5183 Fall 2024 Information Resources and Services for Children discussion

Reading Responses 4 (Wk7:): Folklore 

Part 1: Add all the required children's books that you read for this week to the Goodreads group bookshelf. This week you read SIX traditional literature books. 

Note: You may not be able to add a book, if the book has already been added to the group bookshelf by another student. In this case, just add the title with your response.

Part 2: Choose a book that you read this week EXCEPT FOR Cinderella. Answer to the following questions in the comment area.

1. A citation for the book, formatted in APA format. (Add a book cover/link to the book in the comment area, if possible.)

2. A brief annotation (no more than two sentences) for the contents of the book.

3. Evaluate your picture book based on Betsy Hearne’s article “Cite the Source: Reducing Cultural Chaos in Picture Books”. According to Hearne’s source note countdown, where does the book fall into? Your answers to #3 should be about 100 words.

Rumford, J. (2007). Beowulf: A hero’s tale retold. Houghton Mifflin Company.

An illustrated reimagining of one of the great Old English epic poems featuring fearsome monsters and a strong-hearted hero.

The source note for this book was very well done. It could have been displayed more prominently as a source note at the end of the book, but it was quite detailed nevertheless. This source note fell firmly into category #2: The well made source note. In my opinion it even at times crossed over into category #1: The model source note. A lot of detail about the history of this legend and its origins was given, as well as its rediscovery in the 1700s. The author also included extensive notes about the Old English language that it was originally recorded in and some of the words that survive from that language today. The only thing that would improve this source note, in my opinion, would be the inclusion of information about what the author changed or did not change from the original epic poem.

1.
Hinds, G., & Homer. (2010). The Odyssey: a graphic novel. Somerville, Mass., Candlewick Press.
2.
This is a graphic novel version of the epic The Odyssey, following a man's journey home through challenges and hardships. Facing monsters, betrayal, and other creatures of myth, our hero is detailed through illustration on his way home.
3.
The source note for this book is incredible. At the beginning of the book on the cover it states that this graphic novel is based on Homers epic poem, along with a lovely source note at the end of the graphic novel. This is why I think that the source note falls into category 1 based on Hearne’s source note countdown. Additionally, in the notes section at the end of the novel, the author explains his relationship with the story, Homer, what he had done while writing the book, i.e., the changes he made and why, and cites the pages he directly quoted from.

Gold
1.Alexander, J. (2022). Gold. Creston Books.

2. This story follows a little girl walking down the street before entering a yellow home and cooking a meal. Is this her home we wonder?

3.The book I chose has no source note to be seen. Given that this book is a one-word title and no other language throughout it is up to the reader to determine for themselves. So to me, this book would fall under the fourth category of source note, 'the background as source note'. The reader has to infer from the images on the cover where this book may be taking place and even the back of the book does not provide much more information.

Pinkney, J. (2015). The grasshopper & the ants. Little, Brown and Company.

Colorful illustrations showcase Grasshopper as he asks Ants to stop working and enjoy the days and seasons with him; however, Ants say no every time. Grasshopper realizes his mistake as the harsh winter proves that he is not prepared.

In this retelling of Aesop’s fable, the importance of hard work and the warning of idleness are beautifully portrayed and visualized. The artist’s note at the end is between a number one and a number two model source note. Pinkney does reference that the story comes from Aesop’s fables and provides thorough explanation of differences in his retelling versus what is traditional to the fable. He also gives specific details about the music conveyed in his art and his characterization of Grasshopper. But, he leaves out any cultural reference or mention. It may be that because Aesop is so well known, Pinkney felt a cultural note was not needed.

Turtle and the Geese: An Indian Graphic Folktale by Chitra Soundar

Soundar, C. (2023). Turtle and the geese: An Indian graphic folktale. North Mankato, Minnesota, Picture Window Books.

This graphic novel follows the story of a young turtle and the issues he faces when his home, a shallow lake dries up. The young turtle must face the consequences of ignoring his friends, the geese.

