UnTextbook

There were so many good options to choose from, but I am most interested in reading these five units.

1. Adam and Eve
   
   This is a very famous story in the Biblical book of Genesis, and I am interested to see how it has been expanded over time.
   
   

   

   (The Fall, by Michelangelo)

   I chose this picture because there were so many parts to it.
2. Alice and Wonderland
   
   The movie over this story was one of my childhood favorites, but I have never actually read the novel.
   
3. Dante's Inferno
   
   I have always wanted to read Dante's Inferno, and am very interested in reading about the different circle's of Hell.
   
4. Ballads of Robin Hood
   
   I have seen movies and read about Robin Hood since I was a child. He has been viewed as a hero in most discussions I have heard, but I would like to form my own opinion through reading the stories.
   
5. The Life of Buddha
   
   I think it would be interesting to read about the life of the founder of Buddhism, especially because it is a different religion than my own.

Week 1 Storybook Favorites

The first Storybook I read was Mythology's Most Wanted. I chose this one because I love stories with a good villain. The title definitely matched the Storybook and had an easy to read page design. I really enjoyed how each character's stories were told because the villain's perspective is often ignored. The introduction did a great job of setting up each character's background, so it didn't matter whether or not I wasn't familiar with one of the villains. Navigation throughout the Storybook was straightforward and having a dark background made it look good. I plan on using a dark background with light letters when I make mine because I think it looks best and is easy to read.

Next, I chose Peter Pan: The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up. I was instantly attracted to this one because Peter Pan was one of my favorite movies growing up. The first thing I noticed was the font, which I am definitely am not a fan of and made it a slower read than desired. Anyways, I thought the Introduction did an alright job of introducing each character that I would later hear from. I was familiar with the character's stories, so it brought back some good memories.

(Peter Pan)

Lastly, I chose The Adventures of Thor and Asgard. I am a huge fan of the Marvel Universe and all of its characters, especially Thor, so I figured I would enjoy it. The Introduction was really interesting because it was told from the perspective of a young Frost Giant, which are the enemies in the first Thor movie. The layout and design of the Storybook was nothing special, but easy to navigate and read. Overall, I thought the stories were fun to read and my previous knowledge of some of the stories made it interesting.

Week 1 Introduction: About Me - Michael Yacovoni

Hi everyone!

My name is Michael Yacovoni and I am a senior Industrial Engineering student. I am from Highland Village, Texas and went to Flower Mound Marcus High School. My father was in the Army for twenty-one years, so we had to move a lot throughout my childhood. I have lived in New Jersey, California, Kansas, Maryland, Texas, and now Oklahoma. Fortunately, most of the moving was done when I was young. I have two older sisters and both graduated from the University of Oklahoma. My father is from Scranton, PA, which is also known for being the location of The Office television show, and my mother is from Massachusetts.

I love playing, watching, and talking sports. I am a big fan of all Oklahoma Sooners sports teams, Dallas Mavericks, and the New York Yankees. Spending time with my family is very important to me, as well as hanging out with my friends. In my free time, I enjoy watching movies and TV shows. Netflix has definitely increased the number of shows and movies that I watch. Some of my favorite shows include The Office, Breaking Bad, House of Cards, Archer, Workaholics, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Arrested Development. I am a huge dog lover and my parents have two dogs, CJ (girl) and Jesse (boy). We adopted them and decided to keep the names they had. We were only going to get one of them, but we found out that CJ is the mother of Jesse. CJ is a Red Heeler and Jesse is a Blue Heeler/Red Heeler mix. I also enjoy traveling and hope to do a lot of traveling throughout the rest of my life. Outside of the United States, I have been to Mexico, France, and Belgium.

(The Office)

I think I have covered all the big parts about myself, but please feel free to ask any questions you might have! I am excited for this class, to graduate this May, and to start my career.

Week 1 Storytelling: "The Fox and the Grapes"

There was once a curious young fox who loved to explore. He was fascinated with the world and enjoyed seeing new things.

After a long day of exploring a new part of the forest, the fox became hungry. Just when he was about to head home, he tripped and fell on his back. While lying on his back, he noticed something weird looking hanging from a tree in the distance. Curious, the fox walked toward the tree. He quickly realized what was hanging from the tree, but could not believe it. “Grapes!”, he shouted. A bunch of grapes were hanging from a vine along a tree branch. In awe, he exclaimed, “Those are the biggest grapes I have ever seen. They look so juicy and sweet, I must have them.” The grapes looked ripe as can be, just begging him to eat them.

Hanging high in the air, the fox would have to jump. Largely underestimating the height of the grapes, his first attempt was not even close. The fox remained confident and took a few steps back. “With my young age and incredible athletic ability, I am sure I can reach the grapes with a running start,” the fox said. Digging his feet in the ground, he sprinted and leaped, but to his dismay, was still short. The fox was distraught, but was determined to get the grapes and decided to give it another try. Salivating about the thought of eating the magnificent grapes, he jumped as high as he could, but again was too short.

Sick to his stomach, he sat down and angrily stared at the grapes with disbelief.

“I give up. Those grapes probably are not even good anyways. I bet they are old and sour, so there is no point in wasting any more of my time and energy trying to get them.”

And the fox headed home tired, hungry, and angry.

(The Fox and the Grapes)

Author's Notes:  This is based off of the fable The Fox and The Grapes.  The story is from the book Aesop's Fables written by Anonymous and illustrated by Milo Winter. The story begins with a fox discovering a bunch of ripe and juicy grapes hanging from a tree. After closer inspection, the fox becomes determined to get the grapes. Jump after jump, the fox failed to reach the grapes. He then convinced himself that they were probably sour anyways and that he should bother wasting his energy to get them. The fox walked away angry after making himself feel better about not getting the juicy, ripe grapes. I decided to adapt the story in the way I did in order to accurately capture the moral of the story. The story wasn't very long to begin with, so it gave me a lot of opportunity to add things. I also felt that it shouldn't be changed too much, just given more detail so that you can better understand the Fox's feelings. The reason I chose this particular story was because how often I witness people with sour grapes. Everyone has a tendency to make themselves feel better after failure, myself included, however the world would be a better place without it. The image I chose clearly illustrates the fox trying to reach grapes in a tree and looks nice too. 

Favorite Place: Falmouth, MA

My favorite place is Falmouth, MA. My Nana has a house in walking distance to the beach and I have gone there countless times. I have formed so many great memories there through family vacations, family reunions, and for other events. 

(Nantucket Sound. Web Source: New England Boating)