I will confess, I dreaded doing Snow White. I dislike the tale, I dislike the absolute helplessness of Snow White, I dislike that it has a group of men needing to protect her. . .
But The Kid knew that the tale existed because friends had talked about it, and she didn't know the story and wanted to include it.
I had only known the Disney version previously, and I was surprised that there was so much variation in the versions. All but one of them still had her as a helpless female protected by men, so I still can't say I like it, but at least it freshened up the tale for me.
We read:
Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves retold by Cynthia Rylant - Chosen because it is the most well known version in the United States and she really wanted to know the same story that her friends knew.
Snow White by the Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Quentin Greban - The most faithful to the original Grimm tale, this one is more interesting than the usual version in that the witch tries multiple methods to do away with Snow White.
Snow White by the Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Charles Santore - Pretty much the Disney version, but with absolutely stunning illustrations.
The Seven Dwarfs by Etienne Delessert - A reimagining of the tale told from the point of view of one of the dwarves.
Rimonah of the Flashing Sword adapted by Eric A. Kimmel - If all Snow White stories were like this one, I would love Snow White. This character is amazing, smart, strong, and independent. This version is from North Africa.
Obviously, you could watch one or more of the many movies based on this tale, but The Kid is still a little hesitant about the scariness of most movies, so we skipped watching evil queens.
The Kid mashed together several of the Grimm/Disney versions to create her own.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
August/September's Top Ten Books
The Kid was camping for half of August, so I'm combining these two months.
1. Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein - I had never read this "billy sook", which is a collection of poems in which the first letters of many words are swapped. The Kid read it twice through, once enjoying the sounds, and again to "translate" it.
2. The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter - a great picture book biography focusing on the determination and patience of Jane Goodall, ending with talk of her work on preserving habitat.
3. The Monster That Grew Small retold by Joan Grant - a retelling of an Egyptian tale about conquering fears by facing them.
4. The Rich Man and the Parrot retold by Suzan Nadini - a Persian folk tale about greed and possessions, with a parrot who communicates ingeniously in order to find his freedom.
5. Rimonah of the Flashing Sword adapted by Eric A. Kimmel - a North African version of Snow White, this was nothing like any other Snow White story I've ever read. I detest the piles of helpless women in fairy tales, who are all beautiful and completely selfless but have no spunk, and Snow White is among the worst of these. But this one is a complete badass. Absolutely awesome.
6&7. The Boy Who Painted Dragons and The Girl Who Drew a Phoenix by Demi - these Chinese tales are both about young people who pass through trials to gain virtues in their pursuit of amazing artwork. Phenomenally illustrated.
8. Snow in Jerusalem by Deborah da Costa - a tale about two boys who are taking care of the same stray cat, one in the Jewish Quarter and one in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem.
9. Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry by Brian P. Cleary - a nice find. This introduces several poetic devices and styles of poems and then has several fun, whimsical examples of each. An incredibly approachable introduction to poetry terms.
10. Behind the Mask by Yangsook Choi - An awesome Halloween picture book that is not the usual fare, with a Korean-American as the main character.
1. Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein - I had never read this "billy sook", which is a collection of poems in which the first letters of many words are swapped. The Kid read it twice through, once enjoying the sounds, and again to "translate" it.
2. The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter - a great picture book biography focusing on the determination and patience of Jane Goodall, ending with talk of her work on preserving habitat.
3. The Monster That Grew Small retold by Joan Grant - a retelling of an Egyptian tale about conquering fears by facing them.
4. The Rich Man and the Parrot retold by Suzan Nadini - a Persian folk tale about greed and possessions, with a parrot who communicates ingeniously in order to find his freedom.
5. Rimonah of the Flashing Sword adapted by Eric A. Kimmel - a North African version of Snow White, this was nothing like any other Snow White story I've ever read. I detest the piles of helpless women in fairy tales, who are all beautiful and completely selfless but have no spunk, and Snow White is among the worst of these. But this one is a complete badass. Absolutely awesome.
6&7. The Boy Who Painted Dragons and The Girl Who Drew a Phoenix by Demi - these Chinese tales are both about young people who pass through trials to gain virtues in their pursuit of amazing artwork. Phenomenally illustrated.
8. Snow in Jerusalem by Deborah da Costa - a tale about two boys who are taking care of the same stray cat, one in the Jewish Quarter and one in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem.
9. Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry by Brian P. Cleary - a nice find. This introduces several poetic devices and styles of poems and then has several fun, whimsical examples of each. An incredibly approachable introduction to poetry terms.
10. Behind the Mask by Yangsook Choi - An awesome Halloween picture book that is not the usual fare, with a Korean-American as the main character.
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