GRANDPA GREEN, written and illustrated by Lane Smith

Bibliography

Smith, Lane.  Grandpa Green.  New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2011.  ISBN 978-1-59643-607-7

Plot Summary

     In terms of plot, Grandpa Green is fairly simple.  The story is a child’s biography highlighting key events of his beloved great-grandfather’s life as told by his great-grandson and is revealed by the sculpted forms in his garden.  It is in the illustrations that this stunning book really shines.

Critical Analysis

     It is obvious that Smith is an illustrator first and an author second.  His illustrations depicting various occurrences in the grandfather’s life are fanciful and symbolic.  The format of both text and graphics lends itself to prompting conversation between adult reader and child spectator.  From some advanced vocabulary (i.e. “horticulture”) to complex concepts (like World War II), a child can appreciate the beauty of this book but will only understand the literal meaning of it so far without an adult’s help.  That said, this book is ripe for the young imagination.  Some children may not recognize the Wizard of Oz characters or know that the presence of the Eiffel Tower means that he met his wife in France, but children will still find it enchanting in their own way. 

     Smith’s illustrations are incredibly detailed and full of symbolism.  This is a book to be read multiple times and viewed slowly; one finds new elements and characters the more one reads it.  For example the first time I read the book, I completely overlooked the sinister-looking creature on page 20 which seems to be representative of the great-grandfather’s declining memory as this visual is juxtaposed with the boy’s statement, “He used to remember everything.”  I particularly like the symbolic way Smith places a tree across two pages and pairs it with the line, “Now he’s pretty old.”  One can see how the tree with its large, deep roots, a few broken branches, sparse leaves, and sprawling arms seemingly ready to give a hug symbolically represents the great-grandfather and the role he plays in his great-grandson’s life.  Grandpa Green is surely just as enjoyable for adults as it is for children.

Awards and Review Excerpts

2012 Caldecott Honor Book

• Booklist: “Sketched with a finely lined fairy-tale wispiness and dominated by verdant green, the illustrations are not just creative but poignant.”
• Kirkus: “Though this book has lots of adult appeal, it will also be a wonderful bridge to exploring family history with the very young.”
• School Library Journal starred review: "Visually intriguing and emotionally resonant, this is a book to pore over and talk about. With each subsequent reading, it offers new layers of meaning and visual connections."

Connections

• Have parents read this book with their children.  Afterward, have children conduct a family interview either with a parent or older relative.  Students can create their own book relating the relative’s memories, history, hobbies, etc.
• The great-grandfather’s memories are expressed through artfully carved plants in the story.  Have students discuss how they preserve their own memories.
• Pair a reading of this book with a class horticulture activity; students could make a terrarium to keep in the classroom or plant easy-to-grow herbs, lettuces, flowers, and greenery in planters kept outside.

Personal Reflections

     This is a book that I had neither read nor even heard of before reading it for this class.  I really loved exploring this book!  One of my very favorite books was and still is Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, and it reminded me very much of that book both in style and story.  The artwork also reminded me of one of our family’s favorite films, The Secret of Kells.  This is a book that would make a beautifully animated film. I was not surprised to learn that Smith has worked with Pixar and Disney in the past. 

SYLVESTER AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE, written and illustrated by William Steig

Bibliography

Steig, William.  Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.  New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2005.  ISBN 978-1-4169-0206-5

Plot Summary

     Sylvester is a good-natured donkey who likes to collect rocks.  One day he finds a particularly special one that is not only beautiful but is also magical and grants wishes!  When one of his wishes accidentally gets him into a troublesome situation, both the reader and Sylvester’s parents wonder if they will ever see him again. 

Critical Analysis

     Originally published in 1969, Steig’s tale of Sylvester Duncan, a friendly donkey, and the consequences of a wish recklessly made is reminiscent of a much older folk tale.  Similar to Jack and the Beanstalk, it is a story of hasty decisions and negative consequences.  But in this tale, the struggle of Sylvester’s parents, and the sadness and frustration they feel while searching for their only child, is played out in more detail than many older folk tales might include.

     Steig’s use of color in the depictions of Sylvester’s life as a boulder communicates the despair he must have felt from being turned into a rock and rendered unable to wish himself back to normalcy.  In the autumn and spring seasons, the rock stands out as stark and cold against the warm, natural colors.  In winter, his bleak mood is apparent in a landscape of almost all white complete with a lone, howling wolf.   And the display of a sun more suggestive of fireworks embodies the exhilaration they all must have felt once he returned to his natural state.

