In the Hammock Reading

1.     Bibliography Engle, Margarita. The firefly letters: a suffragette’s journey to cuba . New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2010. ISBN: 978-1250110961 2.     Plot Summary This novel in verse recounts the true to life tale of Frederika Bremer and her visit to Cuba. While visiting, she meets a slave girl named Cecilia. Engle shares this insightful story from the perspective of three female characters; Frederika, Cecilia, and Elena. 3.     Critical Analysis The Firefly Letters is a novel in free verse written from the perspective of the three female characters. Margarita Engle gives the reader an inside look into Cuba, and she artfully shares the story of the slave girl Cecilia. Engle keeps her stanzas and rhythm of her poetry short, and this helps convey the brutal raw nature of life as a slave Cuba. In the first page of the story, the reader shockingly finds out that Cecilia the African girl living as a sl...

1.     Bibliography Scieszka, Jon, and Lane Smith. The true story of the 3 little pigs . New York, NY: The Penguin Group, 1996. ISBN: 0-670-82759-2 2.     Plot Summary The fractured fairy tale The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs  is a creative spin on this beloved tale. This time, the reader is taken through the “big bad” wolf’s perspective and they get to discover what actually happened (according to him). The reader learns exactly why the wolf decided to go on a sojourn to visit the little pigs and exactly why there was huffing and puffing (hint: achoo!). In the end of the tale, the wolf explains why he had  to eat two of the little pigs. He also explains that the only reason he gets a bad rap is that the local newspaper made him out to be the bad guy. Readers will enjoy this witty take on the classic tale of The Three Little Pigs . 3.     Critical Analysis Scieszka does a wonderful job of retelling this age-old tale...

1.     Bibliography Kimmel, Eric A., and Phil Huling. Cactus soup . Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Children, 2004. ISBN: 978-0761458326 2.     Plot Summary Cactus Soup is a take on the folktale Stone Soup. In this Mexican version, a group of soldiers heads into the town of San Miguel. The town is aware of how soldiers eat and eat, so in an effort to not lose all of their food to the troop, they hide everything and change their clothes in order to appear poor. When the group of soldiers arrives at the town their request for food is declined. The captain offers to make cactus soup. With the help of all the townspeople, their curiosity, and their delight, the captain makes a delicious pot of chili, chicken and veggie soup. 3.     Critical Analysis This tale, as told by Kimmel, shares the same story and moral as Stone Soup, but with the added touch of history and Mexican culture. Kimmel incorporates several aspects of the story i...

1.     Bibliography Taback, Simms. Joseph had a little overcoat . New York, NY: The Penguin Group, 1999. ISBN-13: 978-0670878550 2.     Plot Summary  Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, adapted from a Yiddish song, tells the lively tale of a resourceful man named Joseph. Joseph has an old worn out overcoat he repurposes into new (smaller and smaller) items. In the end of this short tale, Joseph discovers a very useful life lesson! 3.     Critical Analysis This unique story is simple with few words on the page. Children will make the story come to life by reading along, repeating with the reader, and by predicting (using the cutouts) the next item Joseph will make from his old worn out overcoat. The end of the book brings the story all together and the reader will learn a valuable lesson along with the character Joseph. The Caldecot Medal winning story is illustrated by Simms Taback. Taback employs the ingeni...

1.      Bibliography Reich, Susanna, and Raúl Colón. José!: born to dance: the story of José Limón . New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2005. ISBN:  978-1442435605 2.      Plot Summary This imaginative magical storybook tells the story of the young donkey Sylvester and a magical shiny red pebble he finds. This pebble has magical powers to make his greatest desires come true! All he has to do is make a wish while holding the magic red stone and his wish will come true. Sylvester gets himself into a predicament when he accidentally turns himself into a rock. Sylvester's parents are heartbroken when they can't find their beloved Sylvester! How will they ever be able to find their son? 3.      Critical Analysis This sweet little story of Sylvester brings to mind the adage "you can't always get what you want". Finding a magic pebble and having your wishes come true isn't...