Jon Scieszka's Birthday

Happy 55th Birthday to Jon Scieszka! For many years, children have been enjoying his wonderful works, hopefully you'll enjoy them too (although, I, myself, have mixed thoughts)!

Scieszka, Jon.
Squids Will Be Squids.
1998.
Viking.

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

We're all used to hearing fables -- those moral-filled stories about tortoises and hares, and ants and grasshoppers. But fables about skateboarding frogs? Duckbilled platypuses? BeefsnakSticks? Outrageous, you say? After standing fairy tales on their heads in The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and blowing the lid off The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, the enormously popular and highly acclaimed author-and-illustrator team of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith are back. This time they have created contemporary fables that reflect all the bossiness, sneakiness, boastfulness, and silliness of our everyday lives. And the moral of the story? Move over, Aesop, because the world of fables may never be the same.

So... I really just didn't get most of this book... and I while I think kids would find the book funny, I doubt they'd really understand the tales and morals to be taught... Perhaps if there are lesson plans out there that specifically cater to the book and show you how to use the book as a teaching resource, maybe it's playable... Have any of you used this book with children? Did they get the stories, let alone the morals?

I will share with you my favorite of the fables/morals,

he who...
Skunk, Musk Ox, and Cabbage were sitting
around the front porch at Skunk's house.
Slowly but surely,
the porch filled with
a terrible smell.
"Whoa!" said Skunk. "Is that you, Musk Ox?"
Musk Ox shook his shaggy head.
"No way, Skunk. That's Cabbage."
"Uh uh," said Cabbage.
"That's not me."
Musk Ox and Cabbage looked back
at Skunk, who
suddenly became very interested in tying his shoe.
[Moral: He who melt it, dealt it.]

I'm pretty sure kids will get this one... but would you really consider that a moral? I don't know... mixed thoughts on my part!

Lesson Plans/Reading Activities:

• Scholastic Squids Will Be Squids Lesson Plan
• Making Traditional Fables Modern
  

Scieszka, Jon.
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs.
1989.
Penguin Books.
Guided Reading Level: Q

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

The wolf gives his own outlandish version of what really happened when he tangled with the three little pigs.

I've always enjoyed using this story in collaboration with any other version of The 3 Little Pigs, as this one is told from the Wolf's point-of-view and allows children to easily grasp the idea of comparing and contrasting the two stories. What is different? What was the same? I have tended to use this as an introduction with Venn Diagrams as well... gets children organized in comparing and contrasting different events/things. However, there are numerous other activities that can be done with this book as well, making it an almost must have on your bookshelf!

My Other Favorite Versions of The Three Little Pigs to Use as Fractured Fairytales:

• The Three Pigs, David Wiesner
• The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig, Eugene Trivizas
• Three Little Hawaiian Pigs and the Magic Shark, Donivee Laird
• Three Little Cajun Pigs, Mike Artell
• Alaska's Three Pigs, Arlene Laverde

Other Activities:

• Fairy Tale Lessons and Point of View
• Jon Scieszka Fractured Fairytales and Fables
• The True Story of the Three Little Pigs Literature Guide
• Building a Better Home for the Three Little Pigs

Scieszka, Jon.
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.
1992.
Viking.
Guided Reading Level: P

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

Wonderfully quirky, this book breathes new life into staid children's stories. In these irreverent variations on well-known themes, the ugly duckling grows up to be an ugly duck, and the princess who kisses the frog wins only a mouthful of amphibian slime.

I hate to say it, but this wasn't one of my favorites either... I really thought I would enjoy the fairytale and folktale books, but I just didn't appreciate them... Do any of you have any experience using these books with children? How did they enjoy them? Did you use the books in an educational manner? Or just as a read aloud? What did you think of the book?

Lesson Plans/Reading Activities

• I Hate to Complain but your Cheese Stinks
• Fractured Tales - The Stinky Cheese Man

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com.

Saturday is National Day of the Cowboy

National Day of the Cowboy is a day to pay homage to our cowboy and western heritage, as well as to honor working cowboys and cowgirls, rodeo athletes, western musicians, cowboy poets, western artists, ranchers and all others who continue to contribute to the cowboy and western culture in America today. The day is set for the fourth Saturday in July after being proclaimed by the US Senate in Resolution 138 for the first time on July 23, 2005. This year we celebrate National Day of the Cowboy on Saturday, June 25.
-The Teacher's Calendar, 2008-2009

Timberlake, Amy.

The Dirty Cowboy.
2003.
Farrar, Strauss & Giroux.

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

After he finds a tumbleweed in his chaps and the numerous bugs buzzing around him affect his hearing, the cowboy decides it’s time to head to the river. Once there, he peels off all his clothes and tells his trusty old dog to guard them against strangers. He takes a refreshing bath and emerges clean as corn – but so fresh-smelling that his dog doesn’t recognize him! Negotiations over the return of the clothes prove fruitless. A wrestling match ensues in a tale that grows taller by the sentence, climaxing in a fabric-speckled dust devil.

This is a really funny story! Kids will love it! If you have children who are hesitant about bath time (at an older age) this would be a perfect story to read with them!

Teague, Mark.
How I Spent My Summer Vacation.
1997.
Random House Children's Books.
Guided Reading Level: I

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

Some kids spend their summer vacation at camp. Some kids spend it at Grandma's house. Wallace Bleff spent his out west...on a ride, a rope, and a roundup he'll never forget.

This book is really quite funny! Kids will love the tale to be told, and it's great that it's told as Bleff's point of view as a writing assignment about how he spent his summer vacation. Oh, what his class must think! It's definitely worth of a read!

Scieszka, Jon.
Cowboy and Octopus.
2007.
Penguin Group.

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

Peanut butter and jelly. George and Martha. Frog and Toad. Cowboy and . . . Octopus? Yes, that's right. Meet Cowboy and Octopus-the next great pair to become a household name. Cowboy likes beans'n'bacon and bacon'n'beans. Octopus eats raw seafood. Octopus prefers knock-knock jokes, but Cowboy doesn't get them. How will these two ever be friends?

I'm not quite sure what to make of this one... It's got some humor in it that was sort-of funny, but I'm not even sure kids would understand the humor... I think your best bet might be to pass this one by, or at least examine it for yourself first and then decide whether or not it's appropriate for you children.

And particularly for the girls!...

Silverman, Erica.
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: Rain or Shine.
2009.
Houghton Mifflin Company.
Guided Reading Level: J

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

In book four of this award-winning series, Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa gear up for lots more fun and a little stormy weather.

This is the first book I've read in the Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa series, but I'm sure it won't be the last! What's great about this series is that the books don't necessarily need to be read in the order that they were published. They work just fine as stand-alone titles, which is perfect for beginning readers who can't wait to get their hands on another book in the series and don't want to wait for the next one in order! This particular title allows readers to see that (as long as their parents give approval) there's fun to be had in rainy weather!

Silverman, Erica.
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: Horse in the House.
2009.
Houghton Mifflin Company.
Guided Reading Level: J

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

In this fifth book in the series, Cocoa nudges his way right into Cowgirl Kate's house. He pokes his head through every doorway and finally decides to live in the best stall of all--the kitchen. What's a cowgirl to do? Well, whether under one roof--or two--there's no doubt these buckaroos will be pals forever!

This is only the second book I've read from the series, but I'm definitely glad to have been able to add it to my collection! I love that is shows a less feminine side of little girls - girls need to be able to see that it's okay to enjoy the more masculine, boyish activities - such as acting as a cowgirl! What's more? They're sure to love the mischief Cocoa causes in Cowgirl Kate's house as he tries to find a stall better than his own!

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com.