For the Love of Books: Pop-Up Frankenstein
I’m a big fan of books that present things visually. I like when books try to do something a little different to make reading them a little more engaging. I think when we talk about encouraging children to develop a love of reading, this needs to be considered when choosing books to work within our school curriculum. It seems an obvious point, but not all children will like the same genres and styles of books. Whilst I state this as an obvious point, I think it is one that can be forgotten in amongst the day to day of presenting children with reading books to bring back and forth between school and home, especially when the most straightforward way of doing this is by using a scheme. However, as a teacher, I also understand the need for developing children’s fluency and comprehension in reading and this is not a criticism of those schemes. Many of them try to incorporate different styles of text within them but in a format which is consistent across the range. My opinion is that as educators, we have to make decisions around other texts the children experience alongside those schemes, as I don’t think that they necessarily promote a ‘love of reading’ 100% of the time. We, on the other hand, can.
My focus in today’s blog then, is on a book that I think offers so many possibilities in terms of teaching, and it explores the story of Frankenstein and his monster in a fantastic and engaging way. It’s based on Mary Shelly’s book, and presents a range of learning opportunities to be taken advantage of. We are also approaching Halloween, which also makes it even more fitting to include a story about monsters, blood and gore!
Engaging pop-ups in a graphic novel style
What excites me most about this book is that it is a pop-up. Now I’ve said I’m partial to books that are a bit different, but the way that images are brought to life here by literally popping up out of the page, just adds a completely different dimension to it’s storytelling. It immerses the reader in the experience of the story, and the pop-ups are extravagant and completely worthwhile. If you want to engage children in a good story, using illustrations in this way is fantastic. As an example, there is a page where a building set on fire jumps up out of the page, and it gives a completely different perspective. I also think it is great for children who perhaps struggle with their own imaginations sometimes, giving them a vehicle for creating images that really support developing knowledge of the events in the story and the author/illustrators intent.
Furthermore, it is written in a comic book/graphic novel style. This is great because it gives children greater opportunity to fill in the gaps themselves from what has been said, supported by the striking visuals across the pages. I think this is also great for drawing in those children who perhaps don’t feel as confident with their reading, as it gives plenty in the way of visuals to support with developing an understanding of the vocabulary that is used.
The plot
If you don’t know the story of Frankenstein, the book is a great portal into it. It’s a story with multiple viewpoints and opinions and broaches a range of issues that could be developed in class discussions. Ultimately, should Victor Frankenstein have tried to create life in the way that he did? Or was it always destined to bring misery and sorrow? Did he really consider the repercussions of his actions? There are so many opportunities here to encourage thoughtful questioning and evaluation skills that are really useful to promote.
So the story goes, that Victor, fascinated with science, wanted to breath life into the dead. He read various historical accounts and decided that he would pursue this in his studies, eventually getting to a point where (using body parts from corpses) he was able to construct a body and bring it to life. He immediately regretted his decision, calling it a monster, fleeing from the scene and becoming ill. Upon his recovery, he returned home to find that the monster had killed his youngest brother. He knew it was the monster and felt that it was all his fault. It was at this point that Victor began to wander around searching for his creation, only for him to be found first. The creature demanded that Victor make another female creation that could live with him. He promised, that if Victor did this for him, he would not hurt any more humans. Initially Victor refused, but upon listening to the creature’s account, he felt even more responsible for the events that had come to pass.
Victor’s creation tells a tale of loneliness and heartbreak. Upon his awakening, he was left fearful and alone. He didn’t know how to eat, didn’t know what day and night was, he didn’t even fully understand why people were scared of him. He had to teach himself to speak. He entered other people’s homes without realising it was something he shouldn’t do, simply because he was hungry. By his own admission to Victor, he had turned into the very monster that he had been viewed as and began to hurt and even kill, admitting to being responsible for the death of Victor’s brother. As a result of this sad tale, Victor agrees to undertake what the monster has asked. However, in the last instance, just as he is about to bring his second creation to life, he decides he can’t do it and burns the body.
What happens next is a direct result of all of Victor’s actions in bringing this monster to life without any considerations for what it might actually mean. I won’t spoil the ending, but in actual fact it is an extremely sad tale of humankind’s relentless pursuit of advancement and desire to be in control. Not only that, but it is presented in this version in such an engaging way that the reader can’t help but relate to both sides of the story. The lines of right and wrong are continuously blurred, and this can create so many opportunities for learning. Simply asking children, ‘what would you have done?’ in any of these situations, I think, would provide great stimulus for creative writing.
Curriculum Links
Whilst Mary Shelley’s tale was written just before the Victorian era, the Victorians had a bit of an obsession with gothic horror, and stories like that of Frankenstein and Dracula fit right into this category. I wrote a blog about using books in the curriculum about two weeks ago (you can find the link at the bottom of this post) and I feel that stories like this one fit in so well if you are studying the Victorians. Firstly, it’s engaging, in terms of storyline and plot, and in terms of the way the story is presented. Secondly, there are so many possibilities for writing there to be explored, from simple retells, to instructional texts, to report writing and biographical writing. Not to mention the further potential for creativity across the curriculum, where the children could design their own monsters using their own imagination and creativity to support writing activities further. The other important aspect that using books like this gives you is a window into the mind of the people of the Victorian era. It’s a chance to compare the books that the children like to read with those that the Victorians enjoyed. You can also link Victor Frankenstein’s tale to ideas of the Industrial Revolution, whereby science and industry was really developing and taking off. The children might discuss what they would have attempted to create or invent during Victorian times had they been living back then.
It's a great story, and it’s presented in a really unique and imaginative way that really engages the reader in its content. Even if you’re not studying the Victorians, it’s one that is definitely worth a look!