Friday, October 28, 2011

The Whipping Boy

The Whipping BoyThe Whipping Boy was written by Sid Fleischman and illustrated by Peter Sis. This chapter book was published by Greenwillow Books in 1987 and reissued in 2003. In 1987, this book won a Newbery Medal Award. This book is an adaptation of the Prince and the Pauper fairytale. The theme of this book is the power and social position and how these roles can get muddled. The main character in this story are Jemmy, a poor boy, who is chosen to be the whipping boy for Prince Horace, or Prince Brat, as he is better known. As a prince, Horace cannot be beaten for his many escapades, so Jemmy is the person who recieves his beatings. Jemmy, in order to preserve his dignity, never utters a peep when recieving his punshment. When Horace decides to run away, he forces Jemmy to be his servant. The boys are captured by two highwaymen. These highwaymen are convinced that Jemmy is the Prince and start whipping Horace. Through many adventure Prince Horace learns the value of a good friend and how very little people actually think of his spoiled and selfish ways. In the end after dispatching the highwaymen in the sewers, the two boys return to the castle as the best of friends. This is a great story to use to teach children about the affects of bullying.

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs


Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs was written by Giles Andreae and illustrated by Russell Ayto. The book was published by Margaret K. McElderry Books in 2005. It is the first in a series of books about Flinn and the pirate dinosaurs. This picture book is a fantasy book about historical creatures. The theme of this story is being nice gains you more friends. Flinn is drawing in his classroom, when his marker runs out of ink. When he goes into the closet o find a new marker, he encounters a crying pirate named Captain Stubble. Captain Stubble, Flinn, and some of his friends enter into a world behind the closet where they set sail to rescue Captain Stubble's ship, the Acorn from a crew of mischevious pirate dinosaurs. When they finally catch up with the Acorn, Flinn batlles the ferocious T. Rex for hours until, exhausted the T. Rex gives up. Flinn and his friends leave the world of make-believe to return to class in time for lunch. The story is very heart-warming, and grea for teaching students about the value of friendship and kindness.

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid TalesThe Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales was written by Jon Sciezka and illustrated by Lane Smith. This book was published by Viking Juvenile in 1992. The book is a modern folktale picture book. The theme of this book is fairytales are open to interpretation. The main characters are Jack, from Jack in the Beanstalk, who is the narrator of the book. The secondary characters are the characters of the individual fairytales in the book. jack starts telling each story in a very different way. He retells: Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Princess and the Pea, Chicken Little, etc. This book makes fun of the idea of a book, but from an educaional standpoint, this book is a great way to teach students about the different parts of a book.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

The Rough Face Girl

The Rough Face Girl was written by Rafe martin and published by Puffin in 1998. The book is illustrated by David Shannon Martin. This book is a folktale remake of Cinderella, set in the Algonquin villages in Canada. The main character of this story is a young girl with no name. She lives in this village with her two proud and cruel sisters and her poor father. The village is ruled over by the Invisible Being. Every woman in the village wants to marry him because he is very wealthy. But the only woman he will marry is the one who can see him. The two sisters attempt to get the Invisible being to marry them, but they fail when they cann't prove they have seen him. After which the young girl, called the Rough Face Girl because of a lifetime of feeding the fire has scarred her face and body and charred her hair, decides she will try her luck. She proves that she has seen the Invisible Being, who loves her despite her scars, and with the help of his sister restores the girl's beauty. The theme of this story is that beauty is only skin deep and what is on the inside matters more.