Joha Makes A Wish:

A Middle Eastern Tale

Adapted by Eric A. Kimmel

Illustrated by Omar Rayyan

1. Bibliography

Kimmel, Eric. Joha Makes A Wish. Ill. by Omar Rayyan. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Children, 2010. ISBN: 9780761455998

2. Plot Summary

Joha Makes a Wish is a traditional Middle Eastern tale based of off a Yemen folktale called “The Answered Prayer.”   In this folktale Joha, the main character, stumbles upon a wishing stick and soon discovers that every time he makes a wish the opposite happens.  Joha lands himself in a lot of trouble when he wishes for a wart on the Sultans nose to go away and the Sultans nose becomes covered in warts.  The Sultan sends guards after Joha and he hides in a shopkeepers wood chest. When Joha discovers from the local shopkeeper that he has been holding the wishing stick upside down, he tries to correct all his wishes.  Joha goes to the Sultan and wishes for his nose to go back to normal and the Sultan takes the stick and keeps it.  Even though Joha has no wishing stick, he ends up better off than the Sultan. 

3. Critical Analysis

Joha Makes A Wish is a classic wise fool noodlehead folktale.  The author’s note to the reader explains that the main character of this story is Joha, a character often found in folktales from Turkey, Iran, and Central Asia.  The author portrays Joha as a poor and simple man of Middle Eastern descent.  One example of Joha’s simple ways might be when Joha is given the chance to wish for anything, he wishes for shoes because his are worn out.  However the sultan in the story is portrayed as rich, mean, and greedy.  He threatens to lock Joha in a dungeon when he does not want to make a wish for him and takes the wishing stick from Joha at the end of the story.  This tale is also a good triumphs over bad story.  When the wishing stick is taken from Joha by the sultan, Joha is given a donkey as a reward. He seems to get the better end of the bargain as we see a picture of the forlorn Sultan sitting in poverty under a tent. 

The illustrator Omar Rayyan, uses watercolors to paint detailed and comical pictures.  The illustrations lend themselves nicely to the story by elaborating on the emotions of Joha.  For example the author writes about how Joha wishes the stick would go away and becomes angry when it gets stuck to his hand.  The illustrator shows Joha in many different and funny positions yelling at the stick and trying to pry it from his hand.  Rayyan also uses earthy red, blue, green, brown, and gold colors throughout the story.  He uses gold, a color worn by royalty, for the Sultan and lines some of the pictures in gold trim with knotted designs on the corners.  Whenever Joha makes a wish the gold designs on the corners of the page separate and add to the image of magic happening in the picture.  The colors and gold trim also give the reader the impression they are in a Middles Eastern land. 

This story has an independent reading level of 3.2 or third grade.  Adults and children of all ages will enjoy this comical folktale.    

4. Review Excerpts

Winner of the 2010 Aesop Prize.

Winner of the 2010 Oregon Spirit Book Award (Children’s Book Category)

2012 Treasure State Award Nominee

School Library Journal-“A visual stunner coupled with a fantastic bit of storytelling, this one’s a winner. People of the world, take note.” (Review of the Day, June 1^st, 2010) Full Text Available at: School Library Journal, June 1, 2010 http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2010/06/01/review-of-the-day-joha-makes-a-wish-by-eric-a-kimmel/

School Library Journal- Joha's misadventures and the trouble he causes the sultan depart liberally from their folklore and cultural roots but offer an enjoyable escapade demonstrating that universal scheme of the unwitting little guy getting the better of those in power. The wishing scheme and fulsome pictures promise read-aloud fun.—Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book Magazine- Joha Makes A Wish(2010; Kimmel, Eric A.; Marshall Cavendish Children); Excerpt: "Kimmel narrates with his usual wit and panache, nicely extended in Rayyan's watercolor illustrations, where humorously exaggerated characters are realized in tastefully muted colors while the action bursts energetically from elegant frames. A fine choice for storytelling." (Horn Book Magazine; May/June 2010, Vol. 86 Issue 3, p69-69, 1p)

5. Connections

Look up other names for Joha and read other similar traditional tales.  Do a character analysis of Joha based on the folktales and talk about his character traits. Ex. Wise Fool

The Wise Fool: Fables from the Islamic World by Shahrukh Husain ISBN: 9781846862267

Goha The Wise Fool by Denys Johnson-Davies ISBN: 978-0399242229

Read The Answered Prayer, which the book Joha Makes A Wish was inspired by.  Discuss similarities and differences in the folktales in The Answered Prayer and Joha Makes A Wish.  Talk about why Eric A. Kimmel might have been inspired to write Joha Makes A Wish after reading The Answered Prayer.

