Traditional Literature

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Scieszka, Jon. 1989. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! Illus. by Lane Smith.  New York: Viking Juvenile. ISBN 978-0670827596

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! is a spoof of the original, retold from the wolf’s point of view. According to the wolf, he was framed and is now telling his side of the story from his jail cell.  He claims to have been attempting to borrow a cup of sugar. He excuses blowing down the houses of the first two pigs by saying he had a cold. When he sneezed, their houses fell down, and the pigs were killed. The wolf claims he did not want food to go to waste, so he had no choice but to eat the pigs. While trying to borrow sugar from the pig who lived in the brick house, the wolf continued to sneeze. As he to break down the third pig’s door, the police and reporters caught up with him as a suspect in the murder of the first two pigs.  He claims that the reporters changed the story to make it more interesting, and he was put in jail.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This fractured fairy tale version of The Three Little Pigs is in the style of retelling from another character’s point of view. Traditional archetypes are thrown out. The “big bad wolf” is no longer the archetypal villain, but the innocent victim in this story. The traditional hero (the third little pig) is cast in the role of villain. Even the theme is a twist on the original—survival; eat or be eaten. In this tale, however, the wolf is the one trying to survive by telling his side of the story from his jail cell.

The illustrations add to the tongue-in-cheek humor of the story. The wolf is in every illustration, highlighting his role as the narrator and the victim. The dark colors of the first two illustrations give the reader the sense that it is the traditional, sinister “big bad wolf” telling the story. As the wolf begins his version, the illustrations turn to warm inviting colors that give the sense of safety and comfort. In each scene, the wolf is dressed in a unassuming sweater, bowtie, and spectacles (a kind-hearted “Mr. Rogers” type).  Only rarely are there glimpses of the pigs, and even then it is only a partial view of a pig’s face or tail, keeping the focus on the wolf. The pig in the brick house truly has a sinister look as the new villain of the story. The readers sees only his eyes and nose through a dark, tiny window, but the eyes are wild and his face is in shadows. The illustrator is careful to show the droopy eyes of the wolf who is plagued by a cold in contrast to this evil pig. As the wolf loses his temper and attacks the third pig’s house, the illustrations become more shadowy, showing reporter’s closing in and foreshadowing the framing of the wolf for a crime. Cleverly, the illustrations portray the cops and reporters as pigs which adds to the conspiratorial mood of the story. The final illustration shows the menacing pig-cop, still only partially in view, adjacent to the grandfatherly-looking wolf.

4.     REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award for Picture Book (1991)

New York Times Best Illustrated Book

Caldecott Honor Award for Illustrations

ALA Notable Children’s Books

New York Times Book of the Year

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - "Smith's dark tones and sometimes shadowy, indistinct shapes recall the distinctive illustrations he did for Merriam's Halloween ABC (Macmillan, 1987); the bespectacled wolf moves with a rather sinister bonelessness, and his juicy sneezes tear like thunderbolts through a dim, grainy world. It's the type of book that older kids (and adults) will find very funny.” (John Peters, New York Public Library. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

From CHILDREN’S LITERATURE – “Smith's simplistic and wacky illustrations add to the effectiveness of this fractured fairy tale.”

From KIRKUS – “Scieszka carries off this revision with suitably mordant humor, ably reflected in Smith's dark, elegantly sophisticated illustrations.”

5.     CONNECTIONS

Gather other content specific books to read such as:

·        De Capua, Sarah. Serving on a Jury. ISBN 978-0531262146

·        Johmann, Carol A. Bridges: Amazing Structures to Design, Build & Test. ISBN 978-1885593306

 Gather other Jon Scieszka books to read such as:

·        The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.  ISBN  978-0670844876

·        The Frog Prince Continues. ISBN 0670834211

Read the Jon Scieszka books listed above as part of an English/Language Arts and Theater Arts cross-curricular unit on fractured fairy tales.  ELA students will evaluate the texts and write their own original script.  Theater Arts students will use YouTube (or live performances if available) to view various performances of fractured fairy tales and compare them to each other and to the original text as part of a Theater Arts lesson on screen adaptations.

