Trisha Speed ShaskanReseñas

Independent Reading Level: 2-4
Awards: N/A

the wolf tells the story

The good and bad fairies tell the story.

The wicked stepmother tells the story of cinderella.

So Little Red is a vapid narcicist, and Wolf is a starving vegetarian who couldn't resist the apple looking Red and Grandma. Great "Think About It" section encourages readers to consider this point of view in comparison to other versions of Little Red Riding Hood that they may have read or heard. Also includes references to 3 other Little Red tales, Fact Hound code, and glossary. Illustrations go nicely with the text, contributing to the character traits as described by the Wolf (love Grandma's house, filled with photos of herself!).

If you love apples (Granny Smith, Macintosh, Golden Delicious, etc.) AND you always thought there was something about Little Red's tale that just didn't ring true, then this is the book for you! This was so funny and is easily a great addition to any library collection. If you, like me, enjoy getting a different perspective of any story, then don't neglect Trisha Shaskan's Other Side of the Story series!

O livro é graficamente bonito e com uma ótima versão da história tradicional da Cinderela.
Possui uma narrativa invertida da habitual, que proporciona um novo olhar e desperta nas crianças sua criatividade.
No final do livro tem glossário e um texto com perguntas instigantes aos leitores, para pensarem também em novas narrativas.

I read this book with my 4 year old grandson. First I will give you his thoughts. "I like the pictures a lot, especially the wolf. I love the pictures of the wolf! It was a funny book. The wolf loves apples and knows all the kinds. I think Red Riding Hood should have taken some apples with her to give him. I think when we hike we should take apples. If Red Riding Hood and Granny gave the wolf something to eat instead of thinking of themselves maybe he would not have eaten them."
My grandson is autistic. He knows a lot about being able to name all the types of things that interest him. So that the wolf could name the apples was no surprise. He had no problem relating to that. He reads a lot so he was able to sit through it. I liked the story myself. I thought it was a very cute picture book. The illustrations were awesome. Even though the wolf eats Granny and Red Riding Hood my grandson did not get scared. He was able to understand the wolf only ate them because he had nothing else to eat. We enjoyed reading this together. I loved hearing him laugh out loud at the wolf. There is a teaching element at the back of the book. He was able and interested in answering most of the questions.

Betty Ann Batsworth was looking forward to her first day at witch school, but she soon discovered that her classmates considered her a bit of a pipsqueak, nicknaming her "Itty Bitty" because of her small size. No matter how many times Betty corrected them, telling them her real name, they persisted with this moniker, which made her feel very small indeed. Then Betty had an idea: if she could win the school's Halloween Dash, and fly faster than all of the other witches, they would have to take her seriously. But how could a little witch, with a little broom that simply wouldn't fly as swiftly as she would like, ever do such a thing...?

I was not familiar with either author Trisha Speed Shaskan or illustrator Xindi Yan when picking up The Itty-Bitty Witch, which I tracked down largely because an online friend reviewed it, and because I have a strong interest in witchy picture-books. I enjoyed the story, and found the artwork appealing, but somehow the overall product was lacking that special something that would have elevated this to the status of a favorite. Perhaps it was the writing, which felt a little clunky - there wasn't anything particularly wrong with it, but I also wasn't charmed, or drawn in by it. The friend who recommended this one had issues with the resolution of the storyline - was Betty cheating, by flying through the cave? - and for the most part I agree with her assessment of the matter. There is something problematic about Betty's actions, I think, because she does not follow the same course as the others in the race. On the other hand, I thought the story did an excellent job highlighting how name calling and bullying, even if not extreme, can make the targeted child feel small and sad and alone. In short, I had mixed feelings about this one, and ended up finding Xindi Yan's artwork the most enjoyable part of the book. If not for them, this might have been a 2 or 2.5-star title for me.

00013356

00013661

This was a take on the classic story of Cinderella told from the step mothers point of view. This perspective basically viewed Cinderella as an over talkative weirdo. She talked to animals which obviously can't happen in real life so she seemed crazy. When I was reading it I felt like a lot of kids that don't normally enjoy the cliche that these fairy tales often have would like this. I remember being a kid I always loved the classics but it did get boring because I knew that in every story and disney movie that it would somehow have a happy ending so I never even had to wonder and I knew the main character would always be okay. I liked that but sometimes I did want something that was a little more real because not everything works out all the time and that is okay and its good to know that it happens to everyone. This book had a "think about it" section at the end where it encouraged the readers to compare this version to the original which I thought was cool and a good activity in school.

This was a take on the classic Little Red Riding Hood but told from the wolfs point of view. I thought it was pretty funny that he was a vegetarian but that apple season wasn't here yet and he did not have any of his favorite apples. Then he thought Little Red looked like a red delicious apple and granny was in green so she looked like a granny smith. I also think this is a cool book because it has a "think about it" section at the end where it encourages the reader to compare it to the original story and find the similarities and differences.

If You Were a Fraction, by Trisha Sue Speed Shaskan, is a book that teaches students about the basics of fractions. What I liked about the book are the illustrations it used to show the fractions, as I think it would be a great tool for visual learners. I do however think this book is more suited towards students who are barely being introduced about what fractions are, so this would not work in middle school classroom but definitely in the younger grades. I think this would be a great resource for students to use but not to teach a lesson based on it.

