The Three Armadillies Tuff

This is my book blog on a picture book called The Three Armadillies Tuff. This book is written by Jackie Mims Hopkins and illustrated by S. G. Brooks. The book was published in 2002 by the Peachtree Publishers. Watch the video above to find out more information about this cute little book!

A Light in the Attic

A Light in the Attic

Written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein

Published by HarperCollins

©1981

169 pages

Genre is Poetry

Growing up, I remember always reading poems from the collection Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic. I suppose the reason I chose this book was because it is a comfort book from my own childhood. I loved reading Shel Silverstien's quirky poems. The characters from his poems are so vivid and awkward that as a child you can relate to them. His poetry is always accompanied by a unique photo that just draws you in before you've even read the poem!

Shel Silverstein does his own illustrations for his poetry books. He began doing illustrations from a very young age and then eventually was coaxed by his editor to start doing children's poetry books. Having never studied literature, this was new for Silverstein. However, he developed a quirky style all his own and created simple, yet unique sketches to go along with his collection of poems. The crazy and abnormal sketches really draw children in because they are different and children love uniqueness. 

This book is appropriate for all grade levels but targets children ages 6-8 or first through third. Some of his poetry could connect with science because they deal with the moon and animals. The teacher could open the lesson with his poem Moon-Catchin' Net which involves exactly what the title states - catching the moon with a net. Then the teacher could lead the students in to the question, "Is it actually possible to catch the moon in a net?" and start a lesson the solar system. 

Aesop's Fables

Aesop's Fables

Translated by V.S. Vernon Jones

Illustrated by Arthur Rackham

Published by Franklin Watts, Inc.

©1967

198 pages 

Genre is Traditional Literature

When I asked my friend at the library to help me chose a book that dealt with traditional literature, her immediate response was Aesop's Fables. Traditional literature is typically handed down through oral tradition and has no known author. That is exactly what this book is. Aesop's Fables is a collection of 285 fables (although I could be off by a few, since there was no set number and I had to count and multiply!!!) that were originally published in 1912. The stories are accredited to Aesop, who was a slave in ancient Greece, and was thought to be a storyteller. Most of the characters in his fables are animals and he used personification to have the animals exhibit human emotions and speech while continuing to keep the real animal characteristics.

The illustrations in the copy of Aesop's Fables I have are few and far between. There are a few colorful illustrations throughout and there are more of the small sketches to go along with the small fables as well. Not every fable has a corresponding picture and most of the pictures are very simple but help add a visual aid to the story. The illustrator, Arthur Rackham, is largely known for his works during the 'Golden Age' of British book illustration. His techniques involve a robust pen and India ink drawings.

This book is appropriate for for middle grade students and up. This book could be used in the elementary classroom by having each student pick an entry they enjoy and draw an illustration to go along with that entry. The could create a comic strip to correspond with the fable they choose and then present them to the class and explain why they choose the fable and why they choose to illustrate it the way they did. Teaching with fables helps to build children's literacy, along with ethical and moral developments. Fable tend to have a moral attached that the students could grow from. Students can also use fables to work on their understanding of metaphors, which can sometimes be a tricky subject. 

Waking Beauty

Waking Beauty

by Leah Wilcox

Illustrated by Lydia Monks

Publish by Puffin Books

©2008

Genre is Fractured Fairytale

I choose to read this book based off of a recommendation of my friend who is a librarian for the children's section at the Jacksonville Public Library. When she showed me the book, I was immediately drawn in by the illustrations on every page. The story really captivated me since it is not the traditional story of Sleeping Beauty. The book involves Prince Charming trying to wake Beauty from her hundred year slumber. He tries all sorts of silly and riduculous way to do this before finally listening to the three fairies and learning how he is really supposed to wake her up.

The artwork in this storybook really brought me in because it is so colorful and bright and each character has his or her own uniqueness. Lydia Monks uses mixed-media arts to bring her illustrations to a whole different level of entertaining. The illustrations really add to the words because they are so dynamic and are such a big part of the story. When you find out that Beauty has been sleeping for a hundred years, you can look on to the page where you see her sleeping and see cobwebs in her hair. That really adds to the hilarity of the story and helps readers be able to see everything that is happening upon further investigation.

Although this book has not won an award, other works by Leah Wilcox have. This book could be used in the elementary classroom to get students interested in other fractured fairytales and to have students write their own short fairytales even. This could relate to the classroom through social studies since most fairytales have been around for a long time and there are so many different versions of them. An activity for students could be for them to go home and find their own version of a fairytale discussed in clas so that they could bring it in to class and see all the different types there are!