While Turtle and the Geese is a nice graphic novel, it has a nonexistent source note. The only thing that states this graphic novel is an Indian folktale is the subtitle. The only other way that the graphic novel may be an Indian folktale are the illustrations. An example of this is the turtle, Spot, who wears a turban and there is an Indian style palace. The author or illustrator do not mention where they heard or got the folktale from. The author does not cite any sources stating where the folktale comes from. However, in the about the author section, Soundar is also an oral storyteller from India and her stories come from India and Hindu folktales.

Beautiful Blackbird

Bryan, A. (2003). Beautiful blackbird. Simon & Schuster Publishing.

Blackbird is the only bird that’s black and the colorful birds think he’s the most beautiful bird. Blackbird paints black rings on Ringdove, followed by painting all the birds with beautiful black designs.

I do believe Beautiful Blackbird falls into category #3 - the fine print source note. The author provides a note page at the end of the book, within the CIP information, describing that this book was adapted from The Ila-speaking peoples from Northern Rhodesia by Edwin Smith and Andrew Dale. However, it does not include ways in which the story was changed. On the same page is a text block about the incorporation of the scissors in the end paper designs. This note is much bigger than all the other text on the page, including the note about the reference material. For these reasons, this book can not go further up on the source note countdown.

The Hidden Folk: Stories of Fairies, Dwarves, Selkies, and Other Secret Beings

1. Lunge-Larsen, L. (2004). The hidden folk: Stories of fairies, dwarves, selkies, and other secret beings (B. Krommes, Illus.). Houghton Mifflin Company.

2. This timeless collection delves into the northern European realm of the hidden folk, complete with descriptions and stories of flower fairies, gnomes (nisses), the hill folk, elves, dwarves, water horses, river sprites, and selkies.

3. The Hidden Folk most definitely falls into the first category: the model source note. In the Introduction, author Lunge-Larsen provides a quick origin story for the hidden folk as well as their known general characteristics. This is also where she states she is from Norway. Although she acknowledges the existence of hidden folk in other countries, she states that this specific collection is based off stories from northern Europe, within her realm of expertise. In the Source Note at the end of the collection, the author informs the reader that these stories were passed down to her generationally, with slightly more detail added here for entertainment’s sake. Following the Source Note is the References page, which consists of nine citations.

1. Scieszka, J. & Smith, L. (1992). The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales. Viking.

2. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales is a book of almost fairy tales. It puts a funny twist on ten common fairy tales making them “fairly stupid tales.”

3. After thoroughly reading through the book, I would classify this book as having a non-existent source note. It is clear to me that the stories have been adapted from well-known fairy tales, but someone unfamiliar with the original stories wouldn’t necessarily know that. It gives no background or information on where the original stories came from. A simple remedy to this problem would be if each fractured fairy tale acknowledged the original fairy tale and culture from which it is adapted. It may not move it all the way to the top of the countdown, but it would move it from being non-existent.

Hodges, M., (1984). Saint George and the dragon : a golden legend (T.S. Hyman, Illus.). Little, Brown And Company



‌A descriptive retelling detailing how the Red Cross Knight fearlessly faced a brutal dragon, triumphing in the end and earning the name Saint George of Merry England.

Hodges' version of Saint George and the Dragon falls between #2 and #3 in Hearne’s source note countdown. Like those falling under #3, it has a reference to its origin, Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, under the summary with the CIP information. However, it could be argued that it approaches designation as a #2. Although the cover does not provide the source, as would be preferable, the title page includes the origin as part of the title, with a font style and size comparable to that of the title and name of the reteller.

Little Red

Woollvin, B. (2016). Little red. Peachtree Publishers.

On the way to visit her grandmother, a girl named Little Red meets a wolf who is up to no good. But Little Red isn't like most little girls and isn't going to let the wolf have his way.

This book has a nonexistent source note. The closest thing to acknowledging the original story, besides the title, is on the inside of the dust jacket, saying that it is an "updated fairy tale with a mischievous twist" and that it "turn[s] a familiar tale on its head". Nowhere else in the book does it mention or cite the story of Little Red Riding Hood, nor does it say where and from whom the story originated. Even when recounting a story as easily recognizable as this one, it is still vital to take the time to give credit where credit is due and educate readers on the tale's origins.