If You Were a Fraction has good bones, but the wording of some of the statements seem a little fuzzy. Some things that are stated could confuse students who are learning about fractions. This book could be used when first introducing fractions to students. As students knowledge of fractions increase, this book could confuse them. In the book Shaskan writes "If you were a fraction, you would be one or more equal parts of a whole." Which yes, this is correct, but there is more to fractions than just being an equal or part of a whole. For instance, improper fractions. I don't think this book is bad for introducing students to fractions, but this book might confuse students who are learning more in depth about fractions.½

This book unpacks fractions down to their simplest form using real world examples; this is good for fraction beginners. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. There is not really a story line to this book, and there is nothing wrong with that. Having examples about real world objects help kids see where fractions come from. I recommend this book for my content area because even if a student really did not understand the math due to a language barrier, the numerical representation is perfect for assisting that.

Now this is a side of Little Red (and her Grandmother) that you've never seen before....though you may have wondered about it at some time. Taking its cue (in my opinion since it reminded me of it so much) from 'The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!' by Jon Scieszka.....wait wait wait. Hold the phone. You do know about that classic with a twist children's storybook...right? It's the one by the Wolf himself that brings a whole new light to the events we had only previously seen through 3 little piggy sets of eyes...and as we all know, there are two sides to every story and boy oh boy can they differ. Now back to THIS story....

We have another wolf penning his tale in an effort to shed a light of truth on the events Miss Red and gang exposed the first time around. This time, the wolf is painted as the victim of circumstance and the ladies Hood...well, as narcissistic, mono-tone wearing gals who need to SERIOUSLY step AWAY from the mirror. In other words, what happened next was justified and the wolf was merely in the wrong place at the right time.

Hmm, I wonder...but then again if they really were that superficial what with that gorgeous red cape and all, how long would it take one of us to huff and puff and blow some sense into them? Okay, so now I'm mixing fairy tales ala 'Hookwinked' (which by the way was a surprisingly good movie....if you haven't seen it or its sequel, definitely recommend checking them out), but you get my point.

To summarize, a cautionary title of being self-absorbed and traveling alone in the woods with baked goods that's good for the whole family. The humor may hit home with older readers more, but the story itself along with the gorgeous illustrations (really, they're pretty brilliant) will capture the attention of one and all. Take a chance and see the classic story through new eyes....and see just whose side you believe.

Hilarious! Kids enjoy this different point of view. Great springboard for talking about fairy tales and point of view.

Honestly, Red Riding Hood was Rotten! was something I picked due to my affinity for fairy tales. There isn't anything better in the world, in my opinion, than a particularly good retelling of a fairy tale!

My first reaction was completely amusement. The illustrations in this book are absolutely beautiful, and will definitely hold the attention of any young reader! Fast-paced and vivid with color, each page draws your eyes in and holds them there while the story is being told. From the facial expressions of the wolf, to the vain ponderings of Red Riding Hood, this book is laugh out loud adorable!

In this particular retelling, the wolf is a vegetarian. he tries oh so hard not to eat meat. However he is out of food and hungry. What does he see, but a lovely apple! Or is it? Cue Red Riding Hood in one of the most giggle worthy illustrations of her character that I have ever seen. I couldn't honestly blame the wolf for mistaking her for something delicious. I'll let you dive into the story to find out exactly what he was thinking about.

The only reason I didn't fall as in love with this book as I could have, was because my heart belongs to another retelling of Red Riding Hood. I won't share which one, since I don't like to compare books if I can help it, but it is another retelling from the wolf's point of view. I also felt at times that the jokes were a little forced. Again though, we're talking about a children's book here. I know that my first graders would be giggling at every single one, and that makes me happy.

Long story short, this is a lovely retelling of a classic story! If you have a reluctant young reader, this would be a great book to start them out with. I also see if as a great bed time story book. The illustrations alone make it worth sharing with your little ones. Thank you to Trisha Speed Shaskan for such a sweet book!

I especially appreciate how this book teaches the properties of addition in clear language that all students can understand. The illustrations are engaging, and the problems at the end are a nice reinforcement for children to tend to forget. This is a great teaching tool.

This classic fairy tale is told from the step mothers point of view. The step mother describes how she finds Cinderella to be weird and annoying. She says how Cinderella always talks to animals and how they help her out. Throughout the story, from the step mothers point of view, Cinderella is a strange girl who always has a silly story to tell. This story can be used to compare and contrast the original story to this fractured fairy tale.

This book is told from the perspective of the stepmother, rather than the classic story of Cinderella. The stepmother thinks Cinderella is so annoying and is only around to get on everyone's nerves. She can't wait for the prince to take her away so that he can put up with Cinderella now.

I think this book is a great and funny twist to the original story. It would be a good lesson on point of view for students and learning about perspective.

This is a good learning tool to introduce fractions, but not to completely teach it because it only covers the basic fractions. However, I believe that the story is a great way to gauge their interest in learning about fractions. This is great for all elementary grade levels, but can also be used for remediation.

This one is all about the step-mother's point of view in the classic Cinderella story. She thinks Cinderella is so annoying and can't wait for the Prince to take her away (she even feels a little bad for him).

I loved this book and thought is was super funny! I like annoying Cinderella and think she is a lot more realistic!! I also think this book is a good way to introduce the concept of point of view to kids! Kids will totally love this book and think it's hilarious!