to hear "Be-Bop" or "Session II" told by a great jazz artist to feel the rhythm of the poems. The book contains an informative introduction, time line and glossary so that readers can continue their journey into the world of jazz. 

Christopher Myer's illustrations are gorgeous and joyful - he's got chops!  Painted black ink on acetate and placed over acrylic with thick and noticeable paint brush strokes, the illustrations vibrate with movement. Using a combination of bright, vibrant colors and dark, moodier tones, Myer's subjects are close up, almost like you are standing next to the artist. The illustrations have got the groove.

The poem "Twenty-finger Jack" sums it up: "..my feet just got to dance / My heels can't follow / but my toes will take a chance."  Although a few of the poems didn't have the rhythm or bounce I was expecting, I still enjoyed the tune.

Review excerpt(s) 

The father-and-son team behind blues journey creates a scintillating paean to jazz. Walter Dean Myers infuses his lines (and the rests between them) with so much savvy syncopation that readers can't help but be swept up in the rhythms. "Stride," for example, narrated by a piano man, captures the spirit of a "band on fire." On a delphinium-purple page, below each line of white type ("I got jump in my feet, and I'm turning up the heat, left hand hauling"), two significant words from that line dance in black script ("jump"/ "feet"), functioning like the chords a jazz pianist uses as percussive punctuation within a tune. Visually, the page's typography evokes long white and short black piano keys. Christopher Myers lays black-inked acetate over brilliant, saturated acrylics. The resulting chiaroscuro conjures the deep shadows and lurid reflections of low-lit after-dark jazz clubs. The artist dynamically enlarges key compositional elements: a massive bass, a long ago drummer's muscular back, and fingers-poised over keys, plucking strings, splayed along a flute... A cogent introduction, selective glossary and chronology round out this mesmerizing verbal and visual riff on a uniquely American art form. - Publishers Weekly                          

Fifteen poems give a unique spin to music history in this title. The highly acclaimed author opens with a title poem that speaks of the African origins of jazz and "[d]rumming in tongues along the Nile," then swings to an exuberant tribute to Louie Armstrong in which that legendary trumpet player spanks a bad tune "like a naughty boy." The rhythm and word-play of poems such as "Be-Bop" and "Three Voices" will have kids bouncing and repeating lines like "[a] bippety-bop snake can't bite my style" and "[t]hum, thum, thum, and thumming/I feel the ocean rhythm coming." The illustrator brings the intensity of fluid lines and saturated color to his portraits of the jazz world... - Children's Literature  

… this talented father and son have produced new poetry and paintings to explore a wider repertoire of jazz forms. An introduction provides historical and technical background, briefly touching on influences, improvisation, rhythm, and race. Spreads then pulsate with the bold, acrylic-and-ink figures and distorted perspectives that interpret the multiple moods and styles set forth in the text...The Myerses experiment aurally and visually with the forms themselves; thus, "Stride" alternates long, fast-paced lines in a white font with two-word percussive phrases in black, calling to mind a period piano score. "Be-bop" unleashes a relentlessly rhyming patter in black, punctuated by a blue cursive font that "screams." ... The expressionistic figures are surrounded by high-contrast colors in which the visible brushstrokes curve around their subjects, creating an aura that almost suggests sound waves...- School Library Journal 

A cycle of 15 poems and vivid, expressive paintings celebrate that most American genre of music: jazz. Myers presents readers with poems that sing like their subject, the drumming of African rhythms leading into a celebration of Louis Armstrong, an evocation of stride piano, a recreation of a New Orleans jazz funeral and a three-part improvisation among bass, piano and horn. A script-like display type appears sparingly, guiding readers to the sound of jazz embedded in the poems' syncopated rhythms. Myers fils uses bold colors and lines straight from the muralists of the '30s to create his illustrations, dramatic foreshortening and exaggerated angles a visual complement to the pulsing sounds being celebrated. It's a very different look and treatment from that given to their earlier blues journey (2003), although equally successful at giving readers a visceral sense of its musical subject. A lengthy introduction, glossary and timeline give background to the whole. This offering stands as a welcome addition to the literature of jazz: In a genre all too often done poorly for children, it stands out as one of the few excellent treatments. - Kirkus Reviews

Connections

- Play the audio book so students can hear Jazz performed by jazz vocalists James 'D Train' Williams and Vaneese Thomas. The audio book won the Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production. ISBN 978-1430100225 


-Talk about the concept of improvisation and how it's like making something up within context. As an example, you could give a basic story structure; i.e., there is a boy who went to a store and then he went home to take a nap.  As long as the basic structure of the story is there, the students can make up what happens "in between." 

