The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales - Book Review

This post was written as a Master's course assignment for Texas Woman's University.

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bruchac, James & Joseph Bruchac. 2008. THE GIRL WHO HELPED THUNDER AND OTHER NATIVE AMERICAN FOLKTALES. Ill. by Stefano Vitale. New York, NY: Sterling. ISBN 9781402732638

2. PLOT SUMMARY

This collection of folktales includes stories from the Native American culture, all across North America. Each section of stories is divided by region. At the beginning of each story is a reference to the place and tribe who originally told the story. This book is a collection of retellings of the stories from seven regions, including Northeast, Southeast, Great Plains, Southwest, California, Northwest, and Far North, in North America. For the sake of brevity, this post will focus mainly on the title story, "The Girl Who Helped Thunder," a story that originates from the Northeast region and the Lenape nation.

The introductory text under the title of "The Girl Who Helped Thunder" mentions that the women of the Lenape nation had great power, and even had some choice about who they wanted to marry. A foreshadowing message follows next, hinting that it is also wise for those women to listen to her family's input when making such a decision. Thus begins the story of Pretty Face, a woman who is beautiful, but who also knows that she is so, and therefore decides that she is too good for any of the men in her tribe.

When a strange man arrives in the village, he approaches Pretty Face's wigwam, boldly says that he has come to marry her, and asks her to come away with him.  The parents insist that they know nothing about this man, where he comes from, or his family, and ask her to reconsider. But defiant Pretty Face goes with the man, agrees to marry him, and follows him down to the river.  

The man leads her to the river, then underneath the water, where surprisingly, she is still able to breathe, and she sees his village, with wigwams made from piles of stone. The man's mother is not welcoming to Pretty Face, and she insists to her son that he should not have brought the woman down to the village. When she meets the man's mother, Pretty Face hears the man's name for the first time, which is Amankamek. The name rings a bell, but she cannot remember why, so she turns around to see him as he's walking away, and she realizes that he is a snake.

Pretty Face remembers that indeed, she has heard the name Amankamek before, as he is the great snake who can change shape to become a man, in order to deceive humans. She appeals to "Grandfather Thunder" to help her, as he is the ultimate enemy of the great snake and is her only hope of survival.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The text in the story title has multi-colored letters, alternating colors that tie in to the artwork in this book. The (literally) colorful language used in this story enlivens the images of the characters. The writing is dense, with a large amount of action happening within a small amount of space. It seems that each of these stories in the book could stand alone as a full picture book, with many more illustrations to accompany the bright text. 

"The Girl Who Helped Thunder" stands as a warning tale to young women, reminding them to be wary of the ability to choose a husband and to wisely listen to their parents' advice. The mother of the great snake Amankamek gave herself away, as she "hissed" at Pretty Face when she first arrived at the wigwam. This particular sound was indicative of what was to come later in the story, as other people from the underwater village hissed as well, setting the stage for a life-or-death escape run for Pretty Face. 

A few themes are woven into this cautionary tale, including the advice to avoid making rash decisions, especially about marriage, to listen, and to respect your parents' wisdom.  The language of the story implores you urgently to listen, to imagine you are in the presence of elderly wisdom, and to learn from the authoritative voice.

The Illustrations add a tactile presence to this story, and to all the stories throughout the book. Stefano Vitale imbues earthy colors, interesting print designs, animals and nature into the illustrations, giving the book a Native American feel. Some drawings appear as a rug made of animal hide, with a soft, flowing design, and tattered edges; other designs are geometric, harsh, bold, and bright. In "The Girl Who Helped Thunder," the snake is huge in proportion to Pretty Face, who appears half-in, and half-out of the water, all under the watchful eye-in-the-sky of Grandfather Thunder cloud. The snake is diamond-backed, brightly painted, and dangerous. Pretty Face is caught between the two worlds, naive and scared of what will happen.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

*Starred Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "The Bruchacs retell Native North American folktales in a clear yet bold voice... A current of subtle profundity runs through these stories. Vitale's stylized oil-on-wood illustrations vividly reveal the colorful spirit of the tales, as bright blues and reds complement the earth tones found throughout."

5. CONNECTIONS
*Children who enjoy this book may also seek other books by Joseph Bruchac, such as POCAHONTAS, ISBN 0152167374, NATIVE AMERICAN ANIMAL STORIES, ISBN 9781555911270, and others.

*See also other Native American story collections, such as NATIVE AMERICAN TALES AND LEGENDS, Edited by Allan A. Macfarlane, ISBN 9780486414768.

Rumpelstiltskin - Book Review

This post was written as a Master's course assignment for Texas Woman's University.

