Beowulf

Two graphic novel versions of Beowulf have been nominated for the Cybils.



Beowulf Monster Slayer: A British Legend
story by Paul D. Storrie, pencils and inks by Ron Randall
Graphic Universe/Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
2007





Beowulf
adapted and illustrated by Gareth Hinds
Candlewick Press
2007






Storrie's version gives the reader a good introduction to the Beowulf legend. True to the Graphic Universe series, it comes with a map on the title page, and a column of background information on the copyright page. At the end of the book, there is a glossary/pronunciation guide, suggestions for further reading, including websites, and an index.

The language used in the story has a slightly formal sound, but is not difficult to understand. There is a good combination of speech bubbles and narrative text boxes that carry the story along. However, for the less able reader, the story holds together if you simply "read" the images.

The Hinds version includes an author's note about the text. The book was originally self-published with a verse translation, but the Candlewick publication used a 1904 translation. This makes for a much more difficult read. The text in the Hinds version is all in text boxes (no speech bubbles), often very awkwardly placed on the illustrations so that text covers characters' faces or key parts of the action. It looks like the book was drawn with no thought of integrating the text into the action. The fight scenes are the strongest pictorial narratives in this version -- they go on for pages without any interruptions of text.

Here are a couple of comparison points for the two books:

Grendel is a hairy beast in both. In Storrie's version, Grendel wears a loin cloth. In Hinds' version, Grendel's private parts are disguised by long serpentine hairs.

In the Storrie version, the first fight with Grendel, in which his arm is pulled off by Beowulf, lasts three pages. In the Hinds version, it goes on for 20 pages.

Grendel's mother is old in both versions. In the Storrie version, she is clothed, and looks like a monster who has aged, but is still a force to be dealt with. In the Hinds version, she has pendulous, old-woman breasts, a gigantic fat belly, and, like Grendel, serpentine pubic hairs. Her face is deeply wrinkled, and she looks like she is definitely past her prime as a monster. She cowers when Beowulf beheads her.

Both books take Beowulf's story through his time as king, his fight with the dragon, and the passing of his leadership to Wiglaf, ending with Beowulf's funeral pyre. In the Storrie version, each phase of Beowulf's life is a chapter. In the Hind's version, the phases are Books One, Two, and Three. Visually, Book Three, the fight with the dragon and the end of Beowulf's life, looks like it does not belong with the rest of the book. It is done in greys and black, the font of the text boxes ranges in size and style with no discernible reason, and the art style is very different from the rest of the book.

In the end of both books, Beowulf is an old man. In Storrie's version, he is old and grey, but with a full head of hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and the same smooth, strong muscles he had as a younger hero. Hinds' version gives us a more realistic view of what an aged superhero might look like. His Beowulf is balding on top with long stringy hair and a spade-length beard, he has a wrinkled, liver-spotted, and warty face, and he has ropey veins sticking out all over the muscles of his arms. He's a wreck, and the fight with the dragon was clearly his last.

Newbery Hopefuls From Our Reading Friends, Day 5: A Friend from Canada

Today's predictions come from our friend, Larry Swartz. Larry knows books! Larry Swartz is an instructor in the Elementary Pre-service Program at OISE/University of Toronto.He reads a ton and always has great recommendations for amazing books. Larry has written several books for teachers about books, literacy, drama, etc. One of his newer resources is The Novel Experience--a great flipchart on using fiction in the classroom. And, he is an expert on Books for Boys.

NEWBERY… OR NOT NEWBERY?

Hey folks

For what it's worth.. here's an opinion (north of the border) about possible NEWBERY winners...

The two best books I read this year haven’t' got a 'chance'

Sherman Alexis THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN
knocked me out.. but if 'they' couldn't handle the word scrotum.. I don't think 'they' would take to this...I think too the word 'Indian' might be jarring for some nitpickers... I also hesitate to recommend books when 'adult' authors cross-over into young people's territory.. (Carl Hiassen, Roddy Doyle, Nick Hornsby)...But I loved this book for its' humour and honesty... and really wish it could replace (ok maybe not replace.. but be read alongside) TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD to help young folk understand contemporary issues with social justice, diversity and equity... life on the rez.. poverty… hope.. belonging… funny…. I loved this book! (and there’s pictures too)

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS was a knockout read.. I think best suited for over 11 year olds...The voice of innocence and irony... puts readers against the fence of a concentration camp...JOHN BOYNE is not American (i.e. IRISH).. this book is being translated throughout the world.. and needs to be read!!!! Soon to be a motion picture (YIKES!!!)

