Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow

Bibliography

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow. New York: Scholastic Nonfiction. ISBN 978-0439353793.

Brief plot summary

By 1939, more than 7 million German children belonged to the Hitler Youth, a political machine that capitalized on the youth, innocence, and enthusiasm of Germany's children. Bartoletti explores how Hitler gained the loyalty, trust, and passion of so many of Germany's young people. Following the lives of twelve children who grew up in Hitler's Germany, the author uses their stories to reveal the actions and emotions of a generation who were enticed and then used by the Nazi party. The work weaves together the stories of former members of the Hitler Youth, young people who chose to resist the Nazi movement, and Jewish youths and others who were targeted by the Nazis.

Critical analysis

The story of the children and teenagers of Germany during World War II is told from multiple perspectives: members of the Hitler Youth, those who resisted, and those who were persecuted. Through twelve young people the reader experiences life during the war and comes to understand not only how the young were manipulated and used by Hitler’s regime, but also how difficult it was to risk one’s life by turning against the indoctrination and fight against them.

This carefully researched and powerfully narrated book will provide significant information for anyone with an interest in the Holocaust and/or World War II. Readers will gain an understanding of Germany’s part in World War II, along with a connection stemming from World War I. By focusing on the role of Germany’s young people in the war, Bartoletti provides today’s readers a connection with these historical events.

The book is organized chronologically from the early years of the Hitler Youth through the end of the war. An epilogue tells what became of all the young people who were featured in the book. The storytelling is supported by an abundance of historical photos, details, and relevant quotes. Includes a timeline of the Hitler Youth, an author’s note, and an index along with an extensive bibliography and list of sources for the quotes.

 Review excerpts

“The power of the account is matched by the many period candid and propaganda photographs, well-married to the text by strong captions and placement…” – Horn Book, Starred Review
“Bartoletti draws on oral histories, diaries, letters, and her own extensive interviews with Holocaust survivors, Hitler Youth, resisters, and bystanders to tell the history from the viewpoints of people who were there.” – Booklist, Starred Review

“…Nonfiction writing at its best. Essential for WWII collections as well as teaching units on conformity, peer pressure and resistance.” – Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“Bartoletti lets many of the subjects’ words, emotions, and deeds speak for themselves, bringing them together clearly to tell this story unlike anyone else has.” – School Library Journal
“This solid offering deserves wide readership by today's young people, and it is certain to promote extensive discussion." – Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Awards / Best Books

John Newbery Medal Honor Book, 2006

Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Honor Book, 2006

Parent Choice Award Gold Non-Fiction, 2005

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor Book, 2006

ALSC Notable Children’s Books, 2006

Booklist Editors Choice, 2005

Kirkus Best Children’s Books, 2005

Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books, 2005

School Library Journal Best Books, 2005

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2006

Classroom Connections

Before reading from the book students brainstorm reasons why and to what extent they think young people were targeted during World War II and the Holocaust.

Pair Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow with The Boy Who Dared. Use excerpts from this book to introduce or to build background knowledge while reading the historical fiction novel, The Boy Who Dared.

This book can be used as part of a discussion/lesson on propaganda in which students explore what it is and how it works.

Students select a quote from the book that resonates with them and explain why they chose the quote.

Students can write responses to the wonderings at the end of the book: Could another despot like Hitler rise to power on the shoulders of young people? What are you willing to do to prevent such a shadow from falling over you and others? Responses can then be used to organize a class debate or philosophical chairs activity.

Other related books:

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – ISBN 978-0375931000        
• DK Eyewitness Books: World War II by Simon Adams – ISBN: 978-0756630089
• The Good Fight: How World War II Was Won by Stephen E. Ambrose – ISBN: 978-0689843617
• Hans and Sophie Scholl: German Resisters of the White Rose by Toby Axelrod – ISBN 0823933164
• The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler by James Cross Giblin – ISBN: 978-0395903711
• Parallel Journeys by Eleanor H. Ayer, Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck – ISBN: 978-0689832369
• Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps by Adrea Warren – ISBN: 978-0060007676

Other books by Susan Campbell Bartoletti:

• Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 – ISBN 978-0618548835
• The Boy Who Dared – ISBN 978-0439680134
• Growing Up in Coal Country – ISBN 978-0395778470
• Kids on Strike! – ISBN 978-0395888926
• No Man’s Land – 978-0590383714
• They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group – ISBN 061844033X

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart

Bibliography

Fleming, Candace. 2011. Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 978-0375841989.

