The Firefly Letters

By Margarita Engle

Engle, Margarita. 2012. The Firefly Letters. NY, NY: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN: 978-0-8050-9082-6

PLOT SUMMARY:

This is the story of three women who come together based on circumstance.  Fredrika is a Swedish guest in the house of Elena’s father.  Elena is the daughter of a wealthy man.  Cecilia is a young slave girl. The three women become close friends and begin to explore the countryside together.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

The story of these three women evokes a sad feeling because they are trapped in their circumstances.  One woman is a slave and another is trapped in her father’s house not allowed to go out anywhere.  The author shows the feelings of Elena through the words used.  Elena feels like one of the fireflies that the children trapped and tore off its wings and placed it in a jar to live out its last days. 

Each chapter is written in a character’s voice.  The author changes the tone of the story based on the character.  The writing is descriptive and has a lot of feeling in it.  This story is for a little bit of and older age group because it addresses issues such as slavery and coming of age. 

CONNECTIONS:

This story could be used to coincide with lessons on slavery in school.  The children can be assigned roles in the story and read it aloud in class like a play.  The chapters are short and concise. 

Return to Sender

By Julia Alvarez

Esperanza Rising

By Pam Munoz Ryan

REVIEW:

“Like the firefly light, Engle’s poetry is a gossamer thread of subtle beauty weaving together three memorable characters who together find hope and courage. Another fine volume by a master of the novel in verse.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Blue Lipstick

By John Grandits

Grandits, John. 2007. Blue Lipstick. NY, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN: 978-0-618-56860-4

PLOT SUMMARY:

This book follows a teenage girl named Jessie through her daily life and the struggles she comes into.  In the beginning of the story Jessie and her friend decide to die her hair blue and they use bleach then die.  Her hair comes out horrible but it all ends up okay because Jessie realizes she is growing up and she made this mistake as a woman.  The book continues on discussing many of the issues that teen girls are faced with.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

The poems are created using words to make images. The words are written all over the pages in shapes to describe what the poem is about.  One poem is about a bad hair day and the words are written all over the page in the shape of messy hair coming off a girl’s head.  The hair is blue and white to show that they bleached and died it. 

The poems in this book are related to teens going through their daily lives.  Some of the poems deal with unhappy things that are happening and others are just normal situations.  The book contains many different types of poetry.  This book is appropriate for teen agers but not the younger children.

CONNECTIONS:

The book could be used to build self esteem in teens.  These poems address issues that many teens face and they can take comfort in the fact that they are not the only one who feels that way.  The book is also a good way to re-introduce teens to poetry. They can use these poems as an example for writing their own. 

REVIEW:

"A cover that'll grab adolescent girls' attention--and the poetry inside is equally appealing." Horn Book

When Gorilla Goes Walking

By Nikki Grimes

Grimes, Nikki. 2007. When Gorilla Goes Walking. NY,NY: Orchard Books. ISBN: 0-439-31770-3

PLOT SUMMARY:

A girl named Cecila who has a best friend also named Cecila gets a new pet kitty cat and names her Gorilla.  The story follows Gorilla and Cecila through getting to know one another and the ups and downs daily life.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

This book is a collection of poems that talks about Cecila’s life with her new pet kitty cat.  The poems follow Cecila and Gorilla through their daily lives and the things that happen.  One day Ceclia is home sick and Gorilla becomes her nurse.  The images on the pages are vivid and engaging.  They help the reader understand what is happening and where the story is going. The poems have words that sound the same at the end of every other line. 

The book as a whole is cute and has some funny parts.  It is easy to understand and can be read by children as young as kindergarten.  The poems are too long for children of a younger age.   

CONNECTIONS:

These poems can be read aloud.  In a group of children they can take turns and each read a page out loud.  The children can also write their own poems about a pet they have at home. 

REVIEWS:

From Booklist

Grimes' skillfully chosen sounds and rhythms echo the distinctly feline behavior, from erratic, zooming action--"skate 'cross the floor. / Sail by the window, / leap through the door"--to soothing, purring comforts: "Gorilla raised a paw / and pet me." In spare, expressive lines and bold colors, Evans' dynamic paintings capture the messy intimacy of the cat and human bond. Also evident is the sense that Gorilla isn't just a pet; she's also a mirror.

Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock

By Eric Kimmel

Kimmel, Eric. 1988. Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock. USA: Holiday House Publishers. ISBN: 0-8234-0689-x

PLOT SUMMARY:

Anansi the spider finds a moss covered rock one day while walking through the forest.  The rock causes Anansi to go unconscious and he believes that the rock has magic powers if you say the magic words.  Anansi then brings all of his friends one by one to the rock and after they pass out, he steals their food.  His one friend, Little Bush Deer sees him and realizes what he is doing.  The Little Bush Deer then tricks Anansi into saying the magic word to the rock and he and all the other friends go and get their food back while he is passed out.  Anansi comes home and finds everything gone but he did not learn his lesson, he is still out there playing pranks.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Anansi is a tricky little spider that is too lazy to work for what he wants; he instead tricks his friends so he can just take what he wants from them.  The plot has a receptive pattern.  Anansi tricks all of his friends the same way.  The child can predict what will happen next by the pattern of the story.  The story gets interesting when Anansi is tricked by the Little Bush Deer.  This is the changing point of the whole story. 

The images are cute and not scary for the young reader.  One can look at the images and know what is happening in the story without actually reading the words.  The setting of the story is in the jungle where Anansi and his friends live.  Each of the characters are animals, that would be found living in the jungle.  The vegetation is also jungle like.  The author illustrates time by actually saying how much time has passed. 

In this story the author is trying to teach their readers a lesson.  Anansi is always playing tricks to get what he wants.  He never works for things; it almost looks like he is going to get everything free but then Little Bush Deer catches him.

CONNECTIONS:

There are quite a few books about Anansi the spider and all of them could be looked over and read with this book. Ask the children about a time they tried to play and prank and got caught. They can create a story out of their experience.  The story can be created through images instead of words.

REVIEWS:

From School Library Journal

Kimmel has retold a West African tale (said to be known in Caribbean culture). The text is rhythmic, nicely building suspense to the inevitable conclusion. Stevens' complementary, colorful illustrations add detail, humor, and movement to the text. Here, Anansi is portrayed as a large eight-legged arachnid; his expression is in his motion. The other animals are almost realistic, although with facial expressions that are characteristic of the artist's work.

Maria B. Salvadore, District of Columbia Public Library
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition

Swamp Angel

By Anne Isaacs

Isaacs, Anne. 1994.  Swamp Angel. NY, NY: Penguin Books USA. ISBN: 0-525-45271-0

PLOT SUMMARY:

Angelica Longrider was born larger, almost as tall as her mother.  As she grew older she learned all sorts of things such as building log cabins.  She was also very helpful; she rescued pioneers when their wagons got caught in the mud.  A bear came into Tennessee and began eating all of the settler’s food.  The people have a competition to see who can kill this bear.  Angel signs up even after all the men taunt her and make fun.  No one was able to catch that bear except Angel.  Angel and that bear have a big long battle which Angel finally wins.  Angel brings the bear meat back to the settlers and they all eat. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Angelica Longrider is a very tall girl, she was born that way.  Tarnation the bear is a big old nasty bear that came and took all the settler’s food.  Tarnantion was also very large like Angel, his pelts were too big for Tennesse so Angel has to move out to Montana after she kills him.

The plot of this story has the characteristics of most folk tales, it has a quest for the main character to fulfill that is difficult.  There are also many action scenes in the story and it flows quickly.  The setting of this story is in Tennessee a very long time ago.  The story is obviously a made up tale that could never have happened in real life.  Time passes quickly in this tale. When the tale begins Angel is a baby and when it closes she is grown and off on her own to use the bear’s pelt as a rug. 

The story has a theme of good triumphing over evil like in most folktales.  In the end Angel beats Tarnation.  The author even names the main characters in such a way where the good character’s name has a good connotation and the bad character’s name has a bad connotation. Angel speaks with a southern drawl and the reader can imagine her walking around the prairie many years ago.  At the end of the story we can also see that the author is explaining how the bear constellation came into place. 

CONNECTIONS:

This book could be read along with other “tall tales” such as Paul Bunyan.  The children can also write their own tall tales that teach a lesson.  This book would also make a very nice puppet show. The children could make puppets of the characters.  They could even make a bear puppet out a paper bag and some brown construction paper.

REVIEWS:

From Publishers Weekly

Zelinsky's (Rumpelstiltskin) stunning American-primitive oil paintings, set against an unusual background of cherry, maple and birch veneers, frankly steal the show here. Their success, however, does not diminish the accomplishment of Isaacs, whose feisty tall tale marks an impressive picture-book debut.

The Three Little Pigs
Retold and illustrated by Barry Moser

Moser, Barry. The Three Pigs. NY, NY: Scholastic. ISBN: 0439334713

PLOT SUMMARY:

Mother pig told her three piglets that it is time for them to go out and start their own lives.  The three pigs went their separate way and built houses for themselves to live in.  The first pig built a house of straw, the second pig build his house from twigs, and the third pig built his house from bricks.  A wolf comes along and tells the first pig to let him in and when the pig does not he threatens to blow his house down.  The wolf blows the house down and eats the first pig.  The wolf then visits the second pig and the same situation occurs.  The wolf comes to see that last pig but when tries to blow the house down, he finds it impossible.  The wolf then tries to lure the pig out of the house by inviting him to pick apples and go to the fair.  The pig goes and does those things early before the wolf comes.  On the day that pig visits the fair he gets there early but does not leave before the wolf arrives.  The pig hides inside a butter churn and begins rolling down the hill toward the wolf which scares him.  The wolf becomes angry because he discovers that the pig tricked him.  The wolf comes down the pig’s chimney to get him but the pig had been boiling water.  The pig then has wolf stew for dinner. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

This is a classic story retold by Barry Moser.  The illustrations are scary for a young child; the pigs in particular have frightening faces.  If one were to look only at the illustrations and not the words it would appear that the pigs were evil and the wolf was friendly.  Some of the illustrations of the wolf make him look almost friendly.  They were created in watercolor so the use of color is very beautiful and slightly blurred.  The images are created in such a way to create the illusion of the sun without actually showing it.  The characters’ faces are created with a lot of emotion so that the reader can almost see what is going on through the images. 

