Princess Smartypants
Author: Babbette Cole
Publisher: Sandcastle Books
Copyright: 1986
Pages: 29
Reading Level: 2.2
Genre: Picture Book
Rating:*****

Summary:
Princess Smartypants is rich and beautiful but unlike most Princesses, she does not want a Price. She likes being a Ms just fine, and spending all her time with her animals. But like most Mothers, the Queen wants her to get married. So Princesses Smartypants says that she will marry the Prince who can accomplish all the tasks she gives him. So, the Princes come, and off she sends them to do an array of tasks. Well, none of them succeed but, one, Prince Swashbuckle. He breezes through all the tasks she assigns him, and so Princess Smartypants give him a magical kiss...and he turns into a big ugly toad! After that no Princes came in search of gaining Princess Smartypant’s hand. She can be found living happily ever after, single and with all her pets.

Who would benefit from reading this?
This is a great book for young girls especially. Though I am the number one fan of getting married, I also believe that girls should be independent and their own person. You don’t need a man to be happy and this is a true Princess tale that conveys that message. A great read for all ages.

Potential problems/conflicts:
The problems that I see with this book are it may give the impression that girls should just be single. And a lot of parents may not want to read that to their children.

My reaction:
My reaction, HILARIOUS! This books his so much fun. You can’t help but laugh at the pictures, character names, and all the funny situations Princess Smartypants puts the Princes into. It has just enough story line to it, but is short enough to be a quick read, one of my new favorites by far. Honestly I found this book at DI and the title sold me, and lucky for me, the book is just as good as the title makes you suspect it will be.

The Hat
Author: Jan Brett
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Copyright: 1997
Pages: 30
Reading Level: 2.2
Genre: Picture Book
Rating: ***

Summary:
Who knew so much could happen due to one sock blowing off the line? Well in The Hat, you get a little idea of just how much can. Lisa, a young girl is getting ready for winter and takes all her winter clothes out and hangs them out to dry, but a gust of wind blows one of her socks off the line. Soon after a hedgehog comes along, like all of us would, he wants to know what is inside. So he sticks his head in, but when he comes out, the sock is stuck to his prickles. So as he makes his way through the forest all the other animals make fun of him, asking what is on his head? But for each question and joke made, he has a witty reply and tells the other animals that it is winter and everyone needs a hat, and off they run. Finally back at his den the hedgehog wants to get in, but his “hat” is too big. Then Lisa comes running after, and takes the sock off his head. As she goes back to her clothes line she sees all her winter things throughout the forest. All the other animals had gone and found their own “hats”. So in the end the hedgehog got to have the last laugh.

Who would benefit from reading this?
This is a fun book especially for younger children. The pictures are very detailed and each page gives a little clue as to what the next page will bring. It also helps to each about animals.

Potential problems/conflicts:
I honestly don’t see any problems with this book.

My reaction:
The story line was honestly a little slow for me, but it is a fun book especially for younger children. Honestly my favorite part is the pictures. They are filled to the top, and give a clue to what is on the next page and a snippet from the last page. If you want a great picture book, one literally for the pictures, this is a great choice.

The Twelve Wild Ducks
Author: Peter Asbjornsen
Copyright: 1845
Pages: 3-10
Reading Level: 4
Genre: Fairy Tales
Rating: ***
Other tales: Tatterhood, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Three Aunts

Summary:
This tale is similar to what most of us know as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with a few twists. How the story goes is that there was a King and a Queen and they had twelve sons. But the Queen wanted a daughter and she said she would give up her twelve sons to have one, and no sooner had she said than a witch came and granted her wish. So once the young princess was born and christened who was a white as snow and red as blood as the witch had said the twelve brothers turned into wild ducks and flew away never to be seen again. Now Snow White grew up, but she was sad because she had no siblings to play with. It was then that her mother told her she had twelve brothers that she had given up so she could have her. At this point Snow White went off in search of her brother, and after three years she came to a little wooden hut, and inside were twelve beds and the twelve silver spoons that her Mother had made for each of her children. So after they discover their sister hiding under the bed one wanted to kill her but instead they said she had to break the spell. To break the spell she had to pick thistles and card it and weave it and make twelve coats, shirts, and handkerchiefs all while never talking, laughing, nor weeping. And so she set about it. And one day a King saw her and fell madly in love with her as princes do and they were married. But her step mother hated her because she was beautiful so each time Snow White had a child the Step Mother would take it and throw it into a snake pit and make it look like Snow White had eaten her child, all the Snow White could not speak for herself. So the day comes that Snow White is to be burned, but she finishes her clothes for her twelve brothers and the spell is broken and they come riding in on their twelve horses, and Snow White can finally speak for herself. At this point the Step Mother chooses her own punishment and is bound between twelve steed and the rest live happily ever after, including Snow White and the King and their three children whom were thrown into the snakes pit.