Brief plot summary

Amelia Lost tells the story of Amelia Earhart, a courageous aviatrix who encouraged women to realize their dreams. The story begins with Amelia's birth and tells the story of her life until her disappearance.

Critical analysis

In this biography of Amelia Earhart historian Candace Fleming successfully alternates dual narratives, biographical information chronicling her childhood and growth into celebrity with the recounting of her final flight and the search that followed. The alternating narratives build suspense and keep the reader hooked through the conclusion of the book.

In an effort to take a fresh look at Earhart’s life, Fleming does not shy away from uncovering the “history in the hype” and separating the “truth from myth” of Earhart’s self-promoted celebrity image.  This is sympathetically achieved through primary sources and does not belittle Earhart’s achievements.  Through personal anecdotes, archival documents and photographs readers come to understand why everyone cared so much for this daring woman pilot. This book successfully imparts who Amelia Earhart was, what she accomplished along with her faults and shortcomings, and what drove her ambition.

The book includes many visuals to support the text: photographs, handwritten notes, documents, and maps. Sidebars and inserts are used to clarify information and facts related to the times, aviation, and Earhart’s life. The quality of research is apparent by the bibliography and detailed source notes.

Review excerpts

“The book’s structure and scope, along with the story’s inherent drama, provide a taut, cinematic backdrop for the history of Earhart’s doomed flight." – Horn Book, Starred Review
“Drawing on her training as a historian and her considerable writing talents, Fleming (The Great and Only Barnum, 2009) offers a fresh look at this famous aviatrix. Employing dual narratives—straightforward biographical chapters alternating with a chilling recounting of Earhart’s final flight and the search that followed—Fleming seeks to uncover the “history in the hype,” pointing out numerous examples in which Earhart took an active role in mythologizing her own life.” – Booklist

“Handwritten notes, photos, maps and inquisitive sidebars (What did Earhart eat during flight? Tomato juice and chocolate) complete this impeccably researched, appealing package. A stunning look at an equally stunning lady.” – Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“Ho-hum history? Not in Fleming’s apt hands. What could be a dry recitation of facts and dates is instead a gripping and suspenseful thriller...This book is splendid. Hand it to everyone.” – School Library Journal
“Fleming cleverly structures this biography to give the tale of tragedy a fresh and dreadful impact...As a result, this offers not only a provocative introduction to Earhart but also compelling glimpse of what it was like to watch her disappear from the world." – Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Awards / Best Books

Cybil Award Winner, 2011

Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Honor Book, 2012

Horn Book Fanfare, 2011

Kirkus Best Children’s Books, 2011

New York Times Notable Children’s Books, 2011

ALSC Notable Children’s Books, 2012

School Library Journal Best Books, 2011

Washington Post Best Kid’s Books, 2011

Classroom Connections

Include this book as part of a unit on important women of the 20^th century or a unit on the history of flight.

Students can create a “did you know?” bulletin board focusing on events and accomplishments from Amelia Earhart’s life.

Students can read a book about or research the life of Charles Lindbergh and then compare and contrast his life in aviation with that of Amelia Earhart.

Other nonfiction books about Amelia Earhart:

• Amelia Earhart (DK Biography) by Tanya Lee Stone – ISBN 0756625521
• Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic by Robert Burleigh – ISBN 1416967338
• Sky Pioneer: A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart by Corrine Szabo – ISBN 1426300441
• Amelia Earhart: Legendary Aviator by Jameson Anderson – ISBN 0736896597
• Who Was Amelia Earhart? by Kate Boehm Jerome – ISBN 978-0448428567

Other nonfiction books by Candace Fleming:

• Ben Franklin’s Almanac: Being a True Account of the Good Gentleman’s Life – ISBN 978-0689835490
• The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum – ISBN 0375841970
• The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary – ISBN 0375836187
• Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt’s Remarkable Life – ISBN 978-0689865442

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793

Bibliography

Murphy, Jim. 2011. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 978-0395776082.