Jerry Spinelli gets my vote (ALWAYS)... bravo to him for the sequel to STARGIRL (a great love story).. but EGGS is a special read.. As I was reading, I couldn’t help thinking about the novels that I recently read that featured characters whose parents have died. . Give me a fifth grade class and I would love to organize Literature Circles (when all titles are available in paperback ) around The Higher Power of Lucky, The Meaning of Life According to Jeremy Fink, Wing Nut and Eggs not only because one or more character has a missing parent, but because they get inside the skin and hearts of these kids who are coping with life’s rotten eggs and hoping make omelettes out of life’s dilemmas large and small. …boy girl protagonists..... a quirky character or two.. and how bad could a book be that highlights the read aloud experience. Hooray for Mr. Spinelli... the best, the best, the best
(Best cover of the year too)
(See Larry's Guest Review of EGGS here!)

Early in the year, I predicted that THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick should win the Newbery.. It would be a brave choice.. but one that supports the reading session of graphic texts...I noticed that it was one of the top ten books featured as best illustrated books in the NEW YORK times list... but this is a novel... (isn't it?) and one that would hook a buncha readers.. (hey miss, can you believe I read a 530 page book?).. and yes.. appeal to those BOYS...

REALLY LIKED
THE CASTLE CORONA by Sharon Creech (a good adventure)
JACK PLANK TELLS TALES by Natalie Babbitt (great storytelling)

Sort of liked LARGER-THAN-LIFE LARA.. the kids were too mean .. by dandi daley mackall

Next on my book pile is ELIJAH OF BUXTON by Christopher Paul Curtis... a colleague declared 'it' should be the winner.. another friend at work.. said he needed an editor....

But end of discussion.. the award goes to HOME OF THE BRAVE by Katherine Applegate...
A beautiful beautiful read...
Wow! Let’s give ‘em a strong book that deals with refugees
And a strong first person (male) voice
And (exquisitely) written in free verse
And lets us care about ELL learners
And fills our hearts about the plight of longing and belonging

Here’s what my (smart) friend Nancy says about Home of the Brave…
The story is told through in the voice of the main character who speaks English in the way someone from a very different culture would speak it. The peculiarities of his speech draw you into the world he has left behind in a way that telling you about that world never would

We believe everything about his story. Having read memoirs written by children who have escaped similar situations I found everything I was being told rang true.
He and his cousin are real boys we've known.

As with all important stories about tragedy, you are not spared the details of the terrible evil of which humans are capable but you find hope in the acts of kindness that are shown. The story would have worked even if his mother had not been found but I enjoyed that little gift at the end.


So.. if the author’s won before do we* want to give another author a chance?
Do we want a novel that will get the BOYS reading and caring about a book?
Do we want a book that will be popular with boys and girls and not a hard sell?
Do we want a book that will lead them to other books?
Do we want to be brave about choosing a book with outside of the box format?

Do we care about ‘certain’ words / themes? Is safe the way to go?
Do we care about the cover?
Do we care what the kids think?

* we = the awards committee

Newbery Hopefuls From Our Reading Friends, Day 4: A Librarian Weighs In

Bill Prosser is a teacher/librarian, new to the school library this year after many years in the classroom. He is LOVING the change. Here are his thoughtful picks for both the Newbery and the Caldecott:

NEWBERY:

Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson
I loved the plot of this book and the way the author reveals bits and pieces to you if you pay attention while you read. It was a book that I couldn’t put down and seemed to always be leaving you with a cliffhanger that brought you back. It has adventure, intrigue, hidden treasure, and mysterious bad guys. When I first began reading the book I thought it would be another single mom meets new husband that wants to be dad but can’t get along with the son story, but not even close. Great writing!

Greetings From Planet Earth by Barbara Kerley
I thought this book had an interesting hook to it. A science teacher gives the class the assignment to present Earth to alien life forms on a distant planet, much like the early satellite space probes did in the 70s. The author uses the assignment to take a 12 year old boy through some research, which leads him to discover some family secrets about his father’s return from Vietnam. The author does a great job of connecting all of the story lines and keeping the reader interested. It’s a great story of a family and how they deal with the “skeletons in the closet.” Well developed characters and plot.

Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis
The story of an extremely bright girl who struggles to fit in with her peers because of her intelligence. She tries to handle all middle school problems logically, but middle school is anything but logical. This leads to some bigger problems including bullying, and all the other things middle school girls are good at! I really liked the way the author presented the story through three different perspectives, the gifted student, the girl who just wants to please everyone and be popular, and the just plain mean girl who likes to control everything. It was easy to see students in all three characters.

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
I am not a big fan of fantasy, so if a story about dragons keeps me reading, it must be pretty good! This fantasy is more in the lines of an old fashioned fairy tale, only it has a heroine instead of a handsome prince saving the day. I liked it because of the simple fantasy story line, nothing really dark or “weird” involved. The author creates a world that is almost believable aside from the mythical dragons. It was easy to relate to and understand all of the characters in the book which made it a very enjoyable read.

CALDECOTT:

Wind Flyers by Angela Johnson Illustrated by Loren Long
Both author and illustrator are from Ohio, which had a certain appeal to me, but besides that this is a beautiful book. The story of a boy who dreams of flying and becomes a Tuskegee Airman is moving. The pictures, some of them are views from the airplane, are brightly colored and really take the reader into the pages with the pilots.

First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Simple text highlights the paintings in this book. The pictures look like they are paint on canvas and all of the texture of the medium comes through. To set it all off, it is a “cut out” book, that is the pages have space cut out that appears as part of the next picture as you turn the page. Very clever and fun for younger readers.

Seventeen Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore by Jenny Offill Illustrated by Nancy Capenter
Very funny text is set off by the collage type illustrations. The artist uses actual things like notebook paper, a pillow, and carpet as the backgrounds, then the characters are drawn on top of it. The illustrations also include real things like staplers, glue, toys and others. Very fun to read and look at.

The Cheese by Margie Palatini illustrated by S. Johnson & L. Fancher
A twist on “The Farmer in the Dell” in which the characters try to answer the question of “Why does The Cheese stand alone?” Since they can’t answer it, they eat the cheese! The pictures are very colorful and detailed but the truly interesting part is how the illustrators incorporate words from the text into them. A reader can look several times at the pictures and see different things each time. The illustrators have another book called Casey Back at the Bat done in the same way, but I like the story of The Cheese better.

Newbery Hopefuls From Our Reading Friends (Day 3): Hearing From Our Friend, Don

Today's predictions come from our friend Don. Don Zancanella is an Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He teaches several classes of children's literature. Don is also the author of Western Electric, a collection of short stories that is part of the Iowa Short Fiction Award series.

Here is what he says about this year's Newbery Award:

The Newbery Medal always brings to the surface what to my mind is the most important fact about children’s literature: it’s written by adults for children. By letting adults pick the best book for children (written by an adult), the Newbery just adds another layer of complexity to this already vexed situation. That said, here are the books I think might win (or in some instances, the ones I think should win), along with a few comments:

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

I’m a sucker for books set in the sixties (there it is already, a preference I have as an adult reader that no kid is likely to share) and Schmidt’s book captures much of what it was like to be growing up then. The use of Shakespeare’s plays is a clever plot device but I’m kind of fed up with authors who sneak classic authors into children’s books. And Holling is a little too precocious for my taste. But it all still works. It’s funny and charming and uplifting.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Graphic novel meets mystery novel meets silent film. I predict this one will win mostly because it’s different and because we do seem to have entered the era of the graphic novel. It didn’t involve me as much as I’d hoped it would, mostly because I thought the plot had kind of a clunky, old-fashioned feel to it. I’m sure that was Selznick’s intention (the old-fashioned part, not the clunky part) but I thought it was a little too self-consciously done.


The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

I might very well pick this one because I like Alexie very much. However, I haven’t read it yet. I could say the same thing about Shannon Hale’s Book of a Thousand Days.

The Wall by Peter Sis

This is my personal favorite. Yes, it flies right in the face of the adult/child problem I started with, but it’s just too good to ignore. I’ve heard people comparing it to Maus and Persepolis and it deserves those comparisons. A couple of Sis’s titles have been Caldecott Honor books, but like his earlier Tibet Through the Red Box (a 1999 Newbery Honor Book) this one blurs the Newbery/Caldecott boundary. It’s an outstanding piece of writing with wonderfully integrated illustrations--just a very fine book. Not to mention that shows us a more interesting picture of the 1960s than even The Wednesday Wars does.

