The Sour Grape (by Jory John)

 

Title: The Sour Grape

Author: Jory John

Illustrator: Pete Oswald

Target Ages: 6 and up

Genre: Fiction Picture Book

Summary: The Sour Grape wasn't always sour. He used to be sweet, until a series of misunderstandings and a missed birthday party turned him into a grudge-holding, scowling grape. This story follows his journey from being a "sourpuss" to realizing that holding onto anger only ruins his own bunch.

First Lines: “I’m a sour grape.

A verrrrrry sour grape.

If you’re looking for someone sweet,

you’ve come to the wrong bunch.”

Memorable Moment: “I realized that my sourness wasn't hurting anyone but me. Life is too short to let one bad squeeze ruin the whole vine.”

Evaluation: We use the term "sour grapes" to describe someone who acts like they don't want something just because they can't have it, but Jory John pivots the meaning slightly to focus on grudges and forgiveness. The story brilliantly illustrates how a single moment of feeling "let down" can spiral into a personality trait if we aren't careful.

The Sour Grape is a character many children (and adults) will recognize. He is someone who keeps a literal "grudge list" and refuses to let things go. John uses this characterization to explore the weight of resentment. It shows the exhaustion that comes with staying angry.

The turning point occurs when the Sour Grape realizes he has made a mistake himself. This moment of self-reflection is the "sweetener" the story needs. He learns that everyone—including himself—needs a little grace sometimes. The story moves from a place of "justice" (holding others accountable) to a place of "mercy" (forgiving and moving on).

Illustrator Pete Oswald uses the color palette effectively here. The Sour Grape's purple hue feels heavy and dark when he is angry, but the brightness of the "Sweet Grapes" and the eventual shift in the narrator's expression help keep the message from feeling too heavy. The puns, as always, are "grape."

I highly recommend The Sour Grape for any social-emotional learning curriculum. It is a fantastic way to discuss how to handle disappointment and the importance of giving others a second chance.

Now, Prove It! — Theme with Evidence
Students analyze key ideas, gather supporting quotes, and use structured sentence starters to explain how the evidence proves a theme. This resource helps readers practice moving from what happens in the story to what it means.  Get your copy of Now, Prove It: The Sour Grape.

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Art: The Grudge List vs. The Gratitude List. Have students draw a "sour" grape with things that make them frustrated on one side, and a "sweet" grape with things they are thankful for on the other.

• Character Education: Discussion on Forgiveness. What does it feel like in your body when you are "sour"? How does it feel when you let a grudge go?

• Comparison: Compare The Sour Grape to The Bad Seed. Both characters started out "sweet" and became "sour/bad" due to a traumatic event. How are their paths to redemption similar?

• Creative Writing: Write a letter of apology from the Sour Grape to someone on his list, or a letter from a friend explaining why they missed the party.

• Figurative Language: Explore the idiom "Sour Grapes." Research the original Aesop’s Fable (The Fox and the Grapes) and compare it to Jory John’s version.

• Food Feelings: Explore why Jory John uses food characters to explain emotions. How does this make hard feelings easier to talk about?

• Pun Hunt: Find and list grape-related puns in the story and discuss how humor helps balance a serious message.

• Social Skills: Role-play "The Mistake." Practice how to apologize when you accidentally let a friend down and how to react when a friend apologizes to you

• Symbolism:  This book is ideal to use when teaching symbolism for all ages.  Grab my Teaching Symbolism with Picture Book Activity.

• Theme: Teach theme with this picture book: The Sour Grape.

• Writing: Have students write one short paragraph describing the Sour Grape before the party and one describing him after he learns to forgive. What changed most?

The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Kelly Barnhill)

Title:  The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Author: Kelly Barnhill

Target Ages:  9-14

Genre:  Fantasy Middle Grade Fiction

Publisher Summary: 

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.

One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge--with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth’s surface. And the woman with the Tiger’s heart is on the prowl . . .

Awards:   Newbery Award, Multiple Best Book Lists

Evaluation:

From the first few lines, I was hooked!  The story begins with a woman telling her daughter about a witch who lives in the forest.  Every year the witch demands a sacrifice of the youngest child in the protectorate.  During this brief conversation, she drops other hints about the setting and plot. The next two chapters are through others’ perspectives—an elder and a boy in the village in one and the witch in the next. Each section intrigued me further.  I could not wait to read the next chapter. 

There are several well-developed characters readers will love: Xan—a maternal and helpful witch, Luna—an enmagicked girl, Glerk—a kindly swamp monster, Fyrian—a feisty dragon, Antain—a brave man of integrity, and Ethyne—a clever and kind girl. Luna will be especially captivate readers with her mischievous and curious nature. 

The multiple parallel storylines and periodic flashbacks create a multifaceted view of the plot and characters.  Eventually, the plot converges into a coherent and satisfying ending.  

Mythical characters and magic blend together with real world characters to create a fantasy world adventure with contemporary relevance.  The importance of forgiveness, love, sacrifice, devotion, and hope are emphasized.  One of the most memorable and powerful scenes is when two of the characters forgive another despite a lack of repentance on the part of the evildoer. 

Though I do not have a problem with fantasy literature taking liberties on the facts because, after all, it is fantasy, there is one part that bothered me.  In the confines of the story, the beginning of all life is the bog. The swamp monster is an immortal and wise being.  He quotes proverb-like lines from “the poet.”  All that is fine with me in the context of the narrative.  It crossed the line for me on a spiritual level though when it rewrote a section of the Book of John to reflect the truth of the story’s fiction.  Create your own version of truth all you want, but don’t delude a sacred book.

I highly recommend The Girl Who Drank the Moon.  Readers of all ages will find it thrilling and thought-provoking. 

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

Reader’s Guide

Visit Always in the Middle for more Middle Grade Recommendations.

The Wednesday Wars (Gary B. Schmidt)

Title: The Wednesday Wars

Author: Gary D. Schmidt

Target Ages: 10 and up

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Setting: 1967–68 school year in Long Island, New York

Awards: Newbery Honor Award

Historical References: Martin Luther King, Jr., Bobby Kennedy, Walter Cronkite, President Lyndon B. Johnson, Vietnam War, Mickey Mantle, John Wayne, Joe Pepitone, Horace Clarke, Cold War

Literary Reference:  Several of the plays of William Shakespheare are discussed.  Parallels are often derived between the plays and the protagonist’s life. 

First Lines:

Of all the kids in the seventh grade at Camillo Junior High, there was one kid that Mrs. Baker hated with heat whiter than the sun. 

Me.

And let me tell you, it wasn’t for anything I’d done.

If it had been Doug Swietech that Mrs. Baker hated, it would have made sense.

Doug Sweiteck once made up a list of 410 ways to get a teacher to hate you.

Amazon Summary:

“Meet Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High, who must spend Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while the rest of the class has religious instruction. Mrs. Baker doesn’t like Holling—he’s sure of it. Why else would she make him read the plays of William Shakespeare outside class? But everyone has bigger things to worry about, like Vietnam. His father wants Holling and his sister to be on their best behavior: the success of his business depends on it. But how can Holling stay out of trouble when he has so much to contend with? A bully demanding cream puffs; angry rats; and a baseball hero signing autographs the very same night Holling has to appear in a play in yellow tights! As fate sneaks up on him again and again, Holling finds Motivation—the Big M—in the most unexpected places and musters up the courage to embrace his destiny, in spite of himself.”

Evaluation:

I just finished reading The Wednesday Wars to my son. Originally, I read it about 5 years ago after a children’s librarian recommended it to me. (She always has excellent recommendations.) 

Even though the setting takes place in the 1960’s, the focus is on a timeless coming-of-age narrative that could take place in any era. As a result, I categorized the book as realistic fiction. Educators could use the novel as a starting point for discussion of some of the historical events and people.  

Several key motifs are ideal for thought-provoking discussions.

• Humor: My son and I laughed out loud many times.  The humor balances the tense moments of war, family, and peers as well as keeps young (and mature) readers entertained.
• War:  The Vietnam War is part of the backdrop with people in the community impacted by loved ones who are in the military there.  There is a “war” going on between Holling and Mrs. Baker (at least in his mind). A real battle is on-going between Holling’s sister (Heather) and their father. 
• Family: Holling’s parents is the most frustrating aspect of the novel. Holling’s father is arrogant and selfish. He only cares about appearances and his success. His mother is disengaged and passive. Holling and Heather have typical sibling banter. Their relationship matures during the course of the novel. 
• Friendship: There are several touching moments of friendship, like when Doug stands up to his hero because of how Holling is treated and when several of the classmates worked together to help Danny prepare for his big day.
• Self-Identity: Holling’s life is planned out for him by his father.  Holling begins to embrace his destiny on his own terms and see life his own way. 
• Bullying: Holling has to deal with bullies, especially Doug Sweiteck’s brother and, even, his own father.
• Racism/Prejudice: Mai Thi has been brought to American from Vietnam by a Catholic charity.  She deals with some racism due to the tension felt by those with loved ones fighting overseas.  Holling also experiences unfair prejudice by a close-minded “hero.”  
• Forgiveness/Redemption: Several characters have opportunities for forgiveness and redemption. 

Author Gary D. Schmidt has written a warm, coming-of-age story full of humor, tension, and hope.  I loved sharing this timeless story with my son.  You should add The Wednesday Wars to your summer reading list.

Visit Ramblings of a Wanna Be Scribe for more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday novels. 

The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story (Joseph Bruchac)

Title:  The First Strawberries

Author:  Joseph Bruchac

Illustrator:  Anna Vojtech

Just the Beginning

“Long ago when the world was new, the Creator made a man and a woman.  The two of them were made at the same time so that neither would be lonesome.  They married, and for a long time they lived together and were happy.”

Summary

One day, the man says unkind words to the woman. She walks away in anger. The Sun takes pity on the repentant husband, so he sends raspberries first, then blueberries, and then blackberries to the earth in an attempt to stop the woman. It is with the strawberries—the final gift—that she stops.

“She knelt down and plucked one and bit into it.  She had never tasted anything like it before. Its sweetness reminded her how happy she and her husband had been together before they quarreled.” 

As she gathers some to take back to him, the man catches up.  He asks for her forgiveness.  She answers by sharing the sweet berries. 

Evaluation

The story is simple but beautiful. I read it for the first time several days ago, yet it has stayed with me. I will never eat another strawberry without remembering this lovely Cherokee tale. The soft watercolor illustrations compliment the narrative perfectly. 

The ending is noteworthy: “To this day, when the Cherokee people eat strawberries, they are reminded to always be kind to each other; to remember that friendship and respect are as sweet as the taste of ripe, red berries.”  The strawberry, also, reminds me of the power of forgiveness and the importance of gratitude for the sweetness of life.

If you are teaching about Native American culture at home or in the classroom, I urge you to use this book as part of your lesson or unit plan. However, The First Strawberries is a powerful story on its own. I recommend picking up a copy to read for enjoyment, character building, or multicultural enrichment. The straightforward text is appropriate for ages 5 and up. 

Joseph Bruchac has written many books highlighting the stories and culture of Native Americans. He represents a genuine voice of the culture.  

Navigating Early (by Clare Vanderpool)

Summary of Navigating Early (by Clare Vanderpool):

Jack Baker is suddenly uprooted from his Kansas home after his mother dies.  He transfers to a Maine boarding school while his father, a military officer, finishes serving at the close of World War II.  Early Auden, the strangest of boys, is also an outsider who has faced great loss.  The two boys forge a friendship that takes them on a quest in search of the Great Appalachian Bear.   Along the way, Early tells Jack of the fictional story of Pi which parallels their own physical and, often, personal journeys toward facing the loss and pain in their lives.  A colorful cast of characters help make their quest memorable and poignant. 

Evaluation:

I read Vanderpool’s debut (and Newbery winning) novel, Moon Over Manifest, so when I saw this new book on a couple other blogs, I knew I had to read it.  Vanderpool has a gift for creating unforgettable characters and parallel multi-layered story lines.  Navigating Early showcases both of these features.

Jack is a sort of “every boy.”  He struggles with fitting in and finding his place in school, in his family, and in life.  Early, on the other hand, is rare and unforgettable.   Jack commonly calls him “the strangest of boys” because Early’s behaviors were not understood in that era.  Though Early is highly intelligent and functional, he appears to be on the autism spectrum.   His mannerisms and personality are endearing and, at time, humorous.  I could not help loving him. 

The main story line is Jack and Early’s quest.  Early creates a story to parallel the numbers in the mathematical pi.  Pi, like Jack and Early, must go on a quest to earn his name.  As Pi learns what it means to be a man and deal with loss and hardship so do Jack and Early—each in a different way.  Even the minor characters they encounter have their own intertwined and satisfying stories. 

Middle grade readers will be drawn to the boys’ journey to find the Great Appalachian Bear.  They will relate to Jack’s and Early’s characters as well as enjoy the fascinating other characters.  I highly recommend Navigating Early for ages 8 and up. 

Check out other excellent Middle Grade Fictions at Shannon Messenger's blog. 

Fairy Tale Friday: Cinderella

In preparation for Fairy Tale Friday, I have been reading versions of Cinderella from various cultures.  I am making careful notes in my study.  I was hoping to complete it in time for this week's post, but I don’t want to rush it. The post will have to wait one more week.   Instead, I am sharing two of my favorite picture book retellings of Cinderella.  If you have a fairy tale post this week, add a link in the comments. 

Cinderella (illustrated by K.Y. Craft):

The text is adapted from The Arthur Rackham Fairy Book (1923) and Andrew Lang’s The Blue Fairy Book (1889).  The story follows the familiar plot line:  Father remarries and dies shortly after.  The stepmother and her two daughters treat Cinderella like a slave while they live lavishly.  Like the movie Ever After though, Cinderella actually meets the prince prior to the ball.  He sees her in the woods and becomes enamored with her beauty.  She is helping an injured bird, but quickly (and ashamedly) excuses herself and runs off.   After the step –sisters leave for the ball, the bird Cinderella helped turns into a beautiful fairy.  Like the Disney movie, the fairy turns a pumpkin, mice, rats, and lizards into the servants, horses, and coachmen.  There are two nights of dancing before Cinderella loses her glass slipper.  The prince scourers the kingdom until he finds her.  After they marry, they are renowned as “the fairest and kindest rulers the people had ever known.”  With only a few changes, this version follows the most commonly known one in America:  Disney’s.  The breath-taking illustrations in Craft's picture book make it stand out!  Craft states, “The illustrations for this story depict an imaginary setting around the time of Voltaire, who lived in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century France.”  Most of the layouts have a full-paged framed picture on one side and the text on the other.  To highlight pivotal plot details, occasion two-page spreads are used.  I am a huge fan of Craft's soft coloring and intricate details which give the pictures a magical-essence.   Her style beautifully compliments fairy tale retellings.   If you (or a little one in your home) are a fan of Cinderella tale, you MUST check this one out!

Cinderella (by Amy Ehrlich, illustrated by Susan Jeffers):

Ehrlich uses the Charles Perrault version which has many similarities to the accounts Craft utilized.  Interestingly, in this one the father does not die, but rather, he is ruled by his new wife entirely. As a result, Cinderella does not ever complain to him.  There is no pre-ball meeting between her and the prince.  Her godmother, a fairy, visits her after everyone has left for the ball. She uses magic to transform objects into all that Cinderella needs for a memorable arrival at the palace.  While at the ball, Cinderella shows her good-nature by sharing a special treat with her sisters.  At the end, the two sisters beg for forgiveness.  Not only does she forgive them, but she also gives them a place in the palace.  I adore Jeffers' illustrations which use fine-lines and delicate colors.  Like Craft, she uses the eighteenth-century attire and setting as her inspiration.  Her life-like expressions and details spill over to make two-page spreads that envelop and energize the narrative, making this book a must-read!

What is your favorite version of Cinderella?  Please share in the comments, which enters you in the Fairy Tale Friday July Giveaway.