-Offer other books on jazz for students to expand their understanding of this musical form and famous jazz musicians. 
 - Pinkney, Andrea.  Ella Fitzgerald. ISBN 9780823416790 
 - Pinkney, Andrea.  Duke Ellington. ISBN 9780786814206 
 - Ehrhardt, Karen.  This jazz man. ISBN 9780152053079

 - Myers, Walter Dean. The blues of Flats Brown.  ISBN 9780823416790

 - Marsalis, Wynton. Jazz ABZ: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits with Art Print. ISBN  978-  0763634346
 - Monceaux, Morgan. Jazz: My music, my people. ISBN 978-679856184
 - Dillion, Leo & Diane. Jazz on a Saturday night. ISBN 0-590478931

- This book would work well as a collaboration with the music teacher on a unit for jazz music. 

  

Hidden by Helen Frost

Bibliography
Frost, Helen. 2011. Hidden. New York: Frances Foster.  ISBN 978-0-374-38221-6

Plot Summary
This is a beautiful story about Wren and Darra, two teenagers who are confronted with having to remember and understand a traumatic event both experienced years before.  When they were eight years old, Darra's dad, a car thief, didn't know that Wren was in the back seat of the car he stole.  When the news reports that a little girl was in the car, Darra's family are surprised and worried.  What happened to the little girl?  Where is she?  Wren is well-hidden in the locked garage, but she hears the violent behavior Darra's dad displays to Darra and her mother.  Years later, both are at Camp Oakwood and unexpectedly meet.  This multi-layered novel-in-poem, is a story about memories and an unanticipated friendship.

Critical analysis
This emotionally charged book is one that teenage girls will understand with an uncanny awareness of teenage emotions.  Hidden explores the complex feelings people have towards each other.  Frost uses two different voices to give each girl a unique sound. Wren's poems are written in free verse which Frost explains are the placement of words "like musical notation." Each word that Frost chooses for Wren evokes a powerful image. When Wren struggles with her feelings about Darra, she says "It's not that I don't like her - it's just that...she knows too much about me."

Frost created a new form of poem for Darra's voice.  Frost explains in her "Notes on Form," that the last word on each long line will give insight into Darra's story." When Darra saw a picture of Wren, through this form, Darra says "I could tell she was one of those girls who had never been hit."  This revelation aside, although interesting technically, most of the sub-text doesn't necessarily add to the emotional experience of Darra's story.  We learn more about Darra through her decision to stay longer at the camp, stating that "If I leave on Saturday, I'll never get to know her - the girl from back then, those two days on TV, trapped in our garage. But more: who she is now." 

There is a wonderful balance between the two girls; both are given the opportunity to explore their feelings about meeting each other and what happened in the past. Wren is confronted with hearing the voices she heard while locked in the garage during her terrifying ordeal, while Darra is trying to accept the fact that, through this event, it took her abusive father away from her and into jail.  Realizing that they share a common bond, a wonderful use of metaphor is when Wren says "Slowly, warily, we swim toward each other."  Frost's use of words creates powerful imagery, and she has tapped into a world of the natural emotions of friendships. 

Review excerpt(s)

"Many teen readers will identify with Wren and Darra and how events that happened to us when we were younger help shape the person we become." --VOYA

"Beginning with a horrific story of an accidental kidnapping, this poetic novel is impossible to put down....A masterpiece!" --Kids Ink Children's Bookstore

 “Like Frost’s Printz Honor Book, Keesha’s House (2003), this novel in verse stands out through its deliberate use of form to illuminate emotions and cleverly hide secrets in the text.”--Booklist

"...Frost's lyric narrative resolves movingly by alternating between the two protagonists. Frost's tale exhibits her trademark character development that probes the complexities of intimate relationships. Here Wren's touching statement, "I was a happy little girl / wearing a pink dress," eventually leads to Darra's private admission to Wren: "None of it was our fault." Both tender and insightful, this well-crafted, fast-paced tale should have wide teen appeal. --Kirkus Reviews

"...This original blend of crime tale, psychological study, and friendship story is a page-turner that kids will love. There are a few plausibility issues, but there are many more strengths. Wren's captivity in the garage is truly suspenseful, and the various interactions of the kids at the sleepover camp are a study in shifting alliances. The book also touches on some deeper issues, like how you can love a parent who is sometimes abusive, and how sensitive kids can blame themselves for things that aren't really their fault. Smoothly written, this novel carries a message of healing and hope.--School Library Journal

Connections
*Students may like other books by Helen Frost.
      - The Braid. ISBN 978-0374309626
      - Keesha's House. ISBN 978-0374400125
      - Crossing Stones. ISBN 978-0374316532