1. McDermott, G. (1972). Anansi the spider. Landmark Productions, incorporated.

2. Follow along and learn not only how the moon was hung, but why it was hung.

3. Overall I was impressed with this book’s source note. I would say it is in category two of Betsy Hearne’s article. It is easily found before the first page of the story, it describes where the story originated from, it gives a clear overview of how this story has been passed down from the Ashanti, and it gives a good overview of how Anansi fits into their culture. The only thing it is missing to make it a category one is an overview from the author on how they changed and adapted the story. Overall, though I would say this source note was ahead of its time considering the book was published in 1972 and the article countdown came out in 1993.

The Tortoise & the Hare

1. A citation for the book, formatted in APA format. (Add a book cover/link to the book in the comment area, if possible.)
Pinkney, J., & Aesop. (2013). The Tortoise & The Hare. Little, Brown and Company.


2. A brief annotation (no more than two sentences) for the contents of the book.
A rabbit and a tortoise both enter a race. The rabbit goes very fast but gets distracted and digs a hole to eat cabbage and take a nap while the tortoise keeps going at a slow and steady pace and the tortoise wins the race.


3. Evaluate your picture book based on Betsy Hearne’s article “Cite the Source: Reducing Cultural Chaos in Picture Books”. According to Hearne’s source note countdown, where does the book fall into? Your answers to #3 should be about 100 words.
The original source was included in a section at the end and it also included an illustrator’s note about the inspiration for the cultural choices for the background characters also being inspired by Aesop. That would make it fall into category 3 for the Hearne article. This version of the fable relied heavily on imagery and contained very few words. The general idea was that in a slow and steady way (just like the tortoise) we keep getting one more word to the sentence “Slow and steady wins the race.” as the tortoise keeps pushing on. The lack of words makes it more approachable to people of many cultures.

The Ugly Duckling

1. Andersen, H. C. (1843). The ugly duckling. HarperCollins.

2. When a family of ducks hatches, one doesn’t look quite like the others and is picked on by other animals as a result. As the bird grows, it realizes it is actually a beautiful swan.

3. According to the Hearne article, it is important to provide a citation for any traditional story told because it helps the reader understand the historical context and origin. The story of “The Ugly Duckling” is a Danish folktale that was published in a book which had multiple stories written by Hans Christian Andersen. The version of the book that I read did not provide any mention of the historical significance and instead presents itself as any other picture book. Although the morals of the story do not necessarily connect to its cultural ties, it is still useful for the reader to be aware of this information.

1. Ahlberg, A. (2007). Previously. (B. Ingman, Illus.). Candlewick Press.

2. In this fractured fairytale, the stories of beloved characters are told in reverse and intertwined in a humorous way.

3. Previously uses more than half a dozen established fairytales, and there is not a source note provided for any of the original stories. Because there is not a source note, I would align this book with a 5 on Hearne's source note countdown. While the existing fairytales are utilized to uniquely from a new story, it would be very beneficial to have source notes to clarify where the author and illustrator drew information and inspiration from. The stories included in the text are Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Gingerbread Boy, Cinderella, The Princess and the Frog, and more. Adding a source note would enrich the reading experience for the audience.

What REALLY Happened to Humpty?: From the Files of a Hard-Boiled Detective

Dumpty, J. (2009). What really happened to Humpty? (S. Axelsen, Illus.). Jeanie Franz Ransom.

Humpty Dumpty's brother, Joe, is on the case! Joe tries to find out if there was any foul play in his brothers fall.

What REALLY Happened to Humpty? draws upon several classic nursery rhymes to tell its detective story. The nursey rhyme characters are popular in western society in culture but might not be familiar to everyone. After looking through the book, I was unable to find any source notes for the original nursery rhymes. If you do not have the context of the original nursery rhymes, several of the plot points and humor would not be accessible to the reader. I did find this book entertaining as I had the context and background knowledge. I would not recommend this book as a story time book. I would recommend it to children interested in fractured fairytales or teachers looking for a book to compare stories for a unit.

Walt Disney Company. (2003). Disney Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Golden/Disney.

Disney Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

I did not see a source note provided, therefore I would place this at Hearne's number 5, "The Nonexistent Source Note." I went back and forth between 4 and 5, since there is one part that says "reimagined now in color," but that is all the information it gives. Maybe it does fall more into 4, but to me saying reimagined isn't necessarily a source note. I think providing a more in depth one could really pull your reader into the story showing the inspirations and origins for the tale that is loved.

