Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Written by: Randall Jarrell
Published by: Collins Publisher 1987
Illustrated by: Nancy Ekholm
Grades 1-3
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book

Synopsis: This fantasy book tells the story of Snow-White, the most fairest of them all.  After escaping her wicked step-mother, the Queen, she lived with the seven dwarfs in their tiny house.  She was tricked three times by the Queen who was trying to kill her.  The last time with an apple that put her in a deep sleep.  The prince came along and saved Snow-White and they lived happily ever after. 

Theme/Skill:  It talks about family, strangers, friendship, royalty, work, and revenge.  It can focus on the skills of sequencing, main idea and details, cause and effect. 


About the Author: Randall Jarrell

Randall was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1914. He attended Vanderbilt University and received both his bachelor’s and master’s degree from there.Jarrell met and married Mackie Langham, a colleague, at the University of Texas.His first poem written was published in 1942 entitled Blood for a Stranger.After enlisting in the Army Air Corps that same year during World War II, he soon left and served as a technical sergeant teaching celestial navigation in the army. With a lot of inspiration from the army, he published a book in 1945 entitled, Little Friend, Little Friend.After the war he went to New York, where he was an acting literary editor of The Nation. He also taught at Sarah Lawrence and later Woman’s Collage also now known as UNC-Greensboro. Randall died in 1965. He is known as renown poet, critic, and author.

Source used: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/9

Pre-Reading Activities:  Bring in apples for all the children to eat.  Ask questions such as:  Why would you eat this apple that I gave you? Would you eat this apple if a person that you didn’t know gave it to you?  Explain to the class about strangers, who they are, and rules to abide by if they are approached by a stranger. 

Post-Reading Activities: Following reading the book, ask questions such as: How was Snow-White’s step-mother like a stranger in the book? What should you have done if you were Snow-White and were approached by a strange old lady? Then as a class they will come up with a contract of what they are to do if they are in the presence of a stranger. The teacher will read over the contract and then one at a time each child will come up and sign their names. This can then be hung up in the classroom for all to see.

Reflection: I love the story of Snow-White. However, this version of Snow-White does not make it child friendly with the numerous amount of wording on each page. If a child was reading this on their own they would have to be very fluent and have a wide ranged vocabulary. The picture book is very lengthy and I think many kids would become disinterested in the story if it was read all at one time. I think to read it effectively would be during snack time and a few pages a day to keep the kids wanting more. I also think that this version may be outdated to use in the classroom, and that the movie would serve a better purpose that would probably get the kids more engaged.   

Domitila

Domitila
Written by: Jewell Reinhart Coburn
Illustrated by:  Connie McLennan
Published by: Shen Books 2000
Grades: 2-4
Genre: Fairy Tale, Fiction, Multicultural

Synopsis: Coburn adapted the story of Cinderella and put a Mexican tradition twist on it.  Domitila works as a cook in the governor’s house to raise money for her father and sick mother.  She cooks her famous nopales for Timoteo, but unexpectedly needs to leave because her mother dies.  Timoteo searches for her because he knows she is the one and they end up living happily ever after.

Theme/Skill: Themes such as work, poverty, death, and love.  It talks also about the Mexican tradition.  It deals with skills such as sequence, cause and effect, analyzing story elements.

About the Author: Jewell Reinhart Coburn

Coburn has many experiences with diverse cultures since she has studied and lived abroad.  Coburn has a doctorate in Higher Education administration and two honorary degrees.  Not only has she written Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition but also two other books similar to this including Angkat, The Cambodian Cinderella and Jouanah: La Cenicienta Hmong.  She currently lives in Santa Barbara, California with her husband Bill.

Source used: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/88708.Jewell_Reinhart_Coburn

 

About the Illustrator: Connie McLennan

Connie grew up in Yreka, California.  She started painting and drawing at an early age by working on projects with her mother constantly.  She graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a degree in journalism.  Then she attended the Academy of Art in San Francisco.  She worked as a freelance illustrator in 1982 and then illustrated for advertising, institutional and editorial projects, and illustrated for 13 children’s books.  She attended painting workshops to better enhance her illustrations. 

Source used: http://ckmclen.fineartstudioonline.com/about

                                            
Pre-Reading Activities:  In order to start off on a more simple idea, students will compare and contrast an apple and orange.  As a whole-group students will create a Venn Diagram taking turns coming up to the board and writing down something similar or different in the correct place.  Explain that just like comparing an apple and an orange you can also compare different versions of books and movies to one another.  Explain you will compare the American Version of Cinderella to a Mexican version entitled Domitila.  We will then watch the movie Cinderella and map out the main ideas of it. 

Post-Reading Activities:  After we read Domitila, we will map out the main ideas of it just like we did for Cinderella.  Both charts will be hung up in front of the class side by side for each child to see. Then in small groups, children will look at both charts, and compare and contrast the two versions using a Venn Diagram.  Students will come together when they are finished and share with the entire class. This can also be expanded by drawing further upon cultures by seeing how they are similar and different. 

Reflection: I love this story and how students and the audience can make connections from this book to other books, especially to the traditional version, Cinderella. I think it is a good story to work on story elements with children especially characters, setting, plot, climax, and resolution. Although it is a lengthier story, a teacher could break it down into different parts for students to read. On each section, the teacher could come up with an activity to focus on. This would allow students to work on a variety of skills using the same book. I think the illustrations also help to depict the Mexican culture and the similarities and differences it has to Cinderella. I love this rendition and the connections it makes to my all time favorite fairy tale, Cinderella.

Link to further activities: http://www.hbavenues.com/highpoint/library/pdf/HP_LL_TG_B4_2.pdf