Shelley FowlesReseñas

A grumpy old bachelor loses his bean to an imp. To quiet the old man, the imp gives him a pot that fills with food. When this pot is stolen, the bachelor goes back to the imp for a pot that will produce plates and silver ware. When that pot is stolen, the imp gives him a pot to see who is stealing his pots. When he finds out its a jealous old lady he confronts her. She refuses to give up the pots, but the bachelor loves that she is as grumpy as him. They end up getting married.
The author made this unique to the Jewish religion. He included unique foods traditional to people that are Jewish. The illustrator also included pictures of things unique to the religion, including the Star of David.½

"The Bachelor and the Bean" by Shelley Fowles is a appropriate book for teaching children a lesson about how you are drawn to the people that you are like.The story introduces a old bachelor who is mean and angry. He goes and buys a handful of beans and loses one of them in a dirty old well. Inside that very well lives a imp that gives the old bachelor a pot that grants any food item the owner wants. The plot only gets thicker and thicker from that point on, but I don't want to ruin the story for you. The language of the story matches the story line of book with certain words that would only be said in this certain time period. For example, the bachelor in the story calls a women a "old biddy". Do you know what that means? Ether did I till I looked it up. It means a old foolish women. The theme of the book is just what I told you before. The people you're attracted or befriend are just like you, so always remember that.

After buying some beans to snack on from the market, the bachelor dropped one into a well. An imp came out of it and gave the bachelor a magical pot. The pot gave the bachelor anything he wanted to eat. He used his pot to spread the joy by letting his neighbors order anything they wanted to eat. One jealous lady was not satisfied. She devised a plan to switch the magic pot for one of her own. The bachelor noticed that the pot was not working, so he forced the imp for a new one. He gave the bachelor a new pot that gave out vessels and plates made of gold, silver, and crystal. This new magic pot was even better than the first. He then again told all of his neighbors, and the lady again stole his pot. He went to the old lady asking for his pots back. She shouted at him and he shouted at her. He fell in love with her strong voice, and asked her to marry him. Now, they live happily ever after quarreling at each other all day.

This book was not what I was expecting. I was unfamiliar with the folktale based in this book, but now after reading it, I know the lesson explained.

This story is about sharing and being kind to others. The illustrations are kind of out there, again, it looks like a child has drawn them. Jewish tales confuse me a bit so I'm not exactly sure what to get out of this book besides being kind to others.

The illustrations on each page change color with the emotion the bachelor feels throughout the story. The art is not perfect, instead it is more of coloring in pictures without actually perfecting them. This story is a great story that readers can learn how to not steal and be nice and thankful for what you have in life. This story is a love story, life story, and magic story all in one!

A folktale that I am unfamiliar with, Climbing Rosa blends aspects of both Jack and the Beanstalk and Cinderella. However, Fowles lists the Hungarian folktale The Tree that Reached up to the Sky as her source. Apparently Fowles has switched the genders for her story though with success. Rosa makes a welcome tart-tongued change to the typical sweet fairy tale maiden.

The illustrations are done in acrylics and the patterns on the girls' dresses and the lack of perspective are reminiscent of folk art. Some of the details in the illustrations are giggle inducing - the sandwich board that the herald wears to help announce the contest, Andras holding one end of a blanket in one hand (used to catch falling girls) and a book in the other. One review mentions that Fowles strays pretty far from what she lists as her source material; I hope to check on that when I have the chance.

This was a funny book, but I'm not sure of the lesson of this book. The bachelor is gifted some items that are stolen by an old lad. He goes back to the genie and tells him his items have been stolen. The genie gifts him golden dishes and the old lady comes and steals that. The bachelor catches her and follows her to her home and requests his items be returned. She refuses and says they can just get married and they an share them. He agrees and they get married. He is no longer a bachelor.

Personal Response:
This story has similar elements to many other folktales (such as Cinderella), however, there are some unusual quirky elements thrown in such as a book-worm prince and a girl who can climb like a monkey - a perfect match!.

Curricular or Programming Connections:
A great addition for exploring folkloric tales, Hungarian culture, and comparing different folkloric tales (such as comparing this story with Cinderella)

A version of the magic pot in which the thief and the owner decide to share the magic objects when they realize they are a perfect match for each other. In the version that the author says she used, this doesn't happen. Still, children like the happy ending and the beautifully colored pictures and the wedding ceremony with its huppah.