Who would benefit from reading this?
Like all the other fairy tales, these stories are great for kids. They are fun to read, and make for an entertaining bedtime story. It also teaches consequences at the end of these stories which are great for kids to hear and recognize.

Potential problems/conflicts:
A problem that one might encounter with this reading is that there is a lot of detail to follow and keep track of. Another problem along with all the fairy tales is the violence factor involved. Basically if you are looking for a happy story with no conflicts these are not the ones for you.

My reaction:
I liked these second of all the fairy tale authors. These stories had to same back bones as the tales I grew up on but with more of a twist. The stories were also longer and had more detail, which I enjoy as a reader, I am better able to picture the scene in my mind that way. I also liked the messages that were implied at the end of each tale. Well written and very fun to read.

Little Red Riding Hood
Author: Charles Perrault
Publisher: D.C. Heath and Co., Boston, New York, Chicago
Copyright: 1901
Pages: 3-10 for each tale
Reading Level: 4
Genre: Fairy Tales
Rating: ****
Other tales: Little Tom Thumb, The Little Glass Slipper, Blue Beard

Summary:
All the Perrault tales start out with the classic once upon at…so here we go. Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was loved by her mother and even more by her grandmother. So her grandmother mad her a little red hood to wear and all through town people called her fondly Little Red Riding Hood. One day her mother had her take some things to her grandmother who was sick. As she was walking through the forest she came upon a walk. Now the wolf would have eaten her then and there but there were wood cutters in the forest so he asked where she was going. When she said to her grandmothers he raced her there, acting as little red riding hood and gobbled the grandmother up and was in bed waiting for little red riding hood to get there. A little later she arrived, and comes to her grandmothers bedside. This is when we hear her state the classic lines such as, “Grandmother dear, what big eyes you have” and so forth. Then when she asks the classic line, “Grandmother dear, what big teeth you have” the wolf jumps on Little Red Riding hood and eats her up.

Who would benefit from reading this?
These tales are fun for every kid, not only is it good for kids to know the classic fairy tales, but these don’t add any fluff to the end. They are very realistic and the best part is the morals found at the end of every tale. They are not only catchy but relate to all ages of life.

Potential problems/conflicts:
Perrault’s tales don’t beat around the bush, the story ends just like it would in real life. So some parents or teacher might not want their kids to be reading such tales that don’t have happy endings.

My reaction:
These were my favorite fairy tales of all. I think the thing that I liked most were the morals at the end of every story. These were not only good for children to read, but people from every age group could relate. Here is one from Little Red Riding Hood.
“Little girls, this seems to say,
Never stop upon your way.
Never trust a stranger-friend;
No one knows how it will end.
As you’re pretty, so be wise;
Wolves may lurk in every guise.
Handsome they may be, and kind,
Gay, or charming never mind!
Now, as then, ‘tis simple truth—
Sweetest tongue has sharpest tooth!”

The Frog King
Author: The Brother Grimm
Copyright: 1812
Pages: 2-8 pages each tale
Reading Level: 4
Genre: Fairy Tales
Rating: **
Other stories read: Rapunzel, The Goose-girl, Hansel and Gretel

Summary:
There once was a King, and all his daughters were beautiful. But the youngest daughter’s beauty was so grand that even the sun marveled to shine upon her. Now each day the princess would go to the well in the dark forest and throw her golden ball in the air and catch it. But one day, she did not catch the ball and it fell into the deep well and she knew she could not retrieve it so she began to sob. As she was crying, she heard a voice that asked why she was crying. Looking up to see whom was there, she saw an ugly frog sitting in the water. When she told the frog her situation it said that it would go dive down to the bottom of the well and retrieved her golden ball if she would take him home and make him her playmate, feed him at her table, and let him sleep in her bed. The princess quickly agreed. The frog then quickly dove to the bottom of the well and retrieved the golden ball. Upon seeing it she exclaimed with joy, grabbed her ball, and ran home leaving the frog behind. The next night at dinner though, there was a knock on the door and there was the frog. The frog told her the rhyme for her to open up the door, but she slammed it on his face. Only after her father inquired why she had done so and who was at the door did the princess tell him her situation. Her father then told her she must keep her promise. After much complaint the princess let the frog eat with her and finally brought him to bed, but instead of bringing him to bed she leaves him in the corner. When he requests to come to bed she throws him against the wall and he turns into a handsome prince, the spell now broken. Then the next morning the prince takes the princess back to his kingdom after his faithful servant Heinrich picked them up in the carriage, his heart to swelling now that his master was back and the spell was broken.

Who would benefit from reading this?
This is a story for children to hear. It has a moral to every story, and can teach things important life lessons like “don’t judge a book by its cover” and so on.

