TRADITIONAL LITERATURE

Lowell, Susan. 2000. CINDY ELLEN: A WILD WESTERN CINDERELLA. Ill. by Jane Manning. New York: Joanna Cotler Books.
ISBN:  0060274468


PLOT SUMMARY

   The superannuated Cinderella lands way out west in this refashioned fairy tale.  Instead of household chores, Cindy Ellen's new stepmother and ugly stepsisters make her "do all the dirty work around the ranch":  mending fences, working cows, and shoveling out the corral.  And instead of a royal ball, an invitation is received from the "biggest cattle king for miles around" for a rodeo and square dance.  Cindy Ellen's fairy godmother arrives on the scene wearing boots and a big sombrero, and brandishing a golden pistol.  She tells Cindy Ellen that "magic is plumb worthless without gumption...and some gravel in your gizzard".
   Cindy Ellen is transformed, with a white stetson hat, golden chaps, and spurs "set with diamonds as big as sugar lumps."  After she dazzles the crowd (and Joe Prince) at the rodeo and square dance, she rushes home before midnight.  She leaves behind one of her diamond spurs.  Joe Prince then sets out to find the "horsewoman whose boot fitted the little diamond spur".  After he finds Cindy Ellen, they "got hitched and lived happily ever after in a ranch house full of love and rodeo trophies."

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

   The storyline parallels the traditional and the ruddy illustrations set the scene in the desert with cactus, rocks, jackrabbits, lizards, coyotes, and a horned toad who becomes a stagecoach guard on the night of the square dance.  The dialogue is full of colorful Western parlance and the fairy godmother gets the best lines:  "Remember, there ain't no horse that can't be rode, and there ain't no man that can't be throwed!"   The narrative seems a bit wordy, but the "getalong" rythm carries it along. 


REVIEW EXCERPTS

Children's Literature:  "The 'yee-haw' western lingo provides a barrelfull of read-aloud fun, and the colorful illustrations crackle with energy and wit."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books:  "Lowell's story is amiably paced and suitable for reading aloud.  Kids will enjoy the transposition of an old favorite from fairy-tale France to the wild and woolly West."


CONNECTIONS  

*This book would make an excellent reader's theater performance in the classroom or in a library setting.  
*Compare this book with other Cinderella parodies, such as PRINCE CINDERS, by Babette Cole, DINORELLA: A PREHISTORIC FAIRY TALE, by Pamela Edwards or CINDERELLA SKELETON, by Robert San Souci 



  

PICTURE BOOKS

Swanson, Susan Marie. 2008. THE HOUSE IN NIGHT. Ill. by Beth Krommes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company

ISBN:  9780618862443

PLOT SUMMARY:

This 2009  Caldecott Medal winner is a rhythmic picture book reminiscent of GOODNIGHT MOON, by Maragaret Wise Brown.  The author's inspiration for the patterened verse came from an old nursery rhyme that begins, "This is the key to the kingdom, In that kingdom is a city...".  The story's rhyming chain begins:

"Here is the key to the house,

  In the house burns a light,

  In that light rests a bed,

  On that bed waits a book."

The illustrations portray a family returning home and the father handing the house key to a young girl.  She enters the house and goes into her room and begins reading the book on the bed.  She joins the bird in the book and wraps her arms around his neck for an imaginary night time flight "all about the starry dark".  They fly to the moon and back and return to the book, on the bed, in the light, in the house.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Swanson's cumulative verse sets the stage, but Beth Krommes scratchboard illustrations provide the narrative for this book.  Her work has the black and white semblance of wood block prints, with the addition of a single color: a warm, marigold yellow.  This one color supplies the illumination of the light from the house, the light of the sun reflected by the moon, and the twinkling stars drawn in snowflake-like patterns.  Young children may not appreciate the (almost) monochromatic illustrations, but older children with a little more patience would respect the intricate details of the drawings.  The circular flow of events creates a calming composition ideal for a bedtime read.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Starred review:  Booklist, April 15, 2008
"A beautiful piece of bookmaking that will delight both parents and children."

Starred review:  School Library Journal, April 2008
"It is a masterpiece that has all the hallmarks of a classic that will be loved for generations to come."

Starred review:  Publisher's Weekly, May 12, 2008
"This volume's artful simplicity, homely wisdom and quiet tone demonstrate the interconnected beauty and order of the world in a way that both children and adults will treasure."

