STORY ANALYSIS
poetry
Summary: Short, rhythmic chants (e.g., Humpty Dumpty). Analysis: Passed down orally. Unlike modern poems, many have dark historical origins disguised as simple rhymes.
mother goose
traditional
poetry
Summary: An Owl and a Cat go to sea and get married. Analysis: Known for invented words ("runcible spoon"). Differs from traditional fables because it has no moral lesson.
the owl and the pussycat
edward lear
poetry
Summary: A hero slays a monster called the Jabberwock. Analysis: Found in Through the Looking-Glass. Uses portmanteau words (blending words like "slithy").
lewis carroll
Jabberwocky
poetry
Summary: Red meets the wolf but pulls a pistol from her knickers and shoots him. Analysis: Part of Revolting Rhymes. Unlike the Grimm version, Red is tough and independent.
little red riding hood
roald dahl
poetry
Summary: A child lists scary things and repeats they aren't afraid. Analysis: Focuses on inner strength. Differs from fantasy by using realistic imagery of childhood fears.
life doesn't frighten me
maya angelou
picture books
Summary: A caterpillar eats through many foods before turning into a butterfly. Analysis: Teaches the life cycle and counting. Unique for having physical holes in the pages.
the very hungry caterpillar
eric carle
picture books
Summary: A cat causes chaos in a house on a rainy day. Analysis: Written specifically to replace boring school primers; uses a strictly limited vocabulary to make reading fun.
the cat in the hat
dr seuss
picture books
Summary: A tree gives its apples, branches, and trunk to a boy until it is a stump. Analysis: Represents selfless sacrifice. It is controversial because it is bittersweet rather than happy.
the giving tree
shel silverstein
picture books
Summary: Max visits an island of monsters after being sent to his room. Analysis: Revolutionary for showing childhood anger and the internal emotional world of a child.
where the wild things are
maurice sendak
traditional literature
A fox tries to reach some grapes but fails. He then claims he didn't want them anyway. Genre: Fable. Analysis: Origin of "Sour Grapes." Teaches about belittling what we can't have.
the fox and the grapes
aesop's fables
traditional literature
Plot: Boy/Wolf. Analysis: a cautionary tale teaches the consequence of lying
the boy who cried wolf
aesop's fables
traditional literature
the crow drops pebbles into a pitcher so he can drink. genre fable, to choose logic and persistence to solve problems
the crow and the picture
aesop's fables
traditional literature, fable
Summary: A dog drops his meat because he tries to grab the "meat" he sees in his reflection.
Analysis: A lesson on greed and losing reality for a shadow.
The Dog and His Reflection
Author: Aesop's fables
traditional literature
Summary: An "ugly" bird is bullied but grows up to be a swan. Analysis: Unlike folk tales, this was written by one author and is seen as Andersen's own autobiography.
the ugly duckling
hans christian andersen (fairytale)
traditional literature
Summary: An Emperor is tricked into wearing "invisible" clothes. Analysis: A satire on vanity and social hypocrisy. Only a child is honest enough to speak the truth.
the emperor's new clothes
hans christian andersen's fairy tales
traditional literature
Summary: A girl is forced to dance forever in cursed shoes. Analysis: Much darker and more religious than most fairy tales; it serves as a harsh warning against vanity.
the red shoes
hans christian Andersen's fairy tales
traditional literature
Summary: A girl with long hair is locked in a tower; a prince climbs her hair to see her.
Analysis: In the original, the witch finds out because Rapunzel gets pregnant. She isn't a "lost princess" like in movies, but a girl traded for salad.
rapunzel
the grimm brothers'
traditional literature
Summary: A mistreated girl goes to a ball with help from birds and a tree at her mother's grave.
Analysis: Very violent; the sisters cut off their toes/heels to fit the shoe. Birds peck their eyes out at the end.
cinderella (aschenputtel)
the Grimm brothers'
traditional literature
Summary: A girl goes to her grandma's house but find a wolf in disguise instead.
Analysis: Earlier versions ended with Red being eaten. The Grimms added a Huntsman who cuts the wolf open to save her.
Little Red Riding Hood (Rotkäppchen)
the grimm brothers'
traditional literature
Summary: A princess hides with dwarfs from a jealous Queen and eats a poisoned apple.
Analysis: In the original, the villain was her biological mother. The Queen is punished by dancing in red-hot iron shoes until she dies.
Snow White (Schneewittchen)
the grimm brothers'
traditional literature
Summary: A boy finds a magic lamp and uses the genie to get rich and marry a princess.
Analysis: Set in China, not the Middle East. The original version features two genies (Ring and Lamp).