*Students may want to read books with the similar theme of friendship and growing up.
      -  Ursu, Anne. Breadcrumbs. ISBN 978-0062015068
      -  Ada, Alma Flor. Dancing home. ISBN 978-1442481756
      -  Palacio, R.J. Wonder. ISBN 978-0375869020

*Ask students if they've ever been away to summer camp.  Did they find friendships easier or harder to make at camp?  Were they friends with kids at camp that they might not be friends with at home?  If so, what made the difference?

unBEElievables by Douglas Florian

Bibliography

Florian, Douglas. 2012. unBEElievables; honeybee poems and paintings. New York: Beach Lane Books. ISBN 978-1-4424-2652-8

Plot summary

This book is unBEElievable with its poems and informative fun facts about honeybees.  In these fourteen poems, you'll learn about hives, queen bees, drones, worker bees, the bee body, life cycle, and so much more.  With beautiful illustrations, you'll have fun and laugh while learning about these important insects.  Make a beeline for this book!

 Critical analysis

With the world undergoing a decline in bees, this fun and witty book is a perfect way to get students interested in bees and their natural habitat and behaviors.  On each page there is a poem and a box of non-fiction information which extends student learning.  Not only can students learn about bees, but this book can also be used to teach the use of literary terms of which examples are sprinkled throughout. It uses echo and onomatopoeia in "Bees Buzz" with "...Of fuzz and fuzz? / Bee-cuzz bee-cuzz / The fuzz the fuzz / Helps pollen stick / To uzz to uzz," and rhymes in "Welcome" "...our hive! / ...where we thrive! / ...sweetness dive! / ...when you arrive!"  There is a "Beebliography" and further reading suggestions which add to student knowledge about this important insect.

Florian's illustrations are occasionally anthropomorphic with the queen bee wearing a crown and bee robe and drones looking like teenage boys. Painted on primed paper bags, the illustrations use gouache paint, colored pencils and collage and have an earthy, soft quality to them.  Florian's uses different type fonts to match each poem - faintly medieval for "Queen Bee" or set in an old-fashioned scientific type when discussing bee eggs hatching in "Bee-coming."  Students will enjoy reading this alone or having it as a read-aloud with its bouncy, rhythmic poems.  

Review Excerpt(s)

"Florian (Poetrees, 2010, etc.) bestows yet another pleasing mix of punny poems and colorful collages that blend whimsy and fact.... Spreads like "Swarm" epitomize Florian's skill at combining pithy rhymes, well-chosen facts and playfully tongue-in-cheek pictures.... Design is crisp.... Florian shines again here." —Kirkus Reviews

“Another winning compendium…. Cheerful anthropomorphized caricatures of honeybees accompany upbeat, rhyming wordplay and factual notes in the artist’s familiar style…. “All day we bees/Just buzz and buzz./That’s what we duzz/And duzz and duzz.” The book is just what Florian duzz and will be welcomed by his fans.”—School Library Journal

  "Working in gouache, colored pencils, and collage on paper bags, Florian evokes the world of bees with repetitive patterning that cleverly references their honeycombs and the fields of flowers they frequent as well as the bees themselves—worker bees are sisters hatched from eggs laid two thousand at a crack. His rhythmic verse, too, echoes bee behavior, as much with sound as with sense (“I’m a nectar collector. / Make wax to the max. / A beehive protector. / I never relax”). Puns and other wordplay enliven the text (“Why are we full / Of fuzz and fuzz? / Bee-cuzz bee-cuzz / The fuzz the fuzz / Helps pollen stick / To uzz to uzz”). A paragraph of more straightforward facts elucidates each spread, but the real energy here is in the deceptively casual art. A regal queen bee looks almost human, and drones resemble feckless kids, while captions of discretely scattered capitals provide as much texture as information…an offbeat and attractive book, completed with a “BEEbliography.” —The Horn Book

 “Poetic chronicler of the natural world Florian takes on a more tightly focused subject than usual, winging his way through the world of the honeybee in fourteen rhyming poems…a bee brags of being her “own pollen nation” in “Summer Hummer,” while the onomatopoeic “Bees Buzz” will have kids bzzing their way through the day. A bibliography—sorry, “BEEbliography”—and a couple of web links for further reading are included.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

 “In this high-spirited and lyrical homage to bees, smudgy paintings that resemble a child's chalkboard drawings pair with collage elements to tenderly anthropomorphize the insects…. Florian also includes descriptions of bee behavior ("One of bees' most important roles in nature is a process called pollination"), which add a touch of biology to his tableaus.”—Publishers Weekly

