Fantasy and Traditional Literature Author- Robert Munsch Illustrator- Michael Martchenko Tile- The Paper Bag Princess

Publishing date-1980 Genre- Modern Fantasy-Preposterous Situations Format- Picture Book AwardGold Award Winner, National Parenting Publications Awards Our Choice List, Canadian Childrens Book Centre Silver Birch Express Award nomination This was great story that I truly enjoyed. I have never heard of this story before and was eager to read it and see what it was about. The story began with princess Elizabeth and she loved living in her castle with all of her nice things. She had a plan to marry her prince charming, Ronald. One day, a dragon smashed her castle and took her prince charming, she was not happy! When she decided to go after the dragon the only thing she could find to wear was a paper bag, so she wore it. Elizabeth found the dragons cave and knocked on his door. When he answered she began asking him several questions. Is it true you are the smartest dragon and is it true you burn up forests with your breath? Elizabeth continued asking the dragon questions that took away his breath and all of his energy until he was asleep. She ran into the castle to find her prince. When he saw her the first thing he said was that she was a mess and why was she wearing a paper bag. He then commanded she return when she could be dressed appropriate. The princess was very upset and called Ronald a bum and they did not get married in the end. I enjoyed the story because it was not the usual ending you have in fantasy stories. The princess stood up for herself and left the prince with the dragon. This can be a great concept in teaching students to stand up for themselves. When evaluating this story I began with looking at the authors language compared to the reading level of the story. I asked myself if he had a believable language that was consistent with the story. I believe he did. He used all the correct wording and vocabulary based on the characters and the setting. He also kept in mind the age level of his readers and kept his wording and vocabulary in their range. Next, I looked at the theme. I believe the author did a great job with the theme being worthwhile for children. They may not be able to automatically pick out the theme, however with guidance and discussions they can definitely learn from it. Lastly, I

looked at the author suspending disbelief. I do not feel he me this criteria. Students would know this could not really happen and he should have tried to portray this aspect more. Author- Doreen Cronin Illustrator- Betsy Lewin Title- Click, Clack Moo Cows That Type Publication- 2000 Genre- Modern Fantasy- Articulate Animals Format- Picture Book Awards- A 2001 Caldecott Honor Book Named one of the Best Children's Books 2000 by Publisher's Weekly

Farmer Browns cows have a problem, they type all day long. Farmer Brown found a note the cows typed asking for an electric blanket for their barn. He decided that request was ridiculous and said no! So the cows decided to go on strike and close the barn. The cows then asked for a blanket for the hens because they were cold too. The cows did not like that farmer Brown was not helping them so they decided not to give him milk or eggs from the hens. Farmer Brown was very upset, so he typed his own letter telling the cows they were not getting blankets and he wanted his milk and eggs. The duck was the messenger for farmer Browns letter. The cows came up with the idea that they would trade the typewriter for the blankets. Farmer Brown was to leave the blankets outside of the barn and they would send the duck with the typewriter. The farmer agreed and left his blankets. The next day the farmer received a note from the ducks saying they wanted a diving board for their pond. This was another book I have never read but I have seen several times in lesson plans and in libraries. It was a cute book for kids and for a fun read. I had a hard time figuring out how I could relate this to something in my classroom. I find this a negative aspect of the story. When critiquing this story, the author suspended disbelief with characterization. She humanized the animals by having them type on the typewriter. Children may think for a minute, can cows really type? This type of characterization always captures student attention. The author stuck to the framework of the story bringing in different characters that all play a role in tricking the farmer and trying to get their way. The setting was not detailed enough for children to paint a picture in their heads. They are integral to the story however could have been described more as they pertain to the farm. I do not feel this is a strong example because the elements of the critique are there but weak.

Author- Doreen Cronin Illustrator- Harry Bliss Title- Diary of a Worm Publication- 2003 Genre- Modern Fantasy- Articulate Animals Format- Picture Book AwardsSchool Library Journal Best Book Parents' Choice Silver Honor Nevada Young Readers Award IRA/CBC Children's Choice Diary of a worm was written and illustrated in a similar way like Click, Clack Moo. This was a new read for me and I was curious to compare it to Click, Clack Moo since it was written by the same author and looked similar. The story began as a diary entry, the worm is telling about the things his mom had taught him. She said the earth gives us everything, worms dig tunnels, and never bother dad when hes eating. A few days later he tried to teach a spider how to dig, but he had trouble. So the spider decided to show him how to walk upside down, but the worm had trouble. The next few entries showed a few ways worms can become harmed. He then wrote about his adventures traveling to school, the park, and the school dance. He ended with telling his readers the pros and cons of being a worm. This was a very cute book that can be used in multiple ways in the classroom. The theme and concepts of the book are very worthwhile to children. I would use this book when discussing journal entries, dates, growing up, and comparing. This was a great example of suspending the readers disbelief with characters. The author gave the worm realistic human characteristics such as having a family, going to school, and having things it liked and disliked. The story included multiple settings which can be used when teaching story elements. They were not described but they could be seen in the illustrations. I really liked how the author used settings that were similar to childrens. I enjoyed this book and felt it was a great example of modern fantasy.

Author- E.B. White Illustrator- Garth Williams Title- Charlottes Web Publication- 1952 Genre- Modern Fantasy- Articulate Animals Format- Chapter Book AwardsNewbery Honor Book ALA Notable Childrens Book Charlottes Web is a classic story that I have read since I was little. I have read this to many of my classes and they always enjoy it. The story begins as Fern learns that her father is going to kill the runt of the pig litter. After much persuasion with her father he allows her to keep the pig for a pet. Fern plays and dresses Wilber every day after school and he became part of the barn yard. Wilbur befriends a spider names Charlotte, who lives in the corner of the barn. Charlotte takes on the role as a mother for Wilbur and he begins looks up to her. When Charlotte finds out that Wilbur is going to be killed she begins writing words in her web so everyone thinks that Wilbur is a brilliant pig. Charlotte dies while the farm animals are at the county fair and Wilbur repays her by bringing home her egg sack and raising her children. This is a great example of modern fantasy with articulated animals. Looking at critiquing the story E.B. White did a good job of making an overall theme appropriate for children. There are several themes in the story that can relate to all ages. He was sure to give the animals realistic characteristics, yet still portraying them as people because they can talk. The point of view from Wilber is consistent with the details he uses in the story. We know how each character is feeling and what they are seeing from their perspective. The language used in the story is consistent with the age level of the book, however still challenges the reader with a few words used in the story.

Author- Laura Numeroff Illustrator- Felicia Bond Title- If you give a pig a pancake Publication- 1985 Genre- Modern Fiction/Articulated Animals Format-Picture Book AwardsIRA/CBC Children's Choice If you Give a Pig a Pancake is one of many books written by Laura Numeroff. This story begins with a pig that wants a pancake but when he gets his pancake he needs syrup and the story takes off from there. The pig always wants something else once he gets what he needs. This story is great for teaching children many different reading elements, such as, cause and effect, sequencing, and a story that comes back around. I feel the author was sure to include details in the story that children can relate to. The pig was involved in everyday activities that children would do, eating breakfast, drawing pictures, and having a lot of fun. This is a great way to suspend belief in characterization because the pig is doing things the children could do every day. The setting is a place that children can relate to and are familiar with. The settings are all places, like the activities, that children have experienced. The theme for story is worthwhile for children, as well. Children ask and ask and ask, this is a great example of how they do this. Teachers can discuss with students cause and effect and sequencing when reading this story. One beneficial requirement of modern fantasy is when the author makes the reader believe the story could have happened, this was accomplished in the story. Any story with talking animals and animals that complete tasks the child can relate to, accomplish this aspect. I would recommend this as a modern fantasy.