Brief plot summary

In 1793 Philadelphia, the nation's capital and the largest city, is plagued by an apparently incurable disease with an unknown cause. Murphy describes the illness known as yellow fever and the toll it took on the city's residents.

Critical analysis

This well-researched informational book takes the reader through the epidemic that plagued Philadelphia in 1793—from its detection, through its symptoms, treatments, and high number of deaths, how it affected the residents of Philadelphia, and what the city did to combat it. Murphy endeavors to tell the complete story by weaving together information about medical history with the political, economic, and social context in which the epidemic occurred. The reader experiences the yellow fever epidemic first hand through the words of those who were there and will be fascinated and horrified by the vivid details.

In the final chapter of the book Murphy deals with other epidemics of yellow fever, explains the nature of yellow fever, and tells how the disease was finally controlled. Readers are certain to come away with an appreciation for the medical advances that have occurred between then and now.

The included illustrations, portraits of key figures, maps, and pages from contemporary newspapers will help readers appreciate the setting and period of the epidemic. Sources are documented in an excellent annotated bibliography.

Review excerpts

"diverse voices...representative images...Everywhere, Murphy is attentive to telling detail...Thoroughly documented...the work is both rigorous and inviting."– Horn Book
"History, science, politics and public health come together in this dramatic account...brings the 'unshakeable unease' chillingly close."– Booklist

“A mesmerizing, macabre account...powerful evocative prose... compelling subject matter...fascinating discussion...valuable lesson in reading and writing history. Stellar.” – Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"solid research and a flair for weaving facts into fascinating stories...extensive and interesting...you'll have students hooked on history." – School Library Journal, Starred Review
"laudable insight...Readers view the panic from several vantage points...allows his audience to share the contemporary complexity...truly absorbing"– Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Starred Review

Awards / Best Books

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature Winner, 2004

National Book Award Finalist, 2003

John Newbery Medal Honor Book, 2004

Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Winner, 2004

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Winner, 2004

ALSC Great Middle School Reads, 2004

ALSC Notable Children’s Books, 2004

Booklist Top 10 Sci-Tech Books for Youth, 2003

NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students, K-12, 2005

School Library Journal Best Books, 2003

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2004

Classroom Connections

Design a cross-curricular unit that includes reading Laurie Halse Anderson’s book Fever, 1793 and An American Plague during the time when students are learning about the late-18^th century in Social Studies. Science class can focus on the medical aspects of the disease and in Math class students can create and interpret graphs related to the disease.

Students can create a timeline to use their higher order thinking skills to highlight the most important information and events that were a part of the yellow fever epidemic.

Other nonfiction books by Jim Murphy:

• Blizzard!: The Storm that Changed America – ISBN 978-0590673105.
• The Crossing: How George Washington Saved the American Revolution – ISBN 978-0439691864
• The Great Fire – ISBN 978-0590472678.
• The Real Benedict Arnold – ISBN 978-0395776094
• A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy – ISBN 978-0395900192

Birmingham, 1963

Bibliography

Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2007. Birmingham, 1963. Honedale, Pa.: Wordsong. ISBN 978-1590784402.

Brief plot summary

In 1963, Birmingham, Alabama was one of the most segregated cities in the United States. On Sunday, September 15, 1963 members of the Ku Klux Klan planted dynamite under the back steps of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, a known meeting place for civil rights organizers. The ensuing explosion resulted in the deaths of four innocent young girls. Birmingham, 1963 pays tribute to the victims of this act of terrorism. It is written in free verse and illustrated with documentary photographs. It tells of the events leading up to the bombing through the eyes of a fictional 10-year-old witness.

Critical analysis

Birmingham, 1963 is historical fiction written in free verse. With a few well-chosen words and powerful images Weatherford tells the tragic story of this heartbreaking event evoking an emotional explosion in the reader. While reading this book I felt myself being drawn back to when I was ten years old and thinking about how sheltered and protected I was from life’s tragedies and human hatred. In particular I found such power in the text paired with the picture of the stained glass window – “The clock stopped, and Jesus’ face / Was blown out of the only stained-glass window / Left standing–the one where He stands at the door.” (pp. 22-23) This serves as such a strong metaphor for the state of the fight for civil rights along with its importance.

The book design plays a significant part in the storytelling. Each double-page spread includes a few lines of poetry along with images related to childhood set opposite of a carefully selected archival black and white photograph. The somber colors used throughout the book and on the cover set the tone for the story to follow. The only color used in the book is for the red geometric shapes that are repeated in different positions on the text pages; the mystery of their meaning only adds to the power of their use. Through the words and images the author paints a vivid picture of the horrors of racism.

In addition to the main text, the book includes a brief biography and photograph of each of the four girls who died in the bombing along with notes by the author that add factual historic information referenced in the poem and accompanying photographs. Birmingham, 1963, should inspire readers to want to learn more about the civil rights movement—especially from the perspective of children and histories about the role of children in the struggle for equality.

Review excerpts

"Exquisitely understated design lends visual potency to a searing poetic evocation of the Birmingham church bombing of 1963....It's a gorgeous memorial to the four killed on that horrible day, and to the thousands of children who braved violence to help change the world." – Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"The format of the book is small, and it makes the reading experience of an enormously tragic event an intimate experience….An emotional read, made even more accessible and powerful by the viewpoint of the child narrator." – School Library Journal, Starred Review

“The quiet yet arresting book design will inspire readers, who may want to go on to Christopher Paul Curtis' novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963 (1995) and to histories about the role of children in the civil rights struggle.” – Booklist

“This is a testament to the four young girls whose deaths brought about positive changes to a city that was racially divided. This is a reminder of a time when ordinary people became involved in extraordinary situations in the cause of freedom. This is a book that should be in every library collection.”– Library Media Connection, Starred Review

"Weatherford has taken a compelling and touching look at a tragedy that took 39 years to solve." – Multicultural Review

Awards / Best Books

Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Winner for 2008

Jefferson Cup Award Winner, 2008

Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Honor Book

Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry Honor Book

Kirkus Best Children’s Books, 2007

Choices, 2008 (Cooperative Children’s Book Center)

Christian Science Monitor Best Children’s Books, 2008

Classroom Connections

This book can be used in conjunction with Christopher Paul Curtis’s novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963, to provide background knowledge and interest prior to its reading or as an aside to the novel when the plot focuses on the Birmingham church bombing.

Pair it with Spike Lee’s 1997 documentary, 4 Little Girls. Students can compare and contrast the film and the book of poetry.

Include Birmingham, 1963 as part of a unit on the Civil Rights Movement. Students can research and learn about the other events during this time period. Students could make a timeline of important events that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement.

Read Birmingham, 1963 along with The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963 and Campbell Bartoletti’s They Called Themselves the K.K.K.  Students can look for the relationship between the terrorism of the K.K.K. with bullying.

Other books and films related to Birmingham, 1963:

• Birmingham Sunday by Larry Dane Brimner – ISBN 978-1590786130
• One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia – ISBN 978-0060760885
• The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles – ISBN 978-0590572811
• The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis – ISBN 978-0780777330
• They Called Themselves the K.K.K. by Campbell Bartoletti – ISBN 978-0618440337
• Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.? by Bonnie Bader – ISBN 978-0448447230
• 4 Little Girls a film by Spike Lee (HBO Home Video)
• Disney’s Ruby Bridges (Walt Disney Home Entertainment)
• The Rosa Parks Story directed by Julie Dash (Xenon Entertainment)

Crossing Stones

Bibliography

Frost, Helen. 2009. Crossing Stones. New York City: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0374316532.