Read Serving on a Jury, as a part of a social studies unit on the judicial system.  Use The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! to create a courtroom drama for students to demonstrate knowledge of the judicial process.

Read Bridges: Amazing Structures to Design, Build & Test as part of a science unit on the physics of stable and unstable structures.  Brainstorm building materials from both books and reality and the advantages/disadvantages of each. Use building materials similar to those in The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! to build model houses and predict the types of natural disaster (wind, water, earthquakes) they would withstand. Test the homes using a blow dryer (to simulate both the wolf’s huffing and puffing, and natural winds), a water hose (rain/flood), and vibrating or rocking chair (earthquakes).

The First Strawberries

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bruchac, Joseph. 1993. The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story. Illus. by Anna Vojtech.  New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, a Division of Puffin Books. ISBN 0-8037-1332-0

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

The First Strawberries is a Cherokee folktale retold by Joseph Bruchac. Man and woman are created at the same time by the Creator so that they will not be lonely. They live happily together until one day the woman is picking flowers when her husband comes home. She has not prepared his dinner, and he speaks to her angrily. She decides to leave and even though the man was sorry for his words, he cannot catch her. The sun sees his dilemma and decides to help. The sun shines on the ground along the woman’s path, creating raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries that go unnoticed. Finally, the sun shines directly in the woman’s path and causes strawberries to grow. She stops to pick them and decides to take some to her husband. This allows her husband enough time to catch up to her and apologize. The moral of the story remembered by all Cherokees from then on is that friendship and respect are as sweet as the taste of ripe strawberries.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

As is traditional in Native American literature, this folktale has a strong female character who takes her life and destiny into her own hands rather than be led by her husband.  The plot is simple. The conflict arises when the woman chooses to pick beautiful flowers instead of making dinner for her husband. She chooses not to live with him any longer and sets out on a journey that ultimately leads her back to her husband and home.

The theme of this story is respect and friendship.  The man and woman have a mutual respect and friendship until he speaks to her out of anger.  The man pursues the woman to apologize and regain that respect. When he finally catches her, their relationship is restored. 

In a very basic way, the author presents classic archetypes in his characters. The man is the hero, and his tragic flaw is his anger.  He goes on a (short) journey to restore the respect and relationship that makes up his world.  The sun personified represents the sage who helps the hero on his journey. As an object, the sun also represents the creative-guiding force; it is responsible for the growth of the berries.  Finally, when the journey is complete and the relationship is restored, the strawberries that helped bring about that restoration then become a symbol of respect and friendship.  Although these archetypes are not as fully developed as in a novel, the basic framework is evident.

The illustrations are soft earth tones that both complement and extend the story. They keep the plot moving since there are a few pages without text.  It is the illustrations that bring out most of the cultural markers. The characters are shown with the characteristic Native American long hairstyles, high cheekbones, leather clothing and moccasins, and reddish-brown skin color. Vojtech highlights the culture by including illustrations of traditional round living structures, hunting gear (bow and arrow), and cooking methods. The couple is shown sitting together in harmony as the man makes an arrowhead necklace and the woman prepares corn for meals. The man also wears an animal tooth necklace while the woman wears a flower in her hair, both symbolizing harmony with nature.  Near the end of the story, the reader is shown a view of the entire village with implements traditionally connected to Native Americans – canoes and cradleboards for carrying a papoose. In this scene, the Native Americans are seen picking strawberries amidst green grass and rolling hills, symbolizing the entire tribe’s harmony with nature. Bruchac ends the story with a connection to the Cherokee philosophy of kindness and respect.

4.     REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

1993 New York Times Outstanding Children’s Book of the Year: First Strawberries (Awarded to Anna Vojtech)

From PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY - "Bruchac ( Keepers of the Earth ; Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back ) once again brings simplicity and lyricism to his interpretation of Native American legend….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.”

From KIRKUS – “Complete harmony of text and pictures: altogether lovely.”

Other Selected Awards received by Joseph Bruchac:

American Book Award for Breaking Silence
Horn Book honor for The Boy Who Lived with the Bears
Scientific American Children’s Book Award for The Story of the Milky Way
Cherokee Nation Prose Award
Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children’s Literature
2005 Virginia Hamilton Literary Award
2001 Parents Guide to Children’s Media Award for Skeleton Man
2000 Parents Choice Gold Award for Crazy Horse's Vision
1999 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas
1999 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award for Heart of a Chief
1998 Writer of the Year Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas
1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas
1997 Paterson Award for Dog People
1996 Boston Globe Book Award for The Boy Who Lived with the Bears
1995 Knickerbocker Award

5.     CONNECTIONS

Gather other content specific books to read: 

·         French, Michael. Flags of Our Fathers: A Young People’s Edition. ISBN 978-0440229209

·         Lawrence, Ellen. A Dragonfly’s Life (Science Slam: Animal Diaries Life Cycles). ISBN 978-1617725944

 Gather other Joseph Bruchac books to read :

·         Buffalo Song.  ISBN  978-1584302803

·         Code Talker. ISBN 978-1417761050

Use Buffalo Song in conjunction with A Dragonfly’s Life to introduce an elementary level science unit on the life cycle of plants and animals.

Use The First Strawberries and Code Talker as part of a social studies unit on Native American culture and its significance to the American culture as a whole.  Use Code Talker as a springboard into a second social studies unit on World War II where students will also read Flags of Our Fathers: A Young People’s Edition.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Taback, Simms. 1999. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. Illus. by Simms Taback.  New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-87855-3

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is a Jewish folktale inspired by the author’s favorite Yiddish folksong from childhood.  This is the story of a man named Joseph who had an overcoat that he worn until it was worn out. He made increasingly smaller items out of it until they too were threadbare, and continued to do so until it was completely worn out. He wore each item to events in his life, such as the fair, a wedding, a trip, while singing in a choir, and even just at home. The last item he made was a button, but he lost it and was sad when he had nothing left. Joseph’s solution was to make a book about all the uses of his overcoat over the years. The moral of the story is you can make something out of nothing.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The plot of the story is a simple narration of the life of the protagonist’s coat. The protagonist Joseph is himself a simple, uncomplicated character. The central conflict is what to do when his coat becomes old and worn, and complications are added as he solves each garment’s problem only to find that it, too, becomes old and worn. The climax comes when the last remaining piece of the original coat is lost, and the protagonist has to decide what to do. The pattern of making something out of the old garment changes, and something is made from nothing as Joseph makes a book about his coat and all the things he made out of it.

The central theme of this story is to make the best out of what you have.  Each time the garment is worn out, Joseph could have thrown it away; but, he chooses instead to make something else out of it. It stretches and makes good use of his resources, and it preserves the history of the article of clothing.  By naming the protagonist Joseph, the author alludes to the Biblical story of Joseph and the coat of many colors. This allusion in a Jewish folktale makes the original coat seem special and preserving a connection to history is an important cultural marker.

Many of the cultural markers are found in the illustrations.  At first glance, the pages are filled with an abundance of activity, realistic cartoon people, and vividly colored images. From the clothing style, the reader can deduce that the setting is of an older time period; the skull caps, beards, and side curls signify that this is a Jewish tale.  Upon closer inspection, however, many more clues can be gathered to shed light on the cultural aspect of the book.  From the background images of newspapers, books, and photos the readers can see various Jewish references from the word “rabbi” to the name of a famous Jewish author (Sholom Aleichem) to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. More cultural context is given on the envelopes of letters and postcards lying around Joseph’s house which indicate that he is in Poland.

The illustrations not only provide cultural markers, but also add a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor for the adult or older child reader.  The cross-stitched samplers hanging on Joseph’s wall, for example, add a touch of irony. The first two samplers state “When the coat is old, only the holes are new,” and “Better to have an ugly patch than a beautiful hole.” Throughout the story, Joseph deals with a coat that is being worn down, bit by bit. A letter on the floor from Joseph’s sister actually recounts the story of his coat/jacket/vest/shawl. The final sampler states “What one has, one doesn’t want, and what one wants one doesn’t have.” Ironically it comes when Joseph has nothing left. Another touch of humor is found in a newspaper article that states “Fiddler on Roof Falls Off Roof,” (alluding to the Broadway musical of a Jewish family) and is followed on the next page by an actual fiddler sitting on the roof playing music.

The illustrations are done, according to Taback, in “watercolor, Gouache, pencil, ink and collage.” While the story is primarily illustrated with cartoon-like characters, the various background images that hint at the culture of the story are realistic photos.  Taback also cleverly uses die-cut cut-outs to reveal a pattern from one page being reused in a different way on the next page, as well as to change the use of the garment from coat to jacket to vest, and so on.

The author includes a handwritten note both at the beginning and the end to bookend his tale. The note before the story serves as a teaser to entice the reader to delve into the story. The note at the end explains where Taback’s found his inspiration and reinforces the moral of the story: you can make something from nothing.  The final page is the actual folk song that inspired the story. It is written in English but has a parenthetical Yiddish title which ends the book with a final touch of the Jewish culture.

4.     REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

2000 Caldecott Medal

1999 Sydney Taylor Book Awards Honor

 From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - "A book bursting at the seams with ingenuity and creative spirit….The rhythm and repetition make it a perfect storytime read-aloud. (Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada, Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

From BOOKLIST – “This newly illustrated version of a book Taback first published in 1977 is a true example of accomplished bookmaking--from the typography and the endpapers to the bar code, set in what appears to be a patch of fabric. Taback's mixed-media and collage illustrations are alive with warmth, humor, and humanity. Their colors are festive yet controlled, and they are filled with homey clutter, interesting characters, and a million details to bring children back again and again..” (Tim Arnold)

From PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY – “Taback works into his folk art a menagerie of wide-eyed animals witnessing the overcoat's transformation, miniature photographs superimposed on paintings and some clever asides reproduced in small print (a wall hanging declares, "Better to have an ugly patch than a beautiful hole"; a newspaper headline announces, "Fiddler on Roof Falls off Roof"). With its effective repetition and an abundance of visual humor, this is tailor-made for reading aloud.”

5.     CONNECTIONS

Gather other award winning folktales from around the world:

 Yiddish:

·         Wisniewski, David. Golem. ISBN 978-0395726181

·         Zemach, Margot. It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folktale. ISBN 978-0374436360

European:

·         Brothers Grimm. Rapunzel. Illus. and Adapted by Paul O. Zelinsky. ISBN 978-0590386029

·         Wiesner, David. The Three Pigs. ISBN 978-0618007011

·         Anderson, Hans Christian. The Ugly Duckling. Illus. by Jerry Pinkney. ISBN 978-0688159320

African:

·         Steptoe, John. Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale. ISBN 978-0140559460

·         Kimmel, Eric A. Anansi and the Moss-covered Rock. Illus. by Janet Stevens. ISBN 978-0823407989

·         Daly, Niki. Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa. ISBN 978-0618723454

Native American:

·         Bruchac, Joseph. The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story. Illus. by Anna Vojtech. ISBN 978-0140564099

·         McDermott, Gerald. Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale.ISBN 978-0140502114

·         Martin, Bill, Jr. and John Archambault. Knots on a Counting Rope. Illus. by Ted Rand. ISBN 978-0805054798

Asian:

·         Young, Ed. Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China. ISBN 978-0698113824

·         Cleveland, Rob. How Tiger Got His Stripes: A Folktale from Vietnam. Illus. by Baird Hoffmire. ISBN 978-0874837995

·         Climo, Shirley. The Korean Cinderella. Illus. by Ruth Heller. ISBN 978-0064433976

Mexican:

·         Morales, Yuri. Just a Minute!: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book. ISBN 978-0811837583

·         Morales, Yuri. Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book. ISBN 978-1596433298

·         Aardema, Verna. Borreguita and the Coyote: A Tale from Ayutla, Mexico. ISBN 978-0679889366

Use the folktales and other traditional literature as part of a Project Based Learning Unit in Middle School English/Language Arts. Students will “travel” around the world collecting and analyzing one folktale from each region. Students will read, analyze, compare, discuss the genres, and discuss the cultural implications.

Using the writing process and working with the Theater Arts class, students will write and perform an original script where they create a modern folktale reflecting today’s culture.