Sabrina's Bookish Adventures

  Bibliography Pickney, Jerry, 1999. THE UGLY DUCKLING. Ill. by Jerry Pickney. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780688159320. Plot Summary Since birth, a little duckling has never quite felt like he belonged. As soon as he hatched from his egg, the mother duck takes all of her ducklings for a walk to water. Almost instantly the little duckling is attacked and berated for his different looks. The duckling was tall and dull in color, compared to his bright yellow and brown siblings. Feeling defeated and like he didn't belong, the duckling begins a lonely journey away from the cruel animals. As the seasons change, the duckling grows and begins to come to terms with himself, accepting his different looks. Until one day, his patience and perseverance pay off when he discovers the beautiful truth about himself.   Critical Analysis Pinkney's retelling of this beloved tale will leave readers quite emotional. It begins with the mother duck's strong love for her strange,...

Bibliography Zelinsky, Paul O., 1997. RAPUNZEL. Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky. New York, NY: Penguin Young Readers Group. ISBN 9780525456070. Plot Summary The tale begins when a man and his wife become pregnant after many tries. However, the pregnant wife becomes overwhelmed by this craving for an herb planted in a sorceress' garden. The wife's craving is so strong, the husband has no choice but to steal the rapunzel from the garden each day until he is caught by the sorceress. In order to repay for the stolen herb, the couple must give her their newborn baby as soon as she's born. The child grew into a beautiful woman, forced to live in a high tower, with no way of escaping. Years pass until one day, a prince grows curious when he hears a sweet singing voice. He soon discovers Rapunzel in the tower, calling out to her for her long hair and it was love at first sight. They marry immediately and meet in secret, as the sorceress leaves the tower each day. One day, Rapunzel finds h...

  Bibliography Kimmel, Eric, 1985. HERSHEL AND THE HANUKKAH GOBLINS. Ill. by Trina Schart Hyman. New York, NY: Holiday House. ISBN 9780823431946.  Plot Summary Hershel of Ostropol is ready to celebrate the tradition and customs of Hanukkah when he arrives to a village. However, there is no sight of Hanukkah being celebrated at all. Hershel is soon warned by the villagers of the dreadful goblins who detest any celebration of Hanukkah. In order to break the goblin curse, Hershel must spend eight nights in the synagogue and light the Hanukkah candles. But on the eighth night, the king of the goblins must light the candle himself to break their power. Hershel soon embarks on this brave journey, quickly facing the tricky goblins each night and outwitting them in order to save Hanukkah.  Critical Analysis Kimmel has created an engaging, adventurous tale that has embedded Hanukkah traditions for readers to enjoy and learn. Kimmel uses the brave character, Hershel of Ostropol, wh...

  Bibliography Wiesner, David, 2001. THE THREE PIGS. Ill. by David Wiesner. London, United Kingdom: Andersen Press. ISBN 9781849394055. Plot Summary Following the traditional approach, three pigs venture out into the world and create their own houses made of straw, sticks, and brick. They are soon approached by a wolf demanding to be let in to their houses. After refusing to open their doors, the wolf proceeds to blow their houses down. However, the pigs manage to escape becoming the wolf's meal as they are blown away into a parallel universe of familiar traditional tales. As they embark on this adventure, they meet friendly characters and manage to avoid their original fateful ending. Critical Analysis Wiesner's take on a traditional favorite is engaging and adventurous. It begins with the familiar approach of the three pigs building their homes made of straw, sticks, and brick. A big, hungry wolf appears and demands to be let into the houses. After the first pig refuses, the ...

  Bibliography Cronin, Doreen, 2017. CLICK, CLACK, MOO: I LOVE YOU! Ill. by Betsy Lewin. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, Inc. ISBN 9781481444965 Plot Summary Farmer Brown is working hard at the farm to make sure his animals are well taken care of it, safe and healthy. It happens to be Valentine's Day and Little Duck is on a mission. Little Duck is determined to make this a special, memorable Valentine's Day by decorating the barn for a dance and creating Valentine's for every animal. The dance soon starts and the catchy music has all of the animals dancing. All of the fun has caught the attention of a little fox, who has ran past the fence Farmer Brown fixed earlier. The farm animals are stunned to see the fox, wondering if trouble was about to start. However, Little Duck immediately welcomes Little Fox and all of the animals have a great party.  Critical Analysis Cronin's writing is fluent, clear, and sequences well. It grabs the attention of the readers and they a...

  Bibliography Willems, Mo, 2010. WE ARE IN A BOOK! New York, NY: Hyperion. ISBN 9781423133087 Plot Summary Best friends Gerald and Piggie discover something surprising. There is somebody staring right at them! They soon figure out a reader is looking right at them, because they are in a book. Gerald and Piggie wonder how a reader would be reading them and discover the word bubbles are being read out loud. They rejoice with joy and are so excited to learn about being in a book. The inquisitive pair are brainstorming ideas in what to make the reader read out loud. Soon after having some giggles, Gerald comes to the realization the book and all the fun will have to end. Feeling panicked and upset for a little bit, Gerald soon becomes comforted by the brilliant idea Piggie has. Telling the reader to read the book again, so their story adventures will never end. Critical Analysis In true Mo Willems style, he has captured the hearts of children once more with another catchy Elephant and...

  Bibliography Brown, Margaret Wise, 1947. GOODNIGHT MOON. Ill. by Clement Hurd. New York, NY: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. ISBN 9780439734721. Plot Summary In this sweet, gentle bedtime story, a young bunny is getting ready for sleep. This beloved story begins by identifying the bedroom setting, naming each object and character in the room. Objects and characters ranging from toy houses, socks, kittens, and an old lady. Soon after naming everything in the story, readers begin to help the little bunny say goodnight to every object and character named. As soon as the final goodnight is said, the young bunny is ready for a good night's sleep. Critical Analysis Brown's writing is perfect for young emergent readers. This audience will appreciate a sweet, gentle story being read to them before bedtime or great practice identifying objects and characters. Little readers will also be excited to hear small rhymes and repetitions, reminding them of familiar, early nursery rhymes. ...

Bibliography   Mattick, Lindsay, 2015. FINDING WINNIE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS BEAR. Ill. by Sophie Blackall. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316324908. Plot Summary In this heartwarming true story, Lindsay Mattick tells the story of a Canadian veterinarian, Captain Harry Coleburn, serving in World War I and how he came across a special bear cub while traveling to an army camp in Canada. Something about this special bear led Coleburn to rescue, raise her at the army camp, and travel with her to England. She was named Winnie and together, they formed an unbreakable friendship. When the war finally began, Coleburn was being stationed over in France. He had to consider Winnie's safety and wellbeing, so he made the tough decision of leaving Winnie at the London Zoo. While this bond was unbreakable, Winnie was loved and formed another strong relationship with a friend by the name of Christopher Robin. His father, A.A. Milne, wrote about this specia...