Author- Eric Kimmel Illustrator- Xuan Yongsheng Title- Ten Suns: A Chinese Legend Publication- 1998 Genre- Traditional Literature- Legend/Myth Format- Picture Book Award- None Found Ten Suns is one of the oldest Chinese myths around. Di Jun, the eastern emperor of the sky and his wife Xi He had 10 sons. These sons took turns walking across the land and lighting up the day sky. One day the sons became bored and decided to walk together to keep each other company. Their mother and father we so upset when they heard the news of all 10 of their sons lighting up the sky. If the sons continued this they would burn up the Earth causing fires and boiling waters. A hero comes into the story and shoots down 9 of the sons, leaving only one son to light the sky forever. This is definitely a story of supernatural events that show the purpose of nature. Myths are intended to teach people how to live and this accomplished the theme of not being selfish. The three sons were being selfish for their own well-being and becoming bored that they were willing to sacrifice the Earth burring up so they could be together. One critique I looked at was if the story encouraged children to realize people from other parts of the world have courage. I believe this story would teach children this. One part being the sons courage to work together no matter what people thought about them, as well as, the hero coming in and getting rid of the 9 other brothers. This story can be used in classrooms to promote creative drama and writing. Students can use this to spark creativity about things they would like to write about and use history to create their own legends and myths. Lastly, the story teaches children about other cultures and traditions other cultures may have. This is a great way to compare and contrast cultures and talk about the history of places other than our own.

Author- Amy Lowry Poole Illustrator- Amy Lowry Poole Title- The Ant and the Grasshopper Publication-2000 Genre- Traditional Literature- Fable Format-Picture Book Award- None found The story began introducing a grasshopper and a colony of ants that live outside of the Emperors palace. The ants work hard each and every day, waking up early to rebuild their home after the rain has washed it away. The grasshopper likes to sleep late every day and hates to work. As the ants continue to work each day the grasshopper watches and tells them that they work too hard and they need to follow him to the courtyard. However, the ants never listen they just keep on building their home. The days began getting shorter and colder. This made the ants work even harder in building their home and finding food for the winter that was approaching. The grasshopper continued to get them to stop working and called them silly for working so hard. They warned him that winter was coming and he needed to prepare. A week later the snow and ice came and the ants closed their door to their warm house full of food. The grasshopper sat shivering rubbing his hands together to keep warm as he wished he had listened to the ants advice. Poole did a good job on retelling this fable. When looking at the aspects of traditional literature I began with the characters. According to the book the characters are fiction in the sense that they did not really happen. Students know that a grasshopper cannot talk to an ant and they cannot go to the emperors palace. The second aspect of a character is that they are there to tell a moral, which the grasshopper has done. I enjoyed the story and feel that the theme of the story would be great to discuss with children, especially in a school setting. However, when looking at the literary criticism aspects I do not feel the story answered enough of the questions in a strong manner. The students can take some factual information from the illustrations. However, the teacher would need to elaborate on the illustrations and teach the students about the culture. The story could possibly be used to spark creativity with the students writing a story with their own moral. This is a great way to use creative writing. I still feel that there are not enough of the critique aspects to include this in being a good example of traditional literaturefable.

Author- Stephen Krensky Illustrator- Mark Oldroy Title-John Henry Publishing- 2006 Genre- Traditional Literature- Folktale Format- Picture Book Awards- None found This story follows John Henry, a hard working African American, through his life growing up with a hammer in his hand. John was born with a hammer in his hand. When other babies wanted to crawl and play John carried his hammer. The story tells of how John becomes a hardworking railroad man. This is one of many in a series that show the courage and strength of men from history. The first question I looked at when critiquing this book was if the story helped children better understand culture and tradition of early humanity. I believe that this story did. The theme and illustrations of the story capture the attention of children and they want to know more and what will happen next. The story allows children to see how life was in early days and how African Americans lived. Next, the story helps children appreciate the culture of different places and different groups of people. The story shows John Henry working in the fields and railroads. Today most young children know nothing about this. The story introduces the children to this type of living and can be used to compare how they live and how John Henry lives. The story allows children to become creative in their thinking and writing. This is a great book to create writing prompts with. Children can write about how life would be if they were John Henry, they can compare their lives, and then they can create their own tall tale/folktale to be used with shared writing and reading. I enjoyed this book and would have loved to use it when I taught upper elementary students. This opens the door to a lot of thinking and conversations with students in their learning process. I always love books that can take my class somewhere else and spark thinking and learning. This is a great example of traditional literature- folktale.

