Favorite Storybooks

Once Upon An Antique Shop by Lizzie Lockard:

     Topic: Some of the story took themes from familiar fairytales such as Beauty and the Beast, even though they are different stories. Handsome man is transformed in a hideous monster whether by a curse of choice, and at the end they get the beautiful woman. However, the author brings ties in these stories with motivation content throughout the stories. The title did provide adequate hints of what the setting was for the story, but the Beauty and the Beast themes were a nice surprise.
     Introduction: The introduction did a great job on bringing me into the story. The initial reason why I was interested in the project is because I like browsing in Antique stores. When I realized, the topic was based on Beauty and the Beast stories I was pulled in even more. I connected with the author’s first paragraph when she mentioned difficulty founding yourself in college and how someone’s fulfillments may not be close to society’s standards. The style of the introduction did not resonate with me. The writing style was a bit weak in some areas, but the topics and points she included were what encouraged me finish her storybook. How does the layout and design of the page affect your reaction to the Introduction as you read it? The layout and design did not influence Lockard’s ability to get her topic across.     

     Design: The physical layout is easy to navigate, but the design or style of the page was too pink and sparkly for me. I enjoyed the images she provided, they gave me an idea what she imagined as the settings for the stories. Do you see any design features that you might want to use in your own project? I like the idea of using images as a way to aid the reader in creating the setting.  

The Legend of "Calico" Jack Rackham by Will Robson:    

     Topic: This topic of Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Jack Rackham is new to me, but I am a sucker for historical pirate stories. The title was misleading, I assumed the story would focus on Rackham, but the content mainly featured Bonny and Read while Rackham was more of a side character even though it turned out to be Rackham narrating the story.
     Introduction: The introduction was splendid! The historical aspect of introducing the topic was entertaining. I enjoyed it immensely, the last sentence was a cliffhanger that pulled me into finishing the project. However, as I continued reading, the dialogue and content was repetitive and there were only a few paragraphs where Robson seemed to produce his own material. The was not any creative design, if Robson wanted to use a minimalist style then he succeeded. The layout did not affect my reaction to the introduction.     Design: The plain design created the illusion that I was at a historical/informational website rather than a blog. This style ties in with the writing style of the project. I was not impressed with the images Robson provided or any of the creative aspects.

 

Jackals of Telekeshi by Unknown:

     Topic: This topic of African tales is new to me. I initially thought the story was going to focus on a group of jackals rather than other animals’ individual tales of the jackals. This story started out interesting, but I lost interest in the story as it continued.
     Introduction: Does the Introduction do a good job of explaining the topic and prompting you to want to read the stories? The introduction did well providing the setting for the story and the theme of gossiping was entertaining. There were a few points that decreased my interest in finishing the story. There were inconsistent character facts, the author mentioned the matriarchal elephant, but later commented on the male elephant. The design did not influence my perception of the introduction.     

     Design: The design does not have much creativity to it other than the different shades of yellow. This yellow theme could tie into the sunny setting of Africa. The image the author chose created the setting for the story. The layout for the project was simple and did not take away from the storytelling. I was not impressed with any of the creative aspects of the layout. 

Giraffe Sunset