Brief plot summary

Crossing Stones is a historical novel in verse that intertwines the lives of two families who live across the stream from one another. In their own voices, four young people, Muriel, Frank, Emma, and Ollie, tell of their traumatic experiences coming of age during World War I. As the boys enlist and are sent to the trenches overseas, Emma finishes school and Muriel fights for peace and women's suffrage. A “Notes on the Form” page at the end of the book explains the cupped-hand sonnets and intricate rhyming scheme used in the book.

Critical analysis

The story is told through the alternating voices of Muriel, Ollie, and Emma. The poet sets up her poems visually as the flowing water and crossing stones of Crabapple Creek depending on the narrator. Muriel’s entries are free-flowing verse having the appearance of the creek while Ollie’s and Emma’s entries are interconnected “cupped-hand” sonnets have the appearance of the creek’s crossing stones. I rarely found the form distracting me from the onward force of the narrative.

While the poetic form has an easy narrative flow, there are striking images created by the poems. For example, the poem “A Bullet and a Bandage” (pp. 84-86) could serve as the heart of the entire novel:

    “A bullet and a bandage for the wound

         it causes, all in one small envelope.”

The novel acts as both the bullet and the bandage for the wound, as it lays bare the terrible waste of all war and the love that is its healer. When Ollie becomes frightened of the pigs wallowing in the mud behind the barn (p. 100) we feel him reliving the terror of the trenches. Later in the novel we see the bandage for the wound when Emily tells Ollie “Let love wash the war away”. (p. 152)

If at first the reader feels Muriel is too strong to be credible she finds as the novel progresses that Muriel’s strength comes from her father’s spirit and has been anticipated by her heroic Aunt Vera who champions women’s suffrage in Washington D.C., enduring prison, forced feedings, and the loss of her job, but remains unbending in her convictions, connecting the generations. This is a story about the different perspectives on war, women’s suffrage, family, love, and loss. These are all themes that are as relevant today as they were in 1917.

Review excerpts

“The distinct voices of the characters lend immediacy and crispness to a story of young people forced to grow up too fast.” – Horn Book, Starred Review
“Frost skillfully pulls her characters back from stereotype with their poignant, private, individual voices and nuanced questions, which will hit home with contemporary teens, about how to recover from loss and build a joyful, rewarding future in an unsettled world.” – Booklist, Starred Review

“With care and precision, Frost deftly turns plainspoken conversations and the internal monologues of her characters into stunning poems that combine to present three unique and thoughtful perspectives on war, family, love and loss. Heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful, this is one to savor.” – Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“Frost’s warmly sentimental novel covers a lot of political, social, and geographical ground . . . . But this is Muriel’s story, and her determined personality and independence will resonate with readers.” – School Library Journal
“A thoughtful read.” – Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Awards / Best Books

Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book, 2010

Booklist Top 10 Romance Fiction for Youth, 2010

Booklist Editors’ Choice: Books for Youth, 2009

Booklist Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth, 2010

Choices, 2010

ALSC Kids Reading List, 2010

Kirkus Best Young Adult Books, 2009

Pure Poetry, 2009

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2010

Classroom Connections

Crossing Stones would be an excellent pairing with Lewis Milestone’s film version of All Quiet on the Western Front. The film will underscore Crossing Stones pro- and anti-war dialectic giving vivid images of the trench warfare experience.

For a documentary look at the settlement houses of first generation immigrants, Dorothy Gish’s film Gretchen the Greenhorn (1919) gives us a contemporary look at the challenges faced by the immigrants.

Students may also wish to explore Woodrow Wilson’s Espionage Act that made it illegal to speak out against the war and its parallels in the Civil War, World War II, the Vietnam War, and most recently in the War on Terrorism.

