Final Reflection

I was not too sure what to expect while coming into this class, I’ve heard you had to read tons of children’s books and blog about them. It sounded fun to me, something different than the rest of my classes! As I collected my books for my first week of reading and blogging, I found myself not too sure where and what to search for, it was then that I realized I knew (or could remember) not too much about children’s literature! It’s embarrassing to admit, being an elementary education major and all. However, I am truly glad that all elementary education majors are required to take this class because I have such a better sense of what a “good” piece of literature is, where/how I can find books, what type of books different grades and ages like, different genres in general, how to incorporate literature into my curriculum (text sets), what authors are currently a hit with students, how to make a Glogster (which I plan to use in my classroom!), and much more. I never knew there could be so much to children’s literature in my future classroom, so I am so glad I took this class. Even though it was under two hours a week, I feel like I learned a lot more than how long I was in class for. Thanks for a great semester, Jen!

Love That Dog

Since I read this book before any other poetry books I picked out for the poetry week, I was not too sure what to expect. I’m embarrassed to admit it’s been so long since I’ve read a poetry book and I cannot remember the last time I read one! But not even a few pages through Love That Dog, I knew I was going to like it. I have never read a poetry book like this, how the whole entire book are narratives from someone’s diary, and there is continuity between each entry. How creative of the author!
Sharon Creechwrites in a free verse and introduces the audience to a young boy whose teacher is making the class write poetry in their notebook, and it could be about anything. The writes about how he does not know how to write poetry, etc, but while writing things like that, he’s actually writing poetry. The audience can tell that the teacher writes back to him (even though we can’t see) because he writes his responses to the teacher in his poems. His poetry turns out to be awesome as he grows confidence in his writing. I would definitely incorporate this book into my curriculum as a teacher because I know tons of students think they can’t write poetry and have a negative feeling with it, just like the main character in this book. While reading it, they would be able to see that poetry it not all that difficult and boring, and they can see how much fun one could have with it.

Mother Goose Rhymes

This book caught my interest because I wanted to see how many Mother Goose Rhymes I actually remembered from when I was a kid, and I was surprised at how many I remembered, including "Jack and Jill", "Humpty Dumpty", "Three Blind Mice", and much more. Since I enjoyed this book at the age I’m at now, I think this book could be for all ages, baby to adult. Gustafson has a wonderful sense of color, layout, characters and great oil paintings to look at while reading the proems. I would like to have this poetry book in my classroom no matter what grade I teach since I think all ages would like it. In addition, it would be a great one to incorporate in my poetry curriculum as examples of famous poems we can all remember.

It's Raining Pigs and Noodles

It’s not too often you learn about the advantages to having your nose on your face, or what life is like for a boneless chicken, or lamented a night of homework, which are all part of silly poems from Prelutsky's collection 107 poems. They are all silly, catchy, and classic. As I opened the book, I bounced from poem to poem, being carried along by James Stevenson's squiggly illustrations. Though this is a fast read, Prelutsky's odd characters, like the Underwater Wibblies and Drumpp the Grump, will keep you laughing, and I’m all for some funny poetry!

I think these quirky poems will entertain readers both young and old. Prelutsky's poems are made for reading aloud, and audiences will enjoy listening to the made-up names and punch lines. Stevenson's artwork fits perfectly with the singsong style of the poems. The black and white drawings wobble and flutter around the text, interacting with it. Prelutsky's work combined with Shel Silverstein's, makes for an excellent introduction into the world of poetry for young readers.

A Pizza the Size of the Sun

I know I’ve definitely seen this poetry book before in different libraries and classrooms, but have never read it, which is why I picked it up to check out and give it a try. And did I like it! First of all, I’ve never heard of the poet who wrote the book, Jack Prelutsky, but I checked out a lot of poetry books by him and the ones I had read thus far have been awesome.
A Pizza the Size of the Sun is another hilarious collection of poems by Prelutsky filled with zany people, different creatures, and different rhythms. I would consider this book to be a little more unusual and slightly more gruesome (with poems like “Eyeballs for Sale!”) which I’m sure children (especially boys) just love and find very funny.
The illustrator, James Stevenson, does a great job with his watercolors, reproduced in black and white. I think this book should be read by ever child, especially those who claim they don’t like poetry. I think it would definitely change their point of view and outlook on poetry at a whole.

Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young

Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young caught my attention because the illustrator of the book is Marc Brown, the author and illustrator of all the Arthur books, which I just love! This poetry book has poems about anything, from picnics to pretending, to puppies. I think it would be a great book to introduce young children about poetry and the world around them. The poet, Jack Prelutsky has chosen 200 short poems, including old favorites, traditional rhymes, and really silly verses from everyday events to special days to the world of imagination. Marc Brown has wonderful illustrations created by colored-pencil with awesome borders, which make the pages very engaging to look at.

Yellow Submarine

During my Music for the Classroom Teacher class, we had to pick out a songbook and go to a preschool and present them with an activity, and I know one of my classmates chose the book Yellow Submarine by Charlie Gardener. I’ve always considered myself to be a Beatles fan so I thought it’d be cool to check out and read the book.
Not even after finishing the first page I was extremely confused. I don’t know if it’s because I don’t know too much about the Beatles or what, but all I could really say about the book is that the main characters are all the band mates of the Beatles, and they use quotes from their songs a lot in their book. There are in some place called Pepperland and are trying to get away from the “meanies”. I am definitely missing something, but I think kids might like the book because the illustrations are really neat. Some of the backgrounds look like they are random pictures coming from a TV screen in the 1960s, then random, colorful looking characters are drawn. This book is definitely trippy and confusing, but I liked how different it was from any other book I’ve read.

I'm Gonna Like Me

I’m Gonna Like Me by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell is another one of those “I love me, I feel good” books, but hey, we could never use enough of those. I thought the book was adorable with awesome illustrations-one of the most colorful books I have ever read. Each page has a different paragraph starting with “I’m gonna like me when….” and then the rest of the paragraph rhymes at the end of each stanza. Since each page is predictable and rhymes, I think it would be a great book to work with lower elementary students that are just learning how to read. In addition, it also sends good messages to children including: returning something when found, sharing your lunch, not getting down on yourself when you are wrong or make a mistake, and much much more.

Speak

This book is about the main character, Melinda, whom now is friendless and an outcast because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Melinda uses her art as an escape from the reality (how she was rapped from an upperclassman). Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and then achieves a measure of vindication.
I remember reading this book sometime in junior high, but I could not recall much from it. One thing I did remember was the main character was a freshman, and she got raped by a senior "hot-shot" and there was some sort of big secret at the end. This is a very powerful book because it deals with rape and emotions of the victim after. The main character's life is basically ruined after, and she feels like there is no one to turn to. Even though it may hard for many audience members reading this book to relate to her extreme, I'm sure many can relate to her in some way. The book deals with many side issues that numerous high schoolers go through, and even thought it might be a little awkward and uncomfortable to have your students read, I think it would be a great book to introduce to the classroom.