 “The latest in Florian’s series of poetry books spotlighting animals, this attractive volume features bees…. Here the facts appear alongside the verse, an arrangement that works well because knowledge enlarges the experience of reading the verse and helps the information stick…some of the rhyming poems…express the bees’ point of view in a playful way that makes them fun to read aloud or even to memorize…. A nice mix of wordplay and science.”—Booklist

Connections

• For a fun art project, have students use primed paper bags and traditional white art paper to paint and draw the types of bees they learned about in the book. Have them use various types of art materials, for example, paint, charcoal, pencils, and ink. Discuss with students how their pictures look different on the paper bag compared to what it looks like on a piece of white paper.
• Have students choose a type of bee they would like to learn more about (queen bee, drones, worker bees, etc.). Have a variety of non-fiction bee books available in the classroom, or if available, they can use an online database such as World Book Encyclopedia to gather facts. After compiling basic information about the bee (life spans, duties, appearance, etc.) have each student give a 1-2 minute presentation.
     
     * Heiligman, Deborah. Jump into Science: Honeybees. ISBN 978-1426301575
     * Gibbons, Gail. The honey makes. ISBN 978-0688175343
     * Micucci, Charles. The life and times of a honeybee. ISBN 978-0395861394 
  
  
• Scientists have called the decline in bee populations the Worldwide Bee Colony Collapse or Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).  For older students, have them conduct independent research on this phenomena and have a discussion on why it's happening, what would happen to agriculture if bees disappeared and how our way of life would change.  Is there anything students can do to help bring back the bee population?
  
     * Burns, Loree Griffen. The hive detectives: chronicle of a honey bee catastrophe.  ISBN 978-0544003262
     * Slade, Suzanne. What if there were no bees?: a book abuot the grassland ecosystem.  ISBN 978-1404863941
  
  

Never smile at a monkey by Steve Jenkins

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jenkins, Steve. 2009.  Never smile at a monkey: and 17 other important things to remember. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.  ISBN 978-0-618-966202



SUMMARY
Steve Jenkins has written another gorgeous picture book with Never smile at a monkey. Using his distinctive cut and torn paper collage, Jenkins' book contains brief, yet informative information on 18 different animals and how they protect themselves from danger.  It also contains a "further reading" section at the end of the book. The book can be used for independent or one-on-one reading, but it's also a perfect read-aloud that kids of all ages will enjoy.



CRITICAL ANALYSIS 
Using a similar format to his Actual Size series, Jenkins' large illustrations of eighteen animals contain fun alliterative rules (NEVER cuddle a cub, NEVER pet a platypus) before offering brief information on how the creature protects itself.   In the back of the book, Jenkins' uses smaller illustrations with the animal in its defensive stance or showing the particular part of the animal that is dangerous. More details about the animals are offered, for example, where they live, what they eat, and its size.  The book contains the right balance of information; enough to feel informed, yet curious enough to want to learn more. The "further reading" section offers additional books about dangerous animals.

Visually stunning, the illustrations use Jenkins well-known style of cut and torn paper collages and are amazingly accurate.  The illustrations are large - one animal to a page, or, on occasion using both pages, offering ample white space which allows the illustrations to pop and to draw your focus.  My eyes were drawn to the dangerous spikes of the electric caterpillar and to the deceivingly adorable bear club. Children will enjoy looking at the pictures and learning more the animals. It's a great read-aloud and one that kids will rush to so they can view the cool pictures.



REVIEW EXCERPTS 
"A visually stunning book illustrated with cut paper and torn collages...This superlative illustrator has given children yet another work that educates and amazes."--School Library Journal 

"With his trademark cut-paper technique, Jenkins proves there may not be a texture that he can’t mimic on the page. The high-interest marriage of animals and danger, along with large, vibrant visuals, makes this a prime candidate for group sharing, and additional details and artwork at the end will flesh out some of the finer points for older children.--Booklist

[Monkey] takes the cheesy appeal of the dangerous-animals hook and makes it thoughtful and inventive without robbing it of its melodramatic charm. . . Crisp and clean detail particularly distinguishes this batch of Jenkins’ cut-out-collages, laid out with sharp edges against the white backgrounds, so the soft painterly striations and fibrous mottling stand out all the more."--Bulletin


CONNECTIONS
1. For students who enjoy Jenkins distinctive style, have a selection of his other books available:
     * Actual Size. ISBN 9780547512914
     * Prehistoric Actual Size. ISBN 9780618535781
     * Biggest, Strongest, Fastest. ISBN 9780395861363

2. Have students create an animal collage using cut and torn paper.

3. Using this book as an example, have students can create their own book theme; for example, "animals with a beak" or  "flowers that are blue."

