Winter Is for Reading

Winter gives us the perfect excuse to curl up with a good book, write in our journals or read with our children.  The poet William Carlos Williams challenges the howling North Wind in his poem, “January”:

Play louder.

You will not succeed. I am

bound more to my sentences

the more you batter at me

to follow you.

You can always take shelter from the winter winds in your library.

Over the break, I discovered a fantastic reading app that kept my children entertained on the iPads for longer than they should have been.  Reading Rainbow, a show that aired on the Public Broadcasting System in the US for over 20 years, has now put all their wonderful experience into creating a safe, online environment for kids.  If your kids are like mine, you can never have enough reading apps.  You can check Reading Rainbow out for free.

Snowstorm Huda blasted Amman, but I was prepared.  I finished Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih, I'd save this book for college students, or those familiar with Conrad or Achebe.  I don't know that very many high school readers would catch the nuances of the text, post-colonialism, deconstruction, some existentialism, some great feminist stuff.  You need a lot of lenses to unpack this text, which makes it really good reading for those of us who love to read, but probably a little too confusing and complex for those just starting out.  I really liked it though.  It would be great to teach in World Lit.  

I also read Jane Yolen's collection of short stories, Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast. It was interesting, but just that, a collection of fantasy short stories for Young Adults.  There were some "horror" stories, but they weren't very scary compared to what kids read today.  My favorites were "Mama Gone," a story set in Appalachia, wherein the young protagonist must face her vampire mother.  "Winter's King" sticks with me, not because of the plot, but because of its beautiful writing.  It reminded me of Game of Thrones.  I thought it was beautiful.  "The Babysitter," perhaps the most "horrorific" of them all had a nice twist at the end.  

My favorite was Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. My Goodreads reviews are now linked, but I'll repost it here.  I would give one caviat.  In a conservative culture, I would recommend this for 16 and up, no younger, just to be on the safe side with parents.

I wish John Hughes were still alive, because ELEANOR & PARK needs to be made into a John Hughes movie, circa 1986, the year in which it is set in the most unlikely of Midwestern towns, Omaha. Rainbow Rowell, did you make Eleanor into Molly Ringwald on purpose or was it typecasting? It took me two days to read this, and it felt like I was 16 again, hoping, praying, that some boy, any boy, would notice me, but not quite sure how to make it happen. And the bus rides, oh, the bus rides. Wondering what mean girl was stalking you, why you felt ostracized. The music, the Smiths, the Smithereens, U2, Foreigner, the soundtrack of my life. And the quiet, mysterious boy, the one who took martial arts, who probably kept a journal, who didn't talk about it, who melted your insides. Learning to drive. That first kiss. That promise of something more you know will never come true. The golden moment caught in time, like a picture, in your yearbook. Friends Forever, Eleanor & Park. 

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. London: Hachette/Orion. ISBN 9781409120544. Pbk.

Say My Name!--a review of RUMPLESTILTSKIN by Paul O. Zelinsky

After her foolish father brags to a greedy king, a poor miller’s daughter, alone and afraid, is forced to turn straw into gold.  Unable to accomplish the impossible, she fears for her life until a mysterious, tiny man comes to her rescue in exchange for her most precious belongings.  Her fortune changes when she is made queen, but her troubles soon return when the little man appears, demanding she make good on her final promise—her firstborn son.  Unless she can guess his name in three days’ time, the queen will find herself desolate once more.  Who will come to her rescue now?  Will she guess the little man’s name and save her son?

Rumplestiltskin, from the German of the Brothers Grimm. Retold & Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky.

Zelinsky’s goal was to create a “text best suited for a picture book.”  This is not as easy as it seems, as Rumplestiltskin is a fairy tale from the oral tradition which was written down by the Brothers Grimm over 200 years ago.  Zelinsky manages to capture the universal spirit of the traditional story by remaining true to some critical elements of the tale.  He maintains the conventional plot, which is the final triumph of the humble miller’s daughter over her oppressors, in a straightforward re-telling that sees her suffering first at the hands of her boasting father, then the avaricious king, and finally a scary little man who seeks to rob her of all that she holds dear.   Zelinsky has also remained true to the rule of threes.  There are three male oppressors.  In return for three nights of spinning gold—whir! whir! whir!—she gives away a necklace, a ring, and her firstborn.  In three nights of guessing his name, Zelinsky offers three of Mistress Miller’s guesses.  Of course, her third guess on the third night is correct.  Finally, Zelinsky preserves the presence of the mystical, which is probably the most crucial element of all fairy tales, in the wizened little form of Rumplestiltskin.  Where does he come from?  What is so important about his name?  How does he turn straw into gold?  We don’t know, and Zelinsky doesn’t try to tell us, choosing to let us wonder, just as children have for centuries.

