Archive for the ‘folk tales’ Category

For my latest assignment in library school, I had to review several folk tales/fairy tales as well as create a podcast of myself reading a folk tale. Take a look and listen below!

My Uncle Emily. Yolen, Jane. (ill. by Nancy Carpenter). Philomel Books, 2009.

Uncle Emily isn’t an uncle at all, but Emily Dickinson, and in this book, Yolen shares insight into the life of Dickinson, while also teaching readers about poetry. Children can relate to this story through the narrator, Gilbert, and his attempts to analyze poetry. Yolen is able to tell the story from a child’s point of view, simply, without being condescending. The illustrations, crafted in pen and ink, help place the story in time as well as exemplify the emotions behind the words.

Eric Carle’s Dragons Dragons & Other Creatures That Never Were. Whipple, Laura (compiled by). (ill. by Eric Carle). Puffin Books, 2004.

This topical poetry book covers a favorite topic among children: mythical creatures. The poems within are pulled from a wide variety of poets from many different time periods. Each is illustrated with a dazzling work of art by Carle, colorful, bold, in his classic and well-loved style. While some of the poems contain words that may not be well understood by children, the art helps to clearly convey the meaning behind the words. Some of the poems are comical, while others simply descriptive, but the topics within are pulled from many different cultures, which give this poem book a wider breadth. A glossary of definitions and descriptions of the mythical creatures adds another level to help children understand and appreciate this book.

Beautiful Blackbird. Bryan, Ashley. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003.

In Beautiful Blackbird, all the colorful birds want one thing: black coloring like that of the most beautiful bird of all, blackbird. This story contains rhyme and rhythm, giving some parts of it a sing-song feel that will entertain children of all ages. The simplistic, yet colorful art adds to the story and makes it easy for readers to see the plot being told. Themes abound in this story, including belonging and appreciating beauty of all kinds.

Beautiful Blackbird by Ashley Bryan — podcast (as read by me! for a fictional “celebrity” podcast series)