4.  Have students discuss other animal defenses; for example, a cat uses its claws and teeth, while an alligator whips its tail. Students can write the examples down on post it notes and display around the room with their animal collages. 

The pig who went home on Sunday by Donald Davis, Illustrated by Jennifer Mazzucco

Bibliography
Davis, Donald. 2004. The pig who went home on Sunday: an Appalachian folktale. Ill. by Jennifer Mazzucco. Little Rock, AK: August House Little Folk. ISBN 0-87483-571-2

Plot Summary
Three little pigs decide it's time to live on their own.  Their mama tells each one "If you have to build a house, build it out of rocks and bricks. And please come home and see your mama on Sunday." Tommy and Willie don't listen to their mother and get eaten by a wolf - "Gulp!"  Then the wolf tries to trick Jackie.  Eventually Jackie is able to get rid of the pesky wolf and guess where Jackie goes that very next Sunday!

Critical analysis
In this Appalachian version of The Three Little Pigs, Davis chose to use the original cautionary tale where, if you don't listen to your mother, bad things will happen. Davis's storytelling uses the repetition we come to expect from this traditional tale.  Although this variant on the Three Little Pigs is sweet ("Please come home and see your mama on Sunday"), Davis' handing of Jackie Pig is confused.  First he has Jackie wisely not listen to the wolf, but then later, Jackie opens the door to the wolf and gradually lets the wolf in a little bit at a time ("It won't hurt just to let him get his nose warm.")  I'm not sure what lesson Davis is trying to teach when Jackie opens the door to the bad wolf in the hopes that the fox will go home. In the back of the book, Davis explains the history of The Little Pigs and shares a family story. 

Mazzucco's watercolor illustrations are bright and colorful, although not always particularly attractive.  She excels with her Appalachian landscapes looking almost like a quilt - layer upon layer to build up a beautiful mountain view.  However, while the pigs snouts may be physically accurate, they look odd.  If your collection contains cautionary tales in which the Three Little Pigs are eaten, then this book will not be needed. I would only recommend this book if you are trying to acquire books with a different perspective to this common tale.

Review excerpt(s)

Kindergarten-Grade 4–This charming version of "The Three Little Pigs" weaves mountain wisdom into a readable story with just the right amount of repetition for sharing aloud...... An endnote relates an entertaining personal anecdote about the story and provides a brief explanation of its history. A fine addition to folktale collections.– School Library Journal

Most of us grew up with a version of this story. We probably called it "The Three Little Pigs," and if we grew up in the Disney generation, we probably remember the happy pigs dancing and singing at the end, gleeful about outsmarting the wolf. But this is an earlier, less sanitized version of this cautionary tale, and the little pigs who don't do what their mother told them to do and instead build their homes of corn stalks and hay, never make it to their brother's brick house to sing and dance. They have already been eaten by the fox. Some children, already used to the more modern version of the story, may object to this ending, insisting that this is not the way the story goes. But families who enjoy original folktales will undoubtedly like this version. The text is somewhat wordy and a bit flat and the illustrations, though colorful and lively, are not particularly attractive. Still many families will enjoy sharing this book. -- Children's Literature

.... In his variation on The Three Little Pigs, Davis spins a cautionary tale about heeding the words of grown-ups. The first two pigs pay the price of ignoring Mama's wisdom; the third chubby porker, Jackie, erects a solid home. At this point the plot line loses momentum as Jackie veers from savvy to gullible. He lets the fox into his home, inexplicably slamming the door on the animal's neck and tail, and only later realizes "he was the very thing the fox was planning to eat." Jackie does ultimately outfox his tricky stalker and makes it home for Sunday supper, but the uninflected writing and heavy-handed message, coupled with Mazzucco's (Little Johnny Buttermilk) flat illustrations in a muddy palette, may well have kids wishing for the classic's huffing and puffing wolf. - Publisher's Weekly