Zelinsky’s oil paintings lend this picture book a classic feel, well suited to the re-telling. His choice of red and blue hues, beautiful ivory skin tones, his use of gold to illuminate, and his landscape and portrait techniques pay tribute to the high artists of the Northern Italian Renaissance. The castle setting and the clothing add to the classical appeal. Zelinsky is visually clever in moving the plot forward through the pictures. There are two spreads which encapsulate more than one story sequence in one painting, which reflect his straight-forward plot. As with classic artists, he is also masterful in his use of line and perspective to draw the viewer’s eye across the paintings, which also moves the story forward visually. Zelinsky makes his mark through subtle, and sometimes, not so subtle, humor, especially in characterizing the title character. The triumph over Rumplestiltskin is wrought with wit, reflected in the eyes of the queen, her maid and the baby, as they watch a furious and frustrated little man throw a tantrum before riding off on his cooking spoon. Perhaps even more than in his text, Zelinsky’s art offers a satisfying encounter between the known and unknown worlds, which is exactly what fairy tales should do.

Honors, Awards and Reviews

Randolph Caldecott Medal, 1987, Honor Book

Redbook Children’s Picturebook Award, 1986

Society of Illustrators and AIGA Certificates of Merit

Bratislava Biennale Selection

ALA Notable Book

SLJ Best Book

Parents' Choice Award, 1986, 2003

Best Books

Children’s Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001—H.W. Wilson

Children’s Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006—H.W. Wilson

“For all their elegance, the illustrations are comprehensible, dynamic, compelling, and unforgettable, imbued with human—and humorous touches. . . . This book is truly a tour de force.”—Burns, Mary, Horn Book, 62 (November/December 1986): p. 751.

“Zelinsky’s smooth retelling and glowing pictures cast the story in a new and beautiful light.”—Patron, Susan H., School Library Journal, 33 (October 1986).

“The story is plainly and gracefully told, unmarred by cuteness or stylistic tics that might obscure the power of the original Grimm. Children—one need hardly say—love the story for its mystery, and its familiarity. Adults will find that, like most classic fairy tales, this one rewards periodic rethinking.”—Prose, Francine, New York Times Book Review (November 9, 1986): p. 57.

“Rumplestiltskin is a tour de force by an immensely talented artist. Zelinsky is that rare practitioner who can create sophisticated work that adults will marvel at, and that children will joyfully embrace.”—Publisher’s Weekly, 1986

Lesson Extensions

An excellent lesson plan created by Deborah Hallen for teaching the elements of a fairy tale in Rumplestiltskin can be found here.

AP Extensions

There is enough substance and research about fairy tales to legitimately use them as material in both Advanced Placement Literature and Composition and Language and Composition courses as studies on theme, rhetorical devices and comparative literature.

One idea would be to introduce students to annotated texts using examples from sources such as Sur La Lune. Students could then be assigned their own annotations on another text.

Sur La Lune also has a fantastic list of “Tales Similar to Rumplestiltskin” which would be a worthwhile option to use with older students who are capable to making complex comparisons of different versions.  Students could create their own graphic organizer to compare variants.

You could also use a study in fairy tales as a springboard to database research.  Students could research articles related to Rumplestiltskin or other fairy tales, creating Annotated Bibliographies of their findings.

References


Hallen, Deborah (n.d.) “Rumplestiltskin.” Paul O. Zelinsky.com (accessed September 24, 2011 from http://www.paulozelinsky.com/rumpelstiltskin_lessons.html).
Heiner, Heidi Ann. (1999; updated 2007) SurLaLune Fairy Tales (accessed September 24, 2011 from www.surlalunefairytales.com).
Zelinsky, Paul O. (1986). Rumplestiltskin. New York: Puffin. ISBN 978-0758701404.