Sunday, September 26, 2010

Fairy Tale Read-Together


Best Loved Stories (Read-Together Treasury)
                This collection of fairy tales is unique in both the material, and the presentation of the stories.  It includes many well known fairy tales such as “The Three Little Pigs”, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, “The Ugly Duckling”, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”, and “Little Red Riding Hood” just to name a few.  One of the most unique aspects of this collection is that it is a Read-Together.  There is an introduction in the collection that describes how the book is intentionally set up so that the left pages have smaller print with more words overall and more challenging words, while the right side has large print with fewer words that are easier for beginning readers.  The unique set up of this book allows it to be used for a partner reading either in class among different ability levels, among different grade levels with reading buddies, or even at home with a parent.  The possibilities of ways to use this collection to intrigue children and encourage their reading ability, all the while giving them the important details of the story are endless.
                The material of this collection is also interesting in that it is very detailed.  Having it be a partner read allows there to be much detail on the left pages so that readers of all abilities can still get the details of the story.  These details could be controversial depending on the version of the fairytale one has previously heard.  Many of the details in the fairy tales I did not remember hearing in any versions I read when I was younger, however they do not detract from the overall message so I was okay with them.  Readers should know that they if they do not have an open mind when it comes to some of these smaller details, this book may frustrate them.  The same could be true of younger readers who have heard other versions of these stories, they will either embrace the new ideas, or feel betrayed by the older stories they have read.  The details will not throw the reader off, but one would have to read a story to get a glimpse of this.
                The illustrations in this collection are not the best, but they suffice for their purpose.  The illustrations on each page are fairly small so that the focus is on the text.  It seems a main reason for doing this is so that beginning readers can focus more on listening to their partner read the left pages, and then focus when it is their turn to read the right pages instead of getting distracted by the illustrations.  However, while this may work, it seems illustrations which extend the text would also grab young readers’ attention and give them a better understanding of what is going on in the story.  I would not recommend this collection for its illustrations, but the uniqueness of the text is such that in most cases it will still work even without great illustrations.
                I would use this collection for primary students who already have a basic understanding of the fairy tales prior to reading this particular collection.  Some of the details may throw them off if they have not previously read at least one version of the fairytale.  This will also benefit them when they are reading their own pages so they have a basic understanding of the plot.  Overall, this is a great book with great potential for many different uses.  While the illustrations may be sub-par and the details potentially overwhelming, the setup of the stories with partner reading is a great feature.

3 comments:

  1. It's a real shame that you didn't enjoy the illustrations! Since students can read this together, what do you think of them making their own illustrations? The students in my field placement always surprise me with what they're able to extract from text and what they can create.

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  2. I love the idea of partner reading. I am wondering if the book is large enough for the teacher to read the detailed side and for the class to read the easier side aloud together. That would make for a fun interactive read-aloud, I think. Like the average kids, I don't know if I'd like the extra details added to familiar fairy tales. I'd be willing to try it out though.

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  3. I'm curious about the extra details that changed or altered the original version of each fairytale. I agree that children who read the fairy tales' original versions may accept or reject the different versions of the stories. But maybe you can use the different versions of fairy tales as a creative way to expand your students' thinking? It might turn out to be an interesting class.

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