I choose to read The Three Pigs by David Wiesner for my review of a Caldecott award medal book.
Bibliographic Data
Wiesner, David. 2001. The Three Pigs. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0618007016
Plot Summary
The classic story of The Three Little Pigs is revamped just as the wolf is about t0 eat the pigs up. A confused wolf searches for the pigs, but they are having their own adventure outside of the pages of the story they belong in. The pigs meet a cat with a fiddle and a dragon from other stories and bring them back to the house made of bricks just in time to confuse and scare away the wolf.
Critical Analysis
The illustrations of The Three Pigs begin quite simply and much like any older picture book, but this rapidly changes as the pigs realize they can leave their own story and explore others. The pigs become more realistic and natural in appearance in contrast to the pages they have left.
The illustrations then take a dramatic turn from most any picture book that children are probably used to. This could confuse some children, but others would certainly be excited that this book is not exactly like every other picture book they have read.
The pigs begin their exploration of different stories by traveling on a paper airplane they created themselves from a page of their story. David Wiesner truly makes the pigs fly across the pages; on one page the three pigs are very close flying toward the reader, and on the next they are in the distance zooming away. After crashing, a brilliant page to create interaction with the reader is included as one of the pigs is extremely large and close up saying, "I think... someone's out there." Can the pig see the reader?
The style of the pigs changes two more times first as they enter the cartoon world of Hey Diddle Diddle, and later as they enter a single color sketch drawing of a medieval setting complete with a dragon. As the pigs and their new friends find the brick house again they are able to reenter their original story and a familiar "they all live happily ever after" completes the book.
The innovative changing of styles within each story brings life to the pigs and their friends. It is as if they are real pigs that find themselves trapped within children's stories, but when all is said and done that is where they belong.
Review Excerpts
The Horn Book: "In a time when series predominate and all too often an author’s new book looks depressingly like the last, David seeks a different approach and visual subject for each of his books."
ALA Booklist: "Wiesner uses a range of artistic styles and thrilling perspectives to play with the structure and conventions of traditional storytelling, redefining the picture book."
Connections
David Wiesner won a Caldecott in 1992 for Tuesday. ISBN 0395870828
He also just won the 2007 Caldecott for Flotsam. ISBN 0618194576
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
LS 5603 Picture Books - Giant Steps
In reviewing a picture book illustrated by Chris Raschka, I choose John Coltrane's Giant Steps.
Bibliographic Data
Raschka, Chris. 2002. John Coltrane's Giant Steps. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division. ISBN: 9780689845987
Plot Summary
An announcement is made. "Thank you for coming to our book. We have something very special for you tonight." Then Raschka's "remix" of John Coltrane's Giant Steps begins. It is a watercolor interpretation of the jazz song using a box, snowflake, raindrops and a kitten to "perform." The foundation, tempo, harmony and melody are represented by Chris Raschka's illustrations instead of the usual musical instruments.
Critical Analysis
Chris Raschka begins Giant Steps by informing the reader of John Coltrane's "marvelous and tricky composition." Raschka sets the scene for the music to begin and grow by simple watercolor images of raindrops. As he adds each additional element to the music, the colors begin to overlap and merge until they appear to be a jumbled mess. He then yells, "stop!" The word is huge, taking up half of a page, and the watercolors seem to be sliding to an abrupt halt. It almost makes the reader jump to a stop right along with the box, snowflake, raindrops and kitten.
Chris Raschka now begins to direct the watercolors into a pattern more congruent with Coltrane's music. Raschka corrects each section and even gives examples of what pages need to be changed. For example, he tells the raindrops that they "were rushing on page 19," and how to correct this problem.
The text and soft watercolor illustrations are finished with a bowing kitten and a "Bravo, everyone." The watercolor Raschka used in John Coltrane's Giant Steps created a perfect illustration of how music is created by different aspects layering on one another. This would also be a great book to read and then look at while listening to the song so that children could see how words, pictures and music can all be connected.
Review Excerpts
Children's BookPage: "This is a charming, elegant book for young people just being introduced to the world of jazz. "
The Horn Book: "As with Raschka’s other jazz books, we are thrown right into a world in which paint, composition, and color don’t just depict music, they become the musical experience. "
Connections
This book brings to mind an art exercise many have probably done where the artist, or student, listens to a piece of music and draws or paints what they hear. John Coltrane's Giant Steps would be a simple yet effective way to teach children about music and art while also getting them to read.
Chris Raschka wrote other books on jazz music as well.
Raschka, Chris. Charlie Parker Played Be Bop. ISBN 0531059995
Raschka, Chris. Mysterious Thelonious. ISBN 0531300579
Bibliographic Data
Raschka, Chris. 2002. John Coltrane's Giant Steps. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division. ISBN: 9780689845987
Plot Summary
An announcement is made. "Thank you for coming to our book. We have something very special for you tonight." Then Raschka's "remix" of John Coltrane's Giant Steps begins. It is a watercolor interpretation of the jazz song using a box, snowflake, raindrops and a kitten to "perform." The foundation, tempo, harmony and melody are represented by Chris Raschka's illustrations instead of the usual musical instruments.
Critical Analysis
Chris Raschka begins Giant Steps by informing the reader of John Coltrane's "marvelous and tricky composition." Raschka sets the scene for the music to begin and grow by simple watercolor images of raindrops. As he adds each additional element to the music, the colors begin to overlap and merge until they appear to be a jumbled mess. He then yells, "stop!" The word is huge, taking up half of a page, and the watercolors seem to be sliding to an abrupt halt. It almost makes the reader jump to a stop right along with the box, snowflake, raindrops and kitten.
Chris Raschka now begins to direct the watercolors into a pattern more congruent with Coltrane's music. Raschka corrects each section and even gives examples of what pages need to be changed. For example, he tells the raindrops that they "were rushing on page 19," and how to correct this problem.
The text and soft watercolor illustrations are finished with a bowing kitten and a "Bravo, everyone." The watercolor Raschka used in John Coltrane's Giant Steps created a perfect illustration of how music is created by different aspects layering on one another. This would also be a great book to read and then look at while listening to the song so that children could see how words, pictures and music can all be connected.
Review Excerpts
Children's BookPage: "This is a charming, elegant book for young people just being introduced to the world of jazz. "
The Horn Book: "As with Raschka’s other jazz books, we are thrown right into a world in which paint, composition, and color don’t just depict music, they become the musical experience. "
Connections
This book brings to mind an art exercise many have probably done where the artist, or student, listens to a piece of music and draws or paints what they hear. John Coltrane's Giant Steps would be a simple yet effective way to teach children about music and art while also getting them to read.
Chris Raschka wrote other books on jazz music as well.
Raschka, Chris. Charlie Parker Played Be Bop. ISBN 0531059995
Raschka, Chris. Mysterious Thelonious. ISBN 0531300579
Friday, January 19, 2007
Okay, here goes...
So, I am creating this blog for a class on children's & ya literature (at Texas Woman's University), but hopefully it will turn into a place where I can log my thoughts on books before I forget why I liked (or didn't like) them.
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