Hewitt Anderson S Great Big Life by Jerdine Nolen, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Laura Stemler Fractured Fairy Tales

Introduction: Fairy tales are found within every culture but some of the tales have been changed over the years. These changes reflect the changes within cultures and some students may not know about these fractured tales or realize they are related to traditional fairy tales they know and love. These fractured fairy tales play off the more well known tales and reflect a number of cultural perspectives, such as gender roles, exceptionalities, blended families, and ethnic cultures. Readers should gain a better understanding of these cultural perspectives, realizing that knights in shining armor and damsels (or princes) in distress come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and genders.

Books: Hewitt Anderson’s Great Big Life by Jerdine Nolen, illustrated by Kadir Nelson Reading Level: Primary Genre: Fantasy Cultural Perspective: Exceptionalities, Diversity Summary: Hewitt Anderson is an exceptionally small boy born into a family of giants. Hewitt’s parents worry about his small size in a giant world but Hewitt will show them how tall he truly is.

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, art by Michael Martchenko Reading Level: Primary Genre: Fantasy Cultural Perspective: Gender Roles Summary: After having her castle and clothes destroyed and her prince carried off by a dragon, Elizabeth puts on the only non burnt object, a bag, and searches for her prince.

Bubba the Cowboy Prince by Helen Ketteman, illustrated by James Warhola Reading Level: Primary Genre: Fantasy Cultural Perspective: Social Diversity, American Mid/south west Summary: Bubba works on a ranch with his stepfather and brothers, he loves to ranch but does all the work. Rich rancher Miz Lurleen, hosts a ball to find a real cowboy to run her ranch with her. At first Bubba is unable to attend due to all the work he had to do on the ranch but with the help of Bubba’s godcow he is all dolled up in time to get to the ball.

Los Tres Pequeños Jabalíes (The Three Little Javelinas) by Susan Lowell, illustrated by Jim Harris Reading Level: Primary Genre: Fantasy Cultural Perspective: Southwestern American Culture, Spanish language Summary: Three Javelina siblings go out and make homes for themselves but a hungry coyote comes after the Javelinas blowing their homes down one by one. The sister made her house of adobe bricks, which the coyote could not blow down, saving herself and her brothers.

Sleeping Bobby by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Giselle Potter Reading Level: Primary Genre: Fantasy Cultural Perspective: Gender Roles Summary: Bob, a prince, was cursed by a wise woman who was not invited to the celebration of his birth. He is cursed to die on his eighteenth year when pricked by a spindle but a wise woman changes the curse to sleep for one hundred years.

Brothers of the Knight by Debbie Allen, illustrations by Kadir Nelson Reading Level: Primary Genre: Fantasy Cultural Perspective: Social diversity Summary: Reverend Knight’s sons shoes are worn through every morning and he can’t figure out why and neither can the house keepers he hires. Finally, a not so ordinary house keeper named Sunday, follows the boys and finds out they are dancing every night and urges the boys to tell their father.

The Golden Sandal Reading Level: Primary Genre: Fantasy Cultural Perspective: Middle Eastern Summary: Maha’s father has remarried but the stepmother and her daughter are cruel to Maha. She spares the life of a talking fish who, in return, helps Maha when she calls for him. On the day of a bride’s henna Maha goes to the fish for help and he gives her a beautiful gown to impress the mothers so she may find a suitor and when she leaves looses a sandal in the river. Her sandal is found by the bride’s brother and he wishes to wed the owner of the sandal.

Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa by: Niki Daly Reading Level: Primary Genre: Fantasy Cultural Perspective: Ghana Africa Summary: Salma goes to the market to shop for her grandmother, who warns her not to talk to strangers and come straight home. She does not heed her grandmother’s warning and takes the back way home meeting Mr. Dog who tricks her from her clothing and goes to her home.

One-Eye! Two-Eyes! Three-Eyes! A Very Grimm Fairy Tale by Aaron Shepard, pictures by Gary Clement Reading Level: Primary Genre: Fantasy Cultural Perspective: Diversity Summary: Everyone in the kingdom has one eye or three eyes except for two eyes. She is treated horribly by her sisters because she has two eyes, making her dress in rags and giving her little food because they believe her to be beneath them because she has only two eyes. A woman comes along and gives her spells to help her get more food.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine Reading Level: 4-6 Genre: Fantasy Cultural Perspective: Gender Roles Summary: Ella has a curse where she is forced to do whatever she is told, but only her mother and the maid know of the curse. After her mother’s sudden death, Ella runs away from boarding school to try and find the fairy who cursed her and have her take it back. Ella befriends a prince who helps her along the journey, and Ella learns that she alone is the only one with the power to break the spell.

Callie and the Stepmother by Susan A. Meyers Reading Level: Primary Genre: Realistic Fiction Cultural Perspective: Blended families Summary: A modern day Cinderella story with a twist. Callie is getting a new mother, sister, and brother when her father re-marries and is afraid they will be just like the stepmothers and siblings she has read about in fairy tales. Callie comes to learn not all stepmothers and siblings are like those in fairy tales.

Other Books: Big Jabe by Jerdine Nolen Clever Beatrice by Margaret Willey The Three Silly Girls Grubb by John and Ann Hassett The Sisters Grimm Series by Michael Buckley Trolls Eye View: A book of villainous tales by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

Other Resources: Read write think, interactive fractured fairy tales and a tale creator, the second link provides more of a description and lessons http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/fairytales/ http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/fractured-fairytales-30062.html