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp
antoine galland
1001 arabian nights
traditional literature
Summary: A man discovers a cave of gold that opens with the phrase "Open Sesame."
Analysis: The real hero is Morgiana, the clever slave girl who kills the thieves with boiling oil.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
antoine galland
1001 arabian nights
sa traditional literature
Summary: A fisherman finds a chest with a dead woman; a search for the killer begins.
Analysis: One of the earliest examples of a murder mystery/detective story in literature.
The Three Apples
antoine galland
1001 arabian nights
Summary: A porter is hired by three independent women for a dinner filled with stories.
Analysis: Highlights the social independence of women and the complex nesting of stories.
The Porter and the Three Ladies of Baghdad
antoine g a l l a n d
1001 arabian nights
traditional literature
Summary: A merchant is threatened by a genie but is saved when three men tell stories to the genie.
Analysis: Represents the theme of storytelling as a way to delay death and gain mercy.
The Merchant and the Genie
antoine galland
1, 001 arabian nights
traditional literature
Summary: A woman tells the King an unfinished story every night to prevent him from killing her.
Analysis: This is the Frame Story that connects all others. Scheherazade is the "Narrator-Heroine" who saves her people through literature.
Scheherazade and King Shahryar
antoine galland
1001 arabian nights
traditional literature
Summary: A man spills his coconuts because he tries to go too fast. Analysis: Teaches "haste makes waste" in a rural Filipino context.
the man with coconuts
filipino folktale
traditional literature
Summary: A girl hangs her things on the sky, pushing it up. Analysis: Explains why the sky is high and why we have the Moon/Stars using everyday domestic tools.
the necklace and the comb
Filipino folktales
traditional literature
Summary: They fight over a banana tree. Analysis: Compiled by Rizal. Famous for the "Tricking the Trickster" theme; teaches wisdom over greed.
the monkey and the turtle
jose rizal compiler
filipino folktale
traditional literature
Summary: A girl buries the hand/heart of her spirit-lover, Amor, after he vanishes.
Analysis: Explains the heart-shaped bud (puso) and finger-like fruit of the banana.
The Legend of the Banana Plant
filipino legends
traditional literature
Summary: A bird pecks a bamboo stalk, and a man and woman step out at the same time.
Analysis: The Filipino creation myth. Unlike Adam and Eve, they are born simultaneously, symbolizing gender equality.
The Legend of Malakas and Maganda
filipino legends
traditional literature
Summary: The tragic romance of Daragang Magayon and Panganoron; the volcano is said to be Magayon’s grave.
Analysis: Explains the perfect cone shape (Magayon's beauty) and the clouds/eruptions (the lovers' passion/grief).
The Legend of Mayon Volcano
filipino legends
traditional literature
Summary: A beautiful diwata (nature spirit) who helps the kind but hides away when humans become greedy.
Analysis: Focuses on the stewardship of nature and the consequences of human selfishness.
The Legend of Maria Makiling
filipino legend
modern fables
Analysis: Unlike Aesop’s animals, Peter wears human clothes, but he faces real animal dangers (predators/traps). It balances whimsical fantasy with the harsh reality of nature.
peter rabbit
beatrix potter
modern fables
Analysis: Focuses on innocent trouble. George represents a child’s natural curiosity, and the "moral" is usually about the balance between exploration and safety.
curious george
margaret rey
modern fables
Analysis: Set in a realistic farm where animals talk but remain animals. It is unique for tackling the heavy themes of death, sacrifice, and the cycle of life (Charlotte dies, but her legacy lives on).
charlotte's web
elwyn brooks white
modern tables
Analysis: Based on real stuffed toys owned by the author’s son. Unlike the action-packed Disney version, the original books are philosophical, quiet, and episodic, focusing on the simple joys of friendship.
winnie the pooh
alan alexander milne
Modern Fantasy
A Christmas Carol – _
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – _
Bridge to Terabithia – _
The Chronicles of Narnia – _
Peter Pan –_
Harry Potter – _
Charles Dickens
Lewis Carroll
Katherine Paterson
C.S. Lewis (Clive Staples Lewis)
J.M. Barrie (James Matthew Barrie)
J.K. Rowling (Joanne Kathleen Rowling)
Realistic Fiction
Anne of Green Gables – _
Wonder – _
Non-Fiction (Biographies & Essays)
I Am Malala – _
Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl – _
L.M. Montgomery (Lucy Maud Montgomery)
R.J. Palacio (Raquel Jaramillo Palacio)
Malala Yousafzai
Anne Frank (Annelies Marie Frank)
Historical Fiction
Number the Stars – _
Little House on the Prairie – _
Multi-Cultural & International Literature
Akong Bugsay – _
Lois Lowry
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Amaya Aboitiz