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Retold & Illustrated by Zelinsky, Paul O. 1986. New York, NY: Puffin Books. ISBN 0140558640

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Zelinsky's retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm story (1819) takes the reader back to a time long ago and far away, and begins with the classic line: "Once there was..."  The poor father in the story, who works as a miller, somehow convinces the king that his daughter has the ability to spin straw into gold, and the king's interest is piqued. A greedy man, of course, the king wants to see this magical daughter making gold from straw, so he sets her up in a room and threatens her with her own death if she is unable to turn the entire straw-filled room into gold by morning.  

As the girl weeps, a mysterious, tiny man appears and offers to help her, since he can, in fact, spin straw into gold. Bartering with the only valuables she owns- the jewelry she's wearing, the daughter convinces the tiny man to help her. This scene repeats itself, with each subsequent room larger than the last, leaving the king so impressed that, if the daughter can spin a third and final room, huge and overflowing with straw, into gold, he will marry her and make her queen. 

Finally, the daughter has nothing left to barter, except for her firstborn child, and she takes the gamble, hoping that the little man will renege on his part of the bargain. He does not, however, and when he comes calling for the child, the queen is left with only one way out of the deal: to guess the tiny man's seemingly impossible name.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

A "Cinderella" story of sorts, this retelling of the classic story bears the elements of a poor woman, rising up from nothing and becoming queen, with the help of a little magic. The fairy godmother in this case is a tiny, greedy man, whose main focus is not exactly to help a poor maiden to become queen, but mostly to advance himself in life, using his wiles and magic skills. 

As is typical of a grim "Grimm" story, there is the gruesome threat of death to the maiden unless she can perform as the king commands. The story also contains the classic usage of "three" numbers:  three rooms full of straw to spin into gold, three days, three times the little man offers to help.

The Zelinsky retelling is easy to understand but is not condescending to children. The story moves well and translates well into being told orally. The use of onomatopoeia appears in the text and adds a wonderful sound element to the story; the "whir! whir! whir!" of the spinning wheel brings the reader right into the room. The passage of time also occurs quickly. From one page to the next, the maiden is made queen, and on the page after that, a year has passed and she has born a child. The ancient names used in the story (as guesses from the queen) reflect the story's age, names such as "Melchior," "Balthazar," "Beastyribs," and "Leg O'Ram." Some of these sound absurd in this modern age! 

The good vs. evil theme presents itself subtlety throughout the story. For instance, is it an acceptable practice to let a potential kingly husband believe that you can do things that are actually impossible (spinning straw into gold, without any magic)? And Rumpelstiltskin himself possesses magical talents that he uses to help himself get further along in the world. He rides his "cooking spoon" around the campfire at night, much like a witch would ride her broomstick, and he makes his grand final exit out the window on the same spoon. He claims that "The devil told you that!" when the queen correctly guesses his name, but only because her servant overheard Rumpelstiltskin himself exclaiming his name around his fire. Does this imply that he might be the devil?

Artistically, Zelinsky does a beautiful job creating the long-ago-world. The lovely painterly pictures enhance the story; the muted colors offer a rich variety of pleasing tones. The gold thread is quite gold, not yellowy, and the pictures contain mostly browns, tans, dark blues and greens, grey/stone, and orange-red. The deep green forest looks enchanted.

Zelinsky also uses mild color-coding to identify the characters. The queen appears in the orange-red and green colors throughout, with the author/illustrator adding white and gold, and much more ornate design to her costuming after she becomes queen. Rumpelstiltskin wears purple and red, which are reminiscent of a wizard or warlock. In the same vein, he also wears a black, slightly pointy hat. 

A few additional thoughts on the story itself:

The greedy king chooses to make the maiden his wife after the third night of spinning, since he imagines the increased riches she will bring him. However, there is no straw-spinning after the wedding... perhaps he becomes enthralled with the children she will bring instead. 

The queen's child is highly valuable, and Rumpelstiltskin appears when the child is born to make his own claim on it, per his bargain with the queen. But what would he want with a baby, anyway? The victory of taking the queen's firstborn son in itself may have been reward enough for Rumpelstiltskin, but of course, the queen refuses to lose that bargain.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
*CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK

Review by SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - "Zelinsky's smooth retelling and glowing pictures cast the story in a new and beautiful light."

Review by THE HORN BOOK - "Truly a tour de force."

5. CONNECTIONS
*Readers that enjoy this story may also enjoy other classic fairy tale stories, Cinderella variations, and adapted Brothers Grimm illustrated stories.

*A reenactment of this story, using character costumes for children, puppetry, and/or a felt board, would enhance this classic tale.

*See other books retold and/or illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, such as: 
RAPUNZEL, Adapted and Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky, story by the Brothers Grimm,  ISBN 9780590386029.
HANSEL AND GRETEL by Rika Lesser, Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky, ISBN  9780525461524.

Wolf Won't Bite! Book Review

This post was written as a Master's course assignment for Texas Woman's University.

