Module 3-Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears/Rapunzel

Module 3-Caldecott Winners, 1938-1989

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears by Verna Aardema

ISBN:  978-081405-4905-8

Audience (according to School Library Journal):  K-Gr. 3

Aardema, V. (1975). Why mosquitoes buzz in people’s    
     ears.  New York, NY:  Penguin Putman, Inc.

Pricing (as of 9/12)

*Amazon:      Paperback:    $7.99

                        Hardcover:     $13.70

Book Summary

         In this wonderful retelling of an African tale, Aardema pairs her words with the stunning artwork of Leo and Diane Dillon.  According to this tale, a mosquito starts an unlikely series of events with n exaggerated story to an ornery iguana that results in the sun not rising as it always does.  Due to her guilty conscious, she is doomed to buzz into people’s ears, telling stories which often results in a <<<SLAP>>>.

APA Reference
Aardema, V. (1975). Why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears.  New York, NY:  Penguin 
      Putman, Inc.

Impressions

         Young children will love not only the vivid watercolor pictures, but the repetitive text that will allow them to retell the story as the reading progresses.  Older children will also be drawn to the stained glass look of the illustrations and will also notice the finer details of the art—on one part of the page it shows what the animals THINK has happened and on another, it shows what has actually happened.  Some readers and listeners will also note that some animals appear on the pages without actually contributing to the storyline…or do they?

Professional Reviews

            <<Colorful animals fill the paes of this Caldecott Medal-winning book based on a West African legend.  The husband-and-wife team worked together on the pictures, spraying airbrushed watercolor through hand-cut stencils….This technique was an involved and tedious process, but the artists were inspired by African batiks and wanted shapes with sharp, crisp edges….

Erbach, M. M. (2006). Classic caldecotts by decade. Book Links, 15(6), 16-20. Retrieved from http://booklistonline/booklinks

            <<A familiar folk tale, well told, of a series of misunderstandings beginning with the lowly mosquito and leading to the death of an owlet and Mother owl’s refusal to wake the sun.  After the animals in council trace the catastrophe to the mosquito, her own guilty conscience sets her punishment through the ages.  Stunning full-color illustrations=watercolor sprayed with air gun, overlayed with pastel, cut out and repasted-give an eye-catching abstract effect and tell the story with humor and power.  This ought to be a strong contender for the Caldecott Medal.

Gregory, H. (1975). Why mosquitos buzz in people's ears (book review). School Library Journal, 22(4), 40. Retrieved from http://slj.com

Library Uses

1.  Outstanding storytelling book!  The librarian should use the pictures along with dramatic narration and children will love to participate in the repetitive portions of the story as well as making the animal noises.  After the initial storytelling, many children will be interested in retelling the story along with the pictures. 
2.   Great suggestion for teachers who are looking for a sequencing or cause and effect picture book to use with ages up through sixth grade.  Often a reading skill can be demonstrated/practiced with a picture book that even the older students will enjoy.

Module 3-Caldecott Winners, 1990-2012

Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky

ISBN:  978-0-5254-5607-0

Audience (according to Booklinks):  Gr. 1-5

Zelinsky, P. (1997).  Rapunzel.  New York, NY: Penguin 
     Putman Books for Young Readers.

Pricing (as of 9/12):

*Amazon:      Paperback:    $7.99

                        Hardcover:     $11.97

Book Summary

            In this retelling of the classic “Rapunzel” story, the downfall of Rapunzel’s mother is her craving for the herb called Rapunzel that only grows in the garden of a sorceress.  Caught stealing the delicious plant, the prince must give up his first child in order to give his wife what she yearns for.  The child is born, taken away by the witch, and named after the plant that led to the couple’s loss.  Banished to a tower, a handsome prince hears Rapunzel’s voice and is able to climb her long hair to begin a doomed courtship.  Marriage and pregnancy lead to Rapunzel being sent away into the wilderness and the prince being blinded by a fall from the tower. But true love prevails, and, as in any great fairy tale, the couple and their twins live happily ever after.

APA Reference
Zelinsky, P. (1997).  Rapunzel.  New York, NY: Penguin Putman Books for Young Readers.

Impressions

The story of Rapunzel, her long hair, and being trapped in a tower by a wicked sorceress is made even more vivid with the detailed paintings of artist and storyteller, Paul O. Zelinsky.  Students will see shades of the Disney movie Tangled as well as other versions of the ageless tale, which will enhance their enjoyment and comprehension of the text.  Differences, such as the marriage, pregnancy, the prince’s blindness and subsequent healing will keep the listener or reader guessing about the plot’s twists and turns until the very end.  And throughout it all, the artistic touches will enhance every word.  Truly a work of art.

Professional Reviews

            <<This Caldecott winner features Zelinsky’s rich oil painting that evoke the portraints, sculpture, architecture, and light-filled landscapes of Renaissance art.  While keeping to the details of earlier Rapunzel stories, the text is spare and easily understood.

Danielson, K. E., & Harrington, J. (2004). Rapunzel (book). Book Links, 13(3), 60-60. Retrieved from http://booklistonline/booklinks.

       <<…it takes a scholar’s mind and an artist’s insight to endow the familiar with unexpected nuances-which Zelinsky does with passion and dazzling technique.  Given the story’s Italian origins, his choice of a renaissance setting is inspired, allowing for many allusions to the art and architecture of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centures….”

Burns, M. M. (1998). Rapunzel. Horn Book Magazine, 74(1), 85-86. Retrieved from http://hbook.com.

Library Uses

1.  This Caldecott winner could be used in upper grades in support of art classes or history courses that emphasis the Renaissance period.  
2.  Book talk-With the story of Rapunzel appearing in so many forms and with so many variations, a teacher or librarian could present a variety of them to demonstrate/reinforce the skill or compare/contrast, to reinforce the TEK concerning dramatic adaptations of written word, or to encourage creative thinking in a group of young people.
3.  In a storytelling setting, young children would love to participate in the telling by making the climbing motions, doing the calling to Rapunzel to let down her hair, to mock the cackling of the sorceress, etc.  Great student involvement potential in the telling of this tale.