Review of Three Samurai Cats

Bibliography

Kimmel, Eric. Three Samurai Cats, A Story From Japan. Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein.  New York: Scholastic, Inc., 2004. ISBN 0-439-69256-3

Plot Summary

A rat has made himself at home in the castle.  The daimyo, or lord,  tries to poison the rat, trap it, and even the guard dogs can’t scare it away.  The daimyo rides to the shrine asking the docho for help.  The docho sends him a samurai cat skilled in fighting to defeat the rat.  The rat outwits the samurai cat and he leaves in disgrace.  The docho sends another samurai cat, this one ever bigger and a better fighter, but the rat wins the fight again.   Next the docho sends the third samurai cat.  This one, he claims, is the greatest living master of martial arts.  The most decrepit cat the daimyo has ever seen arrives.  He states that he can get rid of the rat but the daimyo must not interfere.  The cat ignores the rat.  The rat gets bolder and bolder, disrupting and taking over even more of the castle.  The cats patience finally pays off when the rat gets himself stuck under a giant rice ball.  The samurai cat agrees to help free the rat  but the rat must agree to leave the castle.  In the end the rat’s greed was his own downfall.
 

Critical Analysis

This is a cultural folk tale from Japan.  It is a trickster tale in which the third samurai cat used patience and wit to outsmart the rat.   The third samurai cat doesn’t fight the rat but waits for the rat’s greed to get him in trouble and then uses it against him to make him leave the castle.  The story has a japanese zen like theme, sometimes fighting isn’t the answer and patience and brains can win in the end.

The illustrations are pen and ink with oil paint on heavy vellum paper giving is an almost watercolor effect.  This book was published in 2003 but it has an old feeling to it to make it fit in with the ancient japanese folk tale.  I thought the illustrations were a little too jagged and busy.  


Awards and Excerpts

Great Lakes Great Books Award, 2005 Honor Book Grades 2-3 Michigan

Best Children's Books of the Year, 2004 ; Bank Street College of Education; United States

Children's Literature Choice List, 2004 ; Children's Literature; United States

Booklist review excerpt  “the characters in Gerstein's colorful, detailed drawings are irresistible.”

Kirkus review excerpt  “A sophisticated story designed to stimulate unconventional thinking.”

Connections

Additional japanese folktales:
The Samurai's Daughter : A Japanese Legend by  Robert D. San Souci
Once Under the Cherry Blossom Tree; An Old Japanese Tale by Allen Say (1974)

A collection of international fairy tales:
A World of Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang

Other books by Eric Kimmel:
Jack and the Giant Barbecue, 2012
The Three Little Tamales, 2009
The Fisherman and the Turtle, 2008

Suggested Activity:
The author credits The Mythology of Cats : Feline Legend and Lore Through the Ages by Gerald Hausman (1998) as his inspiration for this story.  Review this book and compare the two stories.  What elements of the original work did Kimmel use is his story?  What elements did he leave out?

Review of The Three Pigs

Bibliography

Wiesner, David. The Three Pigs. Illustrated by David Wiesner. New York: Clarion Books, 2001. ISBN 0-618-00701-6

Plot Summary

The story starts out in the traditional manner but soon the pigs escape the story.  They fold a page of the story into a paper airplane and fly about until they crash land into another fairy tale.  They enter and exit a couple of additional tales until finally making their way back to their original story bringing the cat and his fiddle, and a dragon with them.  The dragon scares off the wolf and the pigs and company live happily ever after.  

Critical Analysis

The illustrations are genius.  Wiesner uses different mediums to illustrate and differentiate the different sections of the book.  The beginning of the story starts off with traditional fairy tale illustrations.  When the pigs escape the story they are drawn in a more realistic, almost photographic style.  When the pigs enter into other fairy tales they take on the graphic style of that story, cartoon like in Hey Diddle Diddle, and simple, sketch drawing in the dragon story.  When they finally return to their own story they are drawn in the original style used at the beginning of the book.

While inside a story the text follow the expected script.  When the pigs are outside of a story Wiesner uses text balloons to vocalize the pigs.   The story is creative and imaginative and I thoroughly enjoyed it.


Awards and Excerpts

ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award, 2002 Winner Special Subjects United States

Borders Original Voices Award, 2002 Finalist Children's Picture Book United States

International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honor List, 2004 Winner Illustration International

Irma S. and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 2001 Winner United States

Randolph Caldecott Medal, 2002 Winner United States

White Ravens Award, 2002 Winner United States United States

School Library Journal review excerpt  “Witty dialogue and physical comedy abound in this inspired retelling of a familiar favorite.”

Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices review excerpt  “Children, young teenagers, and adults, too, will find great pleasure and humor in the unexpected turns of this tale.”

Connections

Other books by David Wiesner:
Art & Max, 2010
Flotsam, 2006 - A Caldecott Medal book
Tuesday, 1991 - A Caldecott Medal book

Suggested activity:
Pair reading this book with a traditional version of The Three Little Pigs and compare and contrast the similarities and differences.

Review of Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf

Bibliography

Sierra, Judy. Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf. Illustrated by J. Otto Seibold. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. ISBN 978-0-375-95620

Plot Summary

Big Bad Wolf is invited to storytime at the library to tell the story of how he met the three little pigs.  During the retelling of the story, B.B. Wolf comes to terms with how bad he treated the three pigs.   He begs the pigs forgiveness and to prove he has changed, and to repair his reputation, he builds the pigs a new home.    

Critical Analysis

The theme of this fractured fairy tale is that people, or in this case a wolf, can change.  All of the illustrations in the book were digitally created and the colorful illustrations work well with the modernization of the book’s characters and plot.  Other fairy tale characters like the Gingerbread Boy, Humpty Dumpty, Pinocchio, and the Little Engine make appearances throughout the book. I enjoyed the little bits of humor in the book’s illustrations.  Illustrations of books titled Little Red Rotten Hood or Little Bo Creep, Pinocchio asking B.B. Wolf if his nose is growing because he isn’t telling the truth, and the Little Engine answering “I think it is, I think it is.” made me laugh. The story’s composition is lyrical and humorous and would be a good choice for a read-aloud.


Awards and Excerpts

Grand Canyon Reader Award, 2013 ; Nominee; Picture Book; Arizona

Booklist review excerpt  “Children familiar with the folktale will enjoy the witty text to the fullest. Seibold's lively illustrations, created digitally in his signature style, feature entertaining details as well as expressive characters playing out their roles with panache.”

School Library Journal review excerpt  “This brilliant retelling deserves a place at the head of the fractured-fairy-tale pack.”


Connections

Other fractured fairy tales by Judy Sierra:
Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf  (2007)
Monster Goose (2001)
The Gift of the Crocodile: A Cinderella Story  (2000)

Other Books Illustrated by J. Otto Seibold:
The Pig in the Spigot, by  Richard Wilbur (2004)
Other Goose: Re-Nurseried and Re-Rhymed Childrens Classics, by J. Otto Seibold (2010)
Olive, The Other Reindeer, by Vivian Walsh (1997)

Review of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Bibliography

Viorst, Judith. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Illustrated by Ray Cruz. New York City: Scholastic, Inc, 1989  ISBN 9780590421447


Plot Summary

For Alexander, the day starts out bad when he wakes up with gum in his hair and things just continue down hill from there.  His brothers find toys in their cereal and Alexander's cereal contains nothing but cereal.  He has to sit in the middle of the back seat when he wants to sit by the window.  His teacher likes another student’s drawing better than his imaginary drawing, the dentist finds a cavity in Alexander’s teeth, and the cat prefers to sleep with his brother instead of Alexander.  Alexander says things are so bad he wants to move to Australia, but his mother tells him that even people in Australia have bad days.    

Critical Analysis

The story is told from Alexander’s point of view.  The sentence structure and wording choice has been carefully crafted to add authenticity with simple words and run on sentences.  The story uses a repetitive phrase every couple of pages.  The illustrations are very detailed black and white pencil sketches.  My favorite part is Alexander’s expressions.  The yuck face when people are kissing on TV, the sad face when he realizes his mother didn’t pack a dessert in his lunch, and the mad face when when he has to wear the hated railroad PJ’s are priceless.  
 

Awards and Excerpts

ALA Notable Children’s Book
George G. Stone Center Recognition of Merit
Georgia Children's Book Award

Kirkus Reviews:  If Alexander's mother is smart to offer casual sympathy without phoney consolation, Cruz and Viorst accord readers the same respect.