Porkenstein

I chose Porkenstein because I knew it would be a spin on some sort of fairytale (perhaps Rumplestilskin?!). From working with young students and reading, I know many just love spins on fairytales they know, I think it’s funny for them to hear different versions and think they are “silly”. Porkenstein is about a pig that is lonely on Halloween because his two brothers were eating by a wolf (which they kind of glance over do not make a big deal about, which I thought was interesting) so he decides to invent a new friend in his lab. After making many mistakes (a fish, a bat, etc), he finally makes a pig, but the pig is HUGE and wants to eat everything. The main character is very sad the pig turned out this way.
Since it is Halloween, people are obviously trick-or-treating. The big bad wolf comes to the pig’s house because he heard there was a HUGE pig at the house and thinks he would taste great. However, the surprise is that the huge pig ends up eating the big bad wolf. I thought this book was funny and most kids would love it. The illustrations are in a dark, gloomy color because the book takes place at night the whole time and during Halloween time. I definitely would incorporate this book in my future classroom around Halloween time. I think it would also be a fun activity to have my students write their own fairytale with a spin at the end.

Good-Bye Tonsils

Getting your tonsils out, especially at such a young age, is obviously no fun. However, Good-bye Tonsils by Juliana Lee Hatkoff and Craig Hatkoff shows that getting your tonsils out is not all that bad, and could actually be pretty fun! We follow this little girl as she goes to her doctor’s appointment and finds out she needs to get her tonsils out. The authors explain what tonsils are and why they need to come out in terms that young children are able to understand. We are taken through the preparation steps, the operation, and then after. She little girl tells us about her emotions through each step, and in the end we learn that the operation is not all that bad.

This book would be great to read either to your child who just found out he or she has to get his or her tonsils removed, or if a student in class was getting his or hers removed, it would be neat to read this book to the class and have the student tell the class about the experience. I think books like these are important because it jus reassures the child that the operation will go smoothly and there is nothing to be affair of. The illustrations are done in light water color and are very detailed. I definitely want to keep this book around for my future classroom.

The Color of Us

Another great book dealing with different skin colors, The Color of Us by Karen Katz has been one of my favorite books about diversity I have read thus far. The book starts off with the main character, a young black girl, telling us how her mom is a painter and told her if she mixes all different colors (dealing with skin), she will come out with the right shade of brown for herself. The main character tells her mom that "brown is brown" and her mom goes on to show her how there is all differeny shades of brown. They go for a walk and the little girl explains how all the people she sees are different colors-comparing them to colors of certain foods.

What really caught my attention first is how colorful, bright, and inviting the the cover was. I know you're not supossed to judge a book by its cover, but I couldn't help to pick up the book and sift through the pages. The illustrations are sort of in this futuristic looking. I think this is a great book to introduce to lower-elementary students when discussing race and how everyone looks different and we should celebrate that.

The Year of Impossible Goodbyes

Ten-year-old Sookan tells of her Korean family's experiences during the Japanese occupation as World War II ends. The Japanese commit cruel, fear provoking acts against this proud, hopeful family and against the young girls who worked in a sweatshop making socks for the Japanese army. Relief, hope, and anticipation of the return of male family members after the Japanese defeat is short lived as the Russians occupy the country, bringing their language, their customs, and communism to the village. Equally as insensitive to the pride and possessions of the Koreans, they are as bad as the Japanese. Plans are made for Sookan, her mother, and younger brother to escape to South Korea. However, their guide betrays them, causing the children to be separated from their mother, and the two begin a daring and frightening journey to cross the 38th parallel to safety. Through Sookan, the author shares an incredible story of the love and determination of her family, the threatening circumstances that they endured during occupations by two totalitarian governments.
These two books told from a child’s point if view from opposing sides of the war has been so interesting. I think it is a great idea to compare them because we see a story from both sides. When reading this book, I gained hatred towards the Japanese for doing that to Sookan and her family, thinking they were so terrible. But then I remembered So Far From the Bamboo Garden and how it was the Koreans that were the “bad guys”. This experience definitely opened my eyes and made me realize that a situation (the war) definitely has two sides of it and it is important to hear both sides before making assumptions. I really liked this book and felt for Sookan as she endured on her rough journey.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove

I love how this book is told from a children’s perspective during WWII. It was so neat to hear about the war through a child’s eyes because it deals with emotions and the struggles that Yoko, the main character, had to go through, which students to not learn about in textbooks. Yoko is a child growing up in Korea during the end of World War II and since she is Japanese, Yoko and her family are forced to flee Korea when the Korea Communist army comes to kill the entire family. Her family is constantly in danger because Yoko’s father works for the Japanese government. The book takes us through her struggles on the journey with her family.

The cover of this book is a colorful picture portraying Yoko, her mother and her sister huddled in a bamboo grove trying to hide from the Korean Communist Army. The writing is straightforward, and surprisingly easy to read since English is Yoko’s third language. It is safe to say that the writing in this book was vivid and riveting, I did not put this book down for more than a minute. The writing was suspenseful and flowed from one point to the next. This book delivers intelligence, adventure, sadness, love, and horrifyingly violent accounts without dwelling aimlessly on the past.

Chrysanthemum

Here's another book that I know I read when I was little all the time, but I could not remember for the life of of me what it was about. Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes is full of self-confidence and an optimistic attitude. She is so excited to start her first day of school. However, when the students learn her name, they begin to make fun of it and saying mean things to her. Chrysanthemum’s parents reassure her that her name is beautiful and not to listen to all the bullies, but she has a hard time believing them. She tries out for the play and her music teacher gives her the main role, boosting her confidence, and gets to a point where all her classmates envy her. Good for ages 4-8 years old.
I remember the name of this book from when I was younger, but could not recall what it was about. As I started to read, began to remember it better and I’m pretty sure it used to be one of my favorite when I was younger. I think the story line is adorable and can teach kids many lessons. When discussing bullying, this book could be a great discussion starter, and I would be able to talk about how Chysanthemum was feeling when her classmates were making fun of her. Also, it shows kids to block out the mean people in your life and still strive for your goals.

The Misfits

The Misfits ,by James Howe is another one of those books I've always heard about, but have never gotten the chance to read, so I was pretty excited when I found out we were going to have to read if for Children's Lit! The book is a teen a novel about a group of twelve year olds at a middle school in a small town. These three boys and one girl are going through the normal issues of the transition between childhood and the "teen years" The four are the usual outcasts found in most schools, and one of their number has decided to take a stand against what she sees as the hypocrisy in her school. Through her determination to put forward her beliefs, she forces her friends to step back and take a look at themselves and each other.

