UnTextbook options

(Creation of Adam by William Blake)

Adam and Eve

This reading refers to the story of genesis from the Bible. 

Africa

The story covers traditions and cultures that are popular in different regions of Africa. 

Alice and Wonderland

The text is a colorful spin on the traditional story of Alice and Wonderland. 

Native American Marriage

The story tells a tale from original Native American stories. The tales are different from the average stories because they talk about what seems like shifters and their human spouses. 

My Storybook Favorites

(Happily Ever After? A Prince's Perspective)

What stood out most about this storybook is this picture. I could not help but laugh at the look in the princess face holding two children, while one latches their hand on her leg. I thought "maybe this will be interesting." It would probably be a different take on the classic princess and prince charming love story and how it wasn't rainbows and unicorns afterwards. 

The funny things is when I went to browse the site and read the introduction, the story is told from the Prince's perspective. This really grabbed me because I love reading stories from an opposing perspective. This is also quite interesting because I never thought about what a story would be like after the happy ever after, or if the happy ever after never happened for that matter. 

Gossip Girl

What stood out the most about the storybook on Gossip Girl was the colorfulness of the site, and the beautiful picture of Hawaii. Another thing I liked was the name of the site. It caught my attention because one of my guilty pleasures is gossip or reading about a scandal. 

When reading the introduction, it definitely grabbed my attention and confirmed my assumptions about what the storybook was about. It basically tells a story about the the different scandals that happen around Hawaii. I would read this for sure. Two of my favorite shows are Scandal and Revenge, and from the introduction they are kind of similar to these shows which makes this even more exciting to read. This storybook also has some features I would like to use like the theme relating closely to the storybook theme.

Characters of Christmas

Who doesn't love Christmas? What immediately struck me about this storybook is the picture of a cute pink Christmas tree with cute purple ornaments! Also the fact that I love Christmas. Also the design is so pretty that I could not help but save it to my Pinterest board. In this storybook they use pictures and videos which I think is very interesting twist to writing their own version of a story because you get to see the original and then a newer perspective in the same story. Having a video is also cool because it help people know what they're reading about if they aren't sure. 

(Source)

After the reading the introduction and seeing the picture above, I was pretty thrown off. The storybook is based a disorder call Post-Christmas Stress Disorder, which I find extremely hilarious being a psychology major and learning about all kinds of disorders. The stories basically tell stories about famous characters that are associated with the wonderful holiday of Christmas. One being Rudolph. What is most interesting about this type of storybook is that these non-human characters are treated as having human everyday lives. 

Introduction: A little about me.

Hola my name is Brandy Asberry. I am from Tulsa, Oklahoma, but was originally born in Fayettville, North Carolina. I moved to Oklahoma because I was an Army brat, and my dad was stationed back in Tulsa to be closer to family. I graduated high school in 2009, and also got my Associate in Psychology in 2012. Now I am a Psychology Pre-Nursing major with a minor in Sociology. I plan to graduate in Fall 2015 with hopes of starting nursing school the Summer of 2016. *crosses fingers* Currently, I am taking Human Anatomy, Advanced Personality, and two Women's and Gender Studies classes.   

In my spare time, I love to play tennis. I was on the varsity team in high school and played singles and doubles. I don't really play anymore because I never have the time between work and school.   Also, I love other sports! My favorite sports are football and basketball (Thunder UP!). Furthermore, love to cook and bake. I love making simple everyday dishes more healthy, like instead of having spaghetti and meatballs, I will make zucchini noodles (zoodles) and meatballs. My favorite things to bake are cookies and breads.

Sometimes I spend my time watching Netflix and Hulu. Some of my favorite tv shows are superhero shows like Arrow, The Flash, Gotham, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I also like a lot of crime scene and drama shows like Scandal, Grey's Anatomy, CSI, and a lot more! I also love to listen to music. Beyonce is one of my favorite singers, but I listen to a lot of different genres of music like gospel, country, indie rock, pop, rhythm and blues, and some hip hop/rap. Finally, I often read in my spare time whenever I can. I don't really have any favorite books. I just love to read anything that interests me. 

     

Week 1 Storytelling: Sleepy John

"DEEDLE, deedle, dumpling, my son John

Went to bed with his trousers on;

One shoe off, the other shoe on,

Deedle, deedle, dumpling, my son John."

(Source)

There was once a boy named John. John is tall and handsome, seventeen-year-old senior in college with strong hopes of becoming a doctor. John knows that he must keep his grade point average high and do well on his MCAT, so he spends his days and nights working so hard to prepare for medical school that he rarely makes it to his bed without his trousers on. Although John's mother tells John time and time again that he needs more sleep, he still stays up to stress about all the assignments he must complete. John's friends often complain that he is an overachiever, and that he is missing out on some of the most important moments of senior year like football games, special campus events, and having fun on the weekends. Although, John doesn't listen and does not believe them.  When John returns home from a busy day, he never has a little fun or takes breaks for just a short time while studying. When he does rest, he cannot seem to sleep without at least one shoe on.  His mother often finds poor John sleeping with his day clothes on with at least one shoe off and thinks to herself "My dear son John has worked himself into overly dressed slumber." John wakes up again, seeing that his mother has tucked him in even though he never undressed from yesterday's clothes. John feels bad, because he is all his mother has and she constantly worries about him and his study habits. John then decides to make a change.

That very day, John decides to listen to his friends and rest and have fun for just a day. John asks his mother if he can have a couple of friends over before going to a football game. John's mother happily agrees and John's friends are pleasantly surprised that John has invited them to his house, and that he is joining them at the football game to have a little fun for once. When John goes to the football game, he realizes that this is the best time he's had in a while. John starts to realize all that he has missed and balances his time between his studies, family, and friends. John no longer passes out with his trousers still on. John's mother can now even tuck him in without his shoes on.

 John even finds a girlfriend whose name is Jane. Jane is a lot like John. Jane is also a senior at their college with hopes of becoming a doctor. Jane also loves to study and rarely sleeps. Although Jane has already gotten into medical school, she helps John get ready for his tests. They study together and are as happy as can be. Jane loves John and sleeps just like he. When they are together, John goes back to his old habits of sleeping rarely. John’s mom finds John sleeping again with yesterday's clothes still on, with one sneaker on and one off, along with a sleeping Jane who mirrors her boyfriend John. John’s poor mother can do nothing but tuck the well-dressed teenagers in bed and be happy that John has a friend to share his poor habit. 

Author's note: In this short nursery rhyme it talks about a boy named John who falls asleep with his trousers and one shoe on. I adapted my story to be about a teenager named John who worries and studies all the time. He does not get a lot of sleep, but when he does he often sleeps without undressing himself from his day clothes because he is so tired from studying continuously. John's friends make fun of him for his studying and believe he should have some more fun. When John finally does start to have fun again, he meets a girl (Jane) that is just like John and brings him back to his old habits. I got inspiration for this story from a friend who is always stressing about everything related to school. They often study and over study when they should just have a little fun every now and then.What I want people to take away from this story is it is okay to be studious, but many people think that you are not doing college right if you are getting a good night's sleep. I do not believe this, and I think that it is very possible to study a good amount of time and get a healthy amount of sleep.  The nursery rhyme for this story came from The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang (1987). 

One of my favorite places.

(Nassau, Bahamas at Sunset

Source: Flickr)