Veronika Martenova Charles

This book just did not capture the imagination anyone in the family. Not me, not my 10 year old above grade level reader who LOVES fairy tales (the darker the better), not my 7 year old early reader. The book languished waiting for praise but the black and white illustrations left us not wanting to pick it up. We'd much prefer watching the Brother's Grimm or reading a more interesting account of this story together as a family. It is all to easy to fault simplifying a text for readability, show more thus losing the magic of the story, and I think with fairy tales, the magic of the story is the most important part. show less

Veronika Martenova Charles' book It's Not About the Crumbs consists of three versions of the Hansel and Gretel tale from Europe, Africa, and Japan. They are bookended by a few pages showing modern children leaving a trail from Uncle Mike's house to a park, then following the trail back.

My grandson who is eight, in third grade, and reading at a fifth grade level read the first page and wasn't interested. It was too easy. But he still likes to be read to and when I read it to him, he liked show more the stories. He especially liked the black-and-white drawings by David Parkins that are on almost every one of the 63 pages. When I asked, he answered that he would be interested in more of Ms. Charles' EASY-TO-READ WONDER TALES! of which It Isn't About the Crumbs is a part.

It would be great if the intended grade level/age was marked in all books for children. This one didn't have that.

Reading this book reminded me that the old fairy tales were often quite violent. Most of them aren't graphic, nor was this one. Still, the idea of children fleeing to escape being eaten may be frightening to some children, so parents and grandparents would do well to consider their child(ren) when considering books of fairy tales. show less

It's not about the Crumbs!: Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales was a mixed bag at my house depending mostly on age, I think. My early reader loved it. She loved that she could read fairy tales without help. The book told the story of Hansel and Gretel from different cultures. I liked that I could use it as a springboard into geography. My older kids read the book, but considered it to be too easy and lacking in details. My youngest listened to the stories, but the black and white pictures weren't show more enough to keep him still for long. Over all I think that this book is great if marketed to an early reader, which I believe is the demographic it is geared toward. I like the cultural spin on fairy tales. The illustrations are good, but color would help considerably. show less

The Birdman is a story of a tailor in Calcutta who loses his children and then begins to save his money to buy birds and free them. It was based on a real man, and at the end of the book, there is a selection of photos and more information on the real Birdman.
The story was about a man who suffered and grieved for the loss of his children, but left you with a feeling of uplift and joy. Would I spend money just to free animals? The book left me wondering about bringing joy to those who are show more suffering as a way to relieve your own. show less