Posts Tagged ‘fairy tales’

Good Little Wolf written and illustrated by Nadia Shireen
Picture book published by Alfred A. Knopf, and imprint of Random House

“It is madness for a sheep to talk of peace with a wolf” ~ French Proverb

Rolf is happy to be a good little wolf. He’s helpful, he’s a vegetarian, he likes to bake and he’s a good friend to pigs and Mrs. Boggins.

Rolf hopes he won’t ever encounter a bad wolf but, one day, when he is out walking in the woods, he meets the renowned Big, Bad Wolf. Big, Bad Wolf is quite dismayed at Rolf and his good behavior. Big, Bad Wolf expects wolves to howl and destroy houses and eat people.

Big Bad Wolf challenges Rolf to be a “Real Wolf” and the good little wolf decides to give it a try. After a couple of disasterous attempts, Rolf discovers his inner ‘badness’ and proudly demonstrates his newfound abilities to Big, Bad Wolf.

Success demands a celebration and before long Rolf, Mrs. Boggins and Big, Bad Wolf are enjoying a delicious meal together.

Alas, author/illustrator Nadia Shireen is not content with happy endings. Big, Bad Wolf has one last wicked trick to play…

Fans of I Want My Hat Back will delight in Good Little Wolf as will those who have enjoyed Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf and Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf.

Good Little Wolf will be enjoyed most by children who know the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs. It most certainly will prompt discussions about “good” versus “evil” and whether a leopard (or wolf) can change its spots.

Simple, charming illustrations are a perfect match for both Rolf’s loveable personality and Big Bad Wolf’s nastiness.

Good Little Wolf at Amazon.com

Good Little Wolf at Amazon.ca

Kiss Me! (I’m and Prince!) written by Heather McLeod and illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan
Picture book published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside

When young Ella chances upon a talking frog, she is not altogether sure that kissing his puckered froggy lips is a good idea. For Ella, the idea of a talking frog is much more appealing than the prospect of kissing him and turning him into a boring frog prince. Ella is a fan of play – she likes basketball, swimming and Simon Says. Ella’s reluctance to kiss her new froggy friend means that he has a chance to enjoy traditional childhood games and to behave in some ways that are not at all royal. Eventually, representatives of the palace arrive. The royal frog is returned to a life of fencing and studying but not before Ella’s ideas have made a lasting impression. The frog negotiates with his parents for more playtime before returning to ask Ella for a magical kiss so he can join the neighbourhood baseball team.

An enjoyable read aloud for children aged four and up, Kiss Me! (I’m and Prince!) provides many opportunities for children to make predictions and also invites comparisons with other versions of The Frog Prince.

Kiss Me! (I’m a Prince) at Amazon.com

Kiss Me! (I’m a Prince!) at Amazon.ca

This five-book series is written is written by Veronika Martenova Charles‘ and illustrated by David Parkins. Generously illustrated, each book includes three versions of a familiar story and was written with newly independent readers in mind. The books are each 56 pages and contain five chapters. Suited to readers aged five to eight, the series could be used effectively in a classroom with children exploring similarities and differences the ways Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood and other stories are told.

It’s Not about the Apple!: Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales at Amazon.com

It’s Not about the Apple!: Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales at Amazon.ca

It’s Not about the Crumbs!: Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales at Amazon.com

It’s Not about the Crumbs!: Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales at Amazon.ca

It’s Not about the Hunter!: Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales at Amazon.com

It’s Not about the Hunter!: Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales at Amazon.ca

Today was our second Beginning to Read class and our theme today was “Shoes.” During our storytime, I used felt pieces to tell the story of The Elves and the Shoemaker. This is a traditional story and it has been retold many times. The version that I used was written by Paul Galdone. I explained to the children that, if they visit the library, they might find as many as ten different versions of this story (filed in the Fairy Tale section, J398). If you have a chance, it would be great to find the story at the library and share it with your children. If you can find two different versions, ask them which they prefer. The illustrations and the storytelling will vary. Reading different versions of a familiar story is a great way to encourage your children to think about and compare authors and illustrators.