Connections

Other Books in the Alexander Series:
Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety Days
Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday
Alexander, Who Is Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move

Start a discussion on how you would handle a bad day.  Listen to the song My Favorite Things  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td8rLo-us3c

Review of Yo, Hungry Wolf! A Nursery Rap

Bibliography

Vozar, David, Yo, Hungry Wolf! A Nursery Rap. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. New York City: Bantum Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc, 1995. ISBN 0440409535


Plot Summary

Yo, Hungry Wolf is based on 3 nursery rhymes, The 3 Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood and The Boy Who Cried Wolf.  The wolf is hungry and is looking for a meal.  He fails to capture the 3 pigs and moves on to a sassy and smart Red Riding Hood who isn’t fooled by his attempt to pretend to be grandma.  A man with an ax chases him out and into the bakery of the boy who cried wolf too many times and the wolf is able to finally get his meal by eating all the donuts.  


Critical Analysis

The book is brightly colored with large watercolor illustrations on every page.  The wolf is desperate for a meal.  The illustrations portray him very thin with oversized clothes.  Red Riding Hood is the gem of the book.  She’s modern, smart, and sassy so that she harmonizes with the rapping rhyme.  No naive little miss here.  She is illustrated with her hand on her hip and it cocked out to the side.  She’s winking at the audience as to say he isn’t fooling me.  Vozar does a wonderful job of combining all three wolf stories with the common theme of the wolf looking for a meal.  The rap flows from page to page and is very entertaining.


Awards and Excerpts

1994 Children’s Choice Award

Publisher's Weekly:   Vozar is at his most ingenious in “The Hungry Wolf,'' where short, snappy verses alternate with longer ones to create a rousing rap rhythm

School Library Journal: “The premise is winning and the rap never falters”


Connections

Split the group into 3 smaller groups and have each group perform/sing one of the 3 stories.

Take another traditional tale like Jack and the Beanstalk, Princess and the Pea or Mary had a Little Lamb and create your own modern rap version.

Betsy Lewin also illustrated the 2001 Caldecott Honor book,  Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

Review of A Ball For Daisy

Bibliography

Raschka, Chris. A Ball For Daisy. Illustrated by Chris Raschka, New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011, ISBN 978-0-375-85861-1

Plot Summary

A Ball for Daisy is a wordless picture book beautifully illustrated by Chris Raschka.  The story begins on the title page in which Daisy the dog receives a new toy, a red ball.  The love Daisy has for her new toy is evident in the illustrations of her playing and cuddling up with the ball even in sleep.   Daisy and her owner take the ball to the park to play.  You can see the disappointment in Daisy when the ball goes over the fence, and the excitement when the ball is returned to Daisy.   Daisy makes a new friend and the two dogs continue to play with the ball.  The ball is popped during play and Daisy is very sad.  Through the illustrations you feel Daisy’s loss of her beloved toy.  Daisy’s owner takes her to the park again and the two meet up with the other dog and it’s owner who gives Daisy a new blue ball to replace the one that was popped.  The story ends with Daisy, happily asleep, cuddled up to the new blue ball.

Critical Analysis

The illustration's are done in watercolors with primary colors that will appeal to children.  The simple story is timeless and the illustrations are so expressive that words are not needed.  Line and color help express Daisy’s emotions.  When Daisy is happy the colors are bright and when she is sad or disappointed  the colors are dull and dark.    The story is told in horizontal blocks.  Some pages have 3 to 4 illustrations per page.  Single, larger illustrations on a page highlight significant plot points.  Young children will connect with the fun, playful dog and older children and adults will notice the themes of joy, loss, and recovery.  
 

Awards

The Caldecott Medal, 2012
2012 ALSC Notable Children’s Book
New York Times Book Review, Best Illustrated Children’s Book Award

Horn Book Fanfare:  Raschka’s wordless take on an age-old story is fresh and wholly engaging: Daisy’s emotions, which range from joy to sadness and back again, are captured in every squiggly, impressionistic line. Notable both for the ingenuity of its artistry and the depth of its child appeal.

School Library Journal Best Books of 2011:  A gray-and-white pup and her red ball are constant companions until a poodle inadvertently deflates the toy, taking the air out of Daisy as well. Raschka’s nuanced illustrations brilliantly depict joy, shock, disbelief, sadness–and, with the gift of a blue ball–renewed contentment.


Connections

Lead a discussion on favorite childhood toys.  Have you ever lost or broken a toy?  How did it make you feel?

Do you have a pet?  Do pets have personalities?  Draw or create watercolors of a pet.

Other illustrated books by Chris Raschka to consider:
The Hello, Goodbye Window, a 2006 Caldecott Medal recipient.  Story written by Norton Juster and Illustrated by Chris Raschka.   
or
Yo! Yes?, a 1994 Caldecott Honor book.

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