The Story of Ferdinand - Module 2

The Story of Ferdinand
by Munro Leaf

with drawings by Robert Lawson

Published  by Viking Juvenile (1936)
ISBN: 9780670674244
Audience: Preschool-K

Tale

Ferdinand is a bull like no other. He enjoys the smell of flowers in place of fights; he is kind and gentle. What would happen to Ferdinand if he was put in the middle of an arena? Would he fight back?  

Thought

I remember loving this book as a young child and thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to read it again. Ferdinand is an example that size and strength is not related to kindness, and that being truthful to your own feelings is rewarding. He will always linger in the memories of children for many generations to come.

About the author

from http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/birthbios/brthpage/12dec/12-04leaf.html

Munro Leaf, who celebrated his birthday on December 4th, was born in Hamilton, Maryland in1905. He graduated from the University of Maryland and received an MA in English literature from Harvard University. He worked in publishing and met many famous book people, especially in the children's literature field—his wife, Margaret, ran the children's book section at Brentano's bookstore in New York City. When illustrator Robert Lawson, a good friend, complained that he was "unhappy having to conform to publishers' ideas," Leaf determined to write a story Lawson could have fun illustrating, and that was the birth of The Story of Ferdinand (Viking, 1936), the peace-loving bull. When asked why he wrote about a bull, Leaf said it was because "dogs, cats, rabbits, and mice have been done thousands of times." What a book! The Spanish Civil War broke out soon after Ferdinand was published and politicos claimed the book was a satire on aggression—terrific publicity for a children's book. In Germany, Hitler ordered the book to be burned. Ghandi proclaimed it his favorite book. It has been translated into 60 languages.

His second most popular book was Manners Can Be Fun, part of a 10-book series that also included Grammar Can Be Fun. These books are being reissued today for a whole new generation of young people. He lived next door to Hendrik Van Loon, the first winner of the Newbery Medal in 1921 for The Story of Mankind. Leaf worked with Ludwig Bemelmans on his book, Noodle. Wilbur Munro Leaf died in 1976 at the age of 71.


Review  

Criticas Reviews 2001 Fall

Website: http://www.criticasmagazine.com

"A lively, simple, and playful translation makes this classic story of the misunderstood bull who'd rather smell flowers than stomp and snort an all-time favorite for sharing in Spanish as well as in English. Also published by Scholastic in 1990. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information."

Activity

Flowers for Ferdinand

Tissue paper flowers by Pink Paper Peppermints.

Materials

8-10 sheets of brightly colored tissue paper per flower; Scissors; Twist ties, pipe cleaners, ribbon or wire

Instructions

1.      Choose the colors for your flower and how many sheets you want to use. The more you use, the thicker and fluffier your flower will be.

2.      Layer your paper neatly, and begin to fold it, accordion-style, from the short end. Your folds should be about .-inch to an inch wide.

3.      Trim the ends. This will determine how the petals look. You can trim just the corners to make rounded petals, or you can use pinking shears or scalloped scissors for a ruffle-like effect.

4.      Fold your long strip of tissue paper in half to find the middle. Then unfold and snip a little notch in each side at the fold. Be careful not to cut all the way through your paper strip.

5.      Wrap a twist tie, ribbon, pipe cleaner, or piece of wire around the center of your tissue paper at the notches. Bunch it together and twist tightly. This will be the stem of your flower.

6.      Carefully unfold the tissue paper one layer at a time, separating and shaping as you go to create petals. Do this slowly and carefully, or you may tear the delicate tissue paper. Scrunch and fluff as you go to get the look you want.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Module 2

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
by Judy Blume


Published by Dutton (1972)
ISBN: 9780525469315
Ages: 8 Up

Tale

How to survive when your worst problem in life is your little brother and he lives in the same house as you? Use a chain to lock your room’s door; hide your homework; and…oh, no! What about my pet turtle? 

Thoughts

I liked the book until “The end” when I realized Fudge really have eaten Dribble, Peter’s pet turtle he had won at his best friend’s birthday party. I thought his mother and the doctors would find out he had the turtle hidden between his shirt and his belly, but noooo, he ate it! He ate the live turtle!  I went to a period of mixed feelings, alternating “yucky” and “poor Dribble” exclamations! I would pass this one on my chapter books bibliography. Although a funny story with cute passages, I consider the end a bad example for young children.