CONNECTIONS:

An activity can be for the children to try and build a small house for one of the three pigs.  Sugar cubes can be used to represent bricks, tooth picks for sticks, and pine needles for hay.  The children can then try to blow the house down.

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig

By Eugene Trivizas

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

By Laura J. Bryant

Little Red Riding Hood

By Candice Ransom

REVIEWS:

Review: The Three Little Pigs

- Editorial review - Kirkus Reviews

The chubby piglets are very small, the wolf big, bony, and very bad, in this sly retelling of the familiar tale. Moser (Those Building Men, 2000, etc.) relates it in formal language, toning down the traditional story line's violence but adding plenty of biting (so to speak) humor with expressively drawn figures in deceptively sunny rural landscapes. Never has that big bad wolf been better served. 

Dona Flor

Mora, Pat. 2005. Dona Flor. NY, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN:0-375-82337-9

PLOT SUMMARY:

Dona Flor was always bigger than everyone else; she was just born that way.  In the beginning all of the other children made fun of her but she did not let it bother her, and eventually they came to respect her.  The townspeople hear a loud roaring noise and become afraid; Dona Flor is called in and asked to find out the source of the noise.  She goes looking and it takes quite a while but she finally finds a puma roaring.  Dona Flor takes this puma and makes him her pet.  At the end of the story he falls asleep on her toe. 

CRITCAL ANALYSIS:

Dona Flor is a lovable character that does not let what other people think harm her.  She begins the story as being the odd one and at the end is very respected and loved.  Throughout the story she is very helpful and caring to her neighbors, she makes tortillas for everyone and goes right out when she hears of the loud roar. 

The children become very afraid of a loud roaring sound that they hear and Dona Flor goes out to find that sound and make it stop.  There is a very definite climax when Dona find the puma and the resolution is one that will comfort the young reader.  Dona makes the puma her pet and he comes home with her and falls asleep on her toe. 

The setting of this book seems to be in Mexico but the story really could have taken place anywhere, it is an issue that happens to all children at some point.  There are times that all children are afraid and Dona Flor becomes the hero but not being afraid and by dealing with the situation. 

The theme of the story is about not being afraid and about not taking too much stock in what others think.  Dona Flor was the strange one when she was young because she was so big but as she ages she becomes beloved.  The author has a unique style because the book has parts in English and parts in Spanish.  These sections enrich the culture of the story and the characters.  The illustrations are simple and make it easy for the young reader to follow what is going on.  The images complement the text and allow for children to guess what happens next. 

CONNECTIONS:

Pecos Bill

By Steven Kellogg

John Henry

By Julius Lester

This book can easily fit in a series on folk tales or tall tales such as Pecos Bill. 

REVIEWS:

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–A charming tall tale set in the American Southwest. Doña Flor, a giant, is a benevolent presence in her pueblo. While at first kids teased the young and large Flor, she quickly became an asset to them, whisking them off to school when they were running late or making tortillas big enough to be used as rafts on the river. The action starts when a puma is heard howling in the vicinity; the villagers are terrified and even Doña Flor can't find it. The animals know where the gato is so she follows their advice and the situation is delightfully resolved. Colón uses his signature mix of watercolor washes, etching, and litho pencils for the art. There is great texture and movement on each page in the sun-baked tones of the landscape. With Spanish words peppered throughout, this is a welcome entry to the canon that includes other heroines like Sally Ann Thunder and Thunder Rose.–Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. The creators of Tomas and the Library Lady (1997) offer another glowing picture book set in the American Southwest, but this time, the story is a magical tall tale. In a cozy village, Dona Flor grows from an unusual child, who can speak the language of plants and animals, into a giant, whose heart is as large as her enormous hands and feet. After ferocious animal cries terrorize the villagers, Flor sets out to find their source. The culprit--a tiny, mischievous puma, who ingeniously amplifies his kittenish growl into a beastly roar--is an amusing surprise, and Flor soothes the cat in its own language, returning peace to her village. Mora strengthens her economical, poetic text with vivid, fanciful touches: the villagers use Flor's colossal homemade tortillas as roofs, for example. Colon's signature scratchboard art extends the whimsy and gentle humor in lovely scenes of the serene heroine sweet-talking the animals or plucking a star from the sky. A winning read-aloud, particularly for children who can recognize the intermittent Spanish phrases. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved