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Illustrator: Anthony Browne
Published: In 2004 by Walker Books
You Should Love it Because:
The illustrations are amazing. Anthony Browne is well-known for his surreal illustrations (i.e. Gorilla) and this book does not disappoint. In this story of a young boy who ventures into the forest, Browne uses simple sepia tones to draw the reader in. At first, the forest seems dark and scary, but when you take a second look you find all kinds of treasures. While the story told with words is simple, the story told in the pictures is what makes this book so intriguing. Each page has elements of many traditional fairy tales--from Snow White to Rumpelstiltskin to Hansel and Gretel. As is obvious from the cover, Little Red Riding Hood is the main inspiration for this story.
True Story: When I shared this book with my 1st grade students, I had not previewed the book. As I began, we spent a good 2-3 minutes simply staring at the front cover and excitedly pointing out more elements of fairy tales. As I read, my kids were practically jumping out of their seats to be the first one to point out a new element! For the next week or so, this book was constantly in someone's hands, being closely looked at and delightfully devoured. I have rarely seen my kids so attentively and enthusiastically engrossed in the illustrations in a book.
Classroom Connections: This book would be a fantastic addition to a Folk & Fairy Tales unit. After studying some of the traditional tales, it would be a fun activity to see how many elements they can spot from different stories. To extend the book, you could let each student choose a favorite tale and use elements from it to tell another story. The students could share the stories and try to guess which tale it was based upon.
The book also touches on the unsettling feelings of parents leaving, and the uncertainty of when they will return. In this story, the boy finds his father at his grandmother's home, making it very appropriate for children dealing with separation anxiety.
For Further Reading:
Walker Books' Anthony Browne page
Anthony Browne: 6th Children's Laureate
More on his illustration style
My 2nd grader's loved this story too! Thanks for introducing me to it! :)
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