The book is written from the point of view of one of the kids, Bobby, and since the group are all only twelve, The Misfits deal with some issues that most many young teens deal with. Some of the issues it touches on are deaths of loved ones, homosexuality and people being more than they seem. It is nixe to read in that it does not give out the impression of trying to deal with these things; rather it brings them all together in a light-hearted story, dealing with emotions

I cannot believe this book used to be/is banned in some districts in our country. I thought this book was awsome becuase it deals with issues that most teens have to deal with, and I think many students would take a lot from it. Personally, I would love to teach this book in my future classroom if I teach old enough kids. I think the book would lead to great class discussion since most students would be able to relate to it so well.

The Aunt in Our Home

I’m totally confused. I think there is a deep meaning in Angela Johnson’s The Aunt in Our Home, but I just cannot figure it out for the life of me. It was different to see a book of Johnson’s with a white person on the cover because she usually writes about black families. This story is told from a little black girl’s point of view-that one day, “The Aunt” comes to stay with her family, and The Aunt (always capitalized throughout the story) does all these different fun activities with the two little girls in the family. But sometimes, The Aunt gets sad and the mom tells the two little girls it is because The Aunt misses her home, and the pictures show her sitting around alone looking depressed, and that is how the story ends. I keep trying to come up with predictions on what is going on here, but the only thing I can think of is that The Aunt is some sort of live-in nanny for the family and two little girls?
I’m not sure what students in elementary school would think about this one. The pictures are indeed awesome-it looks like they were oil painted on canvas. They are very interesting to look at, but the story is not as interesting to read and understand, so I don’t think this is a book I would chose to read aloud to my class.

Down the Winding Road

Down the Winding Road is a book I think many young students can relate to, and consists of a theme that they are familiar with. Once again, Angela Johnson uses black characters and family as the main theme in her story. There isn’t much of a plot to the story; we follow a young boy as he leaves the city to visit his aunts, uncles, and cousins in the country. They all do typical, family things such as look at old photos, go swimming in the lake, play on a tire swing, listen to old stories, etc. I can tell family is very, very important to Angela Johnson, as she keeps the idea of family in every book I have read of hers thus far. I think this is awesome for younger elementary students because it is an idea they are most likely familiar with and can relate to. This book could be a great discussion starter for students to share their stories about their experiences or traditions with their own families. In addition, this book has large font, and barely even has one sentence on each page. Also, the detailed pictures go along perfectly with the words used on each page, making the words easier to read.

I Dream of Trains

This book really made me think. If it was complicated for me to follow, I’m sure it would be difficult for elementary students to follow as well. I Dream of Trains is not your typical, colorful and fun picture book. It is very deep, with tons of symbolism. First things first, this story is told from a slaves points of view. The audience is not told that the main character is a salve, but from certain words and pictures in the books, the reader can infer it. The slave’s dad tells him the story about Casey Jones, a large train that would make long trips through the land, but myth has it, during a large storm one night, it crashed and was never seen again. The main character imagines himself seeing the train, riding on it, etc. We get the idea that the train is symbolism for hope. The slave hopes one day he can get on a train to a new place-hope to one day be free in his country. I’m not sure if elementary students would catch on to this, it took me a few times reading it through to really comprehend the story. However, this would be a good book to use for an example when presenting a lesson on symbolism to my classroom.
Once again, on the last page, Angela Johnson has information about the main theme in the story. Casey Jones was in fact a real conductor of a train that would run from Illinois to Mississippi. It definitely has a lot of history behind it, and I think kids would enjoy learning about how this story is based on an actual true idea. The pictures in this book are very detailed and real. In addition, the author uses dark paint, which creates the sort of the gloomy, mysterious mood.

Just Like Josh Gibson

I’m starting to see a theme in Angela Johnson’s books-most have them have black characters, and involve family. Just Like Josh Gibson is about a little girl’s grandma telling her about a famous baseball player and how her own father had a baseball bat and glove in her hand since she was born, always practicing baseball with her, for as long as she could remember. As a child, the grandma always wanted to play baseball with the boys, but the boys never let her. However, one day one of the players got her so she was able to play, and ended up doing an amazing job, just like Josh Gibson. The story ends with the grandma showing her pictures from when she played baseball as a kid and showing the baseball she used. I loved the last page-it is a biography on the real-life baseball player, Josh Gibson. It explains how he was called “the Babe Ruth of the Negro Leagues”, and how he suffered and died from a stroke three months before African-Americans were allowed in the major leagues.

This has been one of my favorite picture books by Angela Johnson. I love the idea of having a girl in a dress that loves sports, because it kind of reminds me of myself when I was that age. Ever since I could remember, my dad was always playing soccer with me, and when it was “cool” to start liking boys and doing girly things in elementary school, I would be out there with the boys playing soccer. The boys had the same attitude towards me that the boys in the story had towards the girl’s grandma-they weren’t too pleased to be playing with a girl. I think this book gives a great message, especially to girls, that it’s okay to be different (for example, to love and play sports!) even if that’s not the “norm”. Also, I love how the famous baseball player Angela talks about is actually real.

The Girl Who Wore Snakes

I thought The Girl Who Wore Snakes was a picture book that was a little on the odd side. Again, another on of Angela Johnson’s picture book is illustrated with vibrant, rich oil paintings that make the story intriguing and exciting to read. The story starts off with a girl getting to hold a guest snake at school and being called the “the girl who loves snakes.” She uses her imagination and thinks the snakes' bright colors remind her of “the sun, the earth, and everything in between.” She even goes to the pet shop and buys her on snake, and does everyday activities with it despite people’s ridicule. The story ends with the little black girl going to her aunt’s house to visit, and her aunt accepting the snake into her house. Her aunt even says that the snake reminds her of the earth and sun and everything in between.
I found this picture book a little hard to relate to. I wasn’t quite sure the message. Perhaps that you can use your imagination and love anything you want no matter what anyone says? It’s not very clear for me, so I’m not sure if it would be very clear to an elementary school student. I guess students would enjoy it thought because it involves sort of a fun creature (snake) and I’m sure they would admire the pictures. It’s still a cute, fun book even if it doesn’t make much sense to me.

Do Like Kyla

Ever since I could remember, I would constantly be following around my older sister and mimicking everything she would do. I thought she was the coolest girl in the world, and Angela Johnson’s Do Like Kyla pretty much sums up the same idea. The cover is adorable-it looks like a 10-year-old black girl and a 5-year-old black girl making snow angels in the snow together, laughing and having a great time. The story is told from the little sister’s point of view, and she highlights everyday events such as eating oatmeal and walking to the and explains how she imitates her older sister by saying “I do like Kayla”. Most pages are white on the left with a sentence on it, then the picture in colorful, rich oil painting of the action being told on the left. The illustrations make the story about a loving black family warm and exciting.
I thought this book was adorable and would be nice to read with two girls that are sisters. I’m not sure if I would read it in a classroom though, because I’m not sure how many students could relate or would be interested in this story.