Connections
* Two of the pigs did not listen to their mother and they got eaten by the wolf.  Ask children if they ever disobeyed their mother/parents and something bad happened to them. What happens if they don't listen to their parents and do something they are not supposed to do?
* The two pigs listened to a stranger instead of their mother.  Talk to students about "stranger danger" and conduct "stranger danger role-playing." During this activity, a teacher plays the role of either a helpful or a dangerous stranger while the student plays himself. The teacher attempts to extract information from the student and gain his trust while the student responds by resisting and seeking the help of a trustworthy adult. (Whalig)
* Have students create a "safety web."  Safety webs allow students to create personalized visuals about people they do and do not trust. Students begin by drawing a circle in the center of a large piece of construction paper. Inside the circle, they list the trusted people in their immediate family, like their mom, dad and siblings. The student then draws several lines coming out of the circle and connects them with lines, creating a web-like design. Inside each new web box, students write the names of trusted extended family members, family friends or teachers. Each additional layer of the web provides space for people the student trusts, including teachers or police officers. Provide students with cut-outs of spiders and ask them to write descriptions of dangerous people, like strangers in vans or unknown people claiming to be relatives, and add them to the webs. (Whalig)
* To learn about textures, strength and use of the materials mentioned in the story, bring in corn stalks (or husks), hay, stone, and bricks. Talk about the strength of each material and about their uses.  Would a brick be able to cover a piece of corn from the rain? Would a brick feed a cow?
* When the fox says "Pork and beans for my supper!" the pig realizes that he's going to be eaten since he's pork.  Talk to children about the original sources of food; for example, peanut butter comes from peanuts, milk and meat comes from cows, and so on.  Have the students talk about their favorite foods and trace it back to the original source.

Wahlig, Hannah. Ehow. "Ideas for teaching about stranger danger." Web. Accessed on 18 June 2013. http://www.ehow.com/info_8308032_ideas-teaching-stranger-dangers.html

Anansi and the magic stick by Eric A. Kimmel

Bibliography
Kimmel, Eric A. 2001. Anansi and the magic stick. Ill. by Janet Stevens.  New York: Holiday House. ISBN 0-8234-1443-4

Plot summary
Warthog, Lion and Zebra are working hard tiding up their yards, while Anansi is sleeping. When the animals make fun of Anansi's messy yard, he stomps off in anger. Anansi decides to spy on Hyena who always has a clean and tidy house and yard, yet still has time to sleep. Anansi is shocked to see Hyena using a magic stick and steals the stick to clean his own home.  Anansi forgets the magic words and chaos ensues! But where did Anansi go and what's he up to now?

Critical analysis
Kimmel and Stevens have teamed up once again to tell another Anansi story.  Based on a Liberian folktale, Anansi is on familiar ground tricking those around him. Young students will enjoy repeating the rhythmic chant "Hocus pocus, Magic Stick...quick, quick, quick." Stevens' bright and cheerful  watercolor, acrylic, and crayon illustrations have modern touches like tires and aluminum cans strewn around Anansi's yard.  Surprising the reader, Stevens also paints herself and Kimmel in one of the scenes.  Kimmel and Stevens have introduced many children to the trickster Anansi and I hope they continue to bring us more silly tales of this wonderful spider because creating new tricks is "what Anansi does best."

Review excerpt(s)
In Anansi and the Magic Stick by Eric A. Kimmel, illus. by Janet Stevens, the arachnid goes too far. Anansi steals the napping Hyena's magic housekeeping stick to water his garden. Unattended, the water floods the town. Stevens's comic creatures with their surprised expressions add kid appeal. -- Publishers Weekly

...This tale has a more traditional ring to it than Kimmel and Stevens's Anansi and the Talking Melon (Holiday, 1994), but whimsical illustrations add a modern-day appearance. The stick waters with an assortment of up-to-date hoses, watering cans, and a circular sprinkler, and the characters include a warthog in a bathing cap, a hare wearing water wings, and caricatures of the author in a dinosaur tube and the illustrator clutching a brush in her teeth. The art has a softer focus than in Talking Melon but the same bright colors fill the pages, and the whole adds up to an enjoyable offering that is clever, funny, surprising, and traditional all at once. -- School Library Journal

Anansi the Trickster meets the Sorcerer's Apprentice in this story loosely based on a Liberian folktale... Kimmel and Stevens make a good team, with the text fonts echoing the action of the story and the illustrations bringing Anansi and all his antics to life. This is their fourth Anansi collaboration (Anansi and the Talking Melon, 1996, etc.); has the tricky spider learned his lesson this time? Let's hope not-his stories are too amusing. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Kirkus Reviews

...Stevens uses watercolor, acrylic, crayon and "digital elements" plus her robust vision to produce animals bursting with personality, masters at expressing their feelings. She mixes bits of whimsical vegetation and fancy, like a sun-glass-wearing rhino, into her otherwise naturalistic landscape, then adds the author and herself floating in the flood for her own trick. Although it is loosely based on a Liberian tale, the story is not very "African," being reminiscent of The Sorcerer's Apprentice, as well. --Children's Literature