Other related books:

• All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque – ISBN: 978-0316739924
• Hattie Big Sky by Kirbie Larson – ISBN: 978-0385735957
• Shooting the Moon by Frances O’Roark Dowell – ISBN 978-1416979869
• A Time for Courage: The Diary of Kathleen Bowen by Kathryn Lasky – 978-0590511414
• The War to End all Wars: World War I by Russell Freedman – ISBN 978-0547026862
• World War I (DK Eyewitness Books) by Simon Adams – ISBN 978-0756630072

Other poetry books by Helen Frost:

• The Braid – ISBN: 978-0374309626
• Diamond Willow – ISBN: 978-0374317768
• Hidden – ISBN: 978-0374382216
• Keesha’s House – ISBN: 978-0374400125
• Spinning Through the Universe – ISBN: 978-0374371593

Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse

Bibliography

Singer, Marilyn. 2010. Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse. Josée Massee, Ill. New York: Dutton Children’s Books. ISBN 978-0525479017

Brief plot summary

This book is a collection of fourteen pairs of poems based on classic fairy tales. The poems are reversible poems that the author calls reverso. On one side of the page the poem is read traditionally from top to bottom and on the other side of the page the poem has been written in reverse so that the poem is read from bottom to top. The end result is delightful reading that allows the reader to experience one story from two perspectives.

Critical analysis

Reverso is a creation of the author, Marilyn Singer. When read from top to bottom, the reader experiences one poem. However, when you read it from bottom to top (the poem is written with the lines in reverse order and with changes allowed only in punctuation and capitalization) the result is an entirely different poem. This new form is well suited for giving well-known fairy tales new life as they are retold through free verse and the reader is encouraged to think about the story from another angle.

Both the design of the book and the illustrations play on the reversible aspect of the poems. Each pair of poems is set opposite a colorful, imaginative and humorous illustration. The poems are printed side by side, but the top to bottom poem is printed in blue ink on a tan background, while the upside down poem is printed in red ink on a white background. Josée Massee’s ingenious paintings reflect the “split personality” of the poems, as the illustrations are divided in half along a vertical line to convey the viewpoint of both poems.

This is an inviting book of poems that is sure to please children and adults. The use of fairy tales as the basis for the poems will make them easily accessible. While not every pair of poems is a masterpiece, they are all a pleasure to experience.

Review excerpts

"A mesmerizing and seamless celebration of language, imagery, and perspective." – Kirkus, starred review

"The poems are both cleverly constructed and insightful...giving us the points of view of characters rarely considered." – Horn Book

Matching the cleverness of the text, Masse’s deep-hued paintings create split images that reflect the twisted meaning of the irreverently witty poems and brilliantly employ artistic elements of form and shape—Cinderella’s clock on one side morphs to the moon on the other. A must-purchase that will have readers marveling over a visual and verbal feast. – Booklist, starred review

Awards / Best Books

Cybil Award Winner, 2010

Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee, 2011-2012

Booklist Editors’ Choice: Books for Youth, 2010

Horn Book Fanfare, 2010

Kirkus Best Children’s Books, 2010

New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, 2010

ALA Notable Children’s Books, 2011

Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books, 2010

Washington Post Best Kids Books, 2010

Classroom Connections

At the end of the book Marilyn Singer has included a note explaining how reverso is written. Students can try their hand at writing reversos and creating illustrations to accompany their poems.

Use the poems as an engagement activity for learning about point of view.

Pair up one of the poems with a reading of the fairy tale and have students analyze the connections between them. Students can also analyze how well the points of view presented in the poems are supported by the text of the fairy tale.

Other books of poetry by Marilyn Singer that children may also enjoy include:

• A Stick is an Excellent Thing – ISBN 978-0547124933
• A Full Moon Rising – ISBN 978-1600603648
• Twosomes: Love Poems from the Animal Kingdom – ISBN 978-0375867101
• Creature Carnival –ISBN 978-0786818778
• Monster Museum – ISBN 078680520X

The Three Pigs

Bibliography

Wiesner, David. 2001. The Three Pigs. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN: 978-0618007011

Brief plot summary

The three pigs set out to seek their fortune. The pigs build their houses out of the traditional materials (straw, sticks, and bricks). However, when the wolf comes to blow each house down the pig living in that house escapes from the pages of the book. The pigs escape the wolf by folding a page of the storybook into a paper airplane and flying off into other storybook worlds where they meet the cat and the fiddle and a fairy-tale dragon. These new friends return to the house of bricks with the three pigs where they all sit down to eat a bowl of alphabet soup and live happily ever after.