Glogster

Hiroshima No Pika

My first reaction after reading after reading Hiroshima No Pika was simply, “Wow.” The book was the definitely the most graphic, violent, and blunt one I’ve ever read. The cover itself is very controversial-a naked woman, with her breasts exposed is being held by a man, as she cradles a young child. The readers are taken into a young girl’s point of view with her mother and father after a bomb is dropped on her city, Hiroshima. Readers are taken through her journey to get help for her dad, and hear about all fire, destruction, and dead people she sees, which is extremely graphic, especially for young elementary students. I know that wars might be taught in elementary school, but I feel like at this age, they do not need to know all about the graphic and violence issues yet-they are still too young. Hence, I do not think this book should be read in elementary school. I could see it scaring children, thinking that a bomb is going to drop in their town as well, especially with the words of war and such being thrown around in our society today of what’s going on in the middle east.
Even though the illustrations are too graphic, they are still illustrated well. I like how the illustrator uses sort of a fantasy/spiritual tone with his pictures. Obviously, it’s probably very hard to illustrate a book that has to do with bombs and people dying, and I think the illustrator does an excellent job at it.

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman and Caroline Binch is definitely a book I would incorporate into my future classroom. The story is about a little African-American girl who loves to use her imagination and play different roles of people. Her teacher announces that the class has an upcoming play of Peter Pan, and the little girl announces she would like to try out for the part. Students say make comments saying she cant be Peter Pan because she is a girl and black, and Peter Pan is neither. The girl’s Nana takes her to the ballet Romeo and Juliet, and the girl sees that the main character is black, which inspires her to do her best and try out for the role. She ends up getting the part, and does a wonderful job at it.
Despite the controversial issue of the little girl being told by classmates that she can’t be Peter Pan because she’s a girl and black, I think a very good lesson could be learned from this situation for students of all ages. This would specifically work well in a multicultural classroom, where comments like the one in the story could definitely be going on. This book is a great example of how no matter what the students’ sex and race, they can be anything they want to be, and factors such as those should not restrain anyone from doing what he or she wants to do. In addition the pictures in the book are very interesting to look at-they are painted in watercolor, very detailed, and very colorful.

The Stupids Die---??

No pun intended, but I think The Stupids Die by Harry Allard was one of the stupidest books I have ever read. First of all, the cover has nothing to do with the story. It’s all yellow, and just has an outline of a little boy’s upper body and it just says “Kid” on the whole entire cover. Just the fact that the last name of the family is Stupid, and that the author consistently refers to them as “the Stupid kids”, “Mrs. Stupid” is very controversial in itself. I know I would not want my kids reading a book where stupid was used and thrown around so much. In addition, Allard uses the word stupid to describe things going on. Stupid is definitely a word we do not want our children and students freely using like it is in this story. Now I can see how probably the majority of young students would love this book. At this age, they love silly, “stupid” humor and find it very amusing and entertaining. However, it is simply not appropriate. I did like how the author used humor in the pictures (the mom wearing a live-hen dress, using a sprinkler system to water the plants inside, the kid mowing the carpet), but Allard could have incorporated these pictures without the inappropriateness of the word “Stupid”.
Last, but not least, the ending of the story. First of all, the book is titled “The Stupids Die”, however, there is nothing about them dying in the book. The story ends with Mr. Stupid apologizing that nothing “stupid” happened that day, and them going to bed. I was so confused at the end of the book, it made absolutely no sense. In addition, the author uses “die” so freely in the title, which could easily offend some students, and make others feel uncomfortable. Overall, I would not suggest reading this book in your household, or classroom.

Smoky Night

I have definitely seen the cover of Smoky Night by Eve Bunting, but didn’t think I had read it, so I decided to pick up this controversial book and take a look at it. Needless to say, even though it is a picture book, the content is complicated and I’m not sure many kids would understand what is actually happening in the story. The book starts off with a mom and her son looking out the window, and watching riots in the street. The story is told from the son’s point of view, and we are given an idea that the riot is about differences in race by some quotes. For example, the little boy explains, Mama says it’s better if we buy from our own people” and “Mrs. Kim yells at Jasmine in words I can’t understand. She is yelling the same kind of words now at the people who are stealing her stuff.” So we definitely get the idea that there is a race issue going on here, but I’m not sure if students reading the story would pick up on that at first.
The ending of the story spells out the issue a little easier for the student to comprehend. Throughout the story, the fact that the little boy’s cat and his neighbor, Mrs. Kim’s (who is Asian) cat do not get along, and they are of different color. After the fire happens at the apartment where the boy, his mom, and Mrs. Kim live, they are brought together in a church waiting room and notice the cats get along, and the boy invites Mrs. Kim to come over one day so that their cats can play together. This ties in with the idea that no matter what color you are (or your cat it) there is no excuse not to get along and start riots.
Again, as you can see, the book is pretty controversial. I’m not sure if I would incorporate this book into my teaching, but I guess it depends what grade I teach. I feel there are better stories that involve race and what not that explain what is happening in simpler terms. I think by reading this story to my class, I would frighten many students, and possibly get parents complaining that it is too violent or graphic for their age.
Aside from that, I did love the pictures in the book. The paintings in the book were done in acrylics on Arches watercolor paper. The backgrounds were of real life objects, which went according with what the text was talking about on that page.

And Tango Makes Three

Out of all the controversial books I read today, this one was my favorite. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, did a great job discussing the issue of homosexuality for children. The authors use two penguins at a zoo (based on a true story-how cool!) to explain the story of two male penguins doing all activities together and sleeping together. He even makes a reference to puberty by discussing how there becomes a time in everyone’s life where males and females begin to be partners and “sleep” together. The two male characters in the story care for an egg they find and eventually have a son, Tango.
Parnell and Richardson do wonderful job explaining homosexuality in simple terms for young children. Obviously this is a very controversial topic and one that is not easy to talk about as a teacher, but I feel this would be a great guide for a teacher to perhaps talk about homosexuality in a classroom. This especially goes for those students who have gay parents or know anyone close to them that is gay. It’s a great way to make them feel included and that families don’t always consist of a mom and dad.

The Giver

When assigned to read The Giver by Louis Lowry, I couldn’t remember if I had read it in junior high or not. I knew it was definitely a title I remember hearing a ton about while in junior high and high school, but after reading it nothing rang a bell to me so I guess I had never read it. The Giver immediately reminded me of a book I read in sophomore year of high school called Fahrenheit 451. Both novels have the futuristic, sameness/conformist society where people are “released” when they go against society or do not follow the rules.

I really liked the brave character of Jonas and think it’s awesome that he was chosen to be the receiver or memory. The whole time while reading the story I kept making predictions on what Jonas was actually going to do-obey the laws, or go against society. I’m so happy that he attempts to return emotion and meaning into the world, and also try to save baby Gabriel. I was not crazy about the ending-I hate endings that don’t give away an answer and keep you guessing on what might have happened. The story ends with what seems like Jonas getting hypothermia when making it to the mountain, so as the reader, we are unsure of

Society in The Giver definitely scares me. It is frightening to imagine a society that is actually run like that, with no choice or freedom whatsoever and with very limited technology. People can’t feel emotions such as sadness, love, beauty, family, etc. The Giver has things to say that really cannot be said to often, and I think this is possibly why it has been banned in certain school districts before. However, I would definitely want to incorporate this book into my curriculum if I were to teach middle school because I think it is a great read that really challenges the reader’s mind and makes them think.

The Elephant's Wrestling Match

An interesting lesson is learned in The Elephant’s Wrestling Match
by Judy Sierra-and that is, don’t pick a fight you cannot win. On his talking drum, the monkey beats out the elephant’s challenge for all to hear. Animals of all different sizes (big and small!) answer his call and attempt to face the elephant, but no one wins. The elephant loves to trash talk to the different competitors. However, a small bat comes along and decides to face the elephant and uses his brains to beat the elephant. So it’s funny, the smallest animal (and underdog) was the one that was the bravest and small enough to beat he elephant.

I feel like boys would enjoy this book the most because of the side theme of violence and winning a fight throughout the story, and we all know most young boys are into that kind of stuff. They would also probably love the huge picture of ferocious animals such as the leopard and an alligator. The illustrations make the animals look very, very mean and intimidating. In addition, the illustrations are different than any other I’ve seen-instead of coloring the pictures in solid, the illustrator uses tons and tons of line in order to fill up the missing space. Overall, I liked this book and the message the author gives, and I would definitely use it in my classroom.

Kristy's Great Idea

Ah, a definite blast from the past. Every girl remembers her first Babysitter’s Club book, and I definitely remember mine. Kristy’s Great Idea by Ann M. Martin was one of the first novels I read in this series, and I immediately become obsessed. For those of you who are not aware of this book, the 12-year-old student comes up with an idea for a club or business with her girlfriends when she sees her mother struggling to find a babysitter for her little brother. I used just love this series-all the girls were my role models. I loved hearing about their drama and plus, they made me want to get out there and babysit!
The illustrations on the front cove give a nice and warm feeling about the book. Just from looking at it, you can tell the story is definitely going to be a happy one about your typical teenage girls, which it indeed is. The picture shows that the girls are around the age of the reading level, so it’s appealing to the reader. Also, at this age, many girls enjoy babysitting or want to babysit, and it’s something they can relate to.
Now 12 years later, I am definitely reading the book a little differently and notice a lot of things I never noticed before. The plot was pretty predictable and the characters were somewhat flat, but I feel this is okay since it’s 7-12 year olds that are reading these books because probably aren’t too advanced yet. The text in the story appears to be a little smaller than I remember and the spacing is pretty small as well. The chapters are short as well, being less than 10 pages in length so it is easy to follow.
Even though this book (and the series) isn’t very deep, I think it is a great, clean book that is truly genuine to introduce to females just beginning to read chapter books.

Homework

If you love talking school supplies, then you are going to love the picture book Homework by Arthur Yorinks. Every night, Tony’s mom yells at him to do his homework, and every night he does not. Instead he just reads a comic book and goes to bed. However, one night when Tony fell asleep, his pen, pencil, and eraser come alive and want to write his assignment for him, but fight over what to write about. They finally agree on an idea and write a story, and Tony wakes up and reads the story. Confused, he throws the paper away and writes a new story-just like the one his school supplies wrote!
This book contained a lot of dialogue between the school supplies that made it easy to follow and read. I’m sure many students would find it humorous that a bunch of school supplies are alive and talking, and I’m sure many can relate to the not want wanting to complete the homework. However, I feel there is no correct message given in this book. The pictures are great and all, but there’s not much to get out of the story.

Terrible Storm

Even though this picture book was short with small amount of text, the book Terrible Storm by Carol Otis Hurst definitely introduces some new ideas to new readers. First of all, the book is written in a different format than were used to reading-it’s simply a conversation between two grandpas and their memories and reactions to the bad snowstorm of 1888. So, on the top of almost ever page is a quote from one grandpa to the other and a picture of his memory, and at the bottom of the page is the other grandpa’s quote about the same thing and his picture. By doing this, the author is introducing to the reader that two people can agree on the same thing (in this case, agreeing about how things had gone in the storm) but have completely opposite reactions to the events (one grandpa loving being trapped in a room for 3 days with people, and the other hating it, etc.) So, ultimately, as readers, we learn that different situations affect all people differently.

Another thing I liked about this book is the extent in which the pictures tell the story. This is an excellent book for children just learning how to read since there is not much text on each page, easier words, and detailed actions in the pictures

My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks

If you want to spark a young child’s imagination, then reading My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks by Hanoch Piven is definitely one way to go. This has probably been the most creative picture book I have read thus far. The book begins with a drawing of a girls family on notebook paper (looks around first gradish) and it says “My teacher asked me to draw a picture of my family, and this is what I drew” and she goes on to say how she didn’t like it because there are so many things about each family member that you don’t see in the picture she drew. Then for each family member, she goes “my family member is like…” and compares them to everyday objects you see around your house. For example, for her mom, she goes “my mommy is as soft as the softest FLUFF, and as bright as the brightest LIGHT, she is taste as the cunchiest COOKIE, etc”. With each object she compares the family member to, there is a real life picture of the object. This is great for children that are just learning how to read because the picture helps them recognize the word. In addition, this is a great book to use when teaching similes, since pretty much every sentence in the book is a similies and provides great details. I love the creativity and the originality in this book and I know it’s one that will never get boring and every child will love.

My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks

If you want to spark a young child’s imagination, then reading My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks by Hanoch Piven is definitely one way to go. This has probably been the most creative picture book I have read thus far. The book begins with a drawing of a girls family on notebook paper (looks around first gradish) and it says “My teacher asked me to draw a picture of my family, and this is what I drew” and she goes on to say how she didn’t like it because there are so many things about each family member that you don’t see in the picture she drew. Then for each family member, she goes “my family member is like…” and compares them to everyday objects you see around your house. For example, for her mom, she goes “my mommy is as soft as the softest FLUFF, and as bright as the brightest LIGHT, she is taste as the cunchiest COOKIE, etc”. With each object she compares the family member to, there is a real life picture of the object. This is great for children that are just learning how to read because the picture helps them recognize the word. In addition, this is a great book to use when teaching similes, since pretty much every sentence in the book is a similies and provides great details. I love the creativity and the originality in this book and I know it’s one that will never get boring and every child will love.