Connections
* Kimmel and Stevens have worked together on other Anansi books.  Have their other books displayed on a table so students can read more Anansi stories.
        -Anansi and the talking melon. 1995. ISBN 978-0823411672
        -Anansi and the moss-covered rock. 1990. ISBN 978-0823407989
        -Anansi's party time. 2009. ISBN 978-0823422418
        - Anansi goes fishing. 1993. ISBN 978-0823410224
* Talk to students about Trickster Tales and have them discuss what it means to be tricked.  Do they like to be tricked?  What is one day of the year that everyone tricks each other (April Fool's Day.) 
* Display a variety of trickster story books so they can read more of this fun genre.
* Have a combination of non-fiction spider, warthog, hyena, zebra and lion books so students can learn about African animals.
* The story is an African folktale.  Have students find Africa on a map, 
* The illustrations use a variety of techniques: watercolor, watercolor crayons, digital elements and acrylic paint.  Have students paint a picture using watercolor, watercolor crayons and acrylic.  After, discuss which they liked better and why.  Were they easy or hard to use?  Did they like the transparent aspect of the watercolors or the opaque acrylic paint?
* The book is available in audio cassette, as well.  Have the audiobook at a listening station so students can listen and read at the same time.  Read by Jerry Terheyden. New York: Live Oak Media. ISBN 978-1591124818.

Rumpelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky

Bibliography
Zelinsky, Paul O. 1986. Rumpelstiltskin. New York: Dutton.  ISBN 0-525-44265-0

Plot summary
A miller brags to the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold.  Being a selfish and greedy king, he demands that the miller's daughter must turn a room full of straw into gold or she will be put to death.  Crying and locked into a room alone, the miller's daughter is distraught until a funny little man appears and tells her that he can spin the straw into gold for a price. Eventually, having nothing else to give, the little runt of a man demands her firstborn child.  The miller's daughter agrees to the price and the king marries the girl and makes her Queen.  One year later, the imp comes back to demand his payment.  What will the Queen do to keep her son?

Critical analysis
In this beautiful variant of the Grimm Brother's Rumpelstiltskin, Zelinsky's writing and illustrations evoke a world in which magic still lived.  While the writing is simple and true to the original Rumpelstiltskin, it's the illustrations that make this a book a child or adult would want to own in their personal library;  especially if one is a collector of Rumpelstiltskin stories. In addition to winning a 1987 Caldecott Honor, Zelinsky's, Rumpelstiltskin has received numerous other awards and honors, including the Redbook Award, Society of Illustrators and AIGA Certificates of Merit, Bratislava Biennale Selection, ALA Notable Book, SLJ Best Book, Parents' Choice Award, Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and White Raven Book selection of the International Youth Library.
The illustrations are oil paints over watercolor underpaintings and are reminiscent of Renaissance paintings, while the miller's daughter has a look of the Pre-Raphaelites. Rumpelstiltskin is portrayed with bulbous eyes and a hawkish nose, looking curious and cheeky.  The King does not look evil enough for one that says "if you have not spun this straw into gold by morning, you will die." The back cover has a gold coin portraying Rumplestiltskin in his wide, pointy hat with the name of Zelinsky's wife, Deborah, written in a Latinesque format which is a fun ending to this wonderful fairy tale gloriously portrayed by Zelinsky.

The book works well for independent readers and for a group read-aloud.  Just make sure the students have time to savor the illustrations so they can gain a feel for the land and time in which this story takes place.

Review excerpt(s)
One of the most exquisite picture books of the season, Zelinsky's Rumpelstiltskin  will have strong appeal for children and for adult picture-book collectors alike...Here Zelinsky has retold the narrative himself; he has captured the magic and frightening wonder of the tale while incorporating elements from a number of 19th century Grimm versions. .... Rumpelstiltskin is a tour de force by an immensely talented artist. Zelinsky is that rare practitioner who can create sophisticated work that adults will marvel at, and that children will joyfully embrace. -- Publishers Weekly

...Zelinsky's exquisitely detailed illustrations perfectly capture the splendid beauty of the late medieval period, as well as the unique qualities of each character. -- Children's Literature

Connections
*For students who will enjoy Zelinksky's illustrated fairy tales, here are two more books by the Caldecott award winning illustrator.
     1. Rapunzel.  ISBN 978-0525456070. (Caldecott Medal Book)
     2. Lesser, Rita. 1999. Hansel and Gretel. Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky. New York: Dutton. ISBN 978-          0525461524
*Traditional literature often teaches us right from wrong, with the good winning against the bad.  The story of Rumplestiltskin is ambiguous on who is good and who is evil. This book allows for a great opportunity to discuss right from wrong with students.  Questions you may want to ask your students:
     1. The miller brags to the king about his daughter and tells a lie.  Does this story show us how lying can hurt us or the ones we love?
     2.  Is the King good or bad?
     3.  Is Rumplestiltskin good or bad?  What makes him good? What makes him bad?
     4. Rumplestiltskin does a service for the miller's daughter; he spun the straw into gold so she wouldn't be killed by the king. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
      5. When someone does a service for us, we pay them with money.  Was Rumplestiltskin right in asking for payment to spin the straw into gold?
     6.  The Queen made a promise to Rumplestiltskin, yet she broke her promise.  Is it ever ok to break your promise to someone?
     7.  Many people think Rumplestiltskin is bad because he wants the Queen's child.  Why do you think he wants the child?  What do you think he do with the baby once he has him?
* On Zelinsky's website, there is a link to lesson plans based on the book.  The lesson plans were written by his wife, Deborah Hallan. Review the website and talk to the students about the authenticity of the plans.  Do students think that this lesson plan might be better than other plans because the wife of the reteller and illustrator created them?  http://paulozelinsky.com/rumpelstiltskin_lessons.html

