Beautiful Blackbird by Ashley Bryan

 

 

Bibliography:

Bryan, Ashley. 2003. Beautiful Blackbird. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780689847318

 

Plot Summary:

Blackbird has been named the most beautiful bird in the forest by all of the other birds. In time, the other birds decide they want to be just as beautiful as Blackbird is. One day the birds ask Blackbird if he would give them a little bit of black coloring so they might be beautiful as well. Blackbird agrees to share his color with the other birds, but also works to teach the birds that real beauty comes from within.

 

Critical Analysis:

Beautiful Blackbird is Bryan’s variation on the Ila-speaking people of Zambia’s folktale on how the beautiful birds of the jungle got their attractive markings. 

Ashley Bryan chose to use a collage in order to illustrate Beautiful Blackbird. The collage allows for simple, bold and defined shapes which are easy for young readers to interpret. The brightness of the colors draws in readers with each turn of the page. The collage images perfectly match the text on each and every page making it so the images really are telling the story. Interestingly enough, a note at the end of the book states the collages were constructed using his mother’s old dressmaking scissors and her embroidery crochet scissors.

The text itself offers a rhythmic beat throughout the story which begs to be read aloud by an exciting storyteller. Children will no doubt want to dance along with the words in the story just as the birds do. This pourquoi tale not only offers a folk-type re-telling of how birds got their markings, but it also offers a lesson in self-esteem.

 

This title is recommended for children ages 3 and up.

 

Review Excerpt(s):

• Coretta Scott King Book Award (2004) Illustrator Award Winner
• Kirkus Reviews (2002) “This telling, by the master storyteller, just aches to be read aloud; the lively rhythms keep the simple folktale rollicking along."
• School Library Journal (2003) "...a thoughtful and entertaining addition to units on self-esteem."

Connections:

•  Pair this title with other great favorites such as:
               How the Tiger Got His Stripes by Robe Cleveland & Baird Hoffmire
               The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie dePaola
               Baba Yaga by Katya Arnold
• Allow the child(ren) to create their own beautiful birds. Cut out several bird silhouettes in different sizes, shapes and colors. Provide different colored markers for the child(ren) to decorate the birds with. 
• Compile a bird watching booklet for the child(ren). Locate images and basic information about local birds to put inside of the booklet. Be sure to leave a space for the child(ren) to color/write in so they can describe their bird watching experiences. Encourage the children to find as many 'beautiful' birds as they can.

 

Dust Devil by Anne Isaacs

 

Bibliography:

Isaacs, Anne. 2010. Dust Devil. Paul O. Zelinsky. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. 9780375867224

 

Plot Summary:

Angelica Longrider, or Swamp Angel, grew too big (and tall!) to live in the state of Tennessee so she was forced to move west to the state of Montana. Once in Montana Angel began ‘adjusting’ the state to suit her large needs including “plucking mountains” from other areas and “planting” those mountains behind her house to bring about shade. As Angel makes herself at home in Montana she quickly realizes the need for a horse to suit her large size. Out of nowhere the worst dust storm the state had seen arrived at Angel’s ranch causing mayhem to all of the innocent people in the area. When the dust storm reaches Angel’s house she thinks she hears hooves and decides to investigate. To Angel’s surprise there is a powerful horse inside of the dust storm that she decides to tame and call Dust Devil. Finding Dust Devil was the best thing that ever happened to Angel and Montana since the mean and nasty Backward Bart and his Flying Desperadoes were busting through Montana trying to rob and frighten everyone they came across. Angel and Dust Devil decided it was up to them to save Montana from ugly ole Backward Bart and that is just what they did!

Critical Analysis:

From the author (Anne Isaacs) and illustrator (Paul O. Zelinsky) of Swamp Angel, a 1994 Caldecott Honor book, comes another tall tale about Angelica “Swamp Angel” Longrider. Zelinsky’s beautiful oil on wood (veneer) illustrations offer amazing brush strokes with soft subtle lines and lots of fun details.  The details, for instance, can be seen quite well on the mosquitoes which show little hairs on their bodies and antennae.

