Friday, May 23, 2014

Adelita


Written and Illustrated by Tomie de Paola




There is no glass slipper or pumpkin coach in this story but Cinderella fans are sure to enjoy this original fairy tale with a Mexican twist.




Adelita’s mother died when she was born. Consequently her father Francisco and an intimate family friend, Esperanza, raised her. Years later her father remarried and Adelita gained a stepmother, Doña Micaela de la Fortuna,

and two step sisters, Valentina and Dulce. Then, after Fransisco’s sudden death Adelita was subjected to the cruelty of her stepmother and two stepsisters who even forced Esperanza to leave the home.





Later, Javier, a childhood friend of Adelita’s, is set to have a big fiesta and rumor has it he is in search of a wife. Unfortunately, Adelita is unable to attend as per her stepmother’s rule. Having anticipated this, Esperanza showed up at Adelita’s house.

Adelita was worried she had nothing to wear but to her surprise Esperanza knew Adelita’s mother had a trunk and she knew where to find the key. Together they fetched a beautiful white old-fashioned dress and a reboso (shawl) from the trunk. Adelita attends the fiesta but abruptly departs without having disclosed her identity.


In the end, Javier searches the town for the maiden he had fallen in love with at the fiesta. Ultimately, Adelita is recognized by her own efforts and  they marry and live happily ever after.




Beyond the charming legends and tales, de Paola’s assortment of cultural selection is very diverse. Conveniently, he includes a glossary and pronunciation key at the end of his books when there are words of another language. His anthology includes Italian, Mexican, and Native American folklore and his purposeful color coordination is splendid. For example, Adelita, is a Mexican-American Cinderella tale that boasts brilliantly rich colors, particularly of the warm palette like red, yellow and orange. This intentional harmonization of hues gives de Paola’s illustrations a unique style and cultural authenticity.

Reader Response Questions

1. Does this story remind you of a story you have heard before?

2. Choose a color for this book and explain why it fits the story.

3. If you were the author how would you change the story?

Motivational Activities
1. The teacher can have the students perform a readers theater with both Cinderella and Adelita scripts. This would be an effective activity to include Spanish speaking English language learners and raise awareness about the difficulties of learning a new language. Considering this book is embedded with Spanish terminology the children would engage in purposeful collaboration.

 
2. The teacher can create groups of two and assign each couple with a Spanish speaking country. The students can conduct research on their given country and create a visual presentation to share with the class. Some items for research may include the countries' flag, clothing, type of food, literature and native colors.



                                   http://www.tomie.com/


Tomie de Paola is an author and an illustrator who, for decades has greatly influenced children’s literature. He has contributed to over 200 books and is mostly known for his picture books. With a strong focus on retelling folktales and legends de Paola incorporates artistic techniques to engage young readers.



http://www.springboardstl.org/resources/cinderellastories/mexico.htm



DePaola, T. (2002). Adelita: a Mexican Cinderella story. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Monday, May 19, 2014

No Mirrors in My Nana's House

Written by Ysaye M. Barnwell
Illustrated by Synthia Saint James

No Mirrors in My Nana’s House is a delightful read-aloud or sing-along that will inspire readers of all ages. In this poetic picture book Ysaye M. Barnwell creates a rich experience that celebrates life and all it has to offer. The abstractly expressive figures and the bold African colors are accompanied by rhythmic text that embraces and enhances every scene.
           
In this story a young African American girl learns to appreciate life through the eyes of her Nana. Despite being underprivileged she marvels at the beauty in all things, including the extra large clothing she often wore, the cracks in the wall and even the trash strewn about. Most importantly, she developed self-confidence and did not judge herself based on the opinions of others. This is clearly evidenced when the young girl exclaims, “I never knew that my skin was too black. I never knew that my nose was too flat. I never knew that my clothes didn't fit. I never knew there were things that I'd missed, cause the beauty in everything was in her eyes.” Illustrator Synthia Saint James further intensifies the reading experience by selecting a palette of brilliant colors, which she uses to purposely paint characters free of all facial features yet powerful enough that one can still feel the emotions of each word.




Click on the link to enjoy an oral reading of No Mirrors in My Nana's House by Tia and Tamara Mowry.


Reader Response Questions
1. How would the world be different if mirrors did not exist?
2. Does a mirror show us the qualities we have inside us like kindness, funny, smart, etc.? What does it show then?

Motivational Activities
1. The teacher can pair each student with another and, after modeling a Venn diagram, have each group create their own diagram with their partner. They can be illustrated and hung up for display.

2. Students can create a self portrait using pre-cut pieces of construction paper. The teacher can then display them as part of a multicultural display. 




Among her many talents and accomplishments, Yasaye Barnwell was recognized in 2008 with the Frances and Wesley Bock Book Award for Children's Literature.


Barnwell, Y. M., & James, S. (1998). No mirrors in my Nana's house. San Diego: Harcourt Brace.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

The Night Before Kindergarten

PICTURE BOOK

Written by Natasha Wing
Illustrated by Julie Durrell

Kindergarten is a big step for little people and sometimes even a little bit scary. This parody inspired by The Night Before Christmas attempts to alleviate the apprehension students may feel on the first day of school and reassures them that school is a  cool place.

In The Night Before Kindergarten all the children in the neighborhood are excited for their first day of school. They have prepared their outfits, stuffed their backpacks and settled in for the night. As morning arrives the children anxiously begin their day. Face washing, teeth brushing and even picture posing before making the exciting trip to their first day of kindergarten. Naturally, the parents were worried how the children would react when it was time to say good-bye so many of them hung around. It turns out the children quickly adapted and enjoyed a day full of  many fun activities. Meanwhile the parents had sniffly noses and eyes red and wet. Finally, moms and dads were allowed one final hug to settle their uneasiness about the first day of kindergarten and the children all waved good-bye. 

This picture book is an excellent poetry resource for pre-readers. Written with rich lyrical language it is bound to captivate young minds. It contains great examples of rhyme, imaginative and figurative language that can be revisited in later instruction. The illustrations are intricate and highly detailed except for the facial features of the people which are represented generally by dots and little lines. The colors are bold and vibrant and each picture is beautifully woven into the meaning of the text.

Reader Response Questions
1. Why do you think the mommies and daddies were sad?
2. On my first day of kindergarten I felt...
3. Who should or shouldn't read this book?

Motivational Activities
1. The teacher could create an oral book reading video to be viewed by the children and their parents the night before kindergarten. This would be a good opportunity for the teacher to introduce himself or herself. In addition, the teacher can invite the students to draw a picture of their favorite part of the first day of kindergarten as a closure activity at the end of the day.

2. The teacher can begin a classroom chart to mark the first 100 days of school. This activity can dub as practice for counting and cardinality. The teacher can also create some anticipation around Natasha Wings' book The Night Before the 100th Day of School.













Author Natasha Wing has created a great collection of The Night Before... that will keep the students engaged and in high anticipation for the day to come.










Wing, N., & Durrell, J. (2001). The Night Before Kindergarten. New York: Grosset & Dunlap.