Review of THE NEIGHBORHOOD MOTHER GOOSE

Crews, Nina. 2004. THE NEIGHBORHOOD MOTHER GOOSE. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 0-06-051573-2

THE NEIGHBORHOOD MOTHER GOOSE is a collection honoring “a centuries-old oral tradition.” A brief author’s note at the end of the book explains the sources Crews used to create her compilation. Her sources include THE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF NURSERY RHYMES, THE ANNOTATED MOTHER GOOSE and her own personal experiences. Though the rhymes are indeed centuries old, the illustrations give this book a contemporary spin. Crews uses color photography to present modern people from a variety of cultures in urban settings. This attachment to modern pictures facilitates readers’ connection with Mother Goose rhymes and is sure to help dispel the misconception that Mother Goose rhymes are irrelevant to today’s children. This connection could also lead to meaningful comparisons between and among cultures. The subjects of the photographs include a diverse group of people. In addition, the people’s faces match the mood of the rhyme. For example, one mother’s expression is fittingly amazed as her son “pulled out little fishes” from his ear. Some of the poems included are known as rhymes, while others may best be recognized as songs (Ring Around the Rosie) or tongue twisters (Peter Piper). The table of contents serves as an index, as each rhyme is listed alphabetically rather than sequentially. This method of organization facilitates the reader’s ability to search for a specific rhyme.

This collection of Mother Goose rhymes is highly recommendation for readers ages 2-8.

Review of MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD: WORLD FOLKTALES FOR STRONG BOYS

Yolen, Jane. Raul Colón. (Ill.) 2003. MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD: WORLD FOLKTALES FOR STRONG BOYS. New York: Harcourt. ISBN 0-15-216391-3

“Hero is about being clever, learning from your mistakes, being kind and compassionate, and finding good friends.” (p. ix) In a preface, Jane Yolen writes an open letter to her sons and grandsons explaining why she has collected and retold these folktales. In this fresh approach to traditional stories, the reader finds him or herself in the midst of heroes who use their brains rather than brawn to triumph. Each vignette is accompanied by a moral and a black and white drawing. In addition, the country of origin is noted. MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD includes folktales such as beast tales and fairy tales. The characters include anthropomorphized animals and the plots are formulaic and full of action. For example in Jake and His Companions, a boy, donkey, dog, cat and rooster seek their fortune. En route, they take on a band of thieves. When Jack and his friends overcome six ruffians, albeit in an unlikely manner, the reader is nonetheless satisfied. This collection also includes fables such as Knee-High Man. After talking with several animals about his petite stature, Knee-High Man learns it is more important to have a big brain than a big body. This story has a moral, talking animals and brevity—all typical ingredients for a fable. Yolen takes care to use culturally specific words in the different stories. In the African-American tale, the term brother is used to mean friend; the Norwegian tale has a character named Ole; and the Angolan story refers to the river Lukala which runs through the capital city Kwanza Norte. Some recognition of cultures may be seen in the illustrations as well. Adding to this collection’s value are the Table of Contents and Notes on the Stories sections.
Providing many opportunities to tout brains over brawn, this collection of folktales is recommended for readers ages 8-12 years.

Review of THE LEGEND OF THE WINDIGO

Ross, Gayle. Murv Jacob. (Ill.) 1996. THE LEGEND OF THE WINDIGO. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 978-0-803718982

PLOT SUMMARY
THE LEGEND OF THE WINDIGO is based on a combination of different Native American Tribes’ stories. In this tale, a village is plagued by a fearsome monster, the Windigo. This creature can change its form at will, sometimes being as tall as the tallest tree. Worst of all, it hypnotizes humans with its cave-like eyes and finally eats them. After losing some of its members to the Windigo, the village must decide what to do. Should they stay in the village where their ancestors slept or should they flee to safety? The people discover the answer to this difficult question from an unexpected source.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
This story offers many cultural markers. Both the text and illustrations support the conveyance of Native North American cultures. Author Gayle Ross, a Cherokee, uses her experience as a storyteller to blend parts from different tribes’ stories—including Tlingit and Cree—into an entertaining and culturally sensitive tale.

This tale depicts a people who live in the north woodlands. This generic location does more to indicate the forest-dwelling nature of the Windigo rather than to indicate a specific tribe. Ross states this story is based on several stories told by different tribes, but “this version is essentially my own creation” (Ross, unpaginated). The community comes together “in a great council” to decide what they are to do about the Windigo. Finally, they decide the elders would pray and fast in hopes they would be shown the solution to their problem. The entire village helps to build the sweat lodge—men, women, and children all have a part to play. The communal nature of the story’s tribe is typical of many Native American cultures.

Another commonality among some American Indian tribes is the global use of the term grandparents. When a boy tending a fire notes a stone has split, he calls the elders Grandparents. They reply, “they do that sometimes, Grandson.” The elders of a community are referred to as the grandparents of the entire tribe. In turn, though there may be no blood ties between them, the elders refer to the children as grandchildren.

Murv Jacob’s illustrations continue to provide general cultural information, taking care not to upset Ross’ attempt to generalize the story’s background. In most of the pictures, the men are seen wearing buckskin pants and shirts and the women buckskin dresses. There is some variation in the hairstyles among the villagers. Some men are shown with feathers and some women with their hair up. As with any community, variation in dress and hairstyles is to be expected. Such variation feeds the intentional lack of tribe specificity.

As can be noted in the illustrations and is reiterated in the Author’s Note, Jacob takes special care in the depiction of the sweat lodge. “Many traditional peoples are very protective of their own rituals” (Ross, unpaginated). Thus, this religious ceremony is protected through the use of general descriptions and paintings. Divulgence of the materials used to build the lodge and what goes on inside the lodge are deftly avoided.

While THE LEGEND OF THE WINDIGO is called “A Tale from Native North America,” the author concedes there is no such thing as a Native American Story. Indeed, the Author’s Note is a critical source of information when sharing this story. It not only provides background information about the story, it lays a foundation for readers seeking authentic stories about American Indian tribes. Despite the fact that the story’s authenticity and accuracy would be suspect without the benefit of the Author’s Note, THE LEGEND OF THE WINDIGO is, in and of itself, an entertaining tale.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
“The acrylic paintings match the text's description of the fearsome Windigo and also aptly capture the story's humorous conclusion. The lengthy author's note at the back provides a wealth of information.” (Horn Book)
“The fast pace and polish of the story make it a good choice for reading aloud…. Ross cites sources with a detailed note on story development and an explanation of sweat lodge ceremonies.” (Booklist)

Reviews obtained from Follett Library Resources and accessed at:
http://www.flr.follett.com/search?SID=c211074453f514ff63ced2a0fe154f24

CONNECTIONS
Other Cherokee-related stories for readers in grades K-6:
Ross, Gayle, and Murv Jacob. (Ill.) 1994. How Rabbit tricked Otter and other Cherokee trickster stories. New York: HarperCollins Publishers ISBN 978-0-0602-1285-8
Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk. 1996. The Cherokees. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 978-0-8234-1214-3
Bruchac, Joseph, and Teresa Flavin. (Ill.) 2000. Pushing up the sky : seven native American plays for children. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 978-0-8037-2168-5Max, Jill, and Robert Annesley. (Ill.) 1997. Spider spins a story: fourteen legends from Native America. Flagstaff, AZ: Rising Moon. ISBN 978-0-8735-8611-5

Review of DOÑA FLOR: A TALL TALE ABOUT A GIANT WOMAN WITH A GREAT BIG HEART

Mora, Pat. Raul Colón (Ill.) 2005. DOÑA FLOR: A TALL TALE ABOUT A GIANT WOMAN WITH A GREAT BIG HEART. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-375-82337-4

PLOT SUMMARY
Doña Flor, as the title suggests, is a large woman. So large that she hugs the wind, cradles livestock in her arms, and makes tortillas so big the town’s children use them as rafts. Not only is she large, this kind-hearted woman cares for her fellow townspeople. When they are frightened that a giant puma will attack the pueblo, Doña Flor tries everything to allay their fears and cheer them up. She reads stories to the children, scratches a new riverbed with her thumb, and shares the giant fruits of her garden. It is not until Doña Flor solves the mystery of the puma that the townspeople are able to return to their lives of peace and harmony.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
This story offers a plethora of cultural markers. Both the text and illustrations support the conveyance of the Hispanic culture. The interlingualism and illustrations depict a rural adobe pueblo. Through the use of language and setting, Pat Mora shares a tale of Doña Flor and her adventure with the giant puma.

The language used in this story is primarily English. However, there are Spanish phrases and terms peppered throughout. This use of interlingualism adds to the Hispanic flavor of the story. Mora chooses not to utilize a glossary for this book. However, the context surrounding each term is sufficient for full comprehension for even those with no Spanish-speaking abilities. “She built her own house, una casa big as a mountain….” The title character’s name, Flor, is subtly explained, “…she sang to her sweet baby, her sweet flower, …Flor.” Mora also uses Spanish terms which are easily recognized such as pueblo, tortilla, and amigo.

Raul Colón’s illustrations provide cultural information regarding both characters and setting. While of unusual stature, Doña Flor’s hair, skin tone, and facial features are authentically Hispanic. Her black hair is worn in a traditional braid wrapped around her head, the skin tone of the townspeople is a tanish brown, and Doña Flor has a strong nose and round face. Each characteristic in isolation could depict any number of ethnicities. However, when used in concert the resulting vision is of a clearly Hispanic community.

The illustrations reveal architecture which is characteristic of the southwestern U.S. and other desert or dry environments. The village is populated with flat-roofed adobe houses and buildings. Some of the homes are built into a hillside, typical in areas which require protection from the heat and other elements. This type of architecture is customary in some Hispanic communities of the southwestern United States.

While this tall tale could be generalized to many cultures, the interlingual text as well as the water color and etched illustrations place DOÑA FLOR: A TALL TALE ABOUT A GIANT WOMAN WITH A GREAT BIG HEART distinctly into the genre of Hispanic culture. Mora and Colón team up to create an Hispanic folktale with a maternal heroine whom we should all be so lucky to know.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
The plot is weak (a dangerous puma turns out to be harmless), but the cultural context is rewarding, as are the paintings, created with an intriguing combination of watercolor washes, etching, and colored and litho pencils. (Horn Book)
“ Colón’s gorgeous illustrations (with his round, swirling scratchboard style in warm, buttery colors) steal the show here, as the pleasantly rhythmic but overly meandering tall tale isn't arresting enough plot-wise to avoid bogging down in its heaps of hyperbole.” (Kirkus Review)

Reviews obtained from Follett Library Resources and accessed at:
http://www.flr.follett.com/search?SID=c211074453f514ff63ced2a0fe154f24

CONNECTIONS
Other tall tales for children:
Grambling, Lois G. ABIGAIL MUCHMORE: AN ORIGINAL TALE, ISBN 978-0-7614-5116-7
Schnetzler, Pattie L WIDDERMAKER, ISBN 978-0-87614-647-7
Rossi, Joyce. EL CHAPARRON TORENCIAL, ISBN 978-0-87358-728-0

Other books by Pat Mora for K-3 readers:
A BIRTHDAY BASKET FOR TIA, ISBN 978-0-689-81328-3
MARIMBA! ANIMALES FROM A TO Z, ISBN 978-0-618-19453-7
YUM! MMMM! QUE RICO! AMERICAS’ SPROUTINGS, ISBN 978-1-58430-271-1