Mice Twice by Joseph Low

Title: Mice Twice

Author: Joseph Low

Genre: Fantasy

Awards/Honors: Caldecott Honor Book

Publisher: Macmillan Publishing Company

Copyright: 1980

Grade/Age Level: Kindergarten – First Grade

Basic Overview: The story is set in mostly the Cat’s house, but also goes to Mouse’ and Dog’s house as well. The main characters, Cat and Mouse, think they are both so cunning with Mouse turning out to be the more so in the end bringing Dog who brings Alligator then Wasp. It begins with Cat inviting Mouse over for supper to eat her, he wants a nice meal, and when she asks to bring a friend, he is excited to be offered two mice for dinner. The rising action occurs when Mouse brings Dog instead of another mouse to dinner. The climax is hit when Lion is waiting with Cat for the guests. Wasp scaring off Lion is the falling action, and the resolution ends with enough food to share for Mouse, Dog, and Wasp. The main theme I got out of this story was “always be one step ahead.” Teaching students to know the people around them and what they plan to do. The point of view comes from the speaker of the story in Third Person.

What makes it quality literature? This book is quality literature in the sense that it is enjoyable to read but does not overly teach or moralize. It also has a convincing plot and characters, everything comes together to make one great whole story, and is definitely original and creative. This book is very adorable, and I can imagine a group of children hearing this story read-aloud and enjoying it very much. That is quality literature.

Is it ESOL speaker oriented: This book could enhance the intellectual needs of ESOL students by providing new vocabulary (of animals perhaps) and also enhance their aesthetic needs by producing such vibrant pictures that represent the story. There are not any real obvious stereotypes. There is only the mention of French Cheese from Cat’s friend Pierre. Culturally enveloped in this is mentioned French Brie which is a real type of cheese from France. Not a stereotype, a truth.

How can it be used in the classroom: For examining of the theme “always be one step ahead,” I would use the passage of pages 11-15 where Cat is bringing Wolf to dinner, but Dog, thinking ahead, has already invited Alligator to dinner. Here we see a very clear passage of the main theme.

How can parents use it? This is another good bedtime story that also teaches a little bit about etiquette. Parents could use it as an introduction story into the importance of etiquette, or parents could find this very useful for explaining how we behave when inviting someone over for dinner.

Accessibility: Easy to access at the school or public library. Get it for a really great price at amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Mice-Twice-Aladdin-Picture-Books/dp/0689710607/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236692298&sr=8-1 .

Kiddie L. Critic

The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieska

Title: The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

Author: Jon Scieszka, Illustrator: Lane Smith

Genre: Fantasy

Awards/Honors: Caldecott Honor Award

Publisher: Viking Books

Copyright: 1992

Age/Grade Level: Mostly for Kindergarten through 2nd, but I think kids of ALL ages will love this book! :)

Basic Overview: The setting is in the book itself. The characters, including the narrator, react to one another to make the story come together. They are very emotional characters: the mean giant, the glory-hungry Hen, and the cautious narrator. As well, there is the Stinky Cheese man who you can practically smell through the book, the sly fox, and all the other important animals of the stories. They are all in conflict with one another, trying to steal their own spot of glory in the book. The exposition begins with the introduction, then moves into the rising action being the telling of stories (we see the true beginning as the table of contents are forgotten), then the climax begins when the giant arrives to take over; however, the stinky cheese man saves the day with the falling action story leading to the conclusion of the giant eating the glory-hungry hen. The theme is hard to find, but perhaps like The Three Pigs, it is about finding another way of getting out of a sticky situation. That theme covers many of the smaller stories in between as well.

What makes it quality literature: This book does not overly teach or moralize, encompasses poetic language, and all of the stories, characters, and main plot come together to make a whole story. By those standards, this is quality literature, and I know kids will love to read because of this book. Therefore, I book that ‘will be’ timeless is quality literature.