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith

Bibliography
Smith, Lane. 2011. Grandpa Green. New York: Roaring Books.  ISBN 978-1-59643-607-7

Plot summary
In this beautifully illustrated book, a little boy helps take care of a topiary his grandfather has spent a lifetime creating by using events and people important in the grandfather's life.  Whether the little boy is watering the bushes or eating lunch on a stump, he's able to share in the memories of his great-grandfather and even begins to share and create his own memories.

Critical analysis
The illustrations are what make this book outstanding. Lane is a talented artist that can tackle multiple artistic styles.  In Grandpa Green, the illustrations are calm and peaceful using shades of green and delicate drawings for the little boy and grandfather.

The principal theme of this book is memories, love, and family.  The great-grandfather uses the topiary as a form of creating family connections; when the boy is walking through the topiary,  he's walking through his grandfather's life.  By being able to keep the garden clean and pruned, the little boy is able to keep the memories alive.

The visual connection offered by the topiary to the event or person is vivid, for example, the red berries on a tree representing chicken pox the grandfather had in the 4th grade, or, when his grandfather went to war, shown by vivid, red jungle plants, exploding leafs and trees pruned into a bomb and airplane.  There was sentimental use of an old tree with bare and missing branches representing the ageing and forgetfulness of the great-grandfather

 Lane uses simple statements that children can relate to "He was born a really long time ago." The simplicity works well to move the boy through the topiary and to explain the events to the reader. It's the pictures that express all the emotion; the words just gently move us along through the grandfather's life.  I connect to this book because my grandmother has Alzheimer's and also loved plants.  How wonderful it would be if we, her family, could share in her past through such a visual statement.

Although Grandpa Green can work as a real-aloud, it would have a much stronger impact for quiet reading. This is a book to be mulled over, leafed through again and again, to glean more insight into the topiary and what they represent.


Review Excerpt(s)

“In this affecting picture book, a boy recounts the life of his beloved great-grandfather…The author’s illustrations, a blend of line drawings and sponge painting, have a classic feel, and make clever use of the topiary theme, rewarding close examination and repeated reading.”--The New Yorker

“Great-grandpa’s memory may be going, but the past remains vibrantly alive in the playful topiaries that decorate his brilliantly green yard. Lush and magical.” --People

"An unassuming little masterpiece…the book’s power lies in its rich, allusive artistry.” --New York Times Book Review

“It's a rare glimpse into Smith's softer side--as skillful as his more sly offerings, but crafted with honesty and heart.” --Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Visually intriguing and emotionally resonant, this is a book to pore over and talk about. With each subsequent reading, it offers new layers of meaning and visual connections."–School Library Journal Starred Review

“Opening this book is like opening a gate to a secret garden, filled with the treasures of a life well lived. In his portrait of a boy who adores and honors his forgetful great-grandfather, Smith shows us that the things that are meaningful to the ones we love become part of our garden, too.” —Shelf Awareness
“Though this book has lots of adult appeal, it will also be a wonderful bridge to exploring family history with the very young.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Sketched with a finely lined fairy-tale wispiness and dominated by verdant green, the illustrations are not just creative but poignant.” —Booklist

Connections

• Bring in a shaped plant or bonsai so students can see how plants can be trimmed into shapes.
• Create a slideshow of pictures of character bushes, for example, Disney bushes, dinosaur and other shaped bushes.
• Have students draw a bush based upon someone important in their lives or an important event.
• If your students like this book, offer similar suggestions;
• Kalman, Bobbie. Plants Are Living Things. ISBN 978-0778732570
• Cole, Henry. Jack's Garden. ISBN 978-0688152833
• Mayer, Mercer. Just Grandpa and me. ISBN 978-0307119360
• Lashier, Kathleen. Grandpa, Tell Me Your Memories. ISBN 978-1563830389