The Answered Prayer: And Other Yemenite Folktales by Sharlya Gold ISBN: 978-0827607729

Read other traditional tales written by Eric A. Kimmel. Discuss similarities and talk about common elements found in the tales.

Other folktales retold and adapted by Eric. A. Kimmel:

Anansi and the Moss-covered Rock Retold by Eric A. Kimmel ISBN: 978-0823407989

Anansi and the Talking Melon Retold by Eric A. Kimmel ISBN: 978-0823411672
The Golem Latkes Adapted by Eric A. Kimmel ISBN: 978-0761459040

The Greatest of All: A Japanese Folktale Retold by Eric A. Kimmel ISBN: 978-0823412037

The Three Little Pigs

Written and Illustrated

    by Paul Galdone

 1. Bibliography 

Galdone, Paul.The Three Little Pigs. New York: Clarion Books, 1998. ISBN: 0395288134.

2. Plot Summary

The Three Little Pigs is a traditional tale about three pigs that leave their mother and set off on their own to build their own houses.  The first pig meets a man carrying straw and decides to build his house out of straw.  A wolf comes a long and blows the house down and eats the pig.  The second pig builds his house out of sticks.  The wolf comes to his house and blows it down and eats the second pig.  The third little pig builds his house out of bricks.  The wolf comes along and soon discovers he cannot blow this house down.  The wolf tries to find different ways to trick the little pig into coming out of his house, such as asking him to go with him to pick turnips at six o’clock the next day.  This little pig is smart and outwits the wolf each time the wolf tries to trick him.  The wolf ends up being the one that is out smarted at the end of the tale. 

3. Critical Analysis

Paul Galdone’s version of The Three Little Pigs stays true to the original tale.  This version is a little scarier than some of the new versions because two of the pigs actually get eaten.  Some children might have difficulty dealing with the brutal lose of the two pigs.  The reading level of this book is 3.1 or third grade. The author includes scenes in this story that are often left out of newer versions.  When the wolf is trying to out smart the pig he asks him to go pick turnips at Mr. Smith’s farm, he asks him to pick apples at Merry Garden, and he asks him to go to a fair.  The pig goes to all of the places, but not at the time that the wolf asked him to meet him.  The scenes help to illustrate the cleverness of the pig and add to the good triumphs over bad theme.

Paul Galdone’s illustrations are drawn with watercolors and ink.  The colors are light pastels with some bright colors mixed in.  The characters in the story are all painted and drawn realistically.  The little pigs are peach colored with grey spots.  Galdone  uses thin strokes of black ink on the wolf’s hair and different shades of red, light yellow, brown, and grey that make the wolf look realistic.  When the wolf is out of breath from trying to blow down the brick house Galdone uses purple, pink, and blue water colors to show how hard he tried to blow.  The detailed pictures flow nicely with the action happening in the story and help the reader visualize this timeless tale.  Children of all ages would enjoy reading this classic version of The Three Little Pigs.

4. Review Excerpts

Paul Galdone is the winner of the Kerlan Award in 1996.  He also illustrated two Caldecott Honor books Anatole (1957 Caldecott Honor Book) and Anatole and the Cat (1958 Caldecott Honor Book).

School Library Journal- "All in all, a very appealing edition of a beloved story."

Horn Book Review- “Once upon a time there was an old sow with three little pigs. She had no money to keep them, so she sent them off to seek their fortune.” The illustrator has adapted Joseph Jacobs’ well-loved version of the tale and brought it to life in vibrant line-and-watercolor drawings. The ingenuous little pigs go out into the world and build their homes with materials given to them by smiling stubble-chinned peasants, until eventually the frighteningly wicked, yellow-eyed wolf — reminiscent of the villain in Galdone’s The Monkey and the Crocodile — forces each little pig to confront him. Small touches — the framed illustrations of each pig building his house, the portraits of Mama and his two brothers on the third little pig’s wall, and the four-leaf clovers hidden on the dust jacket and in the end papers — help make for a balanced, sunnily attractive picture book. SHERYL B. ANDREWS

5. Connections

After reading the story, put the students into groups and have the students write their own version of The Three Little Pigs.  Let the students illustrate their versions of the story and share them with the class.  Discuss what parts of the story they kept the same and what they changed.  With younger students create one class book together and let the students illustrate it.

Read other versions or variants of The Three Little Pigs.  Compare and contrast the different stories. 

