Folk/ Traditional Literature Picture Book Responses

Jack and the Beanstalk by Scudder Smith
I seem to always mix up a fairy tale and a fable and think that all of these stories will have a lesson event though they usually do not. I thought the story was however cute and one that most people have heard before. The pictures in this book make it more interesting and are very attractive. They are very cutsey though and this book might not be as interesting to middle school students. I would choose this for my children one day but maybe not for my classroom. I really did enjoy the illustrations and that is why I chose the book to read in the first place. I am happy I was able to discover this book and it might be great for a elementary classroom one day if that is where I end up one day.



Clever Jack Takes the Cake by Candace Fleming and G. Brian Karas
This is the cutest book. The story was so beautiful and actually did have a little moral in the end. I would absolutely use this in my own classroom. It was the story of a boy that was invited to the princesses birthday party and did not have anything to give her as a gift. He baked a cake after he finally got all the ingredients. Once he started carrying the cake each person he passed demanded he give them part of the cake. By the end he did not have anything left. The princess liked his story better than any of the other gifts. The illustrations were beautiful and so intriguing. I think this is such a great book.



The Ugly Duckling by Jerry Pinkney
This book was beautifully written. The words were written almost as if they were poetry. I thought the illustrations added so much to the story. I have seen this story written and rewritten many times but this has been my favorite version yet. I would absolutely use this in my classroom. This was such a great find and I am excited to share it with the class. I loved this picture book.