Module 13 Rapunzel's Revenge

Bibliographic Citation

Hale, S. and Hale, D. Rapunzel's revenge. New York: Bloomsbury.

Summary
A graphic novel about a little girl that grew up behind a wall for twelve years.  On her twelfth birthday she climbed to the top of the wall and looked over.  There was desolate land with mine workers.  She remembered when she saw her real mother that she had been stolen and raised by a mean woman who named her Rapunzel.  Mother Gothel's henchman carried Rapunzel for many days to a tall creepy tree.  She stayed there until she was sixteen.  With her long hair she lassoed a tree and escaped to the forest floor and lasoed a boar which she intended to ride back to Mother Gothel and make her pay for her mistreatment.  Along the way she met Jack and Goldy the Goose and they had many adventures getting back to Mother Gothel.  They became outlaws.  They met a jackalope, met indians, fought wolves, and fought a sea monster, helped some miners.  Finally they made it to Mother Gothel's.. But Rapunzel was recognized and Mother Gothel cut off her hair.  Jack plants a magic beanstalk and Mother Gothel is captured in her own magic tree.Rapunzel finds her mother, Jack kisses her and tells her he loves her and Goldy lays the golden egg.


Impressions

A great book that I think would appeal to a boy or a girl.  It is a good adventure story that keeps the reader wanting to turn the page to see Jack and Rapunzel's next ordeal.  It could be compared to the typical Rapunzel story and also all the other hints of fairy tale or tall tale similarities.

Suggestions for use in a library setting

1.It could be used during a unit of the west because many of the characters and situations depict the old west adventure.  In the library it could be shared chapter by chapter.
2. Make a list of other fairly tales or tall tales referred to in the story.


Reviews

Gr 5-8-- In this action-packed, graphic-novel reincarnation, Rapunzel escapes her tree-tower prison and winds up in a Wild West saloon, fighting alongside a goose-toting Jack (think Beanstalk). Together, the two brave danger, save the world from evil, and fall in love. Whew! BOOK

Rapunzel's revenge. (2009). School Library Journal, 55(3), 9.

The popular author of Princess Academy teams with her husband and illustrator Hale (no relation) for a muscular retelling of the famously long-haired heroine's story, set in a fairy-tale version of the Wild West. The Hales' Rapunzel, the narrator, lives like royalty with witchy Mother Gothel, but defies orders, scaling villa walls to see what's outside--a shocking wasteland of earth-scarring mines and smoke-billowing towers. She recognizes a mine worker from a recurrent dream: it's her birth mother, from whom she was taken as punishment for her father's theft from Mother G.'s garden. Their brief reunion sets the plot in motion. Mother G. banishes Rapunzel to a forest treehouse, checking annually for repentance, which never comes. Rapunzel uses her brick-red braids first to escape, then like Indiana Jones with his whip, to knock out the villains whom she and her new sidekick, Jack (of Beanstalk fame), encounter as they navigate hostile territory to free Rapunzel's morn from peril. Illustrator Hale's detailed, candy-colored artwork demands close viewing, as it carries the action--Rapunzel's many scrapes are nearly wordless. With its can-do heroine, witty dialogue and romantic ending, this graphic novel has something for nearly everybody. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)

Rapunzel's revenge. (2008). Publishers Weekly, 255(31), 63.

Gr 5 Up-- This is the tale as you've never seen it before. After using her hair to free herself from her prison tower, this Rapunzel ignores the pompous prince and teams up with Jack (of Beanstalk fame) in an attempt to free her birth mother and an entire kingdom from the evil witch who once moonlighted as her "mother." Dogged by both the witch's henchman and Jack's outlaw past, the heroes travel across the map as they right wrongs, help the oppressed, and generally try to stay alive. Rapunzel is no damsel in distress-she wields her long braids as both rope and weapon-but she happily accepts Jack's teamwork and friendship. While the witch's castle is straight out of a fairy tale, the nearby mining camps and rugged surrounding countryside are a throwback to the Wild West and make sense in the world that the authors and illustrator have crafted. The dialogue is witty, the story is an enticing departure from the original, and the illustrations are magically fun and expressive. Knowing that there are more graphic novels to come from this writing team brings readers their own happily-ever-after.

von Wrangel Kinsey, C. (2008). Rapunzel's revenge. School Library Journal, 54(9), 215.

Module 12 Home on the Range

Bibliographic Citation

Hopkinson, D. (2009). Home on the range. New York:  G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Summary

John Avery Lomax loved singing as a small boy.  He sang all the time as he did his work and chores.  He lived along the Old Chishom Trail and cowboys often stopped at his house and they sang as they did their cowboy duties..  So he started to write down the cowboy songs he heard.  Eventually John went to the University of Texas.  Finally he became a teacher and later went back to school at Harvard.  He decided to do a paper on old ballards and wrote to newspapers from the west asking people to send him their songs.  John received hundreds of replies.  He finally presented his paper to his class and everyone cheered.  So next he decided to write a book and gather the songs from cowboys actually singing them.  John traveled around and recorded and wrote down songs.. Some of these songs are some that are still sung today like Home on the Range.

Impressions

I enjoyed reading this book even if it was historical fictional.  It was based on a real person John Avery Lomx and his love of cowboy songs.  People like him are very remarable to have followed their dream of writing down the songs of those years and know that they would be saved and shared for many others to enjoy in the future.  I have always been an admirer of cowboys and love to talk and read about them.

Suggestions For Use in a Library

1. I would share this book with third and up during  rodeo time of the year.  Sometimes classes visit the rodeo during school and I might suggest that they listen to see if they heard any cowboys singing near the animals at the rodeo.

2. Try writing a class song or a little cowboy poem on your own.

Reviews

With the flair for which she is known, Hopkinson (Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek) chronicles the early life of John Avery Lomax, a pioneer of folk musicology who got his start collecting cowboy songs. The colorful narrative devotes several spreads to the song collector's childhood in Texas. Glimpses of his thoughts and emotions (e. g, "The songs went straight to John's heart, and he made up his mind to write down each and every cowboy song he heard") as well as dialogue help personalize the story. Short, chapter-like segments begin with lyrics from cowboy songs, like "Poor Lonesome Cowboy," although it may take a more sophisticated reader to connect the songs' themes with Lomax's life. Schindler's (The Story of Salt) realistic illustrations, painted with a light touch in muted hues, ably capture the expressions of skeptical cowboys ("I'm not goin' poke my face up to your blamed old horn and sing," says one at the sight of Lomax's Ediphone) or the eagerness with which Lomax goes about his work. Concluding author notes read more like a standard biography and sketch out Lomax's later years. Ages 6-8. (Jan.)

Home on the range: John A. Lomax and his cowboy songs. (2008). Publishers Weekly, 255(50), 54

Interspersing her narrative with verses from "Home on the Range," "Sweet Betsy from Pike," "The Old Chisholm Trail" and like cowboy chestnuts, Hopkinson retraces the early career of the greatest collector and recorder of American folk songs ever. Taking minor liberties with the historical record (and compensating with a detailed afterword), she follows him from rural Texan childhood to the halls of Harvard, and then back out onto the trail, where, with a notebook and a primitive "Ediphone," he gathered verses and performances from anyone who would sing for him. In Schindler's atmospheric illustrations a dapper young man mingles comfortably with brushy-mustached, Stetson-topped cowpokes--and sits in one scene with a colorfully clad fortuneteller--in settings that are mostly wide, outdoorsy spreads of western prairie. Capped with a fuller picture of the work of Lomax and his son Alan, as well as enticing source notes, this account can't help but broaden the insight of little dogies everywhere into the histories and meaning of these enduringly popular songs. (Picture book/biography. 7-9)

Home on the range: John A. Lomax and his cowboy songs. (2008). Kirkus Reviews, 76(22), 1201.

Gr 1-4-- This lovely picture-book biography of the noted musicologist describes his youth in Texas where he enjoyed singing as he worked on the family ranch and he listened to cowboys singing as they traveled the old Chisholm Trail. Lomas taught for a few years, but his passionate interest in music won out and led him to become an extraordinary collector of folk songs. Beautiful ink and watercolor illustrations radiate warmth, charm, and humor, highlighting expressive features and striking individuality. The handsome artwork is full of energy and authenticity, and includes faithful and appealing renditions of animals and bucolic landscapes. Excerpts from some songs appear prominently. Addendum material includes additional details about Lomax, his family, and their legacy; information about the Library of Congress archival collection of songs; and a list of other sources.

Cutler, K. (2009). Home on the range: John A. Lomax and his cowboy songs. School Library Journal, 55(1), 92.

Module 11 Off Like The Wind

Bibliographic Citation

Spradlin, M. (2010). Off like the wind! The first ride of the Pony Express. New York: 
      Walker & Company.

Summary

This is the story of the first run of the Pony Express.  It is a day by day account and if a certain rider is known for his part in the ride they are named in this account.  The riders encounter stampeding buffalo, indians, wolves, snowstorms, drought, and other dangers.  Included is a map of the route and a timeline of events of the beginning history of the Pony Express establishment.  The author has written notes to explain the limited documented information.  There are suggestions for further reading, a bibliography, websites for young readers, and additional websites for more information on the Pony Express history.

Impressions

I was very impressed with the timeline and route and the extra author's notes with suggestions on additional readings and websites.  The illustrations are outstanding and colorful and for me really capture the spirit of the Pony Express.  Wouldn't those people then be amazed with how fast we send and receive email compared to their eleven days for Pony Express mail.

Suggestions for use in a library setting

1.  Short enough to read in the library as an introduction or review of what exactly the Pony Express was about.
2.  Good discussion on the riders's hardships, what kids think about being one of those riders or living during that time.


Reviews

Gr 2-5--This colorful and accessible picture book recounts the day-to-day adventures of Pony Express riders on the first transcontinental mail delivery system, from St. Joseph, MO, to Sacramento, CA. The book opens with a map of the overland route, a time line of major events in the Express's short-lived history (1860-1861), and a quote from Mark Twain's Roughing It. On the unprecedented journey, which took roughly 11 days, riders faced extremes in weather, buffalo stampedes, wolves, and encounters with Native tribes. The straightforward text in combination with the larger-than-life panoramic oil spreads capture the romance, excitement, and danger that riders experienced along the trail. An author's note explains that truth and legend are often intertwined when researching the Pony Express due to the destruction of records upon the cessation of service. Balancing the right amount of information with lively narrative, this book could easily be used in a history unit or as a general interest title.

Bryant, M. J. (2010). Off like the wind! The first ride of the Pony Express. School Library Journal, 56(2), 102-103.

In this rousing, as-historically-accurate-as-possible recreation of the Pony Express's first ride, Spradlin introduces readers to the crazy-wild brainchild of three businessmen to expedite mail over the near-2,000 miles from St. Joseph, Mo., to Sacramento, Calif. Accompanied by Johnson's artwork, which has the energy of rolling thunder and the colors of a sunset, and with an engaging sense of drama and urgency, the author follows the riders over the varied landscapes they covered, through the heavy weather they encountered and past the occasional hostile reception they received from Native Americans (though his bell-clear author's note clarifies that hostilities were rare). When he can introduce factual material--the names of riders, the number and character of station stops, the price of $5 for 1/2 ounce--he does so with a light hand to keep the pedagogy at a distance. For all its iconic status, the Pony Express lasted for only a year and a half before the transcontinental telegraph drew a sleeve across its windpipe, but it was an inventive enterprise full of bodacious frontier spirit, which this book plays to the hilt. (bibliography, further reading, map, timeline) (Informational picture book. 7-10)

Off like the wind!: The first ride of the Pony Express. (2010). Kirkus Reviews, 78(4), 156.

Gr. 3-5. Basing his book, as much as possible, on scanty historical records (the author suggests

that files may have been deliberately destroyed after the short-lived company's collapse to present

lawsuits), Spradlin re-creates the Pony Express' first rides east from Sacramento and west from

St. Joseph, Missouri-naming riders and horses when he can, and providing a composite of various

Express riders' adventures. Johnson heightens the drama with evocative full-bleed oils depicting

riders galloping away from cheering crowds and snarling wolves, ducking an arrow, trudging

through a snowstorm, and in a particularly exciting scene, struggling not ot go down amid

stampeding buffalo. For collections that don't already contain Gare Thompson's Riding With the

Mail (2007) or one of the plethora of similar titles, this makes a good introduction for budding

fans of the Old West, and provides a stimulating prelude tomore deailed histories, such as Tim

McNeese's The Pony Express: Bringing Mail to the American West (2009). An afterword, lists

for further readin, a map, and a time line round out the book.

Peters, J. (2010). Off like the wind!: The first ride of the Pony Express. Booklist, 106(10), 76.

This title serves several distinct purposes. First, and most obvious, it teaches young readers about

the Pony Express and its significance. Also, the story combined with the author's note teaches an

early lesson about academic integrity. Lastly, the problems that the Pony Express riders

encounter on their journey will teah students about overcoming obstacles. Teachers or librarians

could easily pose questions to students about what they would have done if they were the rider

that had to fight off wild animals or Indians. The inside front cover and back cover both contain

a map of the Pony Express route and a timeline of the important events surrounding the Pony

Express. Along with the author's note, readers will find suggestions for further reading, a

bibliography, and a list of websites where they can find more information.

Off like the wind! The first ride of the Pony Express. (2010). Library Media Connection, 28(4), 85.