CCBC-Net Archives
RE: ccbc-net digest: March 17, 2010
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Elisabeth LeBris <elebris_at_kenilworth38.org>
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:39:34 -0500
I just finished reading "Brave Margaret" retold by Robert Sans Souci to my 5th grade classes. It was a great choice for St. Patrick's Day and Womens History Month. The 5th graders really enjoyed it and we had a good discussion about how this did and did not fit their ideas about what makes a folktale. I asked them if they remembered they had studied "Cinderella" tales from around the world in language arts and library in 3rd grade. They had. The interesting note here is that many of them do not hear them at home or at least they don't stick out in their memories.
We have a very large collection of 398's here in our library. Our curriculum across the grades K-8 especially in LA and Social Studies includes the use of folktales, fairy tales and myths and legends. I continue to purchase beautiful editions of all these types of stories. At least here at school our students are being exposed to many examples of this rich genre.
Elisabeth LeBris, MLS Director Library Technology Services School District 38 (PK-8) Kenilworth,Il 60043 http://lebrisary.blogspot.com
Confidentiality Notice: This message and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information that is protected by law. The information contained herein is transmitted for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). If you are not the intended recipient or designated agent of the recipient of such information, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, copying or retention of this email or the information contained herein is strictly prohibited and may subject you to penalties under federal and/or state law. If you received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete this email. We may monitor email to and from our network.
Message-----
From: CCBC Network digest
Sent: Thu 3/18/2010 12:02 AM To: ccbc-net digest recipients Subject: ccbc-net digest: March 17, 2010
CCBC-NET Digest for Wednesday, March 17, 2010.
1. Up for Discussion on CCBC-Net: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? 2. FOLK/FAIRY TALES 3. Re: Where have all the folktales gone 4. European folktales - still popular, wish there were more 5. Re: European folktales - still popular, wish there were more 6. Re: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? 7. Re: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? 8. Re: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? 9. Folktales, where art thou? 10. Re: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? 11. Folktales 12. RE: Where have all the folktales gone 13. Re: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? 14. RE: Where have all the folktales gone 15. RE: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? 16. Re: Where have all the folktales gone
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Up for Discussion on CCBC-Net: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? From: "Kathleen T. Horning" Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:53:43 -0500 X-Message-Number: 1
****Thanks to all of you who participated in our Awards Discussion
Extravaganza. With a new year underway, we are already turning our attention to the new books that are coming out in 2010. Every day it seems we get boxes full of shiny new books here at the CCBC but few of them these days include folktales, either single tales illustrated as picture book or collections of tales.
Folktales retold for children were once a mainstay of children's publishing, so we're a bit perplexed by this sudden drought. Have you noticed this change as well? If so, have you missed them, or do you think the market was already glutted with retellings of Cinderella? Do they continue to be popular with the children in your communities? What,
in your opinion, makes for a great folktale retelling for young readers?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts, and would especially welcome any insights from our friends in the publishing world who might be able to tell us what is behind the change.
KT
Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608-263-3721 FAX: 608-262-4933
horning_at_education.wisc.edu http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: FOLK/FAIRY TALES From: Lbhcove_at_aol.com Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:42:53 -0400 (EDT) X-Message-Number: 2
It is only March!
Two different volumes are ONCE UPON A TIME: TRADITIONAL LATIN AMERICAN TALES by Reuben Martinez, illustrated by the wondrous Raul Colon (HABIA UNA VEZ: CUENTOS TRADICIONALES LATINOAMERICANOS (HarperCollins), includes seven new retellings of such gems as "Martina the Cockroach and Perez the Mouse (La cucarachita Martina y el raton Perez) and "The Wedding Rooster" (El gallo de bodas)...
and... MIRROR MIRROR: A BOOK OF REVERSIBLE VERSE by Marilyn Singer (Dutton), illustrated by Josee Masse, a book that has already received five starred reviews featuring "Cinderella's Double Life," "The Sleeping Beauty and the Wide-Awake Prince," "In the Hood (spoiler: it deals with a girl wearing red) plus others folk/fairy tale protagonists.
Once upon a time is now again!
LEE BENNETT HOPKINS
ORIGINAL WORKS
BEEN TO YESTERDAYS: POEMS OF A LIFE (BOYDS MILLS PRESS) *STARRED REVIEW/SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL CHRISTOPHER AWARD SCBWI GOLDEN KITE HONOR BOOK
CITY I LOVE (ABRAMS) *STARRED REVIEW / SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL *STARRED REVIEW / PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOKS OF 2009/ CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
NEW COLLECTIONS:
AMAZING FACES (LEE & LOW) ILLUSTRATED BY CHRIS SOENTPIET
SHARING THE SEASONS (SIMON & SCHUSTER/MCELDERRY BOOKS) ILLUSTRATED BY DAVID DIAZ *STARRED REVIEW / KIRKUS *STARRED REVIEW/ BOOKLIST
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Where have all the folktales gone From: Lynn Rutan Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:57:56 -0400 X-Message-Number: 3
I have been musing on this interesting subject. I was a middle school
librarian for many years and still work with a Gr. 6-12 bookclub and fairy tale/folklore twists are very popular with the teens here. In the last few years there have been some really outstanding YA books that the girls (and I) have adored reading. Juliet Marillier, Jessica Day George, Edith Pattou, Diane Zahler and Malinda Lo are just a few authors that spring quickly to mind and I know there are many more. It is a long-standing interest with teens too. I a had fairy tale twist bibliography available for the students because they asked for it so often.
The corollary to that tale however is the number of our students who didn't know the original tale! It is hard to appreciate a twist on a story if you don't know the story. A good example of this is the wonderful book Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher which is a version of the Scherazhade story and the 1001 Nights. My colleague created a wonderful booktalk for that (which I used at my school too) but we discovered that we had to FIRST tell the story of Scherazhade before we could booktalk Shadow Spinner. So many of our students had never heard of the 1001 Nights that the booktalk - and the new story - had to be explained first. There are a significant number of students who don't have the cultural background to understand the revisions and as much as they still seem to enjoy them, they miss a lot of the fun. I don't know how many times at our bookclub that we've had to gently explain points they've been perplexed by.
A second corollary is that it is very hard to find the original stories - especially for the youngest readers. I do after school child care for my first grade grandsons. They love books and have been exposed - probably more than they want ;-)- to lots and lots of them. There are some fabulous fun picture books that use the classical stories and nursery rhymes as a starting point and I wanted to find some good basic versions to read to them before heading to the spin-offs like Wiesner's The Three Pigs. I have struggled a bit to find something contemporary and have ended up going way back to some very old collections and telling them stories from memory.
Having had to weed an aging collection and reluctantly discard many fairy tale and folklore collections that were literally falling apart, I would say that I think there is a real need for some new editions of the stories we all think kids know and are shocked to find that they don't. I've looked especially for American tall tales and collections of fairy tales for our youngest readers. I think newly illustrated collections of these stories - so inherently part of our literacy culture - would find an enthusiastic audience.
Lynn Rutan Librarian Bookends: BooklistOnline Youth Blog Holland, MI lynnrutan_at_charter.net
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: European folktales - still popular, wish there were more From: Beth Wright Redford Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:53:55 -0700 (PDT) X-Message-Number: 4
I just spent a few weeks sharing European folk tales with my third and fourth grade classes, and these have been some of the students' favorite stories all year. I read Schlitz's version of the Grimm brothers' THE BEARSKINNER with my third graders. Even my wiggliest students got more and more still as the story unfolded. When I asked them what they liked about the book, they told me the story and pictures were creepy (I agree, in a good way). The same class was wildly enthusiastic about Zelinsky's RUMPELSTILTSKIN, mainly for the illustrations.
I spent some time looking for quality picture-book versions of the central King Arthur legends. I didn't have much luck; for instance, Hudson Talbott's books seem to be mostly out of print. This was disappointing, because one of my fourth grade classes was so interested by the few bits I cobbled together they named their classroom King Arthur's Court.
Earlier this year I shared some shorter folk tales with my second graders. Their favorites included Paye's HEAD, BODY, LEGS, Demi's ONE GRAIN OF RICE, and Gershator's ONLY ONE COWRIE. Again, I think the striking illustrations in each of these books add to their appeal. Anyone who has ever read ONE GRAIN OF RICE aloud and heard children's amazed reactions to the enormous final pictures of the rice will know exactly what I mean.
So in answer to KT's questions: folktales are still very popular with the children in my community, once adults get these stories onto their radars. I hope the folktales come back, and this publishing trend you're seeing is only temporary. (Maybe all the vampire books ate them?)