By the way, in each of the classes, the children responded very enthusiastically to the felt story format. They love watching the story unfold and touching the pieces of felt. Using felt pieces is a great way to encourage children to be creative and invent their own stories.

Today’s word family was the “it” family – bit, fit, hit, pit, sit, split and quit. In today’s class, we made a word family flip book. These easily made books are very helpful for young readers. They help children to notice that “bit”, “fit” and “hit” are related and, once you manage to decode/read “bit”, it is quite easy to decode/read “fit” and “hit”. Today our tricky words were split and quit. Here is a picture of a Dairy Queen Banana Split.

We have many word family printables on this website, follow the link for more information.

Today we also did a page about colours. Some of the children are able to read the words, some are not. Just as a gentle reminder, some of early ‘reading’ is actually memorizing. When children offer to ‘read’ a story that they have heard many time, we may be tempted to dismiss their ‘reading’ as ‘memorizing.’ Keep in mind that we want to encourage reading behaviours (holding a book, turning the pages, etc.) and picture clues are very helpful to young readers. Be sure to celebrate your young reader’s success – even when you suspect that s/he has memorized a story.

  Writing paper for kids - Elves and Shoemaker

Elves and Shoemaker theme interlined paper for beginning writers.

Just for fun, here is The Muppet’s version of The Elves and the Shoemaker

The Elves and the Shoemaker at Amazon.com

The Elves and the Shoemaker Book & Cassette at Amazon.ca

The Penguin and the Pea – written and illustrated by Janet Perlman

Here is a delightful twist on a familiar tale. Poor Prince Penguin is lonely and filled with despair – will he ever find a penguin princess suitable for marriage? It seems unlikely until a stormy evening when a drenched young penguin arrives at the castle. She claims to be a princess seeking shelter. Prince Penguin is enchanted – the Queen is unconvinced. Will the ‘princess’ pass the test and ensure a happy ending?

The Penguin and the Pea is a fun take on a familiar story. Children will enjoy comparing this with other versions of The Princess and the Pea. Also fun for penguin theme.

32 pages, Ages 3 to 7

Mathwire’s Penguin Math page

The Penguin and the Pea at Amazon.com

The Penguin and the Pea at Amazon.ca

Sir Cassie to the Rescue – written by Linda Smith and illustrated by Karen Patkau

When Cassie reads a story about knights, the lure of the story prompts her to build a castle in her living room and enlist her brother to be a damsel. Her brother resists this role but does agree to be a fierce dragon. The entire family becomes involved in the make-believe fun until the queen announces a noontime feast has been prepared and it is time to clean up the castle.

A cheerfully illustrated picture book, Sir Cassie to the Rescue celebrates make believe and play and will be enjoyed by children aged 4 to 8.

Sir Cassie to the Rescue at Amazon.com

Sir Cassie to the Rescue at Amazon.ca

Storytime Standouts writes about two picture books written by Judy Sierra. Both books are fantastic and present a wonderful opportunity for readers to make connections with other classic stories.

Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by J. Otto Seibold
Picture book for older readers published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

When B.B. Wolf is invited to the local library’s Storybook Tea, he reviews proper etiquette, dons a dapper jacket and promises good behavior. After three cups of tea, a gurgling tummy threatens but Mr. Wolf remembers to say, ‘Excuse me,’ and is congratulated for his extraordinarily good manners. This picture book is a delight and I rank it among “The Best of the Best.” Youngsters are sure to enjoy spotting familiar fairy tale characters including Little Red Riding Hood, the Gingerbread Boy and the Three Little Pigs in addition to the Big Bad Wolf. It is indeed a treat to discover that Mr. Wolf has retired to Villain Villa and that using good manners can lead to happy endings.

Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf at Amazon.com

Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf at Amazon.ca

But wait, there’s more… Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf is an equally delightful tale featuring our “favourite” fairy tale villain! When invited to give his version of very familiar events, his credibility is soon called into question. Bold, retro illustrations compliment both stories beautifully.

Highly recommended – especially for older children.
Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf at Amazon.com

Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf at Amazon.ca