The Three Little Pigs: An Old Story by Margot Zemach ISBN: 978-0374477172

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner ISBN: 978-0618007011

The True Story of The Three Little Pigs by Lane Smith ISBN: 978-0140544510

Three Little Pigs by Steven Kellogg ISBN: 978-0064437790

Perform a Reader’s Theatre of The Three Little Pigs.  Write your own script or use the one at the following website. 

http://www.dcs.edu/webpages/dknox/readers_theatre_.cfm?subpage=1276200

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Written and Illustrated

by Simms Taback

1. Bibliography

Taback, Simms. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. New York: Viking, 1999. ISBN: 0670878553

2. Plot Summary

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is a traditional tale based off of a Yiddish song.  Joseph, a peasant, begins the story with a plaid overcoat that becomes old and starts fraying at the edges.  Each time the plaid fabric becomes worn out Joseph turns it into something else to wear.  First Joseph turns the overcoat into a jacket and wears it for a long time.  The jacket becomes old and worn out and Joseph turns the jacket into a vest.  When the vest becomes tattered and torn Joseph turns it into a scarf.  The plaid fabric keeps getting turned into a different article of clothing until Joseph makes it into a button and loses the button.  When Joseph realizes he no longer has any piece of the original overcoat he has to use his creativity to make something out of nothing.    

3. Critical Analysis

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is a traditional tale adapted from a Yiddish folk song.  The story takes place at Joseph’s house in Poland and in his town.  Simms Taback, the author and illustrator of this tale, keeps the reader guessing throughout the story as Joseph transforms the plaid overcoat fabric into different articles of clothing.  Taback uses watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink, and collage to create the captivating pictures in this story.  Each picture is outlined in black shading that draws the readers attention to the dark shades of color used in the pictures. 

Taback's collage technique is blended so beautifully that it takes a second glance to see the real pictures mixed in with the watercolor pictures.  For example Taback drew yellow flowers outside Joseph’s house, and then put real pictures of flowers next to them on the pages.  Taback also cleverly cuts out the outline of the next article of clothing that the coat will be turned into on each page.  As the reader turns the page the cutouts make the jacket become a vest and the vest become a scarf.  Children will enjoy guessing the next article of clothing on each page. 

Taback also portrays cultural elements throughout the story with the background images.  The pictures and words show Joseph interacting with the people of his town who are wearing traditional clothing.  There are also objects such as a menorah and a dreidel on some of the pages.  Taback puts letters, newspapers, song lyrics, and saying on many of the pages with English and Hebrew writing on them to give the reader clues about Joseph’s culture.  The letters show that Joseph lives in Poland and communicates with family.  He also visits family in the story showing that family is an important part of his life and culture.  The lyrics and choir Joseph sings in show that music is important to him and the people of his town.  The sayings on Josephs walls and the way that Joseph turns his coat into different clothes when it gets worn out, show the simple side of Josephs life and that he is not wasteful.  The overall message that Taback portrays with this story is that “you can always make something out of nothing.”   

4. Review Excerpts

Caldecott Medal Award 2000
Winner of The National Jewish Book Award 1999

Publishers Weekly- As in his Caldecott Honor book, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Taback's inventive use of die-cut pages shows off his signature artwork, here newly created for his 1977 adaptation of a Yiddish folk song. This diverting, sequential story unravels as swiftly as the threads of Joseph's well-loved, patch-covered plaid coat. A flip of the page allows children to peek through to subsequent spreads as Joseph's tailoring produces items of decreasing size. The author puts a droll spin on his narrative when Joseph loses the last remnant of the coat--a button--and decides to make a book about it. "Which shows...you can always make something out of nothing," writes Taback, who wryly slips himself into his story by depicting Joseph creating a dummy for the book that readers are holding.

Still, it's the bustling mixed-media artwork, highlighted by the strategically placed die-cuts, that steals the show. Taback works into his folk art a menagerie of wide-eyed animals witnessing the overcoat's transformation, miniature photographs superimposed on paintings and some clever asides reproduced in small print (a wall hanging declares, "Better to have an ugly patch than a beautiful hole"; a newspaper headline announces, "Fiddler on Roof Falls off Roof"). With its effective repetition and an abundance of visual humor, this is tailor-made for reading aloud. All ages. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

5. Connections

Discuss the message or moral of the story.  Talk about a time when you turned something old into something new.  Discuss concepts about recycling and talk about different ways to do so.   Plan a recycling project such as an old coat drive.

Talk about the different kinds of writing in the newspapers, letters, and sayings on the walls.  Then research information about Yiddish or Jewish culture.  Read other traditional books about the Jewish culture.

It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folk Tale by Margot Zemach ISBN: 978-0374436360

Beautiful Yetta: The Yiddish Chicken
Chicken Man by  Michelle Edwards

Do an author study on Simms Taback.  Talk about Taback life and read other books written by Taback. Compare similarities in his illustrations and writing.  Discuss Jewish cultural elements he may include in other books.

