Betsy Who Cried Wolf!

Betsy Who Cried Wolf! by Gail Carson Levine
Illustrated by Scott Nash
2002

     In the same town where there was once a boy who cried wolf, Betsy has just turned eight and taken the Shepherds' Oath.  She's ready to guide her sheep and protect them from any wolf who may try to eat them.  Meanwhile, up on Rosenrise Mountain, Zimmo, the wolf, is hungry and lonely.  He knows he needs food, and soon, so he comes up with a plan.  As Betsy leads her sheep up the mountain, the wolf lets her see him and as soon as she calls for help, he hides.  Nobody believes poor Betsy. The next day, Zimmo shows up again and Betsy calls for help once more.  Afraid that this is a repeat of the lying boy from years ago, the townsmen send poor Betsy back to Shepherd School (where she must write on the blackboard "I will cry wolf only when I see a wolf", over and over again).  When she's finally allowed to head back out to the mountain, she comes face to face with Zimmo.  She calls for help, but nobody comes. This time, the hungry wolf runs towards Betsy and the sheep, but he only has eyes for her lunch: a delicious shepherds' pie. With a full belly, Zimmo turns out to be quite helpful and Betsy has a new assistant.
        Betsy Who Cried Wolf! is a very entertaining twist on the old story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf.  The delightful illustrations by Nash, add a great touch with tons of funny details to be noticed in multiple reads.  The styling of Betsy, with hooded sweatshirt and cut out gloves, give it a cool and modern touch.  Excellent read aloud to pair up with the original story.

The Lion and the Mouse

The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
2009

     The Lion & the Mouse is Jerry Pinkney's Caldecott Medal Winner retelling of Aesop's classic fable.  What makes Pinkney's version so special is that he has created a perfect retelling without the use of words: it's technically a wordless book -though it does have a couple of onomatopoeias to recreate the sounds of animals in the Serengeti plains.  The illustrations are incredible, each a work of art.  The expressions on the lions face speak for the missing words.
     I can see going back to the classic fable to read it to the kids and then showing Pinkney's illustrations and having the students create their own taglines for each illustration.  This is a book to savor slowly and enjoy every page.

   

Ant and Grasshopper

Ant and Grasshopper by Luli Gray
Illustrated by Giuliano Ferri
2011

     We are all familiar with the classic Aesop's fable of the Ant and the Grasshopper.  The grasshopper spends all his time relaxing, singing and playing around while the ant works tirelessly.  Winter comes, the grasshopper has nothing to eat while the ant is well prepared.  Lesson: always plan ahead.  So...I never really liked that fable. I thought the ant was too cruel! I mean, true, the grasshopper should have worked harder but, to let him starve to death? Come on!  That's why I was very glad to come across this new version of the fable by Luli Gray.
     In  Gray's version of Ant and Grasshopper,  Ant is an accountant obsessed with counting all her possessions over and over again, making sure he has enough stored for the winter.  Grasshopper spends his summer playing the fiddle and singing...and driving Ant nuts with all that noise!  Eventually, as in Aesop's fable, winter comes and Grasshopper comes knocking at Ant's door asking for warmth and food.  Ant first slams the door and leaves Grasshopper out in the cold.  But during that night's sleep, Ant has a nightmare that wakes him up and sends him to his doorstep to find Grasshopper about to die out in the cold.  Ant saves him and they begin a wonderful friendship.  While Ant shared his food, Grasshopper taught Ant to love music.  The final line in Gray's version has a much better moral to the fable: "Everybody counts."