Module 1-Introduction to Children's Literature/Classic Children's Literature and Authors

               

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

By Judi Barrett

1978, Macmillan Publishing Company

Summary:
The incident at breakfast sets off a bedtime story told by grandpa about a faraway town of ChewandSwallow. In this town, food rains down from the sky three times a day. Everything was great until the weather took a turn for the worse and the food grew to dangerous proportions. The town had to be abandoned. The people sailed away to a new community where they had to learn to buy and cook their own food. The story ends with the children being reminded of the story by their snowy surroundings.

Impressions:
This is such an enjoyable book about a normal family, with a breakfast mishap that sets off such an imaginative story. The illustrations add a powerful visual dimension to the book. The book starts off with black and white illustrations but become colorful during the tall tale. They return to black and white to show the return to normal life. But, at the end, the addition of the color yellow on the black and white page makes the reader recall the tale and wonder about its possibilities. Recommended for grades 2-4.

Reviews: 

In the tiny town of Chewandswallow, only food falls from the skies—“it rained soup and juice. It snowed mashed potatoes and green peas. And sometimes the wind blew in storms of hamburgers.” But one day the weather takes a turn for the worse, and the town is inundated with peanut butter and mayonnaise over brussels sprouts, a thick fog of pea soup, storms of pancakes, 15-inch drifts of cream cheese and jelly, and a tomato tornado. Conditions soon become so bad that life rafts are fashioned from stale bread, and the villagers set sail for a new land where rain and snow fall from the sky, and food is bought in supermarkets. Told as a story within a story (a breakfast of pancakes motivates Grandpa), this wildly inventive tall tale might work better without an extra plot topping the end and without going on quite so long, but the humor is proportionately heightened in straight-faced, closely lined pictures washed in exaggerated colors. Prediction: children dreaming up their own weather menus are sure to follow up on the fun.— Barbara Elleman  First published October 1, 1978 (Booklist).

http://www.booklistonline.com/Cloudy-with-a-Chance-of-Meatballs-Judi-Barrett/pid=2651552

Suggested Activities:

This book could be used as a read aloud to set up a writer’s workshop opportunity for a teacher.  How an ordinary occurrence in daily life could be embellished to create a story.

Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery

  By Deborah and James Howe

1979, Scholastic, Inc.

Summary:
Bunnicula comes to live at the Monroe household with the other family pets, Chester (cat) and Harold (dog), after the family finds him in the theater where they were watching Dracula. The story unfolds how Chester has decided that the appearance of white vegetables is due to Bunnicula being a vampire. Chester tries to thwart Bunnicula’s attempts to eat only to have them backfire and ultimately cause Chester to be viewed as having sibling rivalry. Finally, Harold realizing that Bunnicula is starving to death, decides to help the rabbit out. A friendship is born and disaster averted.

Impressions:
The story is an enjoyable first person narrative told by the dog which gives it a different twist right from the start. It progresses quickly through the tale with some suspense and comedy mixed in with a happy ending. It does cause one to want to read more about the pet trio and their escapades.
 Recommended for grades 2-5.

Reviews: 

Chester’s frantic efforts to protect the family through the use of garlic and other items backfire into a series of goofy episodes that will offer young readers the entertainment of mystery and spoof. A sure read-aloud and a nice follow-up for fans of Don and Joan Caufield’s Incredible Detectives.— Betsy Hearne

First published May 15, 1979 (Booklist).

http://www.booklistonline.com/Bunnicula-A-Rabbit-Tale-of-Mystery-Deborah-Howe/pid=2650022

Amazon.com Review

…Is Bunnicula really a vampire bunny? We can't say. But any child who has ever let his or her imagination run a little wild will love Deborah and James Howe's funny, fast-paced "rabbit-tale of mystery." (Ages 9 to 12)

"Bunnicula is the kind of story that does not age, and in all probability, will never die. Or stay dead, anyway..."  -- Neil Gaiman

 "Move over, Dracula! This mystery-comedy is sure to delight."   -- New York Times

Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Bunnicula-Rabbit-Tale-Mystery-Deborah-Howe/dp/product-description/1416928170/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

Suggested Activities:

This could be used as an introduction to chapter books for young readers. It is also an excellent way to present point of view.