Traditional Literature

The following reviews were made as part of an assignment for the Literature for Children course through Sam Houston State University.

The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story

Bruchac, J., & Vojtech, A. (1993). The first strawberries: A Cherokee story. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.

ISBN: 0-8037-1332-0

The first man and woman live happily together until one day the man returns from hunting to find the woman picking flowers. The man is very hungry, so he becomes angry and speaks harshly to the woman who becomes angry in turn, and she walks away. The man tries to follow after her, but she is too fast, so the sun intervenes to slow the woman down to allow the man to catch up to her. The sun creates several berries in her path but the only ones that slow her down long enough for the man to catch up. He apologizes and she shares her strawberries. The book’s closing line sums up the moral of the story. “To this day, when the Cherokee people eat strawberries, they are reminded to always be kind to each other; to remember that friendship and respect are as sweet as the taste of ripe, red berries.”

This book is beautiful in its simplicity and the artwork, done in watercolor and colored pencils, complements the story without stealing the show. The moral of the story – be kind – is likewise very simple and universal.  

Review from Publisher’s Weekly: “Spare text, an uncomplicated story line and gentle illustrations keep this quiet but resonant tale accessible to even the youngest child. Vojtech's soft, luminous watercolors conjure up an unspoiled landscape bathed in sunlight--visual reinforcement of the idea that the earth and its wonders are indeed gifts.” Retrieved from https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8037-1332-1.

For younger students the story can be used in a lesson about eating fruits and vegetables as a part of healthy food choices. A lesson plan can be found by iGrow Readers at https://extension.sdstate.edu/sites/default/files/2020-07/S-0008-25.pdf. For older students the story can be used to story map or reflect on cultures. These and other ideas found at https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=22748.

You may also like: The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by Tomie dePaola or We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell illustrated by Frané Lessac.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

Scieszka, J., Smith, L., & Viking Press. (1989). The true story of the 3 little pigs.

ISBN: 0-670-82759-2

There are two sides to every story and in this hilarious retelling of the classic tale the wolf tells his version of events. The wolf has a name – Alexander T. Wolf – and wants to be called Al. Al says wolves aren’t so big and bad, their nature is to be a carnivore and people find pigs and bunnies to be cute, so it is really an issue of bias. The real story is about Al, suffering from a cold, wanting to bake a cake for his granny and needing a cup of sugar. At the door he sneezes a big sneeze that blows the first two pig’s houses over. The pigs were dead in the middle of the rubble of their respective homes, and he couldn’t let a good meal go to waste, so he had to eat them. The third pig was quite rude and insulted Al’s granny, that’s why he tried to beat down that door. To make it worse the cops pulled up while Al was in the middle of a sneezing fit. The media caught wind of the story and the two pigs Al had eaten earlier and made up the rest. He was framed!

This book is a refreshing look at the three little pigs from the other side of the story and the wolf character is written to be very likeable helping the reader to be open to his side of the story. The illustrations seem to have a dark shadow to them hinting that this isn’t really what happened at all. Included are several details that both support the wolf’s story and the reader’s bias. There is the animal burger with feet, a mouse tail, and bunny ears sticking out of it. The cake ingredients also include bunny ears, and the picture of the wolf’s sick granny is none other than the wolf of Little Red Riding Hood. My favorite detail of all is the way the sticks fell around the second pig to suggest that the pig’s rump is the center of a place setting of spoon, knife, and two forks.

From Kirkus Reviews: “Scieszka carries off this revision with suitably mordant humor, ably reflected in Smith's dark, elegantly sophisticated illustrations. Not for little children, but middle grades and up should be entertained while taking the point about the unreliability of witnesses.” Retrieved from: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jon-scieszka/true-story-of-3-little-pigs/.

This book would be perfect for a study on bias for older students. There is a lesson plan and links to other activities for this story at http://www.teachingheart.net/truepigs.html. Unfortunately, not all of the links work but several do such as pig word problems. There are also activities and leveled readers linked at the Reading is Fundamental website: https://www.rif.org/literacy-central/book/true-story-3-little-pigs.

You may also like: The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz illustrated by Dan Santat or the series You Choose: Fractured Fairy Tales for an interactive read.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Taback, S. (1999). Joseph had a little overcoat. New York: Viking.

ISBN: 978-0-670-87855-0

Based on a Yiddish folk song, this is the story of Joseph and his ability to make something new out of the old. He starts with an overcoat and when it is tattered and worn, he repurposes it to a jacket. When his jacket is worn, he makes it a vest, and so the story goes until the overcoat has become a button that he then uses. When he has nothing, he still can make something when he sits down to write a book about it.

Simms Taback did a fantastic job writing and illustrating this book. The rhythm is apparent as you read and is evidenced in the music and lyrics to the song included at the end of the book. The illustrations are a hilarious combination of watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink, and collage. Details include letters, newspapers, and artwork. One page even includes a fiddler on a roof accompanied by a snippet of the music and lyrics in Yiddish. Readers will also find die cuts on several pages hinting at what the overcoat will become next. It is no wonder this was a Caldecott Medal winner.

From CommonSense Media: “The text is sparse, but it faithfully depicts the day-to-day life of a Yiddish farmer. And Joseph displays heroic determination in his quest to save his overcoat, looking life's crises in the eye and outmaneuvering them with a healthy dose of thrift and a needle and thread.” Retrieved from: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/joseph-had-a-little-overcoat.

Younger students can explore the idea of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” in conjunction with this story. Older students can identify the author’s purpose, and make connections and predictions based on the text. Bible Belt Balabusta shares templates for children to make a collage and shares links to other resources at https://biblebeltbalabusta.com/2013/12/11/joseph-had-a-little-overcoat-collage/.

You may also like: There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly also by Simms Taback or for a Latino spin the bilingual book Maya's Blanket / La Manta de Maya by Monica Brown illustrated by David Díaz.

Swamp Angel

Isaacs, A., Zelinsky, P. O., Moorer, A., Huff, S., Reynolds, R., & Weston Woods Studios. (2002). Swamp Angel. Westport, CT: Weston Woods.

ISBN: 0-525-45271-0

This tall tale is the story of Angelica Longrider who at birth was “scarcely taller than her mother and couldn’t climb a tree without help.” At the age of twelve she rescues a wagon train stuck in the swamp and earns the nickname “Swamp Angel”. The settlers of Tennessee are menaced by a huge bear called Thundering Tarnation and so a competition is held to motivate hunters to take down the bear. Although Swamp Angel is a giant, the men entering the competition taunt her with traditional female stereotypes to try to stop her from entering. As it turns out she is the last “man” standing in the competition. For days, she and Thundering Tarnation fight across the hills of Tennessee and when the bear has Swamp Angel trapped fifty feet under water, she drinks up the lake to save herself from drowning. Fighting until they both fall asleep she snores down a tree killing Thundering Tarnation. The story ends with her moving to Montana to use the bear pelt as a rug.

This tall tale immediately makes me think of Paul Bunyan and Davy Crockett. Swamp Angel and Bunyan are probably equals in size and the story is so far fetched I can imagine Crockett telling it as his own. The story elements explain the geography of Tennessee, for example the dust from the fight is the reason the mountains are called the “Great Smoky Mountains” and claims that when Thundering Tarnation was thrown into the sky, he left an indentation creating a constellation. Swamp Angel is a fun tale to entertain all ages. Illustrations are painted in oils on cherry, maple, and birch veneers giving the book a primitive pioneer look to match the setting of the story.

Publishers Weekly calls the story “casually overstated” and says, “This valiant heroine is certain to leave youngsters chuckling-and perhaps even keeping a close watch on the night sky.” Retrieved from: https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-525-45271-3.

This would make a great text to use in history during the study of westward expansion. Author Anne Isaacs provides ideas for activities using Swamp Angel on her website www.anneisaacs.com. Words Alive also offers a lesson plan at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56663dee841abafca76d6f46/t/5b64c0402b6a28806c9863da/1533329473704/Swamp+Angel+-+formatted.pdf.  

You may also like: the sequel Dust Devil by Isaacs and Zelinsky or one of the many versions of the Paul Bunyan story, also available in a graphic novel The Tall Tale of Paul Bunyan: The Graphic Novel retold by Martin Powell and illustrated by Aaron Blecha.