Newbery Hopefuls, Day 2: Another Reading Friend's Picks

Our friend Karen Terlecky is a Language Arts/Social Studies Curriculum Support Teacher (CST) in our school district, and as such, works directly with Franki. She and Mary Lee started their careers in the district the same years in 4th grade classrooms across the hall from each other. They were CSTs for each other before the term had been invented. Karen is always up for a field trip to Cover to Cover Children's Books, our favorite local children's bookstore. Here are her Newbery picks:

I loved How to Steal a Dog -- one of the best morals I have ever read: "the footprints you leave behind are more important than the path in front of you" ( I know that's not the exact quote, but I don't have my book at home in front of me). I read this aloud to my 5th grade class at the end of last year, and then it was the book I started this year with. It was interesting how important the message was to both sets of students. In addition, O'Connor's description of the homelessness conditions was clear -- good for children to know how others live,and what they need to do to just get through the day. I also love the characters -- very well developed through dialogue and their actions.

I also really liked The Mysterious Benedict Society -- the concept of kids as heroes has been done in other books, but I thought there was a great twist to this since the kids had to use all their gifts together to overcome the evil in the book. It was like a spy novel for kids -- I'm partial to spy novels! Great twist at the end, also.

Me and the Pumpkin Queen -- loved it!!!!!!! Part of the reason I liked it so much was that I had a lot of background knowledge about places and events in the story. But, even if you take that away, the concept of this girl going through her own personal grief cycle by trying to grow the biggest pumpkin was very well done. And the friendship between her and the boy was amazing. This book is a winner for me!

The Thing About Georgie -- definitely a favorite! I almost forgot about it until I saw it when I looked in my cupboard at school!

3 others that I really like, but I'm sure won't win: Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf (hysterical!), No Talking (Andrew Clements is very predictable, but there is a clear underlying message that my students really understand), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid (another hysterical!).
I liked the Wednesday Wars, too, but I didn't love it as a Newbery, because I wasn't sure how much my kids would understand without the background knowledge that I possess because of my age.

Two Too (and tutu) Funny

The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story
by Lemony Snicket
McSweeny's Books, 2007

Review copy...well, that's part of the whole story.

Report cards went home today, so I finally had time to take my tired, crabby self to the public library to complain about the online reserve system not working (a boatload of graphic novels for my CYBILS Graphic Novels Nominating Committee reading pleasure, if you must know). I went to one branch and they had the gall to tell me, "We're not really part of the library system, we just use their online reserves." So I went to the nearest for-real branch, and got my books custom-reserved by the guy at the help desk. He even went to look for a couple he thought might be on their shelves. While he did that, I wandered over to the new books display in the children's section. I picked up The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story. It was smaller than I expected. I glanced through it, and there was definitely a screaming latke inside. I saw the familiar images that Educating Alice linked to. I started reading. I started laughing out loud. I was no longer tired and crabby.

This book has a brilliant lead: "This story ends in someone's mouth, but it begins in a village more or less covered in snow." It is filled with classic Snicket-isms, most notably: "...a word that here means..." It features a latke that is sick to death of being Christmas-ized, like when the Christmas lights suggest, "So you're basically hash browns. Maybe you can be served alongside a Christmas ham," or when the candy cane says, "Someone should write a Christmas carol about you." I would have sprayed my milk out my nose if I'd been drinking any when the cute little pine tree says, "But different things can often blend together. Let me tell you a funny story about pagan rituals."

Anne at Book Buds has a great review. Her final paragraph answers the question, "Is this really a kids' book?" Check it out. I totally agree with her.

So I was feeling much better after I read The Latke. (And even better when I learned that I had finally discovered a book BEFORE Franki!) Then I opened the package that came in the mail and found another great laugh (yes, sigh, recommended by Franki):

Chester
by Melanie Watt (of Scaredy Squirrel fame)
Kids Can Press, 2007

Our cat is 20 years old. She has been reduced to the essence of cat by her age: skeleton, fur, loud demanding yowl, and attitude. If she were fat and had access to a red marker, she would be Chester. Poor Melanie! She's just trying to write a story about a mouse who lives in the country, but Chester keeps doodling all over her work, and changing it to suit himself, and to make himself the star of the story. When Melanie demands that he hand over the marker and apologize before the count of three, Chester has the nerve to assume position and "play the cello" instead! I'm pretty sure that's the kitty version of thumbing one's nose (since cats don't have opposed thumbs, after all). It all works out in the end. Mostly for Melanie and the mouse, but that's fair, since Chester got his all the way through the book. (The end is whence the tutu in the post title, in case you were wondering about that.)

So there you have it. A couple of sure-fire mood elevators. Take two and call me in the morning. Tell me how hard you laughed and how much better you felt for reading them!

Newbery Hopefuls From Our Reading Friends

When we started our blog (almost 2 years ago!) we started it as a way to make public our conversations about the books we hoped would win the Newbery Award. We have never been right, but we love the fun of guessing. This year, we asked some of our reading friends--people who we share our book thinking with throughout the year--to share their thoughts with us. These are people who read lots and know books. We know that we may scramble a bit this next month, reading those 2007 titles that we've haven't gotten to yet. With holiday break coming, we thought others might be interested in doing the same thing. We'll feature a different Reading Friend each day for a while. Enjoy!

Our first installment comes from Jen Allen, a Literacy Coach in Maine. She is also the author of Becoming a Literacy Leader. For anyone who has a job as a literacy coach, this is a must read.

If I had to choose one book to receive the Newbery award it would be
The Aurora County All -Stars by Deborah Wiles. It is just a great read-aloud for students
in the intermediate grades. Good clean fun! Although book evolves around
the kid grabbing topic of baseball, it also weaves in layers about
friendship, gender, judging others, and segregation. Great lessons to be
learned. During this read- aloud I also shared the book, Teammates by
Peter Golenbock to help students strengthen their understanding on the
history of baseball and segregation. An additional treat is how the author
incorporates quotes from poet Walt Whitman and famous baseball players.
I tried this book as a read aloud with both my ten year old son and a 4th
grade class this fall. Both audiences enjoyed the book. I love the feel
good ending. The Aurora County All- Stars is my Newbery pick for the year.

Robert's Snow

The final auction is upon us December 3-7. The Amazing HTML-tress, Tricia, at The Miss Rumphius Effect, has the complete list of Auction 3 illustrators and features compiled here. She and her partner in HTML-tress-ness, Jen Robinson, were responsible for the awesome side-bar info that you've seen throughout the Kidlitosphere. Thanks, Ladies, for all the help you gave to those of us who are HTML-challenged! And of course, one last huge thanks to Jules, at 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast, for getting the whole snowball rolling. I can't wait to find out what kinds of fund-raising records were broken at Dana-Farber during this year's Robert's Snow event. Finally, to the person who out-bid me on the one flake I really really wanted, I hope it's making you as happy as it would have made me!

Sunday Silliness

It's that time of the year again. Time for holiday greetings.

We're celebrating two holidays today: Report Cards Are Done (a holiday celebrated by teachers around the world), and Elf Yourself (a holiday brought to you by OfficeMax).

CHEERS!

(If you're feeling grumpy today, you can Scrooge Yourself here.)

Word Work

I'm always looking for fun, engaging, motivating ways for my fourth graders to build up their knowledge of the way words are built -- roots, prefixes, suffixes, and even the little parts that make rhymes, like -at, and -up that make cat and pup.

This week, I tried out this game, Eight Letters In Search of a Word, with my students. I was worried that they would get frustrated, and some did, but because they have grown up on Nintendo and Xbox and Game Boy, they had no problem with running out of time and trying again. They worked to beat their own high scores, they were realistic about low scores when they got a tough set of letters, and when one student figured out the "big word," a new standard was set for ALL of the students (a REAL standard set by the students, not by some governmental committee...but don't get me started). They got really good at finding every variation possible on a small word by substituting consonants, they were smart about using s to make every plural possible, and they worked -ed and -ing for all they were worth when they got those letter combinations. Because all the letters given can ultimately make up an 8-letter word, there was even a little vocabulary development thrown in. When you play this game, you might think it is too hard for 9 and 10 year olds. That is, however, precisely why they liked it so much. It was hard. They had to work for their success. They knew they earned it when they got a high score. And those times when they got the "big word?" Priceless.

Next week, we're going to see how much rice we can donate through the United Nations to help end world hunger by learning new vocabulary words. At Free Rice, you donate 20 grains of rice for every vocabulary word you get right. As you play, the game automatically levels the words you get -- if you get words right, you get harder words, if you miss words, you get easier words. I'm not sure how this will work with my students. Just like we did with 8 Letters, we will play together first, with my computer hooked up to the class TV. I think we can have some great conversations about root words and related words that can help us make a smart guess about the words. Stay tuned for a report on how this goes in my classroom. In the meantime, how much rice did you donate today?