About the author

 Judy says

"When I began to write our babysitter, Willie Mae Bartlett, brought me an article from the newspaper about a toddler who swallowed a tiny pet turtle. This was in the late sixties, when you could still buy turtles for pets. Willie Mae thought the story might inspire me. And it certainly did! I sat down and wrote a picture book called "Peter, Fudge and Dribble." I submitted my manuscript to several publishers but they all rejected it. Two editors wrote personal notes saying they found the story very funny but one was concerned that it could lead to small children swallowing turtles, and the other found it too unbelievable to publish.

A few years later, my first agent submitted the story to Ann Durell, editor of children's books at E.P. Dutton. Ann invited me to lunch. I was so nervous I could hardly eat but she was so warm and friendly I finally relaxed. Ann liked my story but she suggested, instead of a picture book, I consider writing a longer book about the Hatcher family, using "Peter, Fudge and Dribble" as one of the chapters.

I loved her idea and went home fired up and ready to write. That summer I wrote the book, basing the character of Fudge on my son, Larry, when he was a toddler. Though I still lived in suburban New Jersey, I set the book in New York City, in the building where my best friend, Mary Weaver, lived with her family. I changed the address but the elevator I describe in the book with its mirrored wall and upholstered bench is exactly as it was, and still is, in Mary’s building.

I proudly sent the finished manuscript to my agent but after she’d read it she said, "I don't think this is anything like what Ann had in mind." I was stunned and asked her to show it to Ann anyway. She did. Ann liked the manuscript and offered to publish it just as it was (I think it was the only book I’ve ever written that I didn’t revise). I was ecstatic. "

Text from the author’s official website at http://www.judyblume.com/

Review

Amazon.com Review

"Passed on from babysitters to their young charges, from big sisters to little brothers, and from parents to children, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and its cousins (Superfudge, Fudge-a-mania, and Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great) have entertained children since they first appeared in the early 1970s. The books follow Peter Hatcher, his little brother Fudgie, baby sister Tootsie, their neighbor Sheila Tubman, various pets, and minor characters through New York City and on treks to suburbs and camps. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is the first of these entertaining yarns. Peter, because he's the oldest, must deal with Fudgie's disgusting cuteness, his constant meddling with Peter's stuff, and other grave offenses, one of which is almost too much to bear. All these incidents are presented with the unfailing ear and big-hearted humor of the masterful Judy Blume. Though some of her books for older kids have aroused controversy, the Hatcher brothers and their adventures remain above the fray, where they belong. (Peter's in fourth grade, so the book is suitable for kids ages 8 and older.) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. "

Activity

Students will have fun solving a crossword with the book content. To print the crossword go to  http://www.mandygregory.com/Documents/TalesofaFourthGradeNothingCrossword.pdf 

The Hundred Dresses - Module 2

THE HUNDRED DRESSES
By Eleanor Estes


Published by Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York (1944)
ISBN 9780153329753
Grades 3-6








Tale

A poor young immigrant girl with an unusual and long name is the main character of this story. Teased by her classmates for wearing the same aged blue dress every day, Wanda becomes tormented by them when she replies, affirming to have hundred beautiful dresses hanging in her closet. Although without anybody to defend her or help her to feel welcome or appreciated, Wanda teaches them all a very important lesson about prejudice and friendship that nobody will ever forget.

Thoughts

This Newbery Honor book has a great story with a very important moral message. In print since 1944, this plot has delighted readers of all ages. A note by the author’s daughter, Helena Estes, about the truth behind the story has been added to its last edition. I liked the book very much and would easily recommend it to different ages.

Review

BookPage Reviews 2004 November

Website: http://www.bookpage.com
Setting things right

"Eleanor Estes earned a Newbery Honor in 1945 for The Hundred Dresses, the story of a little immigrant girl named Wanda who wears the same dress to school every day. When she gets tired of being teased, she tells her classmates that her closet at home contains 100 dresses. This "restored" edition brings the delicate lines and colors of Louis Slobodkin's art to life.

There's also a new letter to readers from Helena Estes about how her mother came to write this classic (these background notes are always fascinating). It turns out that the author was inspired by a girl in her own class who always wore the same dress and was teased, and then moved away. Helena Estes explains that her mother never had a chance to apologize: "What could she do so many years later, my mother wondered, to set things right—to reach out to the girl who had stood lonely and silent against the red brick wall of the school? Well, she thought, the one thing she could do was to write her story."

Why does our school district pick such a book for required reading, one so seemingly a "girl's story"? It's a splendid tale—that's why—and a grand lesson on teasing, bullying and forgiveness.

Alice Cary writes from Groton, Massachusetts. Copyright 2004 BookPage Reviews."

About the author and the illustrator:

ELEANOR ESTES (1906-1988), a children's librarian for many years, launched her writing career with the publication of The Moffats in 1941. Two of her books about the Moffats are Newbery Honor Books, as is The Hundred Dresses. She won the Newbery Medal for Ginger Pye in 1952. LOUIS SLOBODKIN (1903-1975) illustrated more than ninety books for children, many of which he also wrote. Among his most enduring illustrations are those for the Moffats series by Eleanor Estes, and those for James Thurber's Many Moons, for which Slobodkin received the 1944 Caldecott Medal. HELENA ESTES, the daughter of the author, is a children's librarian and a former bookseller. She lives in New Haven, Connecticut. Activity Ask students to choose one passage from the book in which they believe Maddie should act different. In groups of four, students will discuss which passage they chose and how the character Maddie acted in their version.

Once Upon a Motorcycle Dude - Module 1

Once Upon  A  

COOL MOTORCYCLE DUDE

By Kevin O’Malley

Illustrations by Carol Heyer and Scott Goto

Publisehd by Walker Books for Young Readers (2005)

ISBN 9780802789471 - Hardcover
Ages: 6-10

Beware: loud laughs expected!


TALE

Can a girly girl and a cool boy agree on which fairy tale to tell? That’s the problem faced by the two main characters in this book. They need to present a fairy tale for a library project but their differences make this simple task a very hard one. Deciding between a princess and a motorcycle dude, ponies or giants, this two headed fairy tale promises to be full of excitement. The end! “Nuh-uh! See, this is what really happened…”



THOUGHTS

I enjoy it! It is not an easy task to find books which appeal to both girls and boys, especially in the older grades. A co-worker and I read it in two voices and that made the dialogue even more interesting. The vivid color illustrations clearly emulate the feelings and the “conflicts” between the plots.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

From the website Children's Literature: Author and Illustrator Booking Service at  http://www.childrenslit.com/bookingservice/omalley-kevin.html

Kevin O'Malley has a wild sense of humor that shines in his books and presentations. Originally trained as an illustrator, Kevin made his authorial debut in 1992 with Froggy Went A-Courting, based on a well-known folk ballad (a form that provides much of his inspiration). Kevin said that when he first heard the song, he didn't know what the term "carding" meant. In his mind it conjured up a card game, so that's the spin he put on the story. Froggy is a notorious gangster gambler, and Miss Mousie, his bride-to-be, an owner of a posh gambling nightclub. Needless to say, madcap action ensues.

Since then Kevin has continued to express himself in his books. His works have included tales of a rhinoceros losing his homework, a jewel theft, and a quest to ride a roller coaster. His latest books range from nonfiction to raucous humor, with everything in between. He has always loved drawing and shares his enthusiasm for the medium with his talks with kids in schools. Kevin lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with his artist wife and two sons.

Click here to visit O'Malley's website.


REVIEW

Kirkus Reviews 2005 March #2

“Young readers who have ever been forcibly yoked to a rival for some class project will glory in this contentious oral report. Unable to agree on a folktale to tell their classmates, a lad and lass decide to make it up as they go. She starts, with Princess Tenderheart-rendered by Heyer in flowing silk gowns and blonde tresses-pining for her beloved ponies, which are being stolen one by one by a giant. Gagging, the storyteller's companion proceeds to add a huge dude who roars up on a chopper to provide protection, and to battle a giant that, in Goto's testosterone-soaked oils, is green but far from jolly. Meanwhile, instead of passively sitting by spinning straw into gold, the Princess starts pumping iron . . . and on the tale seesaws, to a more or less happily-ever-after. The unusual collaboration among illustrators works seamlessly, with O'Malley supplying the storytellers, and Heyer and Goto the characters on separate pages or spreads. This disarming, funny and not agenda-driven dig at the hot-button issue of gender differences is likely to excite plenty of giggles-and perhaps some discussion, too. (Picture book. 6-9) Copyright Kirkus 2005 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved."

ACTIVITY

After finishing the book you may ask each child to come up with a different ending to this tale.