The Egyptian Cinderella

Title: The Egyptian Cinderella
Author: Climo, Shirley
Illustrator: Heller, Ruth
Publisher and Date: Crowell Books, 1989
Genre: Picture Book, Multicultural, Traditional Tale
Age Range: K-5th

Summary:
Rhodopis is a young slave girl in the land of Egypt. She is noticeably different from the other servant girls (she has green eyes, light hair, and rosy sun kissed skin, while the Egyptian servant girls have brown eyes, dark hair, and copper skin.) and often gets teased and left out. They would often make her do their chores when their master wasn’t watching. The only solace Rhodopis found was in her animal friends and dancing. She would often dance after her daily chores were through, her feet moving across the earth as nimbly as a goddess. One day her master caught sight of her dancing, and to reward her for her beautiful dance he gave her a pair of rose red slippers. This made the other servant girls even more jealous of Rhodopis and they piled so many chores on her that she often felt too tired to dance. One especially cruel thing that her fellow servants did was to exclude from going to meet the Pharaoh. While she is doing her chores, however, a falcon comes and snatches one of her slippers away and delivers it to the Pharaoh. Believing it is the will of the gods that he marries the girl that the slipper fits; he sets out to find her. When he finally arrives at Rhodopis’ house, she hides in the reeds. Pharaoh spots her and makes her try on the slipper and it fits! She then produces the other shoe to match! When the other servant girls cruelly exclaim that she is not even Egyptian, the Pharaoh kindly says that her eyes are green like the Nile, her hair is feathery like papyrus, and her skin is pink like a lotus flower. Her physical beauty reflects the beauty of Egypt!

Response and Teaching Ideas:
I absolutely loved reading all the different versions of the Cinderella .I would love to read as many versions as possible so that I can introduce them all in my classroom someday. I think it is important for students from other cultures to see that their culture is being represented in the classroom. These Cinderella stories would be a great way to do so. One thing that struck me as different in this story is that Rhodopis is teased and treated cruelly by her fellow servant girls not stepsisters or a stepmother. Also, there is no magical element to this story. No fairy godmother or magical fish bones are there to save the day. The story does have elements similar to other Cinderella tales however. She is sought by a royal man to try on a shoe so that he can marry her. This story also, thankfully, has a happy ending like most Cinderella versions. I would love for my students to explore this and other versions of Cinderella and create a creative Venn diagram and an I-POEM. I think that both of these activities help students think critically about what they are reading and make each book more memorable. Be sure to check out the Egyptian Cinderella and other great Cinderella tales!

Swamp Angel

Title: Swamp Angel
Author: Isaacs, Anne
Illustrator: Zelinsky, Paul. O
Publication and Date: Puffin Books, 1994
Genre: Picture Book, Traditional Tale
Age Range: K-3rd
1995 Caldecott Honor Book


Summary:
This is the tale of Angelica Longrider, or as some might call her "Swamp Angel." She was born as tall as her mother and could build her own log cabin at the age of two. This is no ordinary Tennessee native. She was kind and brave. She roamed around the mountains of Tennessee helping others. She pulled a whole wagon train of prospective settlers out of a swamp earning herself the nickname "Swamp Angel." One of her most remembered feats deals with a huge bear nicknamed "Thundering Tarnation." Angelica entered a competition alongside the men to try to kill the pesky bear that was eating all their winter rations. As the story progresses you see that the bear has licked one man clean, made another bald, and surrounded a third with toothpicks. Angelica is the last to try her hand at the bear. They fight and wrestle over lakes and mountains and finally Angelica kills the bear quite by accident (with her snoring). Everyone in Tennessee was fed with plenty of leftovers for the winter all thanks to Angelica!


Response:
I really enjoyed this tall tale! I was so excited that it was set in the south and encompassed the Southern dialect! I loved the phrases "thundering tarnation" and "confound it!" I think that the southern dialect adds so much character to the story. The most spectacular parts of the book are the illustrations. Each illustration is painted in oil on cherry, birch, and maple veneers. These illustrations were amazing to look at! One of my favorite pictures in the book is when Angelica is sitting in the middle of the dried up lake with the huge bear holding her down and the poor man sitting in a fishing boat. The looks on all their faces made me laugh out loud! I love way Angelica was depicted in every picture. Everything looked so miniature next to her, almost like the cabins and settlers were her playthings. The colors used were all so vibrant and rich; I really felt like I was in the middle of the beautiful Tennessee Mountains. The tales of how the smoky mountains were made, how the short grass prairie in Montana came into being, and how the big bear constellation was formed in the sky are all great examples of early myths about creation. These tales were all so entertaining!


Teaching Ideas:
This would be fantastic book to read as an example of a tall tale. It is an entertaining book for all ages. Storytelling, creation myths, early settlement, and pioneer life would all be great things to tie in with this book. I think it would also be a neat idea to have students come up with their own tall tale to explain some phenomenon in North Carolina or they could research another tall tale to share with the class. There are so many fun things to do with these tall tales that the sky's the limit! Enjoy

Lon Po Po

Title: Lon Po Po

Author/Illustrator: Young, Ed

Publisher and Date: Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 1989

Genre: Picture Book, Traditional Tale

Age Range:1st-3rd

1990 Caldecott Medal Winner

Summary:

In this very different tale of little red riding hood, the mother travels to the grandmother’s (Po Po) house and leaves her three children at home. The three girl’s names are Shang, Tao, and Paotze. She warns her children before she goes, “Remember to close the door tight at sunset and latch it well.” The crafty wolf observes her leaving and comes up with a plan to trick the children into being his dinner. He waits until dark and then knocks on the door acting like he is their Po Po. The children question him, but eventually decide to let him in. They began to realize that something isn’t quite right with their Po Po. Shang observes, “Po Po Po Po your foot has a bush on it”, when she brushes the wolf’s tail. Shang, the eldest, finally realizes what’s happening and comes up with a clever plan of her on. She lures the wolf outside with promises of a famous gingko nut that “is soft and tender, like the skin of a baby. One taste and you will live forever.” The children trick the wolf into letting them pull him up the tree in a basket so that he too can reach the gingko nuts. When the wolf is close to the top branch, the children let the basket go and the wolf falls to his death. The children go back inside to sleep safe and sound until their mother returns.

Response:

Lon Po Po is a much different version of little red riding hood. This version seemed to be a lot darker then the previous versions I had read. The inscription to the wolves on the very first page adds to this dark effect. Young thanks the wolves for allowing us to use them as our symbol of "human darkness." The illustrations also add tremendously to this dark atmosphere. Young's illustrations are done with watercolors that have been smudged to give each illustration a smoky, surreal effect. Most of the illustrations from inside the house are dark and blurry; you cannot really see what is going on clearly in any of the pictures. I think this definitely helps to give the reader a sense of suspense and dread. To me the scariest picture in the story is of the wolf lying in bed. You can only see his yellow eye staring out and the outline of his teeth. If I was a young child I would be scared to death! In most cultures, especially the Chinese culture, folktales are told to teach a lesson or moral. This story I think could have several lessons to impart to readers. The first lesson is to always listen to your elders. Their mother warned them specifically before she left to latch the door at sunset. If they had listened to her and not let anyone in the house then they would have been safe. The second lesson that I pulled from the story was that selfishness and greed never pay off. The wolf had the children literally trapped, yet he allowed them to escape because of his greed for something more (the gingko nuts). His greed also led to his death. This is a great lesson for us all. Selfishness and greed never pay off! In the end they only lead to ruin and despair.

Teaching Ideas:

This book would also be a great book to do a compare and contrast activity on. This book is much different from any book I have ever read about little red riding hood. I think it would also be neat to discuss the Chinese culture along with this book and how it played an integral role in the story! This is a very interesting read! Be sure to check it out!

Little Red Riding Hood

Title: Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale
Author/Illustrator: Ernst, Lisa Campbell
Publisher and Date: Scholastic, Inc., 1995
Genre: Picture Book, Traditional Tale
Age Range: K-2nd

Summary:
In this updated version of little red riding hood a young girl decides to take a basket full of fresh muffins and cold lemonade to her grandmother who lives just a short distance across the prairie. The young girl jumps on her bike all decked out in her red hoodie (which consequently gave her the name little red riding hood). Her mother gives her clear instructions as she rides off, “whatever you do, don’t talk to strangers.” Unfortunately little red riding hood, like the rest of us, was not always so good at following instructions. Along the way she runs into a hungry wolf who cleverly finds out where she and her tasty muffins are heading. The wolf races ahead of her, but he soon runs into trouble of his own. He expected to find a feeble old lady at the grandmother’s house and instead he faces strong, protective grandmother. She and little red riding hood share their muffins with the wolf, and the grandmother recruits him for her new muffin business. She keeps him very busy so he’ll no longer have time to make trouble. Everyday before little red riding hood leaves to help deliver muffins for her grandmother, the wolf yells out one piece of advice: “Don’t talk to strangers!” And believe me she never did again!

Response:
I really liked this version of little red riding hood. I liked that it was more contemporary than the original version. I think readers could relate very easily to little red riding while at the same enjoying the book for the folk tale that it is. The illustrations were one of my favorite parts of the book. Every picture was done in bright colors that filled both pages. The illustrations would be great for younger readers, because they followed along with the text so well. The characterization in this book was alsofantastic. I liked the fact that the wolf was not necessarily portrayed as evil in this version; he was not represented as something that young children now have to fear. Ernst was so smart when she wrote that the wolf was after the muffins rather than the little girl. I think that when children read the traditional story of little red riding hood they can be too frightened by the people eating wolf. I know that I personally was! In this story we have a villain who is slightly less harsh. The granmother was my other favorite character. She was so capable and creative! I think it is great that Ernst turned the words from the traditional tale around. Instead of the child saying these words to the wolf, he now says them to the grandmother: “M-m-my” he finally stuttered, “what big eyes you have grandma.” “All the better to see you, skulking around my fields!” grandma answered. This part of the story made me laugh out loud; it was such a change! This story also had a positive ending which I really loved. Instead of punishing the wolf the grandmother found something constructive for the wolf to do so that he would no longer “bully” anyone. This is an important lesson for everyone; sometimes all a person needs is a positive outlet for their behavior, not necessarily a punishment every time.

Teaching Ideas:

This would be a great book to use in a folk tales unit. You could easily compare and contrast this version of little red riding hood to the countless other versions out there. I would also be sure to point out to students the value in the words “don’t talk to strangers!” and of listening their parents. Oh yes! Don't forget about the recipe on the last page of the book! it would be so neat to have those muffins for the class to eat aftet the story. It would really bring the story to life, don't you think?

check out this great lesson plan from readwritethink.org for more teaching ideas!

The Irish Cinderlad

Title: The Irish Cinderlad
Author: Glimo, Shirley
Illustrator: Krupinski, Loretta
Publisher and Date: Harper Collins Publishers, 1996
Genre: Picture Book, Multicultural
Age Range: 1st-3rd

Summary: In this exciting story of love, friendship, and adventure our traditional Cinderella gets a new twist. The Irish Cinderlad is an Irish folktale that has been passed down from generation to generation, and was finally recorded in print in the early 1800’s. In this version Becan, the hero of the story, is born into a loving rural family. His mother loves him very much and takes good care of him. His whole life is “few of worries” until his mother suddenly dies. Becan’s father then does the unthinkable; he brings home a new stepmother and three older stepsisters to be a part of their family. Becan and his new family members do not get along so well. Becan is a very unique young boy; his feet are the size of a giant’s! His stepmother claims his gigantic feet are getting in the way and sends him out to tend the sheep. In the field, Becan comes face to face with the dreaded bull. Luckily he befriends the magical bull. The bull provides him with friendship, food, and a magic tail. Becan goes on many adventures; he defeats a giant who won’t share and a dragon who is about to devour the princess. After defeating the dragon, all Becan leaves behind is a huge boot which the princess uses to scour the land in search of her rescuer and future groom. After a year of searching the men bring the boot to Becan’s house and he and Princess Finola are wed.

Response: This is such a great story! I am such a big fairly tale fanatic that I am surprised that I had not ever heard of any Cinderlad stories before now. I think it is so neat that in this version the main character is a boy. I’m sure the boys in the class will love this, because then they can see that fairy tales are not all “girly” stories. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Becan befriends the bull. He explains to the bull that they are not all that different from each other; he says “We could be cousins, you and I, because we are patched together from the same odds and ends.” (The bull and Becan both have big “feet” and the bull’s face is covered in red freckles just like Becan’s nose is.)

This book teaches a very important lesson to young kids who are just starting to mature and grow. It shows children that it is ok to be different. In the story, Becan’s feet were very big; his sisters teased him and called him mean names like “Little Bigfoot.” In the end however, Becan’s unique foot size is what led the princess to him. We should celebrate our differences and the things that make us unique, because you never know when they might come in handy!

This book is jammed packed with heavy doses of adventure and friendship, and sprinkled with love. The pictures are detailed filled paintings that cover every page. Children of all ages are sure to enjoy this read!

Teaching Ideas: This would be a great book to read to younger children just for fun! For older children a fun activity would be to compare Grimm’s traditional Cinderella tale to The Irish Cinderlad. Students could make a chart to compare and contrast the characters, plots, setting, and ending. They could also write a journal entry about which version they liked better and why? Another fun idea would be to divide the class in half and have one half put on a skit featuring Cinderella and the other half performs a skit featuring Cinderlad. Or they could simply watch the Disney classic and one of my favorite movies, Cinderella, for a fun break one day. This could also be a fun way to study about Ireland itself. There are so many activities that you can do with this story! Just have fun with it and be creative!

Ps. Don’t forget to read the author’s note in the back of The Irish Cinderlad! It gives a lot of background information for the story!

The Princess Knight

Title: The Princess Knight

Author: Funke, Cornelia

Illustrator: Meyer, Kerstin

Publisher and Date: Scholastic Inc., September 2004

Genre: Picture Book

Age Range: K-3rd

Summary:

This book tells the story of a young princess named Violetta. She is the only daughter of the king, and she has three older brothers. Her mother died when she was very young and the king has no idea how to raise a girl. He decides to raise Violetta in the same way he raised his sons: riding and jousting, fighting with swords, and good table manners. Fueled by her brother's teasing, Violetta becomes determined to be an excellent knight. When he father announces that he is going to hold a tournament and that HER hand in marriage is the prize, she secretly enters the tournament and WINS! From then on she decides who she will marry. At the end of the book she ends up marrying the rose gardener's son. :-)

Response:

I LOVED this book! Who does not love a story about a princess, especially one who's so unique! I loved the way this book challenged the way princesses are typically portrayed. Usually in any "good" fairytale, the princess is the "damsel in distress" who needs her prince to come and save her. In The Princess Knight however, Violetta excels at unladylike qualities, such as jousting and sword fighting, and is able to save herself. This book reminded me of another book by Cornelia Funke, Princess Pigsty, because they both challenge the role of a traditional princess and the roles of girls in general.

Teaching Ideas:

I think it would be a good idea to use this book when discussing gender roles. It would be neat to use this book in a comparison and contrast project with traditional fairy tales. ReadWriteThink.org had a great activity in which the students thought about traditional Disney movies and fairy tales such as Cinderella and Snow White answered the following questions to help them critically think about the fairy tales. The questions are as follows: 1. What are their physical attributes? ,2.How do they relate to the male characters, 3. What do they seem to want out of life, and 4. Do they seem realistic? I think it would be great to use this activity and have the students answer those questions about the traditional fairy tales as well as The Princess Knight. After they are finished the students should compare and contrast the two sets of answers. It will help the students realize that sometimes girls are portrayed unfairly in literature, but they do not have to succumb to those stereotypes in real life! This is a fun book to read and it teaches a great lesson!

check out Cornelia Funke's website for other books!!!