Potential problems/conflicts:
The main problem I see is that the Grimm fairy tales can be on the gruesome/violent side at times. They aren’t any more descriptive than most cartoons, but they may be too graphic for some parents preference.

My reaction:
These tales could shock me at times by the descriptive deaths but they were very similar to the fairy tales I grew up on. I had never heard of the goose girl, but the others were much similar to the classic fairy tales I heard as a kid. I would not hesitate to share these with my children, but I might hold off until they are in the elementary years.

Henny-Penny
Author: Joseph Jacobs
Publisher: D. Nutt, London
Copyright: 1894
Pages: 1-2 (for each tale)
Reading Level: 3
Genre: Fairy Tales
Rating: **
Other stories read: The Story of the Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Golden Arm

Summary:
Henny-penny was picking corn one day when something falls and hits her on the head. Her reaction naturally of course is that the sky is falling. So she sets off to tell the king the news. Along the way she meets several people. And with each one she meets they ask if they can come along to tell the King the sky of falling, and to each the reply is “certainly”. The first she meets is Cocky-locky, then Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey and Turkey-lurkey. And when they have almost made it to the Kings along comes Foxy-woxy. Foxy-woxy of course asks the group where they are going and if he as well can come along. The reply once more is the same as before, that the sky is falling and certainly he can come along. But, Foxy-woxy is not like the rest, he tells the group they are going the wrong way, and he tricks them all into coming back into his cave. He of course goes first and the rest follow starting with Turkey-lurkey and on down the line. As they each enter his cave he bites off their head and thrown their bodies off to the side. When he finally gets too Cocky-locky though, the first bite does not kill him and he calls out to Henny-penny. So Henny-penny runs home and never tells the King the sky is falling.

Who would benefit from reading this?
I don’t know that anyone would necessarily benefit from reading these tales, but kids of most ages would enjoy them. They can be a bit gruesome but there is far worse on tv today then animals getting their heads bit off.

Potential problems/conflicts:
The potential problems I see are that it can be rather gruesome for young children especially. These are not the happy ending fairy tales that Disney portrays, so some parents might find that offensive.

My reaction:
To be quite honest, the Jacob’s version of the fairy tales is not my favorite, though it is quite similar to most of the tales that I grew up on as a kid. For example, Jack and the Beanstalk was the same story I remember as a child. I was quite surprised how many of these stories I hadn’t heard, and the ones I had, the characters were generally very different from the tales I remember. For example, when I was a kid, it was not Henny-penny that cried the sky was falling it was a Hen.

The Eleventh Hour
Author: Graeme Base
Publisher: Puffin Books/Penguin Putnam Inc.
Copyright: 1988
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Ages 9 and up
Genre: Picture Book/Mystery
Rating:****

Summary:
Now this picture book is unlike most. Though its pages are brimming with color and detailed art, that is not the best part. The best part is that whether you know it or not, from page one you are solving a mystery. The story goes that Horace the elephant is turning eleven and is throwing a birthday party. So he makes a kitchen full of food and invites all of his friends over. So the day of the party arrives and all of his friends show up which include: the pig, the zebra, the rhino, the swan, a tiger, a mouse, a crocodile, a cat and last but not least the twin giraffes. Once they see all the food they are ready to eat, but Horace has a plan. No one will eat until eleven. Until then they are going to play games. Like good friends they all comply and play a variety of games like crochet, tug of war, chess and more. Finally the times comes and they all rush to the house to eat, when they enter and find, that someone has stolen all of the food! Everyone is being blamed, and blaming someone else. After much debate, Horace comes back from the kitchen with sandwiches and the cake which surprisingly had been left untouched and the book ends. Or so you think. But on the last page the reader is encouraged to find out who the thief was. And after much deliberation and lots of detective work you will find who the culprit is. Who do you think it is? If you would rather not know and find out for yourself don’t read on…otherwise, the thief is the one that you would suspect least of all. It is the mouse. He with the help of 111 other mice friends all ate the feast at eleven minutes till eleven.

Who would benefit from reading this?
This book is a great book for older kids, those in the mid to later elementary years. Not only for them to read on their own, but it would be a great book for parents and kids to solve together. There are more clues than you would think and by working together you would be able to solve more. Even if kids can’t understand the detective side of the book the pictures are phenomenal and the whole story rhymes.

Problems/Conflicts:
Some problems with this book may be one, it may be too challenging or too busy for many kids. The pictures are amazing, but there is a lot going on in them. Another conflict might be that it makes light of stealing.

My reaction:
I loved this book! It is one that I just read through first time and enjoyed the rhyming of the story along with the phenomenal artwork, but also one that I was able to go back and re-read over and over because there was so much I missed. This book has the pictures, the story line, and the fun that every good pictures book should. I will be reading this book to my kids one day, and enjoy watching them as they work to solve the mystery themselves, a mystery that is not so easily solved might I add.