Critical analysis

This postmodern retelling of the classic tale reinvents the pigs’ story and invites the reader to follow the pigs on an adventure outside the boundaries of the traditional tale and into the pages of other storybooks. As the pigs make their escape from their traditional reality, the pages of the storybook begin to deconstruct and when the pigs and their new friends decide to return to the brick house they must put the pages back together. Upon their return the letters begin to fall off the pages signaling that a new ending will bring about a new chapter in the lives of the three pigs.

The artwork plays an important role in the story telling as shifts of perspective keep the story flowing and underscores the humor in the story. The artwork was created using mixed media including watercolor, gouache, colored inks, pencil, and colored pencils.  Weisner uses four different visual styles in The Three Pigs: one for The Three Little Pigs storybook, one for the Hey Diddle Diddle section, one for the dragon's storybook, and then a more photo-realistic style when the pigs are traveling between stories. On the last few pages of the book we are shown through the illustrations the effect of the pigs’ adventures outside of their own story as the text begins to break apart and drift down the pages.

This version will fascinate and puzzle children. With its graphic novel frames and conversation balloons, there is not a single linear way to read the story on every page. Younger children may get lost trying to figure out why the words on the pages say one thing, but the action shows another. Also, while the wolf is destined to stay trapped in the book, the pigs are allowed to run away from evil and their fears. Readers of all ages will find humor and much to be enjoyed in this retelling of The Three Pigs.

Review excerpts

“Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (1989) turned the favorite porkers' story upside-down by allowing the grossly misjudged wolf to tell his side of the story. Wiesner's latest is a post-modern fantasy for young readers that takes Scieszka's fragmentation a step further: it not only breaks apart and deliciously reinvents the pigs' tale, it invites readers to step beyond the boundaries of story and picture book altogether.” – Booklist (starred)

"Witty dialogue and physical comedy abound in this inspired retelling of a familiar favorite.” – School Library Journal

“Wiesner's dialogue and illustrations are clever, whimsical and sophisticated. – New York Times Review of Books

Awards / Best Books

Caldecott Medal Winner, 2002

Irma S. and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature Winner, 2001

Reading Magic Award, 2001 – Parenting

ALSC Notable Children’s Books, 2002

Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books, 2001

School Library Journal Best Books, 2001

Classroom Connections

Give students the opportunity to explore stereotyping and bias by looking at representations of the wolf in different versions of The Three Pigs (print and film). Have students participate in an AVID-style Philosophical Chairs or Socratic Circles to examine their preconceptions and stereotypes.

In the book the pigs stumbled into other fairy tales and nursery rhymes such as the "Cat and the Fiddle." What other stories might the pigs visit? How would they get there? What might happen there and what characters might they rescue and take back home with them? Write a short story telling what happens.

Compare and contrast this telling of The Three Pigs to the Disney Silly Symphony cartoon of The Three Little Pigs.

Use a Double Bubble Thinking Map to compare and contrast this version with Jon Scieszka’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.

Pair this book with Roald Dahl’s poem, “The Three Little Pigs,” and discuss similarities and differences.

Other popular versions and variants of The Three Little Pigs:

Galdone, Paul. The Three Little Pigs. ISBN: 978-0547370200

Zemach, Margot. The Three Little Pigs: An Old Story. ISBN: 978-1439584965

Moser, Barry, The Three Little Pigs. ISBN: 978-0316585446

Marshall, James. The Three Little Pigs. ISBN: 978-0613301565

Rounds, Glenn. The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf. ISBN: 978-0823409235

Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs. ISBN: 978-0140544510

Trivizas, Eugene. The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig. ISBN: 978-0613021333