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gravett, Emily. 2011. WOLF WON'T BITE! New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781442427631

2. PLOT SUMMARY

This version of the classic tale The Three Little Pigs is a comical character reversal. Instead of the "Three Little Pigs" being pursued by the "Wolf," the pigs have essentially gotten the wolf on a leash and billed him as a circus act.  The three pigs now include one female pig as well, and the trio promote their WOLF WON'T BITE! act by demonstrating how many ways they can humiliate the wolf.  All the while the wolf is not tempted to eat them... but for how long?

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The simple plot moves quickly, with each act by the pigs more daring and death-defying. The text is sparse but exciting, with the airs of a circus ringleader, and the suspense of building up to the ultimate "main event" act. The author uses repetition to engage the pigs' pretend audience, and also the audience of readers experiencing the book. The ringing chorus theme of WOLF WON'T BITE! keeps the reader anxiously turning the next page to join in, and to see how extreme the next stunt will be.  This is a book that begs to be read aloud.

The pigs are testing the notion that a mouth-watering carnivore (Wolf) will never test the boundaries that they have set up for him by trying to eat them. The good animal/bad animal theme gets a good dose of humor in this picture book, especially when the pigs test the wolf with the ultimate teaser... and expect him not to react like a wolf.

The picture book's illustrations are whimsical, charming, and reminiscent of Ian Falconer's Olivia. The painterly drawings utilize a common color scheme throughout, mostly pink, yellow, red, black, and grey, on a white background. This leaves plenty of room for the large, simplistic text to have a big impact. 

The experimentation with changing between fonts from page to page adds a punch, especially towards the end. The words fit in around each illustration and encourage the turning of the page. The smug expressions of the pigs vs. the timid expression of the wolf add a great deal to the humor of the book and cause the reader to wonder exactly how long the wolf will remain placid. 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Review in Publishers Weekly - "Readers who see themselves as pushed and prodded by similarly obnoxious adults will let out a sigh of relief when the wolf rebels."

Review in School Library Journal - "Wolf Won't Bite! is an entertaining and original spin on the old wolf-and-pigs theme. It will delight children."

5. CONNECTIONS
*This book provides a humorous interpretation of THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. See other versions of this classic tale for comparison and contrast purposes.

*See other illustrated picture books by Emily Gravett for further examples of animals as leading characters.

*Examples of animals as leading characters in other picture books:

A BALL FOR DAISY by Chris Raschka ISBN 978-0375858611

Caldecott Award Winner TUESDAY by David Wiesner  ISBN 978-0395870822 

The Beautiful Lady: Our Lady of Guadalupe - Book Review

This post was written as a Master's course assignment for Texas Woman's University.

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mora, Pat. 2012. THE BEAUTIFUL LADY: OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE. Ill. by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. ISBN 9780375868382

2. PLOT SUMMARY

This story weaves the tale of the mystical and mysterious woman, Our Lady of Guadalupe, the best-known manifestation of the Virgin Mary in the Americas. A warm and generous grandmother has two young visitors: her granddaughter and a friend, to whom she regales the tale of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a story that dates far back, generations ago, to Mexico City. The legacy of the story and Our Lady has been passed down over the years and revered all over the world, causing many people to make a pilgrimage to visit the holy site where Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared long ago to a man named Juan Diego.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Mora offers a simple story, told from the viewpoint of the Grandmother. The words are gentle and comforting, and yet informative. Grandma speaks with a kind, knowing authority, a style that translates across languages. The story provides a nice blend of Spanish words with English words, and gives just enough to keep the reader engaged and guessing, but not so much as to cause confusion.

There are quite a few cultural markers in the story, but Mora does not allow the reader to become lost in the details. The story ages back over many generations, and Mora does a nice job of transporting the reader back to the olden times, of when the story takes place, and then re-transporting the reader back to modern times, with Grandma and the girls. Grandma bakes special cookies to help the girls celebrate the day, and though there is not a recipe, this warm ending is a nice idea and incentive for adults to enhance the story when reading it with children.

The illustrations greatly illuminate this story, in particular, the illustration of the roses and of Our Lady herself. The painted images express emotion and lots of bright colors, and they are tactile, graceful, lovely, memorable, and indicative of a beautiful cultural spectacle.

There were a couple of moments when I got caught up with the text and had to revisit a page in order to understand what was being conveyed. After the first time reading through, I was able to process the story a little bit better, and would recommend reading a couple of times through, if sharing out loud to a group.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "The author pays loving tribute to Mexico's Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe"

Review in BOOKLIST: "Mora approached the story without tricks, using simple, delicate language"

5. CONNECTIONS

*Children who enjoy this book might look for other books on religious history and cultural heritage, such as:

THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN THE EARLY ISLAMIC WORLD, by Jim Whiting.

THE GREATEST GIFT: THE STORY OF THE OTHER WISE MAN, retold by Susan Summers, illustrated by Jackie Morris.

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI or RUMI: WHIRLING DERVISH or THE LEGEND OF LAO TZU AND THE TAO TE CHING, by Demi.