     The intended moral of the story (making wise decisions, being careful what one wishes for, etc.) is presented in a subtle way.  Steig does not beat the reader over the head with his message.  In fact, the search for Sylvester and the joy and relief his parents feel after Sylvester’s transformation back to a donkey (a journey detailed in a way that makes the reader feel a part of the search) is just as prevalent and important to the tale as any moral might be.  

Awards and Review Excerpts

1970 Caldecott Medal

• Children’s Literature:  “This lovely fable…will delight young readers with its whimsical animal drawings and its happy resolution.” –Meredith Kiger
• Kirkus: of Sylvester’s dilemma, “surely the prize predicament of the year and, in William Steig's pearly colors, one of the prettiest.”
• Publishers Weekly: “This tale of a donkey who wishes on a magic pebble has charmed a generation of readers and will no doubt go on to attract a new one.”

Connections

• Read in conjunction with a science unit on rocks and minerals; students could paint and decorate their own “magic” rocks.
• Use during the Thanksgiving holiday season with character education and focus on what students can be thankful for (in the end, the Duncans lock away the magic pebble because they have all they could ever want in their family being whole again).
• Revisit the part of the story where Sylvester makes his unfortunate wish.  Have students brainstorm other things he could have done to avoid the lion; could be used in conjunction with a lesson on child safety.

Personal Reflections

The edition of this book that I read for this class is a newer version released in 2005 which includes Steig’s 1970 Caldecott acceptance speech.  It really is a lovely speech that gives insights into his inspiration for the story as well as his feelings on art and children’s literature and could be used with older students in conjunction with an art appreciation unit of study.  Additionally, students could be asked to take their own favorite children’s story and create art inspired by it.

DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS, written and illustrated by Mo Willems

Bibliography

Willems, Mo. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.  New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2003.  ISBN 0-7868-1988-X

Plot Summary

     Willems’ first children’s book is the amusing tale of an excitable pigeon trying to convince the reader to allow him to drive a public bus.  The reader has been warned by the bus driver not to be taken in by the pigeon’s pleadings. 

Critical Analysis

     Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is a delightful story to which all children can easily relate.  After all, what child, even the most well-behaved, has not at one time or another tried to convince a parent or loved one that they absolutely, positively, categorically, and unequivocally MUST have something or they will just die?  Willems uses several tools to make his story relevant to the young reader. His removal of the “fourth wall” and having the pigeon speak directly to the child immediately grabs the reader’s attention (the pigeon is reminiscent of the charming Ferris Bueller to which many adult readers can relate).  Willems’ simple backgrounds and expressive illustrations emphasize the pigeon’s emotions in a unique and focused way.  And his use of realistic and emotive dialogue by the pigeon allows adults who may be reading the story out loud to give a fun and enthusiastic performance.  By making the pigeon’s begging, pleading, and subsequent tantrum the focus of the story, it compels the child to witness the outburst from a new perspective in a fun way.   

Awards and Review Excerpts

2004 Caldecott Medal Honor

ALA Notable Book

NCTE Notable Book

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Book

• Booklist: “Each page has the feel of a perfectly frozen frame of cartoon footage–action, remarkable expression, and wild humor captured with just a few lines.”
• Kirkus: “A first picture book by an Emmy Award–winning writer and animator, listeners will be begging, pleading, lying, and bribing to hear it again and again.” 
• School Library Journal: “The genius of this book is that the very young will actually recognize themselves in it.”

Connections

• Read along with Willems’ other books in his Pigeon series, such as, Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!, The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?, and The Pigeon Needs a Bath!; compare and contrast the stories.
• Read along with other books which break the “fourth wall” and speak directly to the reader, such as The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone, Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas, and We Are In A Book! by Mo Willems.
• After reading the story out loud, have students view the animated version of the book (which won the 2010 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children’s Video) available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWEekO4ufwM

Personal Reflections

     I was first introduced to this book by my daughter.  She came home from kindergarten absolutely enamored with the book and the pigeon’s character.  I could easily relate to her love for this book as The Monster at the End of This Book was one of my very favorites as a child too; partly for its humor and narrative style, but also for my father’s jubilant and animated reading of it. This introduced us both to more of Willems’ stories and his unique illustrative style.  We are forever thankful to her kindergarten teacher!