Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Summary: A little girl and her Father go owling in the snowy woods. They walk a long time until finally her father stops and call for a Great Horned Owl. They waited a little while and her father called out again, nothing happened, but it was okay, her brothers told her that an owl didn’t always come. After waiting for a while longer, they walked a little deeper into the dark and snowy woods. And this time when the girl’s father called, there was another call in response. They waited a little bit and her father called again, the owl’s call back was closer than before, in fact it was right above them. An owl had come up and landed in a tree branch right above them, they seemed to stare at each other for a long time until it flew away. After the owl had gone the little girl and their dad went home.

Review: This would be a fantastic book to have in First through fourth grade classes. The imagery and tone set by the author would be a fun aspect of books for stronger readers to explore. This would be a great book to go along with a lesson about owls and their habitats. This is a beautifully written and illustrated book I would want to have in my class room.

Hansel and Gretel retold by Rika Lesser, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

 Hansel and Gretel retold by Rika Lesser, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

Summary: A poor woodcutter could barely feed his wife and two children, Hansel and Gretel. One night his wife convinced him to take Hansel and Gretel out into the woods and abandon them there. However, Hansel over heard their parents talking and went outside to gather some shiny pebbles. The next morning, as their parents lead them into the woods, Hansel would drop a pebble so that later on Gretel and him could follow the pebbles back home. They waited hours after their parents left them before returning home. When they got home, only their father was happy to see them. A few days later, their mother again convinced their father to take them deeper into the woods. Once again, Hansel overheard their plan and decided that this time he would leave a trail of bread that would lead them back home. Only this time when Hansel tried to look for the bread crumbs he had found that the birds had eaten them all up! Hansel did not give up, and instead took his sister's hand and walked through the woods. As they walked they came across a small house made of sweet treats! However, this sweet house was home to an old woman. This old woman invited the children into her home, only at night she took Hansel and put him in a stall. The told woman forced Gretel to feed Hansel, so that he could be fat enough for her to eat. Only, Hansel tricked the old woman into thinking that he was not getting any fatter as the days went by. Since the old woman thought Hansel was still skinny, she tried to trick Gretel into an oven, so that she could eat her instead. Luckily, Gretel knew what the old woman was trying to do and tricked her into getting into the oven instead. Once the old woman was trapped she began to burn in the oven and Hansel and Gretel escaped, taking some jewelry and other valuables from the old woman's house. Hansel and Gretel eventually found their home where their Father rejoiced and told the, the news that their mother had passed away. The woodcutter and his children, Hansel and Gretel, lived happily ever after.

Summary: Hansel and Gretel is a K-3 reading level, and is a classic story that all children are familiar with. However, I would be very cautious about which retelling I am putting in my classroom because they can be quite dark, such as this one, which uses words like "slaughter". Hansel and Gretel's story would be a good lesson, for younger students, about the dangers of talking to strangers.

The Ugly Duckling by Jerry Pinkney

The Ugly Duckling by Jerry Pinkney

Summary: As a mother duck awaits the hatching of her baby eggs. Finally, one day they all begin to hatch, except for the biggest egg in the nest, so the mother duck excitedly waits. When the egg finally hatches the mother duck is very surprised to see that this one is bigger and different looking than any duckling she has seen. When they are walking, the new duckling is called ugly by other ducks at the pond who try to chase him away, luckily the mother duck protects the ugly duckling. However, the ugly duckling cannot take anymore teasing and runs away only to cross paths with hunters and a dog before finding safety in an old woman's house. He stays at this Old Woman's house with a chicken and a cat, only he cannot lay any eggs and eventually grows tired of being inside. The Ugly duckling leaves the Old Woman's house just as winter begins. One day he gets caught in the ice out on the lake, luckily a man comes to save him. The man takes him inside where he is put by a fire to keep war and children come to play with him. Only, the ugly ducking has never played before and is so startled by the children that he runs out of the house. For the rest of winter the Ugly Duckling is cold and hungry. Finally, winter is over and the ugly duckling is tired of being cold and hungry so he decides to go where the Swans are. This time though, he is welcomed by all and when he looks down at is reflection he no loger sees an ugly ducking but reather a beautiful swan.

Review: The Ugly Duckling can be enjoyed by children ages 4 to 8 years old. This is a classic story to have in a classroom and I would most definitely have it in mine! This story is a great book to go along with a lesson about being different , tolerance, and even learning about different types of birds!