The illustrations are not the only part of the book worth mentioning as the story itself is wonderful. The text is written in such a way that saying the words without a southern twang would be nearly impossible; it would not be as fun either. This is yet another story which begs to be read aloud. The setting of Dust Devil takes place in the beautiful state of Montana during pioneer times. This tall tale explains how buttes came about as well as, geysers and more. Want to know how gold ended up in the rivers of California? Swamp Angel will tell you the answer to that one – here’s a hint: you can thank Backward Bart and the Desperadoes!

This title is recommended for children ages 5 and up.

Review Excerpt(s):

• Kirkus Reviews (2010): Given a Kirkus Star (for remarkable merit) "Artfully crude, comedic artwork, friendly, understated narration and a wildly hyperbolic story combine to create a new classic."
• School Library Journal (2010) "Review of the Day" states this title is "an honest-to-goodness new tall tale with a vernacular smart enough to match the pictures, and vice versa."

Connections:

•  Pair this title with other tall tale favorites such as:
            Johnny Appleseed by Jodie Shepherd
            Pecos Bill by Steven Kellogg
            Davy Crockett Saves the World by Rosalyn Schanzer
• Create a posterboard prop for the state of Montana by printing or drawing the state's shape on the board. Be sure to include the state capital (to point out to the children). You can make it even more exciting by adding pictures of the state bird, bug and flower.
• Create a flannelboard activity! Make felt props or print out and laminate prop cards (glue felt to the back) and use the props to recreate the story. Need prop ideas? Make simple props that would be easy to identify such as: Swamp Angel, Dust Devil, mosquitoes, biscuits, a tornado, lightning bolts, buttes, a sheriff's star and whatever else you think would help retell the story.

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner

Bibliography:
Wiesner, David. 2001. The Three Pigs. New York: Clarion Books. 9780618007011.

Plot Summary:
This version of The Three Pigs offers readers an interesting and alternative ending to the traditional story many of us know and love. Wiesner’s story starts off the same way as the traditional story goes, with the three pigs making their homes out of straw, wood and brick, but instead of being eaten up by the mean and hungry wolf, the pigs disappear behind the pages of the book! Once behind the pages, the pigs are able to visit other storybook pages and in turn are able to become part of the story they hop into. In the end, the pigs and the friends they made during their storybook adventures travel back to the story of The Three Pigs to protect the brick house from the wolf.

Critical Analysis:
It is easy to see how this book won a Caldecott Award after looking at David Wiesner’s illustrations. Each phase of the story matches the illustrations of the storybook the pigs are in. In the beginning of the story the pigs and all other illustrations are drawn simply, yet effectively with beautiful neutral and somewhat earthy tones. When the pigs ‘fall’ out of the story, they look almost life-like as you can see every little tiny hair on each of the pigs bodies. Upon entering the storybook with the nursery rhymes, the colors shift to light pastels – even the pigs change colors to match the scene! Once the pigs reach the book with the dragon in it, the pigs turn into pencil drawings. One of the most exciting parts about the illustrations happen when the pigs are halfway in and out of a page; half of their bodies match the storybook illustrations while the other half are illustrated to look realistic (the realistic illustrations occur when the pigs are in between/behind the pages).

What makes this title so exciting? The setting changes constantly as the pigs travel across all of the different storybook pages. The book is both fun and silly to read.

This title is recommended for little piggies ages 4 and up.

Review Excerpt(s):

• Caldecott Award (2002)
• Number 68 on School Library Journa's "Top 100 Picture Books" list
• School Library Journal (2001) "Not only is his narrative innovative in its postmodern construction, but it uses white space in a totally new way."
• Kirkus Reviews (2001) "Caldecott Medalist Wiesner (Tuesday, 1999) plays with literary conventions in a manner not seen since Scieszka's The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (1993)."

Connections:

·         Pair this title with other silly favorites such as:

                           Blueberries for Sal by Robert McClosky
                           If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Jofee Numeroff
                          Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
      ·         Create fun piggy masks to go along with the story.
      ·         Print out coloring pages of pigs, a wolf, a dragon or even a cat with a fiddle.