Bibliography:
Moser, Barry. (2001). The Three Little Pigs. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316585440.
Plot Summary:
Three pigs set out on their own in the world. One pig builds a house of straw and the big bad wolf blows it down and eats the pig. The second pig builds a home from sticks and the wolf blows the house down and eats him, too. The third pig builds a home out of brick. The wolf tries to blow the house in, but fails. The wolf tries to trick the pig, but the pig always outsmarts the wolf. In the end, the third pig has a nice wolf stew for dinner.
Critical Analysis:
Moser is both the author and the illustrator of this book. This adaptation of the traditional Three Little Pigs is hilarious and outrageous. The style of the book is traditional with a very modern flare. The story will be familiar to children with some new details thrown in. For example, the pigs leave home on Valentine's day! The story would work well with both self reading or as a read aloud. As a read aloud it allows the reader to point out the fun details like the "Wolf Cook" book at the end.
The characters in the book are predominately male. The only female is the mother, crying as her boys go away on the first page. All the characters are very detailed. By the end of the book, you can see the hunger in the wolf's eyes and see his ribs. One minor detail I took note of when brainstorming about the characters was the one pig who had a teddy bear with him at the beginning of the story. Perhaps he was the baby of the family or perhaps he was the weak runt. It was interesting to see him as the first pig to be eaten by the big bad wolf.
Illustrations throughout the book are detailed. Emotions are very present in the faces of each character. For example, when the big bad wolf eats the second pig, a nice empty bottle of "PigA Pepper Sauce" is beside him while he wipes his mouth with a napkin. Pig three builds his house with brick and "Wolfe Pruf Cement." The little details really make the reader laugh out loud! The illustrations bring a lot to the text of the folktale.
Awards:
To my knowledge, this particular book by Barry Moser does not have any awards. Moser does have awards for other texts.
Review excerpt from the School Library Journal: "Well written and cleverly illustrated, the book is the perfect choice for replacing tattered editions with inferior illustrations that may be cluttering library shelves or a fine first pick for a growing library." -Jody McCoy, The BushSchool.
Connections:
--Holiday connection: The story takes place on Valentine's Day
--Literature connection: Compare and contrast other "Three Little Pigs" variations
--Author/Illustrator Study: Example of books to include - Earthquack!, Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes, The Three Silly Billies, and Dogs of Myth: Tales From Around the World
--Begin a study on pigs and/or wolves
--Science connection: Open a study about air (blowing, air pressure, etc.)
Sources:
School Library Journal. "Six Transplanted Tales." School Library Journal, November 27, 2007. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6505748.html
Showing posts with label traditional literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label traditional literature. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Book Review: The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Bibliography:
Pinkney, Jerry. (2009). The Lion and the Mouse. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9870316013567.
Plot Summary:
The story begins with a mouse escaping an owl, but then ending up atop a resting lion. The lion growls at the mouse, but lets her go. The lion is captured by a net that poachers put out. The mouse hears the cries of the lion and gnaws the net away to set the lion free. The mouse takes a piece of the net back to her mice babies to see.
Critical Analysis:
This specific rendition of The Lion and the Mouse is beautifully wordless. The illustrations are thoughtful and detailed. The illustrations seem to be done with watercolors and pencils. The front cover of the book is a picture of the lion, no words. Throughout the traditional tale you see little details like the whiskers of the animals, each blade of grass and/or other animals in the jungle (butterflies, ants, baby cubs). I would like to note one special illustration where the mouse goes to the nest and her family of sweaking babies, and the lion is in the background. I think this illustration brings light to the good deed of the lion.
The entire story is very will understood through the use of illustrations without words. The several words in the book are merely sweaks and growls (animals noises). There are several times in the book where the illustrator uses frames to highlight action. For example, the mouse gnawing the rope the lion is caught in. This helped focus the reader on certain aspects of the illustrations instead of those special details going unnoticed.
Story wise, this traditional tale does an excellent job of showing the moral of the fable. The kind deeds of the mighty lion towards the small mouse were rewarded. It does a great job of showing students that kind deeds may go unnoticed at first, but in the long run they are beneficial! Overall this is a great book to share with students at any age.
Awards Won:
2010 Horn Book Awards Honor Book - Boston Globe
2010 Best Illustrated Books - New York Times
2010 Book of the Year Winner, New Picture Book - Indies Choice
2010 Randolph Caldecott Medal - American Library Association
Review excerpt from the School Library Journal: "The Lion and the Mouse takes a classic Aesop tale and spins it into wordless picture book gold. A must have, and a must purchase."
Connections:
--Use the book to begin a lesson about kindness
--Unit study of Jerry Pinkney (other books include Sunday Outing, Pretend You're a Cat, Turtle in July and Noah's Ark. For an exhaustive list see http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/frameset.html)
--Use the illustrations to discuss texture and details with older art students
--Use this book with other traditional tales (adaptations) by Jerry Pinkney (Examples include Three Kittens, Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Red Hen)
--Use the book to start learning about animal sounds (squeak, roar, whoowhoo)
--Begin a lesson on storytelling or improvisation using the book as their inspiration
School Library Journal. "Review of the Day" Review of the Day: The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney. School Library Journal, July 20, 2009. http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2009/07/20/review-of-the-day-the-lion-and-the-mouse-by-jerry-pinkney/
Pinkney, Jerry. (2009). The Lion and the Mouse. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9870316013567.
Plot Summary:
The story begins with a mouse escaping an owl, but then ending up atop a resting lion. The lion growls at the mouse, but lets her go. The lion is captured by a net that poachers put out. The mouse hears the cries of the lion and gnaws the net away to set the lion free. The mouse takes a piece of the net back to her mice babies to see.
Critical Analysis:
This specific rendition of The Lion and the Mouse is beautifully wordless. The illustrations are thoughtful and detailed. The illustrations seem to be done with watercolors and pencils. The front cover of the book is a picture of the lion, no words. Throughout the traditional tale you see little details like the whiskers of the animals, each blade of grass and/or other animals in the jungle (butterflies, ants, baby cubs). I would like to note one special illustration where the mouse goes to the nest and her family of sweaking babies, and the lion is in the background. I think this illustration brings light to the good deed of the lion.
The entire story is very will understood through the use of illustrations without words. The several words in the book are merely sweaks and growls (animals noises). There are several times in the book where the illustrator uses frames to highlight action. For example, the mouse gnawing the rope the lion is caught in. This helped focus the reader on certain aspects of the illustrations instead of those special details going unnoticed.
Story wise, this traditional tale does an excellent job of showing the moral of the fable. The kind deeds of the mighty lion towards the small mouse were rewarded. It does a great job of showing students that kind deeds may go unnoticed at first, but in the long run they are beneficial! Overall this is a great book to share with students at any age.
Awards Won:
2010 Horn Book Awards Honor Book - Boston Globe
2010 Best Illustrated Books - New York Times
2010 Book of the Year Winner, New Picture Book - Indies Choice
2010 Randolph Caldecott Medal - American Library Association
Review excerpt from the School Library Journal: "The Lion and the Mouse takes a classic Aesop tale and spins it into wordless picture book gold. A must have, and a must purchase."
Connections:
--Use the book to begin a lesson about kindness
--Unit study of Jerry Pinkney (other books include Sunday Outing, Pretend You're a Cat, Turtle in July and Noah's Ark. For an exhaustive list see http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/frameset.html)
--Use the illustrations to discuss texture and details with older art students
--Use this book with other traditional tales (adaptations) by Jerry Pinkney (Examples include Three Kittens, Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Red Hen)
--Use the book to start learning about animal sounds (squeak, roar, whoowhoo)
--Begin a lesson on storytelling or improvisation using the book as their inspiration
School Library Journal. "Review of the Day" Review of the Day: The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney. School Library Journal, July 20, 2009. http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2009/07/20/review-of-the-day-the-lion-and-the-mouse-by-jerry-pinkney/
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