Marshall, J. (1998). Goldilocks and the three bears. New York, N.Y., U.S.A, Puffin Books.

This book I did not see a source note. This book would fall into the the number 5 section.

Puss in Boots
1. Galdone, P. (1976). Puss In Boots. Houghton Mifflin.

2. A clever cat brings good fortune to his master through careful but bold planning and trickery. In doing so, he also disposes of a tyrant and earns himself some royal treatment.

3.
This book falls into Source note No. 5. The story of Puss in Boots is over 500 years old, with the most popular version originating with Perrault. On the copyright page, at the bottom with the ISBN, and Dewey numbers, are the cataloging tags, “2. Folklore—France” I can see a few moments where some context would have been helpful to better understanding the motivations of the story. For one, in the art it is evident that the story is set in France, but some additional context for the time period would have been helpful to understand the class system that Puss was able to break his master into.

Books read this week:
Cinderella Stories:
Pigling: A Cinderella Story by Dan Jolley, Ann Timmons
Dogerella by Maribeth Boelts, Donald Wu
Twisted Tale
Super Billy Goats Gruff by Sean Tulien, Illustrated by Fernando Cano
Ch 7 references
Myths: In the Beginning: Creation stories from around the world as told by Virginia Hamilton and illustrated by Barry Moser
Epics and Legends: Never Say A Mean Word Again by Jaqueline Jules
Folktales: Puss in Boots by Paul Galdone

It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folk Tale (Caldecott Honor Book)

1. Zemach, M. (1979). It could always be worse. Miller-Brody Productions.

2. This book centers around a man living in a small hut with his wife, his mother, and six children. He visits the rabbi many times to voice his frustrations and the rabbi gives him a lesson in the power of perspective.

3. "It Could Always Be Worse" would fall into category three for its source note. The source note is limited to a fine-print line on the title page stating "A Yiddish Folk Tale". Beyond that, no additional background is provided. The text stayed true to the source material in keeping the Rabbi as the wise figure, but that alone does not make the source blatant for children and families. It would be interesting for children to have the opportunity to know more about the origins of this story to develop their sense of understanding regarding folktales across cultures.

(I also read "The Egyptian Cinderella" and "Jouanah: The Hmong Cinderella" this week.)

Stevens, J. (1995). Tops & bottoms. First edition. San Diego, Harcourt Brace.

After losing a bet with Tortoise, Hare loses his land. When his family begins to go hungry, he strikes a deal with lazy Bear. Bear allows Hare to plant crops on his land, on the condition that Hare does all the work and Bear gets to choose whether he wants the tops or bottoms of the harvest.

This story states on both the cover and title page that it is an adaptation, but it does not specifically cite the original source of the tale. In very small print, it mentions that the story is a trickster tale inspired by various European folktales and African-American folktales from the American South. Based on Hearne's source note ranking, I would rate this a 4. The information provided is vague and offers only general details about the cultural origins of the story. Overall, I find the source note to be not very informative. This is surprising because it is a Coldecott Honor Book. It was published in 1995, I wonder if it was published today if it would have a better source page.

De Paola, T. (1975). Strega Nona. S & S.

Strega Nona is known to create remedies to help those in her village who are sick. This story details Strega Nona and her "magic pasta pot". Strega Nona leaves town and there is chaos with her pasta pot.
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This book does not have a source note so it would fall into #5.

Willems, M. (2012). Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs. Balzer + Bray.
A retelling of the classic tale, in which the dinosaurs want to trap Goldilocks as a snack, but she outsmarts them.
While I wouldn’t call it a source note, there is a moral at the end of this story, which states, “If you ever find yourself in the wrong story, leave.” The flap on the cover jacket also calls it a “…new take on a fairy-tale classic”, and the endpapers are filled with variations on “Goldilocks and the Three…” with various options crossed out, like Jumbo Shrimp, Terrible Monsters, and Mastodons. I think between the title itself (where else do we hear the name Goldilocks?) and these nods to the original story, it is clear where the source material came from.

Books I read that were already on the shelf:
First Fire: A Cherokee Folktale by Nancy Kelly Allen
Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges