Genre 2 Book Reviews - LS 5603

1. Rumplestiltskin

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Zelinsky, Paul O. 1986. Rumplestiltskin. Puffin Books. ISBN 9780948149474

B. PLOT SUMMARY

A miller who lives with his beautiful daughter makes a boast upon entering town that his daughter can spin straw in to gold. The greedy king has the daughter brought to his castle where over the course of three nights, she must spin straw into gold or face execution. Each time, a small man comes to her rescue and in exchange for her necklace, her ring, and the life of her firstborn child, he spins the straw into gold on her behalf. The king marries her and upon the birth of her child a year later, the little man comes back to claim what she owes him. He agrees to give up the child if the queen can guess his name within three days, and following the fortuitous discovery of the name, she is able to name him on the third night. Rumplestiltskin leaves in a fury without claiming the life of the baby.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Rumplestiltskin's title page is simple: it depicts the title, author and illustrator, and then the subject of the story himself. The artwork is reminiscent of a Renaissance painting, with vivid colors and a somewhat caricatured version of Rumplestiltskin. As we turn the pages of the story the illustrations take on the characteristics of Renaissance paintings more and more, including shots of a Mediterranean looking countryside washed in greens and yellows. The third page also shows a diorama of the inside of the castle with the stunted foreshortening very typical of paintings from the period.

There are notable reoccurring patterns within the story. As is often the case in a fairytale, the number three plays a prominent role. The miller's daughter is trapped for three nights where she must spin straw into gold, and Rumplestiltskin comes to her three times to save her. When Rumplestiltskin returns to claim the life of her child he gives her three days to find out what his real name is, and she guesses correctly on the third night. There are three rooms full of straw that must be spun into gold if the miller's daughter is to live another day. In the story, the queen is only given one year of respite instead of three but this also serves as a way to break up the pattern instead of overusing it.

The illustrations with the human characters, even when they take place at night, are done in warm and earthy colors. When the narrative dips into the forest at night, with a full moon overhead and a lonely maid walking the trails with only a lantern, the color palette changes. It becomes predominantly gray and green. When the reader finally comes to the page with Rumplestiltskin flying around his bubbling cauldron on a wooden spoon, it becomes reminiscent of Disney's Sleeping Beauty or Night On Bald Mountain: the color palette is completely devoid of any warmth and instead the sickly colors are used to underline Rumplestiltskin's evil nature.

The return to a warmer color palette on the next page is a sign of our return to the human world, away from the flights of fancy that dictate the magical realm. Once warmth returns to the page then we see the power returning to the queen as she names Rumplestiltskin and sends him away once and for all.

This book is a wonderful rendition of a classic fairy tale told with a lovely and period appropriate illustrations that are a good rendition of the setting. The page with the castle diorama in particular is a favorite of mine as it is a subtle reflection of a real artistic choice that was made in Italian paintings. Zelinsky also showed mastery of foreshortening in later pages shows that this diorama was a specific choice that he made.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS

• 1987 Caldecott Honor book

After searching for reviews, I found excerpts on other review blogs but nothing on the main sources on any websites such as School Library Journal or Publisher's Weekly.

E. CONNECTIONS

• Gather other books by Paul O. Zelinsky:

The Lion and the Stoat by Paul O Zelinsky and Pliny the Elder. ISBN 9780395551608

The Wheels on the Bus by Paul O Zelinsky. ISBN 9781760066024

Rapunzel by Paul O Zelinsky. ISBN 9780590386029

Knick-knack Paddywhack! by Paul O Zelinsky. ISBN 9780141380131

2. The Gingerbread Man

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kimmel, Eric. 2015. The Gingerbread Man. by Lloyd. Megan. New York : Holiday House. ISBN 9780823408245

B. PLOT SUMMARY

An older couple living on an American farmstead is baking gingerbread in their oven. They cut out the shape of a gingerbread man and decorate it. The gingerbread man subsequently comes to life and leaps off the cookie tray. He runs out of the house and down the road: past an old sow, a farm dog, and a cow and horse sharing a field together. The farm animals along with the old couple pursue the gingerbread man while he evades them easily. The gingerbread man is stopped only by coming to a river, which will dissolve him if he tries to swim across. A fox close by offers to carry the gingerbread man across on his back. The gingerbread man accepts and as they cross the fox entices him to climb on his head, and eats the gingerbread man. The book ends with more gingerbread cookies being made and the narrator reassures us that the gingerbread man will never die so long as more cookies are made.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The book opens with a two spread title page. Each page repeats the title with a display of the gingerbread man running through the outdoors which introduces the character as well as his kinetic nature. The direction of the running gingerbread man also drags our eyes left to right, the direction in which English is read which makes the book a good visual learning tool as well as a great choice for storytelling.

The artwork is reminiscent of Norman Rockwell, with a cartoonier flair. This is surely a deliberate choice since the author and illustrator chose to frame the story on an American farmstead. The illustrations more often than not are two page spreads designed to keep the action flowing as the gingerbread man collects a long line of creatures chasing him. The spreads also indicate the long distance that the gingerbread man is covering: he really is that fast, and really is making excellent time by outrunning his would-be captors. The gingerbread man coming to the river is the only moment where he must stop and this results in him being eaten by the clever fox.

The fox being the one to eat the gingerbread man is an excellent usage of the trickster character which is often represented as a fox in multiple countries and cultures including the United States. The number three also reappears when gingerbread man passes three fields during his escape: the sow, the dog, and the cow and horse which share a field together.

This version of the story is interactive and a rolling good time that will keep children engaged whether reading it on their own or seeing it during story time. It is also an example of the "cumulative tale" as shown in our infographic but also the "trickster tale" since it ends with the fox successfully tricking the gingerbread man into jumping into his jaws.

D. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

After searching for reviews, I found excerpts on other review blogs but nothing at the main sources on any websites like Kirkus or School Library Journal.

E. CONNECTIONS

• Gather other books from Eric Kimmel:

Anansi and the Talking Melon. ISBN 9781451764277

I Took My Frog to the Library. ISBN 9781591127161

The Goose Girl : A Story From the Brothers Grimm. ISBN 9780823410743

Little Red Hot. ISBN 9781477816387

• Other retellings of the Gingerbread man story:

The Gingerbread Man by Karen Schmidt. ISBN 9783125890312

How to Catch a Gingerbread Man by Adam Wallace. ISBN 9781728209357

The Gingerbread Man by Richard Scarry. ISBN 9780385376198

3. The Three Little Pigs

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hillert, Margaret. 2017. The Three Little Pigs. by Dorenkamp, Michelle. Chicago: Norwood House Press. ISBN 9781599537894

B. PLOT SUMMARY

The book introduces three little pigs without names. They are identified by their visually distinct styles and what materials they are gathering for their homes. (Sticks, straw, and bricks.) The wolf, drawn as a larger than life monster, blows down the houses made of straw and sticks. When he encounters the third pig's house of brick he fails to blow it down and then gets caught in the chimney while the three pigs mock him.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The title page introduces the three brothers in a rural setting as they carry their materials to their build sites. The illustrations are divided onto each page with only a single two page spread to show the pigs traveling down a country road with their building materials. Each page contains an illustration of a pig in action, building their homes and telling off the wolf. The wolf is rendered as a massive an intimidating figure whose eye is as large as an entire window. The book successfully renders the wolf as the antagonistic force against the pigs and why the third pig's choice of building materials are important.

The book comes with a series of instructions regarding practicing phonics for children and the introduction for the parents contains instructions on what to point out to their child as they read it together. The book accomplishes what it sets out to do which is be an introduction to sight words and diction for young readers.

This book is a good example of being a "beast tale" as outlined in our infographic: the characters are animals that act and speak as human beings.

D. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Did not find any critical reviews when I searched for them. There are several commercial reviews from parents on websites such as Amazon and Good Reads that are generally favorable.

E. CONNECTIONS

• Gather other books by Margaret Hillert:

Pinocchio by Margaret Hillert. ISBN 9781599537863

Tom Thumb by Margaret Hillert. ISBN 9781599537900

The Birthday Car by Margaret Hillert. ISBN 9781599537955

Play Ball by Margaret Hillert. ISBN 9781599538198