Making the Familiar Strange

Today, we take a look at two books that start with a familiar premise or story and then take off in a different direction. Bear in mind that kids will not see these as parodies or retellings unless they are familiar with the "original." Never assume (you know what you make when you assume, right?0

RUDYARD KIPLING'S HOW THE CAMEL GOT HIS HUMP, THE GRAPHIC NOVEL by Simonson and Rodriguez. CAPSTONE books, 2012

The GN format and humorous approach to the telling of the story about how the camel got his hump make this a standout. The story unfolds as a traditional por quois tale with diagrams and charts about the camel before and after getting his humps. The book ends with the poem by Kipling (who makes an appearance in the book as a scientific observer. Three other stories are available from Capstone. <410>

JACK AND THE BAKED BEANSTALK by Colin Stimpson. Templar Books, 2012.

Once upon a time, Jack and his mother ran a diner. For a while all was wonderful, and then the highway overpass was completed, and the diner had no customers. When Jack trades his last few pennies for a can of magic baked beans, the story takes off up the baked beanstalk and into the sky. Endpapers look like a flood of baked beans, and there are some funny twists on this old tale. <411>