CONNECTIONS:

*Other books for children with bedtime themes or cumulative story patterns:
Averbeck, Jim. IN A BLUE ROOM.  ISBN:  978015205992X
Jonas, Ann. ROUND TRIP.  ISBN:  9780688099862
Thompson, Lauren and Jonathan Bean. THE APPLE PIE THAT PAPA BAKED.  ISBN:  9781416912408
Whitford, Paul and David Walker. IF ANIMALS KISSED GOOD NIGHT.  ISBN:  9780374380519

*Book would be useful in teaching the concepts of prepositional phrases and inverted sentence structure in English grammar.

Lee, Spike and Tonya Lewis Lee. 2005. PLEASE, PUPPY, PLEASE. Ill. by Kadir Nelson. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

ISBN:  9780689868047

PLOT SUMMARY:

Patterned after their earlier book, PLEASE, BABY, PLEASE, this husband and wife team present a pair of pre-schoolers tending to a rambunctious, new puppy.  Similar to the parents following after the toddler, the children chase the puppy into the backyard as he runs away, jumps in the mud, gets a bath, runs away again, shakes off the soapy water onto the cat, and retrieves a ball.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

The sparse text tells the story in rhyming phrases and different combinations and repetition of the words in the title.  On one page the refrain is "puppy, puppy, please, puppy", but on the next page it is "puppy, puppy, puppy please".  The lack of consistency dampens participation in "reading along", one of the strongest characteristics of a rhyming picture book.  Mr. Nelson's illustrations are warm in color and rich in composition.  There is wide variety in the perspectives (including the puppy's point of view) that draws the viewer into the action.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2005

"Two adorable African-American preschoolers, a boisterous puppy and a marmalade cat are the characters in the exuberant story suitable for children from toddlers to those just learning to read a few words on their own."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December 2005

"This is perfect storytime material for audiences who enjoy both awwws and action."

CONNECTIONS:

*Other books for children about dogs:

Hughes, Sarah. MY DOG. ISBN:  9780763609016

Lewis, Kim. LITTLE PUPPY. ISBN:  9780763609016

Reinen, Judy. BOW WOW: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF DOGS. ISBN:  9780316832908

Ward, Cindy. COOKIE'S WEEK. ISBN:  9780516231846

*This book could be used in activities to develop phonological awareness, in which children hear and understand different sounds of spoken language.  There is a very strong "p" sound in the refrain, "puppy, puppy, please, puppy".

Marcus, Leonard S. 2008. A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION: SEVEN ARTISTS AND THEIR PATHS TO THE CALDECOTT MEDAL. New York: Walker & Company.

ISBN:  9780802797032

 PLOT SUMMARY:

A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION was first published in 1998 as a salute to the sixtieth anniversary of the Randolph Caldecott Medal, an award given to outstanding illustrators of children's books.  Leonard Marcus profiles six medal winners, one from each of the previous decades.  In this 2008 edition, one more biography is added to the compilation.  All of the selected artists were also the authors, as well as the illustrators of their award winning books. 

The artists interviewed are Robert McCloskey, Marcia Brown, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, Chris Van Allsburg, David Weisner, and Mordecai Gerstein.  The first page of each interview features photographs of the artist and their medal-winning bookcovers.  Each profile is about 6-7 pages long and includes the story of how each of them had become an artist, how their winning book had been designed and created, and what winning the distinguished award meant to each author.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

By letting the author/illustrators speak through quotes in his interviews, Mr. Marcus gives us more insight into the inspiration and creativity of each artist.  Preliminary sketches and drawings also help to reveal the creative processes employed in producing the books. 

  

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Booklist:

"A beautifully made book, this will serve as a fine resource for children interested in illustration and for teachers researching author/illustrator studies."

Horn Book:

"The text is remarkable for the smooth integration of explanatory material with overall commentary, and selective detail creates a sense of intimacy and understanding."

 

CONNECTIONS:

*Other books about the Caldecott Medal and children's book illustrators:

Bankston, John. RANDOLPH J. CALDECOTT AND THE STORY OF THE CALDECOTT MEDAL

ISBN:  1584152001

ARTIST TO ARTIST: 23 MAJOR ILLUSTRATORS TALK TO CHILDREN ABOUT THEIR ART

ISBN:  9780399246005