Kibitzers and Fools by Simms Taback ISBN: 978-0670059553

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback ISBN: 978-0670869398

This is the House That Jack Built by Simms Taback ISBN: 978-0142402009

I Miss You Every Day by Simms Taback ISBN: 978-0670061921

Postcards From Camp by Simms Taback ISN: 978-0399239731

Eloise

Written by Kay Thompson

Illustrated by Hilary Knight

1. Bibliography

Thompson, Kay. Eloise. Ill. by Kay Thompson. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1955. ISBN: 978-0-671-22350-2

2. Plot Summary

Eloise is the story of an outgoing and energetic six year old girl who lives in the Plaza Hotel in New York City.  She lives on the top floor with her nanny called Nanny, who likes to repeat words three times.  She also has a pet dog named Weenie, and a turtle named Skipperdee.  Eloise loves to play pretend and goes on adventures all over the hotel. She visits the lobby every day to check the Mail Desk for stamps, to make phone calls, and to say hello to the hotel manager Mr. Salomone, who thinks she is a nuisance.  She plays on the elevators, makes lots of noise in the hallways, and explores the many ballrooms and meeting rooms in the hotel.  She is fun and exciting and often gets onto the hotel staff’s nerves, but she never gets in trouble. 

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3. Critical Review

Eloise is written from the point of view of a six year old named Eloise and words are written as if she was speaking.  Eloise likes to talk and the writer does not use periods at the end of the sentences, which give the reader the impression that Eloise is talking very fast and jumping from one subject to the next.  The words flow of the tongue and are often spelled like a young child would pronounce them.  The writer’s unique way of writing makes you feel as if Eloise is standing next to you talking very fast fast fast, as Nanny might say, in your ear. 

The illustrator helps the reader to better understand all the interesting elements that are happening in the story.  The illustrations are in black, white, red and sometimes pink.  The writer describes the story from Eloise’s point of view but the illustrator often shows what is really happening such as the emotions of the hotel staff when Eloise bothers them in the lobby.  When Eloise is playing pretend the illustrator draws what Eloise is imagining in her mind in red ink. The pictures are exquisite and sometimes comical and really add to Eloise’s character and show the reader the real story behind her stories.

Eloise is a delightful book that children of all ages will enjoy.  Eloise has a reading level of 5.4 or fifth grade and might be too hard for young readers to read on their own.  The big words, omission of periods and the length of the story also might create challenges for beginning readers.  Eloise explains in the book that she does not see her mother very often and she lives alone with her nanny.  The concept of living alone away from ones parents might be a sad and difficult subject for some children to grasp.  Even though Eloise lives alone, she still has her nanny, pets, and hotel friends.  This is a story about friendship, a little bit of mischief, and using your imagination.

4. Review Excerpts

Books In Print: "Ooooooo....I just love Eloise! Thank you, Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight. You're the bestest!" -- Judy Blume

Books in Print: "My first happy response to Eloise was entirely due to the brilliant, iconic images. That brazen, loose-limbed, deliciously little girl monster is Hilary Knight at his best." -- Maurice Sendak

New York Times: “Eloise is one of the most recognizable characters in children’s literature.”

Time: “She is a magnificent moppet.”

5. Connections

Imagine what it would be like to live with a nanny in a hotel like Eloise.  Discuss the good and bad advantages to this and invite the children to share their own experience with hotels.  Explain how many of the activities Eloise likes to do would not normally be allowed in a hotel. 

Read one of the following books about other adventurous and outgoing little girls and compare and contrast the main character to Eloise. 

Fancy Nancy by Jane O’ Conner  ISBN: 978-0060542092

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans ISBN: 978-0140564396

Olivia by Ian Falconer ISBN: 978-0689829536

Talk about Eloise’s daily routine.  Make a list of some of the things Eloise likes to do after waking up and what she does throughout the day.  Let the students share what they do to get ready for school in the morning.  Ask the students if their daily schedule is as busy as Eloise’s schedule.    

