“Can You Guess My Name?” is a collection of traditional tale from all over the world. Tales such as “The Three Little Pigs” and “ Rumpelstiltskin” have adaptations from different parts of the world. The author not only told the storied but he also adapted the language in the retelling as well. When reading the tales, the language makes you want to read it with an accent. One thing I realized after reading some of the tales is a lot of them are very gruesome. In the first tale of the three little pigs, the fox gets turned in to butter. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the different adaptations of classic tales. ( )

This was an interesting look at comparing folktales from different cultures with similar themes. The book is divided into five sets of three tales each. There is a single page introduction to each tale type at the front of each section and then a paragraph of notes about each individual tale at the back of the book. Sierra lists her works consulted but does not always note which exact sources were used for which tale. The illustrations are each surrounded by a border as if they were framed pictures. They tend to reflect the culture represented by the tale they accompany. This could be used as a great read-aloud introduction to some of the common themes of folktales for a grade school class; it's also an excellent resource for storytellers. ( )

This is a great one stop shop for compairing traditional literature across cultures. You can easily see the similarities and differences in the tales presented here. It will spark the imagination for creative writing as you hear stories and how they've evolved. ( )

Summary: The story of the three little pigs has been told and retold many times over. The story story The Three Little Piggies and the Old Mister Fox is a version from Scottish American decent which is similar to the classic version I am accustom to except for a few changes. The first is a change from a wolf to a fox, another is the pig that builds the stone house actually ends up taking apples, and potatoes from the fox. The ending is different as well, in this version the mother pig catches the fox in a churn and churns the fox into butter.

Personal Reaction: The three little pigs has always been one of my favorites, but the story I remember was quite different. The Three Little Piggies and Old Mister Fox was an interesting take on a classic. I especially enjoyed the fact that Old Mister Fox was churned into butter in the end.

Classroom Extension: 1) Read the classic version and the Scottish American version to the class and have students write down the differences between the two. 2) Introduce a science lesson about the three different types of building materials, and why the straw and wood did not work as well as the stone. ( )

Summary:
I thought this was a quite interesting book. It explains where each fairy tale originated and how similar each culture tells the story.

Personal Reaction:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book because I love old fairy tale books.

Extension Ideas:
1. This is a great book to get the children thinking especially after having read the original tales.
2. This would also be a great book to read and have the students draw what they think the main character might look like because many of the tales most children have heard since they were very young. ( )