September | 2022 | julie rowan-zoch

Author: Gianni Rodari
Illustrator: Beatrice Alemagna
Publisher: Edizone, 1980; First Engl. edition, Enchanted Lion, 2022
Age: 4-8
Themes: storytelling, grandparents, fairytale

Opening: “Once upon a time, there was a girl who was called Little Yellow riding Hood.”

Summary: (from my library’s catalog) Grandpa playfully recounts a familiar fairytale–or his version, at least–to his granddaughter, and try as she might to get him back on track, he keeps on adding things to the mix, resulting in an unpredictable tale that comes alive as it is being told.

I picked this book because: I adore the exuberance in these playful illustrations, but more so the ease in the telling of the story, how the grandfather’s slyness encourages the reader to feel the fun and frustration the granddaughter is experiencing! I read it three times in a row. Magical!

Resources/activities: read the book I posted last week and follow the same activity suggestions, but this time mix the story up, just like the grandfather in this book!

For more Perfect Picture Book Friday picks with teacher/parent resources, check out the list on Susanna Hill’s blog HERE.

Author: Alan Ahlberg
Illustrator: Bruce Ingman
Publisher: Candlewick, 2007
Age: 4-8
Themes: fairy tales, characters in literature, humorous stories

Opening: Goldilocks arrived home all bothered and hot. Previously she had been running like mad in the dark woods.

Summary: (from my library catalog) The adventures of various nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters are retold in backward sequence with each tale interrelated to the other. Includes Goldilocks, Jack and the beanstalk, Jack and Jill, the frog prince, Cinderella, and the gingerbread man.

I picked this book because: What a fun idea to not only twist the direction of time using familiar fairy tales and characters in literature, but to play with a word not generally used by early elementary students! I would like to think kids would be inspired to write a tale themselves after reading. Ingman’s illustrations are deceptively simple and delightful! Enjoy!

Resources/activities: Identify then read all the fairy tales included in the book. Choose one of the tales and create an illustration of your own – maybe even include yourself as a baby!