Doña Flor

Written by Pat Mora

Illustrated by Raul Colón

1. Bibliography

Mora, Pat. Doña Flor.: A Tall Tale About A Giant Woman With A Great Big Heart. Ill. by Raul Colón. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. ISBN: 0375823379

2. Plot Summary

Doña Flor is a tall tale about a giant lady named Flor, who lives in a village in the American Southwest.  Flor can speak all languages even the languages of the animals, and often asks them to help her with chores.  She is called Doña or Mrs. in English out of respect.  Doña Flor is very important to the people of her town.  Every morning she makes humongous tortillas for the villagers to eat and use as roofs for their houses.  She also grows giant flowers that the villagers use for musical instruments.  One day none of the villagers show up at Doña Flor’s house to pick up tortillas to take home to their families.  She finds out the villagers are hiding because they hear the roar of what they think is a giant mountain lion.  Doña Flor goes looking for the mountain lion each day, but she cannot find him.  The villagers hide in their homes and will not come out to see Doña Flor.  Finally Doña Flor asks the animals for help and they tell her where to find the mountain lion or puma.  Doña Flor soon discovers that the giant mountain lion is not what he appears to be.

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3. Critical Review

Doña Flor is a beautifully written tall tale rich with culture.  The story follows the life of Flor, a very tall woman who can literally touch the clouds, and her dedication to the people of her village.  Flor is a magical character not only because she is tall, but because she can speak all languages even the languages of the animals.  Her singing also makes plants grow to an abnormal height. 

Pat Mora, the author, uses anthropomorphism throughout the story to give human characteristics to the sun, wind, and animals.  The author incorporates and often substitutes Spanish words for English words in the story.  The Spanish words might be a little confusing for some readers, but the author uses the English words interchangeably.  This book has an independent reading level of 3.6 or third grade, but younger student would enjoy hearing the story as well.  The authors writing is filled with similes and adjectives that make images dance in your head as you read the flowing words.

Pat Mora subtly promotes reading and literacy in her story.  She writes about Doña Flor reading books outside of the town library and Doña Flor reading to the animals and children.  Pat Mora is an advocate for multicultural education and often speaks about children’s literacy.  She has written other books such as Tomas and the Library Lady that promote literacy as well.

Raul Colón, the illustrator, creates wonderful pictures throughout the story, which stretch the reader’s imagination.  His artwork is created with watercolor washes, etching, and colored and litho pencils.  The illustrations make the story come to life and help the reader to understand the culture of the villagers.  His pictures help the reader see what the village looks like and the dress of the people of the town.  He also uses bright rich colors with brush strokes and lines that add to the flow and movement of the characters. 

The pictures and words of this story make the reader feel as if they were there.  This tall but intriguing tale shows the friendship and love between the villagers and Doña Flor and the great lengths that Flor goes to in order to help the people of her pueblo.

4. Review Excerpts

WINNER 2006 Pura Belpre Illustrator Award
WINNER 2006 ALA Notable Children's Book
SUBMITTED 2005 Golden Kite Award for Fiction

Book Links: “Mora's poetic text is sprinkled with Spanish words and phrases, and Colon's whimsical scratchboard art adds an uplifting tine to this satisfying tale.

Kirkus Review: “Doña Flor, beautiful giantess of the American Southwest, is so tall she plucks estrellas from the sky and grabs snow from mountaintops to wake herself up in the morning. Her tortillas are so big that her neighbors use the extra ones as roofs.”

School Library Journal: A charming tall tale set in the American Southwest. Doña Flor, a giant, is a benevolent presence in her pueblo. While at first kids teased the young and large Flor, she quickly became an asset to them, whisking them off to school when they were running late or making tortillas big enough to be used as rafts on the river. The action starts when a puma is heard howling in the vicinity; the villagers are terrified and even Doña Flor can't find it. The animals know where the "gato" is so she follows their advice and the situation is delightfully resolved. Colón uses his signature mix of watercolor washes, etching, and litho pencils for the art. There is great texture and movement on each page in the sun-baked tones of the landscape. With Spanish words peppered throughout, this is a welcome entry to the canon that includes other heroines like Sally Ann Thunder and Thunder Rose." -Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA" Copyright 2005 Media Source Inc. School Library Journal, October 1, 2005

5. Connections

Discuss or make a list of the Spanish words in the story and talk about what they mean in English.  Talk about how you can use context clues to figure out what the words mean even if you don’t speak Spanish. 

Do an author study on Pat Mora.  Research and read bibliographic information on Pat Mora to the class.  Than read other books by Pat Mora and discuss her writing style and similarities in the books.
Other books by Pat Mora:
Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children's Day/ Book Day; Celebremos El Dia de Los Ninos/ El  Dia de Los Libros ISBN: 978-0061288777 
Gracias/ Thanks ISBN:978-1600602580
Tomas and the Library Lady ISBN: 978-0375803499
Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico! Americas' Sproutings ISBN: 978-1584302711

Compare and contrast the book Swamp Angel by Anne Issacs to Doña Flor.

Discuss the comparison and make a chart showing the similarities and differences.

Swamp Angel ISBN: 9780140559088