Pirate Treasure

When a dangerous storm forces the pirate ship called Daisy upriver, the two main characters Captain Oliver and Rosie decide to settle in the small village of Mousam as farmers in the picture book Pirate Treasure by Loretta Krupinski. They learn how to grow grain, but have trouble meeting new friends and having fun. However, when another furious storm hits, the captain’s talent for sailing and ability to predict the weather helps uncover the greatest treasure for the both the captain and the villagers of the town. The richly painted details paintings illustrate the large ship, the community, and the weather. Each page has a different detailed boarder that decorates each page.

To be quite honest, this is not the most exciting book I’ve ever read. I could see how readers may think this book is a little dry-there’s a lot of text per page and it’s a little hard to follow. I feel like the author could have given more character description. However, the message is different than any book I’ve read before, and I think the idea of predicting weather is pretty unique and creative. This would be a good book to incorporate perhaps into a weather unit, or even a farming unit (for the Midwesterners?) since farming is a big part of the book as well.

Insect from Outer Space

I picked out Insect From Outer Space by Vladimir Vagin mainly for my child study buddy because he loves books about space. This book was more of a futuristic Sci-Fi story because of the talking insects, and the outer space aspect. The story, told in first person, is about an insect who is bad at dancing but still goes to this big ball, and during this large ball, a spaceship of insects from a different planet come and the insects from different planets exchange dance moves, food, etc. This is almost far fetched-but it would be kind of an interesting book to read to children around Thanksgiving time, going along with the theme of two cultures meeting each other for the first time and not knowing what to expect, but then sharing traditions. I love that the author throws in this idea because I feel like it’s not like one I’ve read before.
The story is for kids probably in the first or second grade, and the text contains a lot of dialogue for kids just learning it. The pictures are very interesting to look at, being immensely detailed. Vladimir Vagin, who also illustrated the book, were first drawn in p pencil and then painted in watercolor

What Can You Do With a Rebozo?

I’ve never had much experience with reading diverse or multi-cultural picture books, so I decided to pick one out for this week. I picked out the book What Can You Do With a Rebozo? written by Carmen Tafolla. The illustrations on the cover immediately caught my eye, like the rest of the pages. The illustrator, Amy Cordova, uses some kind of oil paint to make her bright and very unique illustrations. She makes it look like the pictures are painted on canvas, and it almost has a 3-D look to it.
In addition to the wonderful pictures, the story line is great as well. Basically, the main character (a little Mexican girl) talks about all the different uses this Rebozo can be used for, including a cozy cradle for her baby brother, hair decoration, making a secret tunnel, a flying cape, etc. The little girl uses her imagination when playing with the Rebozo. At the end of the story, the author has a page “About Rebozos” where she explains that for centuries, women in Mexico have used this Mexican shawl for anything from “dressing up for a party to carrying firewood”. I think it’s great to read books with people from different cultures to students so that they can learn about important traditions and tools from different cultures.

Superdog: The Heat of a Hero

If a child likes comic books, then I think he would love the book Superdog: The Heart of a Hero because the story is a picture and comic book in one. Tired of being overlooked because he is so small, Dexter the dog transforms himself into a superhero by working out a ton and buying a hero suite. He becomes the ultimate superdog when he saves the same cat who’s been making fun of him all along out of a tree.
I love how the author incorporates the idea of a picture book and comic book into one. Even though there is still a good amount of text on each page, there is still comic text in most pictures on each page that is in the comic font, and language. The pictures are very colorful and interesting to look at, and the story is very easy to follow. I also enjoyed the message in the story-that if you dream something and work hard at it, it can happen.

The Myster of Eatum Hall

The Mystery of Eatum Hall was the first “mystery” picture book I have read in a long, long time. I’m not really sure how I felt about it though-it was a little hard to follow. Basically, this couple (a pig and a chicken) are invite to Eatum hall for weekend of free gourmet food and when they get there, no one else is there, but they decide to stay the weekend there. Before they leave, they go into this “bandstand” but get out right away because it was “poorly constructed”. We learn, by the last page, that if they would have stayed in the bandstand, they would have been put in a chicken pie that the wolves eat!
Even the story was a little difficult and confusing to follow, I really liked the illustrations part of the book. Most the pages are really dark, so we sort of get this eerie, mysterious feeling that fits the mood well. I also thought it was clever at the end to have the wolves sitting around a huge pie ready to eat, inferring that it would have been the chicken and pig in there if they had stayed in the bandstand.

The Underground Gators

The brand new picture book The Underground Gators by Tina Casey is definitely one I am going to remember. The book starts off saying “Legend has it that alligators live in the sewers of New York City. To be honest, nobody has ever really seen an alligator in the sewers. But they must be down there, somewhere.” Then, on each page, the author asks a question, such as “How can you explain why there are so many hot-dog carts in New York?” with an answer like “alligators love hot dogs.” There is also a drawing to go along with each question and activity.
I think this is a creative idea to write a book about and I’m sure kids love it. Kids love legends and thinking about if they are real or not. At the end of the book, there is a note from the author that explains how she used to work for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, which runs the sewer system and her experience with that and the true story of the legends living in there.

Spiral-Bound

I’m quite embarrassed to admit that when assigned to read a graphic novel for this week, I had to go online and actually look at what a graphic novel was. When I finally looked over some websites to get a gist of what they were, I was very excited to read the comic-like book because from what I can remember, I’ve never read one before I was eager to see what they were all about.
I found the graphic novel Spiral-Bound by Aaron Renier and I obviously found it very different than any other novel I’ve ever read before, but I really liked it! Renier used a notebook format to his book-he actually made the different strips on notebook paper which I thought was great. The main characters are all animals (elephant and a dog) and through his black and white (but very detailed!) pictures, we are taken through the main character, Turnip’s journey through “sculpture camp”. The story was definitely original and imaginative but I found it a little hard to follow at some points. I noticed that these types of novels are a little more difficult to get used to, for I’m used to just reading and not looking at the pictures, but I realized looking at each picture after reading the text in it makes it easier to get to know which characters is which and know every little detail that is occurring.
I’m looking forward to incorporating graphic novels into my future classroom, especially for the younger aged students. The novels are great for increasing the reading comprehension and vocabulary of readers who may not want to read your traditional classroom text, which I’m sure is a problem I am going to run into in my future classroom.

The Berenstain Bears Big Chapter Book: No Guns Allowed

It’s not too often that you come across children's books that involve guns in their plot. The title of the Berenstain Bears series book No Guns Allowed definitely took me (and I’m sure many others) by surprise. Even though it is a Berenstain Bears “Big Chapter Book” intended for ages 8-10, it is definitely a touchy subject to talk/read about with children and students. The short chapter book is about explores sort of a post-Columbine world and is about a student who brings a life-like squirt gun to school as a joke. At the end we get a life lesson that guns can be dangerous when in the hand of bad people. The parents definitely have strong views in the story that I’m sure many parents with students would have the same.

