Lesson 4- Analyzing the work of others

Looking at three books from different genres.

First, an old favourite of mine, is 'The Cat In The Hat' by Dr Seuss.

I think I grew up on this one. I lived in America between the ages of 3 - 5 years and I really do think that I learned to read with this book, When I came back to England in 1965 it wasn't as well known, but I am glad to see that it has now taken its rightful place in homes over here. An interesting point is that I found it impossible to read silently to myself, so my husband has had to listen to me read it to him - his comment was something about madness!

To the questions -

I think this book is a First Reader.

1. Can you identify the use of repetitive language?
2. What are the phrases that are repeated?
Absolutely, the book is full of repetition, from the two bored children who
 "Sit!,
         Sit!,
                    Sit!,
                              Sit!."
to later on when the Cat in the Hat keeps doing the same things repeating himself and adding more, and finishing each page, with
  "But that is not all,
  Oh, no,
  That is not all....."
on three consecutive pages, (before, of course, he lets all the things fall.)
I also particularly like the way the fish, the voice of reason in this insane tale, repeats his advice throughout the book.
 "No, I do not like it,
 Not one little bit!"

3. How often do they change from page to page?
The book builds on the repetition, so one page will start with a small section, which will than be repeated on, and expanded on the next page, and then once more on the next page until on the fourth page the repetition is still there but this time to show how the game all falls down.
Then Dr Seuss moves on and sets off a new section of repetition. So the sections are short and fun without becoming tedious. Very often the repetition consists of a framework into which new lists are slotted.
Also the writing is very rhythmical and this sets up a chant-like tone to the book when it is read out loud. As a result the lists of things played with also become another way of repeating objects in the stories.

4. Does the book build upon the readers language skills?
Yes, there is a lot of naming of things, with the illustrations there to help the reader learn their meanings. The sentences are short but amusing, and the rhymes work very well.

5. What is the pattern?
This story is told in verse, with every alternate line rhyming.

6. Is the vocabulary within the expected age range or does it challenge a reader to expand their vocabulary?
The vocabulary is mostly quite simple, and several different words are used, so that I would expect this story to help with expanding a child's vocabulary. However one thing I did notice when reading this story is that the use of the word 'gown' feels dated to me now. Maybe it is cultural, and just not used in England? There was nothing else that I felt out of place.

7. Is there a surprise ending or can the end be anticipated by the young reader?
Yes there is a surprise ending, but I won't put it here. If anyone doesn't know it I would hate to spoil the story for them.

New twist?
No!. Leave 'The Cat In The Hat' alone. Anyway, if you want it to be slightly different then there is always
'The Cat In The Hat Comes Back!'

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The next book I read is called 'Playful the Pixie' by Geoff Cowan. This is taken from a collection of stories called 'Enchanting Tales For Young Readers', and was completely new to me. The stories are unrelated except that the characters all live in some sort of fairyland.

I think this is a Story Book.

1.Who is the main character?
Is the main character an adult, a child, an animal …
The main character is a pixie called Playful.

2. Does the main character grow and change? How does he or she learn something from their adventure?
Yes. Playful learns that although it is funny to play practical jokes on people it is not nearly as funny to have them played on you. He learns there is a time and a place for tricks and how to behave better.

3. Does the main character learn to overcome emotions?
Perhaps learns to rely on self or others or;
develops a new awareness of themselves and those around them?
Yes, when his friends play practical jokes on him, Playful becomes quite scared and he also has to learn to control his sense of humour. He learns that his behaviour has made him unpopular and how to talk to his friends and come up with a solution to remedy this.

4. Can you think of a new ‘twist’ for any of the stories you read?
There are several ways this story could have gone, as well as the one the author has chosen. His world is a gentle one, where Playful's friends want to help him overcome his naughtiness. However fairy tales are not always so kind, and Playful could have been banished and forced to travel to discover the error of his ways. Or he could have played one trick too many, on the wrong person and ended up turned into a frog or something even nastier.... like a totally unlovable monster. Or his tricks could have really hurt a friend of his, so he would have to help them put things right... Or I could go on for ever here, so think I'll stop and move on to book 3.

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The next story I read is called 'The Dark Streets of Kimball's Green' by Joan Aiken. This was included in another collection of stories called 'Adventure Stories for 9 year olds.' It was originally in a collection of short stories by the author called 'A Harp of Fishbones and other stories'

I think this is a Young Adult short story. I have had a great deal of difficulty pinning this one down to a genre, although it should have been easy, since it was included in a collection for 9 year olds. However on reading the story, I did not feel it was aimed especially at any particular age group, except obviously it is not aimed at very young children nor is it in any way a picture book. There are only 2 pictures in the whole story. After doing a little research on Joan Aiken I was pleased to find that she herself does not distinguish much between stories for children and stories for adults. I enjoyed her stories when I was a teenager, and I still enjoy her stories now, so to some degree I think this tale does cross the borders very well.

1.What theme does the major conflict center around?
Identity
Romance
Life threatening or life changing situation?
Emmeline, the heroine in this book is very much in a life threatening situation. An orphan, abandoned as a baby, on the orphanage steps, she has been farmed out to live with an unloving woman and her aggressive son. She is not allowed to stay in their house but instead is forced to spend hours on the cold streets of Kimball's Green alone except for her only two friends, a stray cat, and Iachimo an old flautist who has befriended her.

2. Can you identify the conflict and how the main character overcomes it?
Possible types of conflict may resolve around real life issues such as;
A character flaw
Opposition of another character
Opposition from society ?
Emmeline is in conflict with three main adversaries.
The Welfare who have placed her in such an unsuitable and cruel home and refuse to open their eyes and look properly at her when they visit.
Mrs Vaughan who is the supposed carer, and throws her out of the house at all times of the day, at the same time forbidding her to visit the library as 'reading only puts useless stuck-up notions in people's heads'
Colin Vaughan, Mrs Vaughan's violent son who seems determined to beat and grind Emmeline down for his own amusement.

Can I think of a new twist?
This story is already gloriously dark and deep. The twist is a clever one, well crafted, to both send a shiver up the spine and to make the reader feel that there is goodness in fantasy and that magic can really exist. There is a clear resolution, leading to a conclusion that takes the despair and replaces it with hope.. These are themes that are written about simply enough for a young adult to understand, yet are deep enough for anyone, child or adult to dig into.