An Aesop's Fable RevisitedIllustrator: Chris Raschka
For: Publisher says ages 4-8. NO WAY! They'd never get it. I'm going to read it to my 5th graders and will have a lot of explaining to do, I think.
Published: May, 2008
Ratiing: Hmmmm.....4, maybe?
Endpapers: Huge, colorful flowers
Well, I love Nikki Giovanni. In general, I really dislike Chris Raschka's illustrations. I'm always on the lookout for retellings of Aesop's Fables. This one is clever, clever, clever, but I'm not sure about how old you'll have to be to keep everything in order in your head AND understand the many steps and idiosyncrasies of courtroom proceedings. Because that is precisely what this story is about.
The grasshopper takes the ants to court. He has entertained them all summer, his music even giving cadence to their work. He would like some sort of compensation. However, the ants warned him that he should be working to prepare for the long winter ahead. He chose to continue with his music instead. There are plaintiffs and defendants and counsels for and against. There's a myriad of characters. There are contracts and bailiffs and verdicts.....and a lot to keep straight. Who wins? The ARTHIS! The GRASSHOPPER!
This is an extension of the fable as well as a "political" conversation about art. I imagine it could become quite an interesting argument, quite a....heated....argument, in some venues. It would also be a great literature tool for teaching kids about the judicial system. I'm going to incorporate it all into one lesson and see what happens!
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