Kishka for Koppel

Kishka for Koppel
by
Aubrey Davis and Sheldon Cohen
children's fiction
fairy tale, fantasy, ages 2-7

In a Yiddith variation of the "Three Wishes" tale, Koppel and his wife, Yetta, are poor people who get by with collecting junk and fixing it up or reselling it. One day Koppel finds a wish-granting meat grinder. What will Koppel and Yetta wish for? The first thing the hungry couple wish for is some kishka. For those of you who did NOT grow up near Cleveland listening to "Who Stole the Keeshka? This is the song I have been humming ever since seeing the title of this book:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au_jJmsfdMs

Keeshka or kishka is Polish sausage. Jews would not use pork, however, to make this, but beef, lamb, or some other meat.
Anyway, if you think that asking for kishka is funny, just wait and see what happens next! This is a silly tale, but warm-hearted.
I would recommend this for libraries serving a population heavy in Eastern European or Jewish immigrants.

Princess and the Swineheard

Princess and the Swineheard
by
Hans Christian Andersen
Illustrated by Palle Bregnhoi
Children's fiction, ages 5-9.

Somewhere I saw a reference to this H. C. Andersen tale and I did not recall this story, so I checked out the one version that our library had in storage (copyright 1971).
The illustrations are woodcuts. The text is awkwardly translated, making it tricky for my 7 year old "test reader" to read out loud. At one point, some court ladies speak in French, which, again, was confusing for the 7 year old.
Here is the plot: A stuck up princess refuses the extravagant gifts of a suitor prince, so he disguises himself as a pig tender and sets about to charm her. She proves herself to be, indeed, snobby.
The tale is amusing as the pig boy gets the princess to kiss him, but I would recommend a differently translated and illustrated version.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
by
Grace Lin
read by Janet Song
children's audio book on compact disc
Newbery Honor Winner for print version

Minli is the only daughter of a poor couple who work very hard to keep their family alive. They dream that one day their fortune will change. A peddler comes along promising that the goldfish that he sells can change their fortune. Minli, like Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk takes this chance.
With advice from the goldfish she runs away to seek her fortune. On her adventures she encounters a dragon, cheerful twins, a king in disguise, and many other amazing people and beings.
This tale has a classic feel to it and portrays wonderment like the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Many tales are told within the longer story, so it is logical to stop listening to the tale in between the tales. This might help with the shorter attention span of children.
I greatly enjoyed this story and wonder how much is classic Chinese mythology and how much is original to this author. Either way, it is a good listen.

Crystal the Snow Fairy

Crystal the Snow Fairy
Rainbow Magic
The Weather Fairies
by
Daisy Meadows and Georgie Ripper
children's fiction, about a 2nd grade reading level

This is the second series of books about the Rainbow Magic Fairies from Scholastic.
In this series Rachel and Kirsty, human girls, must help fairies get some magical feathers back from Jack Frost who is using the magic in the feathers to wreak havoc with the weather.
These are quick and easy reads for girls. Most readers will want to read the whole series, which reminds me to get on hold for the next one in this series - Abigail the Breeze Fairy. Public and school librarians should make sure to buy the whole series. They come as a boxed set, so this is not a problem.

Swan Kingdom

Swan Kingdom
by
Zoe Marriott
Young adult fantasy

In a medieval-type kingdom Princess Alexandra lives with her parents. Her mother, beloved by the people, shares with her herbal lore and animal husbandry skills. Alexandra is on the verge of womanhood and her mother must teach her about the magic which protects and sustains the land. At this crucial point in Alexandra's development her mother is killed by a wild beast. Alexandra's brothers are enchanted and her father falls under the spell of the beast who has taken the form of a beautiful woman. Alexandra is banished to another land. Can she save her brothers, father, and her kingdom from evil? The story is at once familiar and original. It seems like we have heard this fairy tale before, and the author notes that it is based on a Hans Christian Andersen tale. There is a Celtic feel to the book as well.
The cover: The cover makes it look like this is a dark tale. Sure, there is the villainess, but this is not a particularly gory or violent book.

Claire and the Unicorn Happy Ever After

Claire and the Unicorn Happy Ever After
by
B. G. Hennessy
and
Susan Mitchell
children's fantasy fiction, ages 3-8

What makes for a happy ending? Who decides what "happily ever after" is?

A girl, Claire, asks her father about this after he reads yet another bedtime story that ends with "happy ever after". (I don't know why is isn't the more commonly used "happily ever after'). Her father turns the question around and asks Claire what she thinks the answer is. Claire dreams about what the answers would be from various fantasy tales and creatures.

This is a good bedtime story that can be read by a parent and help get a child to think about pleasant things while falling asleep.

Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses

Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses
Step into Reading
Reading with Help
Step 2
preschool - grade 1

This book has a good font and large colorful pictures appropriate for a beginning reader. The plot is more complicated than I expected because it condenses the whole DVD movie of the same title.
In Barbie's take on this classic tale Princess Genevieve and sisters dance each night in a secret place below their bedroom. Rather than the fairy king being their enemy, it is their father's evil cousin that they must fight. A valiant shoemaker helps them and becomes Genevieve's beau. Lovely costumes are featured throughout.

Three Little Pigs and the Three Billy Goats Gruff

Rabbit Ears Presents
Three Little Pigs and the Three Billy Goats Gruff
told by
Holly Hunter
written by Joseph Jacobs and P. C. Asbjornsen
music by
Art Lande
audiobook/radio drama
ages 5-adult
I say ages 5 - adult because I have found that children younger than that generally do not listen to books on tape, but any given child may be an exception. I say adults may listen to it as well, because I am an adult and I enjoy a good short story/fable instead of static-y music when on a car ride.
Rabbit Ears Radio was established in 1985 to have veteran actors read timeless stories in the classic storytelling tradition, accompanied by music by veteran musicians. I thought that maybe Rabbit Ears Radio had disappeared, but their website says that they restructured in the 1990's and are still around. This explains why I used to hear it on the radio, but now I do not. Once they had a contract with Public Radio International, but that has expired.
http://www.rabbitears.com/
This CD contains two stories and about 11 tracks of background music and music inspired by the tales. Holly Hunter narrates and does all the voices on two classic tales - 3 little pigs, and Billy goats gruff. There is some tall tale telling and some good similes and metaphors - "as far as molasses is from turpentine" and such phrases. Hunter's Southern voice gives these a Georgia feel and a few times I wasn't sure what she said because she drops some letters in her narration. I guess I am unaccustomed to listening to such a deep Southern accent. The first words of the "Three Litttle Pigs" story were "Too poor to feed them". I had to listen to this three times before I could tell what she was saying at the beginning. The good news is that Hunter has developed a number of accents for her pigs and her goats and her trolls living under the bridge. These accents included cockney, valley girl and surfer dude. These were easier to understand and added to the story. I especially liked the middle billy goat's surfer dude accent. "Chill, wolf!"
As to the stories themselves, the billy goat story was pretty much as I remembered it. The three little pigs was longer and takes a few turns. [SPOILER]
One of my listeners said "That's not right. The wolf doesn't eat the pig". In this version the wolf does eat 2 out of 3 pigs.
Based on this CD I am not a Hunter fan, but I will look for more Rabbit Ears books on CD from my library for future car rides since they use a wide variety of performers.

Puss in Boots

Puss in Boots
by Paul Galdone
book plus audiocassette (the narrator is not identified)
classic children's fairy tale
ages 3-6

This is an old, old story that has been told many times. One of the first times was by Charles Perrault in French in the 1600's. Perrault is responsible for the introduction of Mother Goose and many tales.
Paul Galdone's version is pretty good and true to the original. Puss is a clever cat who can talk and he makes his master rich by his machinations.
You can see the clever grin on this Puss and you know he will triumph in the end.
If the only exposure that children have had to Puss is in the Shrek movies, then this is a good version to use to introduce them to the original story.

Outside over There

Outside over There
by
Maurice Sendak

Caldecott Honor Book
Children's Fiction, ages 2-6.

This is a fine children's book that is lyrical and fantastic. The heroine saves her sister from goblins through the use of music in a plot that seems so familiar, yet has Sendak's unique take. It was hard to read aloud, however. The sentences are not formed in the usual way, so some practice was needed to get the rhythm and sound right. Where is the subject and verb? Certainly the author takes prose liberties with language.
I can imagine that plenty of children have acted out the plot of this book after having it read to them or reading it themselves - especially if there is a toddler in the household. Children certainly could make up more stories set in the world of "Outside Over There".
The artwork is splendid. I think I would enjoy having prints of this book hanging on my office or home walls.
I could imagine someone basing a ballet on this book.
Although the publisher does not market this book this way, Sendak has said that he considers this to be number 3 in his finest trilogy. I would assume that eventually they would be published together in some kind of collected works.
1. Where the Wild Things Are
2. In the Night Kitchen
3. Outside over There

Princess and the Pea

Princess and the Pea
by
Janet Stevens
cassette tape plus book
Children's fiction, ages 3-5.
This is the classic tale. The words and plot were totally lame and unexciting. It is almost as if she didn't bother to put any effort into the words.
The illustrations were great. Her tigers (the main characters are tigers) and mice and pandas and frogs would be well received in an Oz book or Graham Base book. She should stick to illustrating.

Castle Waiting

Castle Waiting
by
Linda Medley
Ages 10 +, YA, or adult. Fantasy graphic novel.

The author takes some old tales, weaves them together, adds her own creative touch, and blends short stories together into a book. There is a dash of Sleeping Beauty, a teaspoon of this, a cup of that. At first I thought that it was going to be just one main story, but then I realized there were a lot of tangents. This pen and ink book makes for a fast, fulfilling read. I look forward to more fantasy tales from Medley.