I’m not sure if I would ever incorporate this story into my curriculum. I know it would be a very, very controversial book and I think I would stay away from it if I didn’t feel the strong need to be taught in order to resist parents and administrators’ complaints. It does teach a good lesson, but I’m not sure it’s as relevant at this age, but I guess it depends in what area I would be teaching. I feel like this subject does not need to be taught to children so young, and that this serious of a subject could definitely wait a few more years.

Willy's Pictures

Willy’s Pictures was my favorite book in this series that I read by far. Each page is a new illustration, some original, and some remakes of famous paintings like da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Each picture is very colorful, detailed, and has tons of humor in it. For example, in one of the pictures Willy draws, it’s him and another gorilla fishing using a net full of bananas, and it shows pigs (as the fish) with a scared face getting caught in the net. I’m sure kids would love this picture and the rest that are in this book.
Under each picture is the name of Willy’s picture, and underneath the name is Willy’s description of the picture or just a silly comment. Part of what I love so much about this book is that that it is interactive. For example. Under one of the pictures is says, “Can you solve the mystery?” So it’s almost like it’s own game in sort of a way. Overall, I thought the set up of this book was excellent and it is definitely one I want to keep in mind for when I’m a teacher.

Willy the Dreamer

This Willy series book looked different than the others- it’s a lot bigger of a book, it’s boarders and colors used aren’t all primary like the other books, and this one also contains a dustcover, where the others do not. I would say this is one of the Willy series books that has the least text on each page, and probably the most easiest to read. The pictures are huge and have great detail in them, so the reader probably spends more time looking at each picture then reading the text.

Browne has a cute pattern in the story-he begins the story with the first page saying “Willy Dreams.” Then the next few pages, it says “Sometimes Willy dreams that he’s a __, or a ___, etc…Willy dreams.” Then, the pattern is repeated a few times and finally ends with a “Will dreams.” I like that Browne didn’t use anything too complex for getting his message across to the targeted audience, I feel any young child reading this would be able to get the message (just dream!)

Willy the Wizard

Willy the Wizard started off with Willy wanting to play soccer, but he wasn’t very good and didn’t have boots to play in. But one night, this mysterious man appeared and played soccer with him, gave him boots, and then vanished. Ever since then, Willy was amazing at soccer, but still practiced a ton. At the night of the big game he realized he had forgotten his boots and had no time to go back and get them, so he had to borrow someone’s extra pair of boots-but he still did awesome!

This book definitely had more content to it and it was the most exciting Willy series book I’ve read thus far. There was a good amount of dialogue which I thought is important to include even at the easy reading level so that the young child becomes familiar with it, and maybe even use it in their writing. Like the other Willy stories, this one has a ton of creative pictures. The illustrator does a great job drawing exactly what is going on in the story and I love how when the author gives us a play by play on a page, he uses many different frames to show the actual play by play made by Willy.

Will the Whimp

Once again, the next Will series books start out pretty depressing with Will and Hugh. Willy is sad that he is lonely, and that everyone has friends and people exclude him. However, one day a boy was running and literally ran into Willy, and they hit it off the bat right away. They do all sorts of activities together-Hugh even scares a bully away that tried to bully Willy!
There’s not much substance to this story, but I think that can be because the intended reading audience for this book is ages 4-8. I guess the message is don’t be sad if you feel lonely-there are plenty of people out there to make friends with? I’m not sure if it’s very clear and if young children would be able to figure this one out.
One thing about the book I did like again, is the illustrations. I love when you read the text on a page, and then go to look at the picture, and you notice other things happening in the picture that aren’t said in the text. For example, when Willy and Hugh are at the library together and Willy is reading to Hugh, we see all the other people at the library (in the background) giving them dirty looks and whispering to each other how the two boys are being so loud. Another part I thought was funny was when Will and Hugh went to the zoo and the picture was the two boys standing outside of a cage, and inside the large cage was 3 humans sitting on a couch looking scared (Will and Hugh are gorillas). So I thought that was creative, having the “animals” in the cage be humans.

Willy The Champ

So for the 2nd week of class we were assigned to do our picture books and novel that was based on a serious, and I decided that I would try to read some books from a series that I’ve never read before. That X'd out many choices, however, I stumbled upon the “Willy” series books. The name kind of sounded familiar to me-I think perhaps my brother used to read them when he was younger. Anyway, looking through a few books, I noticed they are at the beginning reading level, and that’s around the grade I want to teach, so I checked out some of the books from the series.
Willy the Champ By Anthony Browne was definitely a happy read. The book starts off with Willy being down on himself and showing how he’s not good at too many activities and gets made fun of a lot. Luckily, when a bully tries to punch Willy, Willy moves his head and the bully accident ends up hitting the wall and hurting himself, and Willy “was the champ.”
There was something about its flow that I did not like too much in this book. For example, the first few pages are Willy doing various activities, and after each activity, on the next page would read “He did try”. So, you kind of get into this pattern that the books going to go in, then it just randomly stops the pattern and is a little difficult, perhaps for a 1st grader, to understand.
I really liked the pictures though. The Illustrator did a great job emphasizing how much bigger all the characters were than Willy. In addition, I liked how he would have a statement on one page, then the reader turns to the next page and sees the activity happening (with no text on the page)

Dadblamed Union Army Cow

It’s not too often you hear about real-life war stories that involve a cow, and this is why I thought Dadblamed Union Army Cow by Sysan Fletcher was so fascinating. The cow follows the main character that's a soldier through his journeys throughout the Civil war-as he enrolls, practice for battles, relaxes, and when he actually participates in a battle. The young soldier always gets upset at the cow and yells at him for following him, but finally realizes that the cow actually does help him and many other soldiers. At the end of the book, there is “A Note From the Author”, where Fletcher explains how the book is based on a true story, and goes more detail on the story. I like how the author includes this fascinating information with the reader at the end of the book because I’m sure it excites most children when they find out that the story happened in true life.

The last page in the book is a great picture-it’s all the soldiers celebrating a victory with the cow. Throughout the picture book, there is a great deal of colored pencils and water colors use to make the pictures very detailed and colorful. My favorite part is the front and back pages-covered in a cow print that’s so realistic, you would think they’re was a texture to the page.

Pennies in a Jar

Pennies in a Jar, written by Dori Chaconas, takes place during the World War II era, and begins with a young boy saying goodbye to his father as his father goes overseas to fight in the war. Everyday, the young boys sits for hours on his front porch watching the large horses carrying wagons of vendors and collectors for the war effort, but feels ashamed of his fears (of horses) and wants to be brave like his dad. He finally builds up enough courage to approach the street horses and takes a picture on one, for a great birthday gift to send his dad.

