Don Quixote and the Windmills - Picture Book # 26

AUTHOR:  Eric A. Kimmel

ILLUSTRATOR:  Leonard E. Fisher

GENRE:  Juvenile Fiction

SUB GENRE:  Traditional Literature

THEME:  Knighthood, castles, royalty

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS: Don Quixote and Sancho Panza

DATE OF PUBLICATION AND PUBLISHER:  2004, Farrar, Straus and Giroux

 

SUMMARY:   If you love stories about knights and castles like my son does, then this is the book for you.  Join Don Quixote as he embarks on his many adventures.  This version of the original stays true to its form.  This book will have you in stitches.

HOW I WOULD USE THIS BOOK AS A TEACHER:  I would have this book in my classroom library for social reading.

Mustache - Picture Book # 25

AUTHOR:  Mac Barnett

ILLUSTRATOR:  Kevin Cornell

GENRE:  Picture Book

SUBGENRE:  Fable

THEME:   Responsibility, Vanity and ego 

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS:  King Duncan and his subjects

DATE OF PUBLICATION AND PUBLISHER:  Disney Hyperion, 2011.

SUMMARY:  “Duncan was a terrible King, but he was terribly handsome” Those were the opening words of the book leaving the reader to expect a dashing King when instead it’s your expectations that are dashed!!  King Duncan is far from terribly handsome; in fact he’s quite funny looking.  We learn that the King is vain and quite smitten with his own appearance.  His subjects are getting tired of his shenanigans and ask him to make some changes.  What he does instead is present a giant picture of himself to the town and they are not happy about it!  What happens overnight upsets King Duncan immensely.  Mustache’s begin appearing on his statues and paintings.  He tricks the town into admitting that they painted the mustaches.    Upset, King Duncan jails the town.  The jail has to be enlarged to fit all the townspeople.  The renovations done to the jail actually spruce up the town which is what the townspeople wanted to begin with.    Soon King Duncan is all alone.  What he does will surprise you, so read the book to find out!  The illustrations are spectacular.

HOW I WOULD USE THIS BOOK AS A TEACHER:  I would use this book for pleasure reading as well as to teach about responsibility.

Rapunzel - Picture Book # 24

AUTHOR:  Paul O. Zelinsky

ILLUSTRATOR:  Paul O. Zelinsky

GENRE: Juvenile Fiction

SUBGENRE: Fairy Tale

AWARDS: Caldecott Medal Book, 1998

THEME: Love and determination

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS: Rapunzel, her husband and the wicked sorceress.

DATE OF PUBLICATION AND PUBLISHER:  1997 Dutton Juvenile

SUMMARY:  The illustrations in this book are spectacular. The original story of Rapunzel is retold in a unique and endearing way which stays true to the original story.

HOW I WOULD USE THIS BOOK AS A TEACHER:  I would use this book as a pleasure reader for my students. 

Polar Express - Picture Book # 23

AUTHOR:  Chris Van Allsburg

ILLUSTRATOR: Chris Van Allsburg

GENRE: Juvenile Fiction Picture Book

SUBGENRE: Fairy Tales

AWARDS:     1986 Caldecott Medal Winner
                       A New York Times Best Illustrated Book
                       A New York Times Bestseller

THEME: Christmas, Family.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS: The boy and his little sister.

DATE OF PUBLICATION AND PUBLISHER:  1985 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

SUMMARY:   A young boy is faced with the age old question of whether Santa exists or not.  He hears Santa’s sleigh bells one night along with the sounds of a steam engine parked in front of his house waiting for him to board.  Needless to say this little boy goes on quite an adventure.  You have to read this book if you haven’t already.  It will definitely become a family favorite. It is a magical book to read and the illustrations just capture you.

HOW I WOULD USE THIS BOOK AS A TEACHER:   This book is rich in similes and metaphors and having students pick them out would be a great activity. 

The 3 Pigs - Picture Book # 22

AUTHOR:  David Wiesner

ILLUSTRATOR: David Wiesner

GENRE:  Traditional Literature

SUBGENRE:  Fractured Fairy Tale

AWARD:    2002 Caldecott Award

THEME: Family life and social situations

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS: The 3 Pigs and the dragon.

DATE OF PUBLICATION AND PUBLISHER: 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

SUMMARY:  This book tells the story of the 3 Pigs with a twist.  As the pigs escape possible destruction, they meet other characters along the way who help them defeat the wolf.

HOW I WOULD USE THIS BOOK AS A TEACHER:  This book would be a perfect example to teach my students about fractured fairy tales.  I could choose any fairy tale and have my students write alternate endings.