Tag Archives: Folktale

Holes

13+, AGES 8 - 12, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Title: Holes

Author: Louis Sachar

Publisher:  Bloomsbury Publishing

Number of pages: 233 

Type of Book: Middle Grade, Fairytale, Folktale, Adventure, Mystery. 

Age: 10+

Buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Holes-Louis-Sachar/dp/0440414806/ref=pd_sbs_1?pd_rd_w=T5aro&pf_rd_p=965b754e-4670-4322-863d-d4929773ec49&pf_rd_r=KGQV70T7HK8VM5JYXH37&pd_rd_r=17b1b8b7-2dcc-45ab-8e21-fe1cfd2bfdb0&pd_rd_wg=HdnfV&pd_rd_i=0440414806&psc=1 and @thebookwormcafeng on Instagram.

Price: $ 8.49 or N3000

MY SUMMARY

Stanley Yelnats and all his family members have bad luck, it is so bad that Stanley ends up in a juvenile detention centre in the middle of the desert for a crime he didn’t commit. At Camp Green, he must dig holes every day under the hot sun: back-breaking and totally boring stuff until he finds a tube of lipstick in one of his holes and then he goes after a runaway. Then, the adventure begins. The author goes back and forth between three stories: Stanley’s story, a fairytale and a folktale, spinning a thrilling, humorous and powerful story about friendship, crime and punishment.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: I enjoyed this book as a reader and a writer! The reader in me LOVED the parallel stories; one contemporary, one fairy tale and one folk tale, each with its own fair share of excitement, adventure and suspense. The deadly yellow-spotted lizard, “Kissing Kate” the outlaw, the search for the treasure, and the warden (this woman slapped someone with a snake’s venom) were some of the highlights of the book. This book is a must read for children and adults alike!!

For Ugo, the writer, the highlight was the parallel structure and how all three stories tied up neatly in the end. Just wondering how they were connected and trying to figure it out added to the mystery of the book. Sachar is a wonderful writer with the power to thrill with words. The blend of fairy tale, fantasy, adventure, mystery, humour, folktale and realism in on package is mind-blowing. It is a great mentor text for parallel narratives.   

DOWN: Nada …

RATING

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

  1. Read an excerpt here: https://www.npr.org/books/titles/204896601/holes 

CHALLENGE: Holes

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. Write a 1,000-word story with 2 parallel stories.

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com.

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 10 – 12 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, February 7th 2021.

Next Book of the Week:

MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH by Trinka Hakes Noble

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The Greatest Animal in the Jungle

AGES 4 - 8, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Title: The Greatest Animal in the Jungle

Author: Sope Martins

Publisher:  Farafina Tuuti

Number of pages: 28

Type of Book: Fiction, African, Folktale

Genre: Picture Book

Age: 4 – 8

Buy it here: https://farafinabooks.com/book?b=2029

Price: N1,000.

MY SUMMARY

Afuwe nearly gets eaten by an owl on his birthday!!! Naturally, he’s terrified and decides he doesn’t like being small. So when Tortoise gives him a magical birthday present which grants 5 wishes, his ultimate wish is to be the greatest animal in the jungle so he can be all powerful.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: It’s funny and action packed, 2 of my favourite ingredients in any book. Afuwe is such a lovable character and he is so relatable. Sope Martins is great with words and imagery. Afuwe’s fear when the owl chases him is so palpable. With a few words, Martins draws readers in, sucking us into Afuwe’s world so that we sweat with Afuwe in the beginning, and laugh with him at the end and she does this with less than 1000 words!

My kids love it!! B3 tries to read it every night. We laughed and laughed at Afuwe antics and I am sad because I really cannot share the joy this book gave us without putting up lots and lots of spoilers. Take it from us, this is a GREAT BOOK to give as a Christmas present!!

DOWN:  None

RATING

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

CHALLENGE: The Greatest Animal in the Jungle

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. The greatest animal in the jungle is the …
  2. Give 5 reasons for your answer.  

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com.

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 4 – 8 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, December 6th 2020.