Beth Wright Redford Librarian Richmond Elementary School Richmond, Vermont
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: European folktales - still popular, wish there were more From: Amy White Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:54:19 -0500 (CDT) X-Message-Number: 5
Hey, Beth! You might try the Arthurian books by Robert San Souci, including YOUNG LANCELOT. There are Arthur and Guinevere stoires too. My kids LOVED those books, went on to read more Arthurian legend books, and still read fantasy/ action /adventure books as teens. The San Souci books are available in paperback and well-illustrated.
From one Arthur fan to another. :-)
-Amy (Brecount White)
FORGET-HER-NOTS, just release from Greenwillow/HarperCollins, ages 12 & up
Mar 16, 2010 08:54:12 PM, bethreader_at_yahoo.com wrote:
I just spent a few weeks sharing European folk tales with my third and fourth grade classes, and these have been some of the students' favorite stories all year. I read Schlitz's version of the Grimm brothers' THE BEARSKINNER with my third graders. Even my wiggliest students got more and more still as the story unfolded. When I asked them what they liked about the book, they told me the story and pictures were creepy (I agree, in a good way). The same class was wildly enthusiastic about Zelinsky's RUMPELSTILTSKIN, mainly for the illustrations.
I spent some time looking for quality picture-book versions of the central King Arthur legends. I didn't have much luck; for instance, Hudson Talbott's books seem to be mostly out of print. This was disappointing, because one of my fourth grade classes was so interested by the few bits I cobbled together they named their classroom King Arthur's Court.
Earlier this year I shared some shorter folk tales with my second graders. Their favorites included Paye's HEAD, BODY, LEGS, Demi's ONE GRAIN OF RICE, and Gershator's ONLY ONE COWRIE. Again, I think the striking illustrations in each of these books add to their appeal. Anyone who has ever read ONE GRAIN OF RICE aloud and heard children's amazed reactions to the enormous final pictures of the rice will know exactly what I mean.
So in answer to KT's questions: folktales are still very popular with the children in my community, once adults get these stories onto their radars. I hope the folktales come back, and this publishing trend you're seeing is only temporary. (Maybe all the vampire books ate them?)
Beth Wright Redford Librarian Richmond Elementary School Richmond, Vermont
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:39:34 -0500
I just finished reading "Brave Margaret" retold by Robert Sans Souci to my 5th grade classes. It was a great choice for St. Patrick's Day and Womens History Month. The 5th graders really enjoyed it and we had a good discussion about how this did and did not fit their ideas about what makes a folktale. I asked them if they remembered they had studied "Cinderella" tales from around the world in language arts and library in 3rd grade. They had. The interesting note here is that many of them do not hear them at home or at least they don't stick out in their memories.
We have a very large collection of 398's here in our library. Our curriculum across the grades K-8 especially in LA and Social Studies includes the use of folktales, fairy tales and myths and legends. I continue to purchase beautiful editions of all these types of stories. At least here at school our students are being exposed to many examples of this rich genre.
Elisabeth LeBris, MLS Director Library Technology Services School District 38 (PK-8) Kenilworth,Il 60043 http://lebrisary.blogspot.com
Confidentiality Notice: This message and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information that is protected by law. The information contained herein is transmitted for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). If you are not the intended recipient or designated agent of the recipient of such information, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, copying or retention of this email or the information contained herein is strictly prohibited and may subject you to penalties under federal and/or state law. If you received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete this email. We may monitor email to and from our network.
Message-----
From: CCBC Network digest
Sent: Thu 3/18/2010 12:02 AM To: ccbc-net digest recipients Subject: ccbc-net digest: March 17, 2010
CCBC-NET Digest for Wednesday, March 17, 2010.
1. Up for Discussion on CCBC-Net: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? 2. FOLK/FAIRY TALES 3. Re: Where have all the folktales gone 4. European folktales - still popular, wish there were more 5. Re: European folktales - still popular, wish there were more 6. Re: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? 7. Re: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? 8. Re: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? 9. Folktales, where art thou? 10. Re: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? 11. Folktales 12. RE: Where have all the folktales gone 13. Re: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? 14. RE: Where have all the folktales gone 15. RE: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? 16. Re: Where have all the folktales gone
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Up for Discussion on CCBC-Net: Where Have All the Folktales Gone? From: "Kathleen T. Horning" Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:53:43 -0500 X-Message-Number: 1
****Thanks to all of you who participated in our Awards Discussion
Extravaganza. With a new year underway, we are already turning our attention to the new books that are coming out in 2010. Every day it seems we get boxes full of shiny new books here at the CCBC but few of them these days include folktales, either single tales illustrated as picture book or collections of tales.
Folktales retold for children were once a mainstay of children's publishing, so we're a bit perplexed by this sudden drought. Have you noticed this change as well? If so, have you missed them, or do you think the market was already glutted with retellings of Cinderella? Do they continue to be popular with the children in your communities? What,
in your opinion, makes for a great folktale retelling for young readers?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts, and would especially welcome any insights from our friends in the publishing world who might be able to tell us what is behind the change.
KT
Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608-263-3721 FAX: 608-262-4933
horning_at_education.wisc.edu http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: FOLK/FAIRY TALES From: Lbhcove_at_aol.com Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:42:53 -0400 (EDT) X-Message-Number: 2
It is only March!
Two different volumes are ONCE UPON A TIME: TRADITIONAL LATIN AMERICAN TALES by Reuben Martinez, illustrated by the wondrous Raul Colon (HABIA UNA VEZ: CUENTOS TRADICIONALES LATINOAMERICANOS (HarperCollins), includes seven new retellings of such gems as "Martina the Cockroach and Perez the Mouse (La cucarachita Martina y el raton Perez) and "The Wedding Rooster" (El gallo de bodas)...
and... MIRROR MIRROR: A BOOK OF REVERSIBLE VERSE by Marilyn Singer (Dutton), illustrated by Josee Masse, a book that has already received five starred reviews featuring "Cinderella's Double Life," "The Sleeping Beauty and the Wide-Awake Prince," "In the Hood (spoiler: it deals with a girl wearing red) plus others folk/fairy tale protagonists.
Once upon a time is now again!
LEE BENNETT HOPKINS
ORIGINAL WORKS
BEEN TO YESTERDAYS: POEMS OF A LIFE (BOYDS MILLS PRESS) *STARRED REVIEW/SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL CHRISTOPHER AWARD SCBWI GOLDEN KITE HONOR BOOK
CITY I LOVE (ABRAMS) *STARRED REVIEW / SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL *STARRED REVIEW / PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOKS OF 2009/ CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
NEW COLLECTIONS:
AMAZING FACES (LEE & LOW) ILLUSTRATED BY CHRIS SOENTPIET
SHARING THE SEASONS (SIMON & SCHUSTER/MCELDERRY BOOKS) ILLUSTRATED BY DAVID DIAZ *STARRED REVIEW / KIRKUS *STARRED REVIEW/ BOOKLIST
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Where have all the folktales gone From: Lynn Rutan Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:57:56 -0400 X-Message-Number: 3
I have been musing on this interesting subject. I was a middle school
librarian for many years and still work with a Gr. 6-12 bookclub and fairy tale/folklore twists are very popular with the teens here. In the last few years there have been some really outstanding YA books that the girls (and I) have adored reading. Juliet Marillier, Jessica Day George, Edith Pattou, Diane Zahler and Malinda Lo are just a few authors that spring quickly to mind and I know there are many more. It is a long-standing interest with teens too. I a had fairy tale twist bibliography available for the students because they asked for it so often.
The corollary to that tale however is the number of our students who didn't know the original tale! It is hard to appreciate a twist on a story if you don't know the story. A good example of this is the wonderful book Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher which is a version of the Scherazhade story and the 1001 Nights. My colleague created a wonderful booktalk for that (which I used at my school too) but we discovered that we had to FIRST tell the story of Scherazhade before we could booktalk Shadow Spinner. So many of our students had never heard of the 1001 Nights that the booktalk - and the new story - had to be explained first. There are a significant number of students who don't have the cultural background to understand the revisions and as much as they still seem to enjoy them, they miss a lot of the fun. I don't know how many times at our bookclub that we've had to gently explain points they've been perplexed by.
A second corollary is that it is very hard to find the original stories - especially for the youngest readers. I do after school child care for my first grade grandsons. They love books and have been exposed - probably more than they want ;-)- to lots and lots of them. There are some fabulous fun picture books that use the classical stories and nursery rhymes as a starting point and I wanted to find some good basic versions to read to them before heading to the spin-offs like Wiesner's The Three Pigs. I have struggled a bit to find something contemporary and have ended up going way back to some very old collections and telling them stories from memory.
Having had to weed an aging collection and reluctantly discard many fairy tale and folklore collections that were literally falling apart, I would say that I think there is a real need for some new editions of the stories we all think kids know and are shocked to find that they don't. I've looked especially for American tall tales and collections of fairy tales for our youngest readers. I think newly illustrated collections of these stories - so inherently part of our literacy culture - would find an enthusiastic audience.
Lynn Rutan Librarian Bookends: BooklistOnline Youth Blog Holland, MI lynnrutan_at_charter.net
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: European folktales - still popular, wish there were more From: Beth Wright Redford Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:53:55 -0700 (PDT) X-Message-Number: 4
I just spent a few weeks sharing European folk tales with my third and fourth grade classes, and these have been some of the students' favorite stories all year. I read Schlitz's version of the Grimm brothers' THE BEARSKINNER with my third graders. Even my wiggliest students got more and more still as the story unfolded. When I asked them what they liked about the book, they told me the story and pictures were creepy (I agree, in a good way). The same class was wildly enthusiastic about Zelinsky's RUMPELSTILTSKIN, mainly for the illustrations.
I spent some time looking for quality picture-book versions of the central King Arthur legends. I didn't have much luck; for instance, Hudson Talbott's books seem to be mostly out of print. This was disappointing, because one of my fourth grade classes was so interested by the few bits I cobbled together they named their classroom King Arthur's Court.
Earlier this year I shared some shorter folk tales with my second graders. Their favorites included Paye's HEAD, BODY, LEGS, Demi's ONE GRAIN OF RICE, and Gershator's ONLY ONE COWRIE. Again, I think the striking illustrations in each of these books add to their appeal. Anyone who has ever read ONE GRAIN OF RICE aloud and heard children's amazed reactions to the enormous final pictures of the rice will know exactly what I mean.
So in answer to KT's questions: folktales are still very popular with the children in my community, once adults get these stories onto their radars. I hope the folktales come back, and this publishing trend you're seeing is only temporary. (Maybe all the vampire books ate them?)
Beth Wright Redford Librarian Richmond Elementary School Richmond, Vermont
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: European folktales - still popular, wish there were more From: Amy White Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:54:19 -0500 (CDT) X-Message-Number: 5
Hey, Beth! You might try the Arthurian books by Robert San Souci, including YOUNG LANCELOT. There are Arthur and Guinevere stoires too. My kids LOVED those books, went on to read more Arthurian legend books, and still read fantasy/ action /adventure books as teens. The San Souci books are available in paperback and well-illustrated.
From one Arthur fan to another. :-)
-Amy (Brecount White)
FORGET-HER-NOTS, just release from Greenwillow/HarperCollins, ages 12 & up
Mar 16, 2010 08:54:12 PM, bethreader_at_yahoo.com wrote:
I just spent a few weeks sharing European folk tales with my third and fourth grade classes, and these have been some of the students' favorite stories all year. I read Schlitz's version of the Grimm brothers' THE BEARSKINNER with my third graders. Even my wiggliest students got more and more still as the story unfolded. When I asked them what they liked about the book, they told me the story and pictures were creepy (I agree, in a good way). The same class was wildly enthusiastic about Zelinsky's RUMPELSTILTSKIN, mainly for the illustrations.
I spent some time looking for quality picture-book versions of the central King Arthur legends. I didn't have much luck; for instance, Hudson Talbott's books seem to be mostly out of print. This was disappointing, because one of my fourth grade classes was so interested by the few bits I cobbled together they named their classroom King Arthur's Court.
Earlier this year I shared some shorter folk tales with my second graders. Their favorites included Paye's HEAD, BODY, LEGS, Demi's ONE GRAIN OF RICE, and Gershator's ONLY ONE COWRIE. Again, I think the striking illustrations in each of these books add to their appeal. Anyone who has ever read ONE GRAIN OF RICE aloud and heard children's amazed reactions to the enormous final pictures of the rice will know exactly what I mean.
So in answer to KT's questions: folktales are still very popular with the children in my community, once adults get these stories onto their radars. I hope the folktales come back, and this publishing trend you're seeing is only temporary. (Maybe all the vampire books ate them?)
Beth Wright Redford Librarian Richmond Elementary School Richmond, Vermont
---Received on Thu 18 Mar 2010 09:39:34 AM CDT