Is it ESOL Speaker Oriented?: Read aloud properly, I believe ESOL students will get a kick out of this. Socially, I believe this book will help ESOL students connect with the other students by just getting a chance to laugh together. Plus, once again, those pictures are an awesome way of producing visuals during the story for those students. I mean to say, the silly and “fairly-stupid” voice of the story is reflected in the artwork presented in the book. Even ESOL students can see the difference in voice through pictures.

How can it be used in the classroom?: Read aloud passage: Page 30, The Tortoise and The Hair, The Tortoise is a very slow animal, and the rabbit makes a deal with him that his hair can grow faster than the tortoise can walk in a race. In the end, the tortoise ran, and the rabbit grew his hair. Assuredly, this is “not” the end…

How can parents use this book?: Just like The Three Pigs, this book is great for helping a child find joy in reading, and possibly, their choice genre or style of writing. Do they prefer whacky, out-of-the-ordinary comedies? Or maybe they would prefer a true story? Use this book as a spring-board into finding what your child loves. Read aloud WITH them, admiring the pictures and discussing what were the best parts.

Accessibility: Easy – Such a popular book is easily found at the library or bookstore. Find it now at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Stinky-Cheese-Other-Fairly-Stupid/dp/067084487X/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235696922&sr=8-1#

Kiddie L. Critic

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner

1. Title: The Three Pigs

2. Author and Illustrator: David Wiesner

3. Genre: Fantasy

4. Honors/Awards: The Caldecott Medal

5. Publisher: Clarion Books

6. Copyright: 2001

7. Grade Level: K-2nd

8. Basic Overview: The setting occurs within many different children’s nursery rhymes. The main characters are the three pigs who are made alive by leaving their original story and escaping into another, causing more characters to come to life (such as a dragon and the cat with the fiddle). These pigs help save the dragon, are thankful for their new found friends and welcome them to their home in the original story. There is conflict between characters in the story: the wolf and the pigs, the dragon and the knight. The plot begins with the normal story of The Three Little Pigs, but reaches the rising action once the pigs realize they can leave the story. The climax is hit when the cat finds the original story with the brick house, moving to the falling action of getting rid of the wolf with the dragon, and resulting to a soup party. Lastly, the theme that struck me the most was “finding a different way out of situations.”

9. What makes it quality literature?: This book is a piece of quality literature because of the beautiful and fun illustrations. Children will really get into this book. It is a high fantasy book because of the total “other world” the pigs find within the nursery rhymes. It covers these qualities: expands awareness by putting children in another perspective, doesn’t overly teach or moralize, words have a poetic feel to them, has integrity (makes a satisfying whole), and lastly, shows originality.

10. English Speaker of Other Languages (ESOL) Oriented?: This is great for ESOL children because it does not hold stereotypes, for it is all about animals in nursery rhymes, and it has extremely vibrant pictures which the students use to follow the story. It also introduces nursery rhymes they may not have heard before, but will eventually.

11. How it can be used in the classroom: A good unit this book would be good for would be a comparing and contrasting of mixed up nursery rhymes. This could be a specific lesson on Three Little Pig stories while another portion of the unit could have a lesson on Cinderella stories. It is useful for letting children see the creative idea of each different author’s style for writing. This book fits very well into a unit on comparison and contrast.

12. How parents can use this book: Use this book to get your child interested in reading. It is full of fun- loving action and a basic love for fun. Take time to re-enact the story, letting you child choose the character they want to be. Use the book as your script as you perform the play of The Three Pigs. Your child is sure to enjoy this book and find a joy in reading. Most of all, fantasy is a genre of books most children find very enjoyable. Three Little Pigs can be springboard to finding your child’s niche in genres for reading.

13. Accessibility: Easy – Can be found at any library or local book store. Purchase now at: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw_0_14?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the+three+pigs+by+david+wiesner&sprefix=The+Three+Pigs .

Kiddie L. Critic