Author- Im going to read series Illustrator- Lee Wildish Title- The Boy Who Cried Wolf Publishing- 2008 Genre- Traditional Literature- Fable Format- Picture Book Award- None found

This story begins with a young boy named Tom. Tom watched the sheep for his father when he was not in school. One day when Tom was watching the sheep in the field he decided to have a little fun. He started crying out a wolf is trying to eat my sheep! A few hikers head his cry and ran to help him. They began looking for the wolf but could not find him. Tom began laughing and told him there really was not a fox and he fooled them. The hikers were very upset. The next day, Tom did the same thing to three fishermen. They looked and looked for the wolf and Tom laughed at them. Soon after a real wolf showed up in the field and Tom began to cry out. The hikers and the fishermen heard him but they were not going to be tricked again and did not help. That night at dinner Toms mom and dad realized he was not there and went to look for him. He told them what happened. They reassured him that they believed him and they all walked back home. I always enjoy using this story with my younger students and discussing the theme and meaning behind the story. We always discuss lying and how it gets us nowhere and they love having share time. They discuss why you should not lie and I usually get a few stories of how they got in trouble or did not get what they wanted. This story can be used with the reading skill of cause and effect, as well as, life lesson to teach children. Looking at the check list I do not feel it meets enough criteria to be considered a great literature. This story could be used and linked with other narrative motifs and morals. Students can compare different morals and how they can apply them to their lives. The story does not take place or have characteristic of other countries than ours. It would be very difficult to get any cultural information from the story. Like other fables, students can create their own and use their creativity. This one seems to be one that student could more easily associate with. It could also be a story students can respond to and write or draw about their own situations. However, the characteristics are not strong enough to support it as being a good traditional piece of literature.

Author -Jean Marzollo Illustrator- Jean Marzollo Title- Let's Go, Pegasus! Publishing- 2006 Genre- Traditional Literature- Myth Format- Picture Book Awards- None found The sorry begins with a young boy, Perseus. His mother, Danae, and he lived on a Greek island. The horrible king of the island wanted to marry Perseus mother but wanted to get rid of him. His plan for doing this was to have Perseus fight the monster Medusa. Perseus agreed but asked if he returned with Medusas head then the king had to leave his mother alone. They made a deal. Perseus decided he needed the Gods help in fighting the monster so he would not be turned to stone. The Gods gave him materials that would help him in his fight. Perseus succeeded in killing the monster and all the things Medusa turned to stone were back to their original selves. Out of Medusas body came a beautiful white horse named Pegasus, which he rode home and found his mother. As he left he sang, Go, Pegasus! Now you're free! From death came life, as all can see! I really enjoyed this story and the details the author used. I have always loved reading and using myths with my students. I feel like myths open the door to creativity in all aspects with students. Myths give answers about how the Earth was created, the origins of people, and the reasons for natural phenomenon. I take myths and let my students choose a topic that they have interest in and go from there. We discuss why they think we have grass or why we are different from another country or group of people. Their creativity runs wild with this! This can turn into a writing lesson that describes their God. This can be used to show interrelatedness of these types of stories. Research can be brought into this process and teaching students how to compare. We can compare what different groups of people think and how the Earth was created. The story has the potential for students to learn and appreciate the culture of the story and where it takes place. The illustrations of the book help with this, as well. I enjoyed the story and would love to use it with my students now and see what creative aspects they use and present.