Review: Cinderella Skeleton

By Robert D. San Souci; Illustrated by David Catrow

Silver Whistle/Harcourt, Inc.; 2000

Picture Book; Fantasy

Grades: 2-5

ISBN: 0-15-202003-9

Cinderella Skeleton loses more than just her shoe when she attends the Halloween Ball in a verse retelling of the classic fairy tale.

My Thoughts:
Since this is another David Catrow book, I was predisposed to like it. Luckily, I was not disappointed. The illustrations evoke a spookily twisted, and yet elegant world. For all her grotesque skeleton-ness, Cinderella is beautiful. The stepmother and stepsisters are wickedly deviant and disturbing. I loved that rather than losing her slipper, Cinderella Skeleton loses her whole lower leg! This means that in order to try on the shoe, the would-be brides must also remove their whole lower limb!

The book is written at a level that allows it to be used with older students than I normally would recommend with a picture book. It would work really well as part of a poetry or folktale unit for upper elementary. The verse is well written, and full of tongue-in-cheek double meanings. It might be over younger kid's heads, but the familiar storyline and intrigueing illustrations will allow them to follow along. (This is a good way to introduce students to new vocabulary, since the students will be able to infer meaning from context and the pictures.) The illustrations are bright and active enough for young readers, with rich details and interesting juxtapositions for older readers. It reminded me a lot of the film Corpse Bride...and I mean that in a good way.

The Thoughts of Others:
School Library Journal published a review in 2000 by Susan Hepler. Hepler loved "this darkly humorous and spooky" story as much as I did, and agreed that older elementary kids would appreciate it. She felt that the hard part would be displaying it where the older kids would find it...rather than in the picture book area.

The 2000 reviewer for Kirkus Reviews compared the book to the Tim Burton Film Nightmare Before Christmas and recommended it to fans of Burton. I can also see the similarities. The reviewer though did not feel that the work was derivative, and instead felt that it was unique enough though to stand on its own.

Review: The Fairy Tale Detectives

By Michael Buckley; Illustrations by Peter Ferguson

Abrams; 2005; 312 pages

Juvenile Fiction; Mystery

Grades: 3-5

ISBN: 978-08-10993-228

Sabine and Daphne are orphan sisters who are sent to live in Ferrysport, New York with their grandmother. There are just two problems: they thought that their grandmother was dead, and this old lady seems to think that fairy tales are real.

My Thoughts:
This book has a great premise: kid detectives in a modern world populated by fairy tale creatures. Also, the incorporation of the Grimm brothers as historians and not mere writers is inspired. The only problem was its execution. The story is uneven. It starts out feeling like the Lemony Snicket books about downtrodden and persecuted orphans. Then it moves to a fractured fairy tale from Rocky and Bullwinkle. It ends with a Benedict Arnold moment and a Bobbsey Twins resolution.

The book itself was well-written. The prose was nice. However the storyline was so uneven and convoluted that the text itself could not redeem it. The illustrations were well done though. The pictures were scattered throughout, but were vague enough and rare enough that readers can still rely on their own imaginations. I would recommend this book to readers who are fairytale fans, or children who enjoy mysteries that are fairly predictable. I would not recommend it to reluctant readers.

The Thoughts of Others:
Booklist published a review by Gillian Engberg in 2005. Engberg had a apathetic reaction to the book. She felt that the"novel gets bogged down in labored world building and sometimes stilted prose." She thought that over all it was redundant and derivative, although the characters would pull fans.

Sharon Grover, in 2006, reviewed the book for School Library Journal. She agreed with Engberg that "readers well grounded in their fairy tales will get the most pleasure from recognizing the characters." She also pointed out that the author does a good job of inserting vocabulary lessons.

Review: Golem

By: David Wisniewski

Clarion Books; 1996; 32 pages

Picture Book; Caldecott Winner

Grades: 1-4

ISBN: 978-0618894246

A re-telling of the story of Rabbi Loew and how the Golem he created saved the Jews of medieval Prague from persecution and annihilation.

My Thoughts:
My first impression of this book was one of awe. I have made snowflakes before, I know how difficult paper cutting is. The detail and impact of the illustrations is awe-inspiring. I kept looking at the pictures and thinking about how much Wisniewski had to plan out each page...and wondering how many mistakes he had to discard. On the merits of its illustrations, I agree wholeheartedly with this book receiving the Caldecott Medal. But, then I turned to the text.

The Golem legend is a difficult one for children. The reason for the Golem's creation is disturbing, how the Golem goes about protecting the Prague Jews is violent, and the destruction of the Golem at the end is unsettling. Joseph is shown to be very child-like in his wonder and view of the surrounding world. I would have a hard time explaining to kids why he is not rewarded for his help, but rather is destroyed. (His pleadings to live are heart-wrenching.) Because of this, I do not recommend this book for a younger audience. I can think of a few situations where it would work though: introducing older kids to the topics of persecution (before discussing the Inquisition or even the Holocaust...especially with the historical note at the end, it is a good way to discuss the historical oppression of Jews.), or in an older student unit on legend, or religion, or Prague.

The Thoughts of Others:

Publisher's Weekly emphasized the beauty and the intricacy of the illustrations, justifying its Caldecott. However, they also point out, albeit positively that Wisniewski "emphasizes the Golem's humanity and the problems with his existence [and] allows for its historical and emotional complexity." They also appreciated the historical endnote.

Common Sense Media, a group who reviews books for families, was impressed by the illustrations, but felt that Wisniewski's book might be frightening or distressing to younger readers. In the end, they pointed out that readers who could handle the story matter would actually be better served byBashevis Singer's version of the tale, also entitled The Golem.

Review: Howl's Moving Castle

Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki

Walt Disney Video; 2006 (English Language Version)

2 disc Widescreen DVD; Animated Film

Ages: Kindergarten through Adult

This animated Japanese adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones' novel follows the adventures of a cursed girl and a wizard who has lost his heart as they struggle to break their separate curses and save their nation in the face of war.

My Thoughts:

To begin with, if I were reviewing this film on its merits as a film, I would give it a good review. It was a fine motion picture. Artistically, it was beautiful. Technically, the dubbing was flawless. The actors did an amazing job. I love Christian Bale, and I love Emily Mortimer. Casting them for the English Language version was genius. They truly invested their characters with honesty and feeling. The film was nominated for an academy award, and won countless other honors. This included the 2006 Family Film-Animated at the Young Artists Awards. Still, I am not here to do a film review for a film review's sake, but rather a review of the work in reference to children. And, sadly, as a kid's movie, "Howl's Moving Castle" left a lot to be desired...Young Artists Award notwithstanding.

I originally chose to review this film based on the recommendations of friends (who are in film school), family (who are film buffs), and Sarah (our esteemed course instructor who raved about Miyazaki). The problem was that, Sarah aside, the recommendations had not been made with kid friendliness in mind, but rather to me as an adult. (To be fair to Sarah, she recommended the studio, not the particular film.) I had not seen any Miyazaki, but had heard a lot of buzz surrounding "Kiki's Delivery Service," "Spirited Away," and "Howl's Moving Castle." This one happened to be the first available at my library, and the fact that two of my favorite actors were voices was a surprise bonus.

I was a little surprised, upon checking it out, to discover that it was rated PG. However, several fine animated films are PG, so I wasn't initially concerned. After watching it rating is most likely due to the prevalence of bombing and violence that comes with setting a film in the midst of war. This is also one of the things that makes the film inappropriate for smaller children, although it is nothing that upper elementary couldn't handle. (To clarify, I am not at all squeamish about exposing children to movies with guns and explosions...I grew up with Looney Tunes and superhero shows. Therefore, if the amount of bombing surpised me, you know there was a lot.) Also, the story line was fairly convoluted and would be hard for a younger child to follow. I am not sure whether this is a result of bad translation, poor adaptation, or the quality of the source material. Artistic touches, like how the main character phases from old to young depending on her mood, are never explained in the film and would be confusing to a child. They were confusing to me at first, and I am 25.

In short, this is a good movie. I liked this movie. I would recommend it to some of my friends and older cousins (high school/junior high) who like anime and Manga. I would not show this movie to a child under 10, not because there is anything truly bad about it, but because I don't think they would enjoy or understand it. Also, depending on how young they were, or their parents' views on guns and violence, I would actually recommend that some children NOT see it.

The Thoughts of Others:

Roger Ebert had a mixed reaction to this film. He admitted that it was good, but called it a disappointment in comparison to other Miyazaki works. While admiring the beauty of the animation, and the technical scope, he felt that the "underlying plot grows murky and [viewers will] grow impatient at spectacle without meaning." He does not address its suitablility for kids, but since he doesn't recommend the movie to anyone, it is a moot point.

The Rolling Stone review for praised the voice talents, and assured readers that the dubbing was top notch. They rhapsodized about Miyazaki's art work They summed the film up in one word...bliss. However, it should be noted, that children are not the primary readership of Rolling Stone, and therefore not the reviewer's main concern. The article does not address its suitability to the age group.

Maid Marian finally Made

I recorded (many moons ago) an online storytelling session that included me telling one of my Robin Hood stories. This was intended to count as one of my stories in front of a live audience. The problem was that I was the last story told in a storytelling/chat session that lasted nearly an hour. Also, if the viewer was not a UW student, I couldn't figure out how to get the story onto my blog.

I have been meaning to rerecord the audio, resync it to the powerpoint, and upload it here to the blog with a link to the original live telling. But I kept putting it off.

Finally, tonight, I had a great idea...why not test out my new video camera's voice recorder? I went to the original live session, recorded the audio while it played on my computer, imported it into Window's movie maker...along with the images from the powerpoint, saved it as a movie, and uploaded it onto Vimeo.

I prefer this method to using pointecast, because I don't have to use up space on my UW account. Also, vimeo will let me embed the video without having to link to it. Yay!

So, the video is posted to the left. It is an oral adaptation of a literary adaptation that I wrote of a historical/traditional Robin Hood ballad for my Honor's Capstone as an undergrad. The only major changes from the written version have to do with point of view and length. Originally I had the story written out as first person narrative.

I have put a link up to a very good resource: The Robin Hood Project. It is an online compendium of almost every extant Robin Hood legend...many in middle english. I also highly recommend the Howard Pyle version of Robin Hood...it is a classic, and a good introduction to the legend.

The Giving Tree

Today I did my fourth Story Time with Megan. Since I had the day off I drove to the Port Orchard branch office, where I used to work. They had wanted to hear a story as well. I did an adaptation in flannel of Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree. I have posted the transcript to the right.

I know that this story is used to teach the importance of generosity. It shows kids that true happiness is found by giving, and by making others happy. But does it really? Ever since I was a little kid and first read the book I have thought that the boy was a creep. He takes and takes and never even thanks the tree. I almost feel that they story teaches kids to rip off those who look after them, and not express gratitude or care about what it costs others to help them. Still, it is a good story, and a modern classic. It is worth telling to children, but I would present it with a story that talks about being thankful/grateful for what we receive.

The performance went over well...although it was noted that this story was less of a warm fuzzy than the other stories I told. (Actually...one of my coworkers, Gail, was actually crying at the end. I didn't know whether to be pleased with the fact that I had moved her, or to feel bad because I made her cry...)

I need to thank my cousin Jake who is staying with me this weekend. He was my guinea pig audience several times when I practiced (pointing out mistakes and giving advice on wording), gave honest feedback on the flannel shapes, and then filmed the performance.

Little Bunny Foo foo

Today was the third Story Time at work. Whether due to a more convenient time slot, or the fact that buzz had been building from my previous performances, I had over twice as many attendees today. In fact, they had to relocate me from one of the signing rooms to the HUGE board room. It was also a more "high-ranking" audience...president, vice president...no pressure there!

The story I did was "Little Bunny Foo Foo,"' which was my own adaptation of a traditional camp/scout song. I expanded the verses to include reasons why Foo Foo bops the field mice, got rid of what I thought was a cheesy ending (Hare today, Goon tomorrow), and added my own ending. I have not yet written out a transcript for this story. I have told it before, and since I was very familiar with the storyline from the song,never took the time to write it down. I will do so soon though, and post it with the other transcripts.

I REALLY LIKE TELLING THIS STORY! And, I think and hope, people enjoy hearing it. I like that it can incorporate blatant moral lessons with twisted dark humor. Also, the repeated lines and hand motions can be used with younger audiences to bolster participation. My favorite thing about this particular video recording is that you can hear the audience reacting the way I want them to. It is reinforcing to me as a teller when they laugh or gasp in the right places.

(On an even more positive note...the president was so excited by the story that she demanded an encore and command performance of a second story...luckily, I still had my purple dry erase marker with me...I grabbed the white board from the sales room and did a rendition of Harold and the Purple Crayon. She even suggested that we do something like this once a week to break up the stress...I am all for that!)

Thank you to my supervisor, Kim, who filmed this one. She was so shocked at the end that she almost forgot to stop the camera!

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Today I did the second Story Time at work. This time I did an adaptation of Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon. I eliminated a few elements (such as the policeman that Harold meets), and adjusted the wording to be more formulaic...and thus easier to remember. I posted the transcript to the right. (The only change from the transcript is that instead of 9 pies I only drew 4...time and space issues.) I recommend that you try to find a classroom or conference room with a full size white board if you want to recreate this. It would have been a lot easier/better if I had had more space to draw. Harold wouldn't have had to wander around in such an odd manner, and it would have been less squished.

Regardless of difficulties, it seems this story was a big hit. Our VP, Harold, was unable to attend at the scheduled time, so I gave him a private performance later in the afternoon. However, one of my co-workers has a husband named Hal (Harold), who she told about it. He took time out of his day to drive all the way to the office and hear the story! I was very touched.

Thank you to Andy for filming the story. It was very nice of him. He even stood the whole time to avoid the dreaded up-angle!

I hope you enjoy the story!