Wednesday, June 22, 2011

GENRE 2 TRADITIONAL LITERATURE

THE STORY OF LIGHTNING AND THUNDER
by Ashley Bryan




BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bryan, Ashley. 1993. THE STORY OF LIGHTNING AND THUNDER. Ill. by Ashley Bryan. New York, NY: Antheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon and Schuster.ISBN 0-689-31836-7



PLOT SUMMARY
The plot is full of action and somewhat episodic because when Son Ram Lighting’s actions are troublesome, the King sends Ma Sheep and Son Ram Lightning to a new location. The setting is established on the first page, in a little village in Africa.  The author paints a picture in the readers’ minds of lightning as Son Ram zigzags through fields and up mountains with Ma Sheep, thunder, calling after him.  The conflicts are extremely crucial to the plot.  The resolution, sending Ma Sheep and Son Ram Lightning, explains how thunder and lightning came to be.  At the end, the author allows the listener, or reader, to identify with Son Ram Lightning.  This is a perfect book to read aloud. 



CRITICAL ANALYSIS
THE STORY OF LIGHTNING AND THUNDER is based on Folk Tales from Southern Nigeria, West Africa, by Elphinstone Dayrell, however, this tale could relate to any culture.  It includes supernatural events, such as going into the sky.  There are also repeated elements, such as, use of “uh-uh,” throughout the story.  Also, after every troubled incident the King would send Ma and Son farther away, where the same thing would happen again. The African culture in represented, other than already stated, through the village and what was sold.  Likewise, interestingly, no matter what, Ma Sheep Thunder did what King requested without question.  Although this story is mostly about how lightning and thunder came to be, it also has a moral.  The story seems to highlight friendship, being that Rain always tried to help her friend, Ma Sheep, when needed.  That is why King sent her.  Also, the most important lesson is that children should obey their parents.  In not doing so, bad things happened.
The illustrations are colorful, vivid and are complementary to the story.  The character is well portrayed in African clothing.  The story would easily be followed through the pictures. 
 



REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist (Vol. 90, No. 2 (September 15, 1993)"Bryan's swirling watercolors depict a bright African terrain peopled with decorative, colorful characters. The text has music and style and moves along quickly, thanks to the humor inherent in the exploits of the rambunctious ram. Specific source notes are included. This is a solid title for reading aloud that will appeal to a wide age range."
Horn Book (March, 1994)"Stylized illustrations, in pretty shades of blue, green, orange, and yellow, accompany a mildly amusing retelling of a folktale from southern Nigeria about how Thunder -- a mother sheep -- and her mischievous son, Lightning -- a ram -- were banished from the Earth to the sky."
Kirkus Review starred (1993)"Written to be read aloud (perhaps to a rambunctious child), with bits of rhyme and unexpected wordplay--the King scolds Lightning: "It is an outrage at your age to go on such a rampage!" There is one of Bryan's uniquely vibrant, swirling, light-filled paintings on every page."
Publishers Weekly (October 18, 1993)"Bryan takes a highly conversational, genial tone, with frequent interjections of ``uh-huh'' and ``uh-uh,'' that quickly develops camaraderie between the reader, the narrator, the spirited ram, and his frazzled mother. Brilliantly colored and ingeniously patterned, Bryan's illustrations are a playful take on stained glass."



AWARDS
THE STORY OF LIGHTNING AND THUNDER does not appear to have been awarded any honors, however, Ashley Bryan has written several other books which have been heavily awarded.  He has compiled, written and illustrated numerous books, many of them African folktales.



CONNECTIONS
Other books that would go along with this book are:
Ashley Bryan's African Tales
Uh Huh and The Story of Lightning and Thunder
All Night, All Day: A Child's First Book of African American Spirituals
What a Morning
Beat the Story Drum, Pum-Pum
Lion and the Ostrich Chicks
or
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Same series: Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears (Imagination Library Books)
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Doctor De Soto by William Steig
The Amazing Bone by William Steig


  • On rainy days, this would be a good story to read during recess time.
  • Students could research about lightning and thunder, completing a KWL chart before and after research
  • Students could make up their own story explanation for lightning and thunder, first discussing other stories they have heard in the past, such as "angels mopping in Heaven."
  • Study about Ben Franklin and his kite
  • Make a chart of rain events



THE THREE LITTLE JAVELINAS
by Susan Lowell ~ Illustrated by Jim Harris


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lowell, Susan. 1992. THE THREE LITTLE JAVELINAS. Ill. by Jim Harris. Flagstaff, AZ: Northland Publishing Company.  ISBN 0-590-48170-3


PLOT SUMMARY
THE THREE LITTLE JAVELINAS is a picture book variant of THE THREE LITTLE PIGS.  This entertaining book by Susan Lowell uses javelinas, cousins of pigs, to reenact the original story in a desert setting.  The javelinas possess human traits of hairy legs and a desire to seek their fortunes.  As the three javelinas part ways, they all discover different materials with which to build their houses.  Like the old story of the pigs, the javelinas are stalked by a predator, the sneaky coyote.  He huffs and puffs their houses in, one by one.  The javelinas all use the familiar term, “not by the hair on my chinny chin chin.”  They eventually all end up in the house made of solid adobe, keeping the desert flavor. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The story progresses quickly as the plot is full of a large amount of action.  The setting is established quickly, somewhere in the southwest.  The coyote is definitely the villain in the story.  In the end, he is “cooked” as he climbs down the stovepipe.  However, he is seen running from the javelinas’ house in the form of smoke, howling in pain.  This explains why you can hear coyotes howling in the moonlight on any given night in the desert.  The story captures the language of the southwest, even sounding out some Native American words.  There are repeated elements in the form of actions and sayings. 

The illustrations are fabulous, the kind you just need more time to take in than the words allow.  I found myself flipping back through the book to look at the pictures.  They absolutely create the mood, are appropriate for the story, and reflect the cultural heritage of the desert.  There is a great sense of cultural representation in this picture book.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist (Vol. 89, No. 9 (January 1, 1993)
Harris' illustrations are appealing and humorous and children who loved the original will enjoy this version. 
Horn Book (March, 1993)In this southwest retelling of "The Three Little Pigs," the setting and characters work comfortably within the tale's framework.
Publishers Weekly (September 14, 1992)This clever and flavorful change of scene puts a diverting spin on an old favorite. Harris's lively, finely detailed illustrations, with the bristling, pink-nosed peccaries clad in cowboy outfits, amusingly contrast the villain's vigorous wiles with the title characters' cozy domesticity. Sprightly fun. Ages 3-8.

AWARDS
Arizona Young Readers Award 1994
Mockingbird Award
PBS Reading Rainbow 1994
Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award Finalist 1996

CONNECTIONS
Other books that would go along with this book are:
Josefina Javelina: A Hairy Tale by Susan Lowell
Cactus Hotel (Owlet Book) by Brenda Z. Guiberson
There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea by Jennifer Ward
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas

ACTIVITIES
Research life in the desert
Read several variants of The Three Little Pigs and compare and contrast
Have the students act out the book (Could have the students get in groups and act out different variants and let the others guess which one they are out out.)


JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT
by Simms Taback


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Taback, Simms. 1999. JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT
. Ill. by Simms Taback. New York, NY: Penguin Books.  ISBN 0-329-15300-5


PLOT SUMMARY
JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT, written by Simms Taback, is a folktale adopted from a Yiddish folksong that he sang growing up.  The main character, Joseph starts out with an overcoat and as it wears out he alters it to become another piece of clothing.  In this tale, the only evil is time and use, wearing something down.  The setting is in the country.  Time passes quickly, as every other page he makes a new garment.



CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The theme is one in which everyone can relate.  Joseph really does triumph over evil, even when he has nothing.  He writes a book to show that one can always make something good out of nothing.  So… a happy ending!  The very first sentence introduced Joseph, a simple character with an overcoat.  “Joseph had a little ___ . It got old and worn,” was a phrase that was repeated throughout the story.  Also, the character always goes somewhere in his new garment, another repeated element.  In the back of the book, Taback provided the original folksong he sung growing up.  He successfully maintains the integrity of the original piece.   

The illustrations, also generated by Taback, not only complement the story but actually make the story come to life.  When I first started reading the book, I thought someone had cut out his jacket.  Because of the illustrations, this is definitely a book to read aloud to children.  The illustrations are very cleaver and timeless.  Although the pictures indicate that Joseph lives in the country, they also show that he likes to travel, go to the theater, and be artistic.  He scattered little clues about his life throughout the pages through his drawings.  There is an authentic cultural representation through the images and with explanation of how the story came to be.  


REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist (Vol. 96, No. 9/10 (January 1, 2000))Ages 4-7. This newly illustrated version of a book Taback first published in 1977 is a true example of accomplished bookmaking--from the typography and the endpapers to the bar code, set in what appears to be a patch of fabric. Taback's mixed-media and collage illustrations are alive with warmth, humor, and humanity. Their colors are festive yet controlled, and they are filled with homey clutter, interesting characters, and a million details to bring children back again and again. The simple text, which was adapted from the Yiddish song "I Had a Little Overcoat," begins as Joseph makes a jacket from his old, worn coat. When the jacket wears out, Joseph makes a vest, and so on, until he has only enough to cover a button. Cut outs emphasize the use and reuse of the material and add to the general sense of fun. When Joseph loses, he writes a story about it all, bringing children to the moral "You can always make something out of nothing."
 Library Talk (March/April 2000)Based on a Yiddish folk song, this delightful story of ingenuity and thrift has been re-illustrated and is told in simple, repetitive text. The folk-style illustrations are created from Joseph's little overcoat and feature innovative die-cut pages that highlight each object from jacket to button. Taback's illustrations, created with gouache, watercolor, pen and ink, and collage, are eye-catching. The illustrations move the story along and provide many details for the lingering eye to enjoy.  Music to the song "I Had a Little Overcoat" is included on one of the final pages--an addition which, along with the illustrations, will bring readers back to this tale again and again. Highly Recommended. Sharron L. McElmeel [Editor's Note: Taback has won the 2000 Caldecott Medal.]
Publishers Weekly (November 1, 1999)As in his Caldecott Honor book, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Taback's inventive use of die-cut pages shows off his signature artwork, here newly created for his 1977 adaptation of a Yiddish folk song. With its effective repetition and an abundance of visual humor, this is tailor-made for reading aloud. All ages.
School Library Journal (January 2000)Pre-Gr 3-A book bursting at the seams with ingenuity and creative spirit.  The rhythm and repetition make it a perfect storytime read-aloud.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada


AWARDS
2000 Caldecott Medal

CONNECTIONS
Other books that would go along with this book are:
Caldecott Medal Winners
Children's folktales from different cultures
All children's folktales
ACTIVITIES
Compare folktale from different cultures
Make a collage from magazines depicting own style (or drawings)
Write about a time you made something from nothing.
Decorate a can or container with different buttons.

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