Day 192: Jack and the Beanstalk

We all remember some of the classic fairy tales from our childhood:  Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Ugly Duckling, Jack and the Beanstalk.  It's funny, though, because for some reason, I don't remember how I actually learned these stories.  Did my mom sit and read them to me?  I don't think we had them as actual books, but maybe I'm just forgetting.  Or maybe she just told them to me.  Did my teachers read them to me in school?  I honestly can't remember.  Somehow, though, I grew up knowing all of these traditional tales.  In a way, it's essential childhood knowledge, don't you think?  Growing up not knowing these classics would be like growing up not knowing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star or Mary Had a Little Lamb.  It's part of our childhood vernacular.  When I began reading to my children, I knew these tales would be on our reading list someday.  The trick was going to be finding versions of some of them that were slightly less graphic than the originals.  Call me over-protective, but some of these stories are really kind of horrifying.  I mean, I'm okay with the wolf swallowing Granny whole and all, but the woodcutter slashing him open with an axe?  That seems a bit gory for three year old, if you ask me.  I know some people would disagree, but if I can minimize the violence, tragedy, and death a bit for now by reading a slightly less graphic version, I will.   But I digress...  

What I really want to talk about here is how much I love this version of Jack and the Beanstalk!  If you've followed this blog for a while, you know how much I love the publishing company Barefoot Books.  Their stories are always beautiful, both in message and illustration.  More than anything, I love the comfort of knowing that I can pick up any book from this publisher and know that it's going to be of the highest quality.  They feature many original stories, as well as traditional fables and fairy tales from cultures around the world.  I was thrilled to add their rendition of Jack and the Beanstalk to our home library, particularly because it also came with a fabulous audio version that quickly took up residence in our permanent car rotation.  My kids and I both adore this story, and while we do read it aloud ourselves from time to time, I find we listen to the audio version more.  (Mostly, this is because they love reading along with the cd so much, the book is always in the car.)  The classic elements of the tale are all here, with just the right amount of humor mixed in to keep things from being too violent or scary.  Rather than being killed in the end, for example, the giant gets flung far off into space, never to be seen again.  (The "BOING!!!" that happens then is always my kids' favorite part of the story.)  There's no talk about the giant having Jack's bones to grind his bread, which I find kind of nice, and while he still says the famed, "Fee, fi, fo fum!," it is followed by, "I smell the blood of a stinky man!" (which my daughter finds particularly hilarious.)  If you're looking to introduce your little one to this traditional fairy tale, we highly recommend this version.  Thanks, Barefoot Books, for bringing us another great childhood classic!  

Day 188: Storytime

Books on CD are positively brilliant.  I have fond memories of falling asleep each night to the Velveteen Rabbit when I was a child, and I listened to the Fox and the Hound on tape so many times that my mom could probably still recite the whole story if you asked her to.  They make road trips with children infinitely more enjoyable for everyone, are great for entertaining an older sibling while a younger one goes down for a nap, and are a perfect way to end the day at bedtime.  Each night when we put our son to bed, my husband or I read him a few stories, shut off the light and either tell him another story (daddy's specialty) or sing songs (my specialty), and then turn on one of his favorite books on CD so that he can listen to more stories as he drifts off to sleep.  Storytime has been on heavy rotation in our house lately, both in the car and at bedtime.  My son has also been asking me to read it to him during our afternoon story time, as well, and I have to say, it is a fabulous book all around!

Storytime is a collection of traditional folk tales containing some of the most well-known classics in children's literature:  The Gingerbread Man, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, and The Ugly Duckling.  Also included in this awesome anthology are The Cock, the Mouse, and the Little Red Hen, The Timid Hare (perhaps our favorite of all), and Stone Soup.  As a child, I don't remember reading these stories, specifically, but somehow I grew up knowing most of them.  This book is the perfect way to introduce these traditional tales to young children.  The pictures are colorful and entertaining, narrator Jim Broadbent's voice is fantastic, and the stories are told in a way that is very appealing and accessible to young children.  Some versions of these stories seem kind of violent to me -- the Three Little Pigs being eaten by the big, bad, wolf, for example, can be a bit traumatic --  but in this book, they are not at all scary or disturbing.  They're not too long, either.  As Goldilocks would say, they're just right.  If you're looking for a way to introduce your little one to these classics, you're bound to love Storytime.