Margaret Mortenson

I read “The Shoemaker and the Elves” by Margaret Mortenson. This was a fantasy fiction picture book. I would give this book 3 stars. The main idea of the story is that you will be rewarded for your hard work. The author uses illustrations, characters, and plot to convey the main idea.
Illustrations: In this book, there are illustrations that foreshadow why the shoes are being made over night. The elves work very hard to make the shoes, and the shoemaker rewards them by making them clothes.
Characters: The characters in this book are the shoemaker, his wife and the elves. Each character plays a role in the book. The elves make the shoemakers shoes for him and then he rewards them by making them clothes.
Plot: The plot of the story is in the beginning, the shoemaker is too tired to make his shoes but every time he wakes up, the shoes are already made. He then thanks the elves for making all the shoes by making them outfits to keep them warm.… (meer)

The Shoemaker and the Elves is a traditional fantasy that is retold by Margaret Mortenson. It is the story of a poor shoemaker who because of circumstances beyond his control, he is at the end of his money. Even though he works very hard, he just is too tired to finish. But when he wakes in the morning, his job has been completed. This happen three times, each time more of his work is completed. And each time he reaps the benefits. He figures out who is helping him, and decides to return the favor. In the end everyone works hard and is happy.
I like this because of the theme, “hard work and perseverance pays off in the end.” And I like the fact that the words of the story have remained the same but the pictures completely change the setting to make it a modern tale. The illustrator has used pictures of African Americans instead of the traditional Caucasian characters. This is a good way to help all students aware that good things can happen to anyone.
This book would do well in a reading center for fantasy, it is easy to read and the pictures are fun.
Doing a lesson on helping one another or citizenship could be taken from this book. After reading and discussing the book, the class could be asked to become aware of people around us that might need help. Have them plan a project to help the school with clean up after lunch.… (meer)