I really enjoyed the message the Chaconas was sending through her historical fiction picture book. I thought this book would be great for the lower elementary school children because even though there is a fair amount of text on each page, the words are not difficult and the message isn’t difficult to understand. It’s interesting how she incorporated a story about a young boy during World War II and a lesson he learned, that could also be relatable to children today. In addition, the pictures in this book are great. The watercolor painting provides tons of big pictures with a variety of color.

Red Legs

Red Legs, written and illustrated by Ted Lewin, is an historical fiction picture book that I definitely found unique. The story starts out pretty normal- a young soldier during the civil war sits around the campfire at his campsite and writes his mom. We are taken through his nightly and daily activities that lead up to a big battle, including beating on the drum. The battle takes place and-this is the part that’s strange-the young soldier is shot in the chest. His body, lying in the grass with a gunshot in it, is pretty graphic for a children’s book. At first, when I saw the picture I thought, how could an author of a children’s book have the main character get shot and die? However, this was the twist. The last page reads,

“Stephen’s father helps him up. He and the others around him rise. They brush the dust and grass off their uniforms. They shake hands with the enemy. The battle is over. They can all go home because…”

and the reader turns the page and there are a few paragraphs talking about how the young solider could go home because it was a reenactment battle, but 100,000 children soldiers weren’t able to. A little strange, I thought, but kind of a different twist at the end. Besides that, I loved the pictures (in watercolor).

The Bus Ride

The Bus Ride, written by William Miller, is inspired by Rosa Parks story of sitting in the front of the bus in 1955. Sara, the main character in the story, is a little girl who decides to check out and sit in the front of the bus to see what was so “special” about it. Even though Rosa Parks was older when this happened, Miller probably made Sara a young girl making it easier for kids reading the book to put themselves in Sara’s shoes at that age and relate to her. The bus situation with Rosa Parks is a difficult one to simplify for children to understand, and I think Miller does an excellent job putting the legality terms into simple terms for children to understand, especially with the legality terms and segregation.

Tituba

After researching historical fiction books for my genre presentation, I found the true story of Tituba (By: William Miller), the slave that was accused of witchcraft during the Salem which trials in 1962. The first thing that crossed my mind, though, was how the author was going to peruse the ending, where Tituba gets hanged.

The cover of the book reads in large orange letters “Tituba” with a picture of an a black women sewing a blanket on a chair. The dark background with the bright orange plants kind of make of creates a mysterious mood and grabs anyone’s attention.

Thankfully, the author doesn’t include the end of the story where Tituba gets hanged. Instead, she makes an alternative ending (I don’t want to give it away!) where everyone turns out happy. I believe this is a reason why the historical fiction genre is so difficult at times-countless events in our past don’t have the best endings-how do we explain these to the young children were reading to?

Arthur's Computer Disaster

Arthur picture books were always my favorite growing up, so when I reached the Marc Brown section of the library, I did not hesitate to grab one of the books I haven’t read yet/don’t remember reading. I came across Arthur’s Computer Disaster, where Arthur disobeys his mother and goes on her computer to play a game when he’s not supposed to, and ends up “breaking” the computer.

I love the style that Marc Brown writes in. The flow is very easy to follow, and there is just the right amount of dialogue. The text is great for a first or second grader, and the illustrations, as always, are excellent and fun to look at. The lesson taught in the story is one all adults appreciate, and that is, listen to your parents! I also like the idea that the book is part of a series. If students like the first book the read of Arthur, they are for sure going to run to the library to pick up some more y books.

The Right Dog for the Job

I’m not going to lie; I judged this book by its cover. The Right Dog for the Job by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent has a cover with an adorable golden retriever on the cover; it was pretty hard to pass up. In this non-fictional story, the author introduces us to a puppy, and takes us through his “childhood” and training process to help those with disabilities. The text is rich, and the real-life pictures are very entertaining and cute to look at. Not to mention, this would be a great book to read to your class for them to learn about people with disabilities, and how dogs could be a great help to some.

What’s That Noise? by Michelle Edwards and Phyllis Root is about two brothers who sleep in the same room, and one plays a joke on the other and makes many noises to scare the other brother. The story is basically their conversation, Alex begging Ben to come sleep with him in his bed. I thought the dialogue could be a little confusing at times-I was a little unsure who said what on some of the pages. However, I did like the author’s use of onomatopoeia (the sounds made by the monster/brother), and know it would be a fun book to read allowed with a child, and have them make the noises with you.

A Family is Forever

Nancy Carlson was one of the first authors I knew of, and I always really enjoyed her stories. So, when I saw her My Family is Forever picture book on the shelf, I decided it was worth a read. I LOVED this book. At first, I thought it was going to be about a traditional perfect family-mom, dad, and child. But not quite. The child in the story actually talks about how she is adopted. The author does a great job explaining the adoption process and why the child looks different from her parents in a way that it is easy for a child to understand. From the pictures, you can tell that the little girl is Asian, and her parents are not.
I think this would be a great book to read to a child who is adopted, or just to read to a class to show that not every family is the same. This book is definitely an easy read, with only a few words on each page, perfect for a first grade reading level!

Sherman Crunchley by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans is an adorable book about a dog, who is supposed to take over his dad’s job as a police chief in their town; however, he does not want to be a police chief. Feeling immensely pressured, Sherman does not know how to say no to the offer. He attempts many ways to learn how to simply say “no” to the job, but can’t build up enough might, scared he might disappoint his family members. Finally, he denies the job at the end of the story.
I love the way the author shows how nervous Sherman is to tell his family that he doesn’t want the job by showing all the extremes he goes to for help (videos, etc), because I’m sure this is something many children (adults too!) can relate to. We all have those situations where we are faced with an offer we do not particularly want, but have trouble building up the guts to say how we really feel. This story lets students know they are not alone. In addition, the message also offers that you don’t need to do what your parents want you to do, but to do what you want to do. The pictures in the story are great-really bright with lots of colors, and I like how the picture at the end of the book gives away the ending, without using any words.

BoBo Crazy

Walking through the fictional novel section of the library with no idea what to chose, Bobo Crazy by Marilyn Sadler caught my eye. Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century sounded familiar to me, and after sifting through the pages, I noticed it was a spin off of the Disney Channel movie series Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century. I’m not really sure what came first, but anyway, I found this short 88 page, large font chapter book to be a quick read, and one that most eight or nine-year-old girls would enjoy. I like how the story is futuristic (taking place in 2049), so the reader can use his or her imagination to capture pictures in his or her head. Sadler provides a glossary of futuristic words that are used in the text that I’m sure children would love to look up.

The main character, Zenon, tells a story in first person about how she wants this pretend dog that everyone else is getting, but her parents won’t pay for it because it’s too expensive. