Ritualo's Reviews

  Bibliography: Taback, S. (1997). There Was an Old lady Who Swallowed a Fly . Viking. ISBN 9780780432390 Plot summary A cautionary tale about an old lady who accidentally swallows a fly.  Chaos ensues as she continues to swallow bigger and bigger animals all in an effort to catch the fly, only to end in tragedy. Critical Analysis The story is a cumulative one, as the story continuously introduces information by repeating and adding on to the previous information. The story is based on a children’s folk song written during World War II.* In retelling it, Taback doesn’t make any changes to the original lyrics. However, in repeating the iteration “I don’t know why she swallowed the fly” several of the animals comment on her condition, a new addition to the story.  The illustrator took an interesting approach by depicting each animal in the woman’s stomach as a cut out which shows the animals she had already eaten from the previous page now in her stomach. When the page is f...

  Bibliography: Pinkney, J. (2010). The Lion & the Mouse . Little, Brown & Co. ISBN 9780316013567 Plot summary  Retelling of Aesop’s fable of the same name, but without words.  The story is of a lion who comes upon a mouse and rather than eating it, lets it return to its family.  Later, when the lion is caught in a trap, the mouse returns the favor by freeing the lion from a trap.  Critical Analysis Pinkney did an amazing job of being able to tell this story without using any words. Using only illustrations, Pinkney brilliantly retells one of Aesop’s fables. The illustrations carried the entire weight of the storytelling in a very thoughtful way. The animals are illustrated realistically with great attention to detail. Color is also important as it is used to draw attention to the characters and their natural surroundings. Pinkney is also able to show the animals’ emotions in a way that is not cartoonish or too human either, holding on to their animal na...

  Bibliography: Trivizas, E. (1997). The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig . Ill by Helen Oxenbury. Aladdin Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0-689-81528-7 Plot summary A very different version of the 3 little pigs where the roles are reversed.  The ending however is very different as the pig and the wolves all get a “happily ever after”. Critical Analysis: In this version of The Three Little Pigs the Pig is the mean one trying to destroy the homes of the three innocent little wolves.  Just as in the original, the animals take on human-like features, such as walking on two legs and playing croquet. The illustrations did an excellent job of moving the story along.  Oxenbury made great use of color as well. She contrasts the harsh colors of the wolves' houses made of bricks, concrete and iron bars with the bright colors of nature surrounding the houses. The illustrations are lively and show movement: we can see the pig attempting to huff and puff and the houses being knocked ...

  Bibliography: Bruchac, J. (1998). The First Strawberries .Ill by Anna Vojtech. Puffin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-056409-9   Plot summary This story gives the “why” of the origin of strawberries through the retelling of a Cherokee folktale. It also teaches the lesson along the way to be kind and treat each other with respect. Critical Analysis’ This story is a great example of a pourquoi folktale that was originally passed down orally. It follows the story of the first  man and woman. They get into an argument and the man says some unkind words to his wife. She leaves, and he  tries to catch her but is unable to. It is only with the sun’s help, placing the first strawberries in her path, that he reaches her and apologizes. The lesson is to treat others with kindness and respect, and it is told in a very beautiful way.  Anna Vojtech does an excellent job of illustrating the story. She uses natural, earthy colors to pay respect to the Native Americans relationship and ...

Bibliography:  De la Pena, Matt. (2016). Last Stop on Market Street . Ill. by Christian Robinson. Scholastic Inc.  ISBN  9780545964524 Plot Summary: The story follow CJ and his Nana as they leave church and head toward Market Street.  On the way, Nana, shows CJ how to view his surroundings in a new way. Critical Analysis: Last Stop on Market Street is a beautiful story about appreciating what you have and seeing beyond the obvious. CJ and Nana head out of church towards an initially unknown location on Market Street.  CJ is unhappy with his circumstances: he wants to go home, he wants to take a car, he wants his own music player.  But Nana shows him the beauty in taking the bus, listening to guitar player, enjoying your surroundings and helping others.  The book does a great job of displaying diversity as there are people of different colors, backgrounds and abilities all depicted in a positive way. The intended audience is 3+, so this book probably be...

Bibliography : Eastman, P. D. (1961). Go, dog. Go! . Random House. ISBN 9780394800202 P lot Summar y : Several dogs are participating in various activities on their way to a mysterious place. Activities include driving cars, riding Ferris wheels and interacting with other dogs.  Critical Analysis : Designed for the beginning reader, the book uses repetition of words to help solidify them in children’s minds as memorization is an early way to teach reading.  The words are almost exclusively monosyllabic, as the intended audience’s vocabulary consists of mostly one syllable words. The illustrations are essential to the story.  They generally model words that are opposites (day/night, up/down) which clearly shows what the words represent, in case these concepts are new to children.  The illustrations are brightly colored and detailed, drawing the attention of the reader but not distracting from the words. It seems the author/illustrator took great care in choosing what ...

Bibliography :  Willems, Mo. (2017). The pigeon needs a bath! Scholastic. ISBN  978-1423190875 Plot Summary: The pigeon is dirty. He clearly needs a bath, but he feels he doesn't and finds excuses not to take one, until he finally gives in.  Critical Analysis: The pigeon is the main character, and through most of the book, the only character, and he does a great job of carrying the story by himself. He has a great sense of who he is and what he thinks he needs, a characteristic that will resonate with many children.  The conflict is also relatable, as many children do not want to take baths and will find any way around doing it.  Willems uses simple, easy to read words in large print that will help support young readers. The illustrations are also fairly simple with basic colors, as most of the illustrations are just of the pigeon.  Yet Willems does an excellent job of making them eye catching and demonstrative of the pigeon and his various moods and attit...

  Bibliography :  Mattick, L. (2015). Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear . Ill. by Sophie Blackall. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781408340233 Plot Summary : The book tells the true story of Winnie, a bear cub, who is rescued from a trapper by Harry, a Canadian soldier serving during World War One. It follows Winnie's story from here to being discovered in a zoo by Christopher Robin, the son of A.A. Milne with a final surprise twist at the very end. Critical Analysis : Mattick uses simple and direct language without ever talking down to children.  Any words or ideas that may seem difficult for a child to understand are explained through Cole's questioning or his mother's explanations. The story is told in a logical way, beginning with Harry's discovery of Winnie, to Winnie's transfer to the zoo where Christopher Robin discovers her, and finally to the discovery of the narrator's connection to the story.  The story t...