Trent Roberts
10 Annotations for Folk or Fairy Tales
Cumulative Tale
Aylesworth, Jim. The Gingerbread Man. Illustrated by Barbara McClintock. Scholastic Press: New York, New York. 1998.
-This is the tale of The Gingerbread Man retold by Jim Aylesworth and illustrated by Barbara McClintock. In this tale a husband and a wife decide to make a gingerbread man together. When they finish the baking of the gingerbread man and are ready to begin eating him, the gingerbread man jumps out of the oven, runs across the room, and proclaims to the couple “Run! Run! Fast as you can! You can’t catch me! I’m the Gingerbread Man!”. The couple tries to catch him but he escapes and runs out of the house. The gingerbread man then comes across a butcher with a knife and proclaims the same thing. The butcher tries to catch him but he can’t. The gingerbread man then runs again and comes across a black and white cow and proclaims the same thing as before. The cow tries to catch him but he can’t and is forced to chase after the gingerbread man with the butcher and the man and woman. The gingerbread man then runs and comes across a muddy sow and proclaims the same thing. The sow tries to catch him but she cannot and the gingerbread man runs again. Finally, he comes across a fox and proclaims the same thing as before. This time the fox says he cannot hear him so the gingerbread man leans in more and says it again. Just as he finishes saying it the others come circling around the road and before the gingerbread man can run the fox snatches him up and eats him completely.
This is a cumulative tale because the story has increasing repetition of the storyline with the man and wife first trying to catch him, then the butcher, the cow, the sow, and finally the fox. Also, when the gingerbread man happens upon another person or animal he says the same rhyme as before but adds in the last person that could not catch him into the rhyme. The illustrations are very colorful and have a look about them that this is a tale from the past. There is also a recipe on the back of the book for making a gingerbread man, which is very unique. The illustrations complement the story very well. The illustrations do a very good job of showing the frustration of the people who were unable to catch the gingerbread man and also show through the fox’s face his clever ways. The illustrations are well enough crafted that they could tell the story of the gingerbread man without any text. This book would be great for students in K-2 grades because the young children will enjoy interacting with the rhyme of the gingerbread man and will really get into the story being told.
Pourquoi Tale
Mosel, Arlene. Tikki Tikki Tembo. Illustrated by Lent Blair. Square Fish: New York, New York. 2007.
This is thetale of two young Chinese boys who play near a well that they were instructed by their mother not to go near. The younger boy falls in the well forcing the older son to go get his mother and an old man with a ladder to rescue his brother. The old man is able to fetch the boy out very quickly and he recovers from his injuries soon after. Later, the same thing happens to the older boy who has an extremely long name but because of his long name, it takes longer for the younger brother to tell the old man with the ladder and his mother. By the time they are able to get to the boy and get him out of the well it takes the boy a very long time to recover from his injuries. Finally, the story ends with this being why Chinese culture and its people have very short names.
This is a pourquoi tale because it tells the story of why Chinese people have such short names instead of long names. The illustrations represent the Chinese culture very well and are very attractive. They compliment the story because they illustrate the events in the story accurately and help describe what is occurring. The illustrations could not be stand-alone though because the theme of the story lies in the length of the boy’s name and the repetitive nature of it. Children would not get this simply by the pictures. I would recommend this for K thru 2nd because I think they would enjoy repeating the name of the older boy and it is simple enough for them to understand the moral and theme of the story.
Beast Tales
McDermott, Gerald. Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti. Illustrated by Gerald McDermott. Henry Holt and Company: New York, New York. 1997.
This is the tale of a spider named Anansi and his sons. Each of Anansi’s sons has a talent or ability that is unique to them and that they are very well known for. One day Anansi gets into trouble and needs their help. His sons, with their unique talents, come to the rescue of their father and are able to rescue him. A tradition in the spider community, calls for Anansi to reward the one who rescued him. The only problem is he can only choose one of his sons to reward. Anansi comes up with a clever way to reward his sons, which leads to the reason, according to the Ashanti, of how and why we have a moon in the sky.
This is a beast tale because the spiders in the story take on human action, ability, and relationships. The illustrations are very colorful and represent art and color often associated with the West Africa culture. The illustrations present a lot of detail about the characters, events, and surrounding area. The illustrations do complement the text well and provide a visual view of the events and the special abilities of each of the spiders. This would be a good book for children in K thru 3rd because it works well to introduce them about different cultures and their folk tales.
Kimmel, Eric A. Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Holiday House: New York, New York. 1994.
This is a beast tale that deals with a tradition of Hanukkah in the Jewish culture. A traveling man named Hershel, comes upon a goblin haunted town and decides to help find a way to get rid eight goblins so that the people can celebrate the Hanukkah again. The witty Hershel uses the stupidity of the goblins to trick them in order to bring back the Hanukkah tradition to the town. With each passing night and interaction with a larger goblin, Hershel thinks of a more clever way to trick them into allowing him to light the Hanukkah candles that they despise.
This is a beast tale because it deals with goblins being able to speak and taking on human characteristics. The illustrations do a wonderful job of accompanying the text to tell the story and to present the increasing difficulty of tricking the goblins. The illustrations are masterfully done to depict the goblins and to give a sense to the reader that Hershel is going to have a tougher time with each new goblin as the nights pass. This would be a tale appropriate for 2nd thru 5th because the illustrations could be a bit scary to younger children. It is also good for these grades because it presents the Jewish culture and their tradition of Hanukkah.
Twisted Tale
Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! Illustrated by Lane Smith. Viking Penguin: New York, New York. 1989.
-This is the true tale of the 3 little pigs told by the wolf, Alexander T. Wolf. In this story, the wolf talks about how he had a cold and wanted to bake a cake for his grandma but ran out of sugar. The wolf then goes to the first little pig’s house to get some sugar but ends up sneezing and blowing down the house and killing the pig inside. Instead of leaving the pig dead on the ground, the wolf decides to not waste him by eating him. Then the wolf goes to the next little pigs’ house looking for sugar but again sneezes and blows the house down. As before, he kills the little pig and instead of leaving the body, he decides to eat it. Then the wolf goes to the other little pigs’ house to get sugar. This time when he sneezes he doesn’t blow the house down but the mean pig inside tells him that his grandma can go “sit on a pin!”, which upsets the wolf and causes him to go into an uproar. After this, the police come and take him in for making so many ruckuses. Finally, the wolf proclaims that the reporters didn’t like his story so they made up the tale that we have today about the three little pigs.
This is a twisted tale because it is based off of the Three Little Pigs story but the plot and storyline have been changed a little bit to make a new story around the old tale. The illustrations are very comical and appealing, especially the cover of the book. The illustrations are very fitting to the text and help make the readers question whether or not the wolf is telling the truth about the story of him and the three little pigs or if this is another one of his clever stories. This book would be recommended for children 2nd thru 5th grades or after the children have read the original version of the three little pigs because this story will not make as much sense if they have not read the original tale.
Wonder tale
De Paola, Tomie. Strega Nona. Illustrated by Tomie De Paola. Aladdin: New York, New York. 1979.
This is a tale about a good witch named Strega Nona who uses her magic and the power of her magic pot in order to help various people in her town. With her tasks being too consuming for her, Strega Nona hires a boy named Big Anthony. Strega Nona goes over the chores with him and tells him that there is only one thing he is to never do and that is touch her magic pot. Strega Nona is then called to leave town on an errand and while she is gone Big Anthony touches her magic pot. After he touches it, it starts to make pasta. At first everything seems ok and everyone is happy but then it gets to the point that it is too much and Big Anthony cannot stop it. Strega Nona then comes back to town and is able to stop the pot from making spaghetti that would have eventually overtaken the town. Finally, Big Anthony is forced to eat all the pasta for disobeying her one rule.
This tale is a wonder tale because it introduces magic through the magic pot. The illustrations are very bright and have cartoon looking approach to them that are appealing and add to the comical sense of the story. The illustrations add to the text because they provide a visual idea and perspective of what Big Anthony did, why it was wrong, and the consequences of his actions. This would be a good book for grades K thru 2nd because this story teaches an important lesson of obeying rules and what could happen of one does not. This is a very important theme to teach children at a very young age.
Folk Tales from another Country
Demi. The Hungry Coat: A tale from Turkey. Illustrated by Demi. Margaret K. McElderry: New York, New York. 2004.
This is a folktale about a man from Turkey named Nassrettin Hoca. Nassrettin was known as a generous guy and would do anything for anyone, no matter what. As his way to a rich friend’s party, Nassrettin comes across people that need his help. Nassrettin helps the people out but unfortunately gets his coat very dirty. He then goes to his friend’s party but realizes that he is basically invisible and that no one has even acknowledged that he is there. Realizing that the people in the party are ignoring him because of the way he looks and his dirty coat, Nassrettin decides to head home and change his coat to a nicer one. When he gets back to the party, everyone acknowledges him and gives him the attention that he deserved when he arrived earlier. In order to teach the people a lesson, Nassrettin begins to stuff food in his coat to the point that people ask him why he is doing so. He then tells them that he is doing so because he thought that they wanted him to feed his coat since when he was there earlier he was not getting the recognition he deserved because of the way he looked. Finally, by doing this, Nasrettin teaches the people that it is not about what one wears or how they look on the outside but what is in the inside that counts.
This is a folk tale from another country because the story takes place in the country of Turkey and is based on a tale from that culture. The illustrations are very bright and highlight the theme of the story, along with the Turkish culture. The illustrations complement the story because they tell the story visually through interaction, or lack of, when Nasrettin is wearing a dirty coat, and the interaction he receives when he is wearing a nice coat. I would recommend this book for children in K thru 3rd grade because it teaches a very important theme that should be taught to children at a young age. The storyline is also easy to follow and understand and can introduce children into a different culture.
Hofmeyr, Dianne. The Stone: A Persian Legend of the Magi. Illustrated by Judy Daly. Farrar, Straus and Giroux: New York, New York. 1998.
A tale about three important men who notice an unusually bright star in the sky and determine that its purpose is to represent the coming of a baby king. As the well-known bible version also goes, the three men decide to follow the star in order to meet the baby king and offer him gifts. When the three men get to where the baby king is they offer him their gifts and in return are given a stone that has special powers. Mystified by the gift given to them by the baby king, the three men determine that the stone is worthless. Finally, the stone presents its true power to the three men when they decide to get rid of it.
This is a folk tale from another country because it comes from the Persian culture. The illustrations provide different aspects of the surroundings and the culture of Persia. The illustrations complement the text because they help present a visual idea of where the story is taking place and what is occurring for the three men. These illustrations help set the story in its correct place in time and area of the world. This book would be good for grades K thru 2nd because the story is simple and one that many might be familiar with. It would also be good for these grades to learn about an ancient culture such as the Persian culture.
Tall tale
Thomassie, Tynia. Feliciana Feydra LeRoux: A Cajun Tall Tale. Illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith. Little, Brown and Company: New York, New York. 1995.
-This is a tale of a little girl who wants to go alligator hunting with her grandpa and brothers. The tale starts out with the author explaining how the little girls’ grandpa likes to do all these wonderful things with the little girl but the one thing he won’t do is allow her to go alligator hunting with him. The little girl tries to force her grandpa and brothers to allow her to go by jumping into the back of the truck but her brothers tell her she can’t because she is a girl and her grandpa tells her it will not be safe. The night her grandpa and brothers are going hunting, the little girl sneaks out of her house and plans to go meet up with them on the swamp. While rowing down the swamp, the little girl runs into big alligator that wants to eat her. Luckily her grandpa and brothers are there to attack the alligator. In the process of attacking the alligator, the grandpa falls into the swamp. The alligator then turns his sights on the man and goes towards him. The little girl then hollers for the alligator and jumps into the swamp and throws her wooden doll into the mouth of the alligator. The boys and grandpa then attack the alligator and capture it. Finally, the group of them takes the alligator back home with them and has a grand feast!
This is a tall tale that takes place in Louisiana. The illustrations look to be done with watercolors and beautifully illustrate the personalities of the characters (especially the girl), their facial expressions, and events to come. For example, the illustrator does a wonderful job showing the frustration of the little girl when she is told she cannot go on the hunting trip. The illustrations accompany the text very well because they provide the emotions of the little girl and the events of the story. They are also very fitting because they illustrate many features or things that are unique to Louisiana or Cajun country. Finally, the author provides a wonderful introduction to Cajun history, a recipe for a Cajun Accent, and a glossary of words that are Cajun and will be found in the book. This book would probably be appropriate for 2nd thru 5th grades because of the difficulty in the text and words used that are native to Louisiana.