Next Book of the Week:

IDIA OF THE BENIN KINGDOM by Ekiuwa Aire

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The Gingerbread Man

AGES 0 - 4, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Title: The Gingerbread Man

Author: Ladybird

Publisher: Ladybird

Number of pages: 10

Type of Book: Fiction; Fairytale

Age: 0 – 4

Available here: http://www.learnington-ng.com/activity/17-touch-and-feel-book-gingerbread-man.html; https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gingerbread-Man-Ladybird-Touch-Fairy/dp/1409304469

Price: N1000; 5.99GBP

MY SUMMARY

Imagine it’s your daughter’s birthday and you’ve just baked the perfect Disney princess cake for her. Then as soon as you open the oven, ZOOM!!! the Princess cake jumps off the pan and dashes out of your kitchen. Impossible right? Not in this book. In this book, an old lady baked a gingerbread cookie in the shape of a man and as soon as she opened the oven to take it out, the cookie got up and took off. The old lady gave chase, followed by her husband, then a pig, a cow, and a horse but the cookie refused to be caught and eaten. Read the book to find out what became of the gingerbread man!

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: This is a great book for toddlers! It introduces kids to the wonderful world of fairy tales! It has vibrant illustrations and different touch and feels on every page to introduce your toddler to textures. I recommend this book for all kids aged 0 to 4! It’s a board book so it’s sturdy and will survive bites, spills and dunks in water.

DOWN: I didn’t like the end.

RATING

4.5 Stars.

TRIVIA

  1. This story was first published in 1875![1]

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

  1. Read the story here: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/stories/folktale/gingerbreadman/story/
  2. Create your own Gingerbread Man story book here: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/stories/folktale/gingerbreadman/story/print.shtml

CHALLENGE: The Gingerbread Man

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. Draw and colour the gingerbread man on the cover of the book (4 year olds)

OR

  1. Identify and colour the Gingerbread Man (2-3 year olds)

http://www.supercoloring.com/sites/default/files/styles/coloring_medium/public/cif/2015/11/christmas-gingerbread-man-coloring-page.png

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 2 – 4 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Tuesday, May 17th 2015.

Next Book of the Week:

GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS

 

 

 

 

 

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gingerbread_Man

 

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Clever Squirrel and the Wedding Competition

AGES 4 - 8, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

cleversquirell_cover_large

Title: Clever Squirrel and the Wedding Competition

Author: Yusuf .M. Adamu

Publisher: Cassava Republic Press

Number of pages: 32

Type of Book: Fiction; African

Age: 4 – 8

Available here: http://www.cassavarepublic.biz/collections/childrens-books/products/clever-squirrel-and-the-wedding-competition

Price: N650

MY SUMMARY

Beautiful Gazelle and clever Squirrel were in love. However, Gazelle’s father wasn’t sure Squirrel was deserving of his daughter, so he decided to hold a wedding competition. Six suitors emerged to compete for Gazelle’s hand in marriage: rich Tortoise, handsome Zebra, talkative Parrot, strong Rhinoceros, vain Snake and, of course, clever Squirrel.

Gazelle’s father had a riddle for the suitors:

‘Where does the rainy season go during the dry season and where does the dry season go during the rainy season?’

Can you solve the riddle? Read the book to find out how clever Squirrel outsmarted all the other animals and won beautiful Gazelle’s hand in marriage!

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: The story is based on a popular Hausa folktale! This was a huge plus for me. It is also beautifully illustrated! Ok, I have a thing for illustrations! I’m a pretty visual person so the prints and the pictures in a book sometimes help me decide whether or not to buy it. The characters in this book were exquisitely dressed in Hausa outfits such as the kaftan, babbar riga, etc., as well as some simple yet lovely Ankara print outfits.

I admired the Rhino’s decision to try in spite of the very real possibility of being beaten. (You have to read the book to understand. *tongue in cheek*)

DOWN: Squirrel actually lied to the other animals to get ahead. Young readers must be made to understand that winning fair and square is much better than ‘outsmarting’ others.

RATING

4 Stars

TRIVIA

  1. Ask your child to spot 3 animals that pop up in the illustrations but aren’t mentioned in the book.                     a. a goat                             b. a rabbit                 c. a leopard
  1. Ask your child to list four features of the marriage ceremony in the book.                                                            a. music (drummers)      b. food and drinks     c. colourful traditional outfits d. decorations (flowers)

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

  1. Team the reading experience with a mini-competition of sorts. Teach your child the importance of fighting fair.

READ AN EXCERPT HERE: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0103/7312/files/Excerpt_for_website_Pages_from_Clever_SquirrelFinal_V3_1.pdf?3627

CHALLENGE: Clever Squirrel and the Wedding Competition

CREATE (WRITE OR DRAW)

  1. List 5 traditional outfits worn by any tribe in Nigeria.

OR

  1. Draw the typical traditional marriage outfit worn by men and women in your village.

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 4 – 8 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Wednesday, January 6th 2016

Next Book of the Week:

HANDA’S HEN by Eileen Browne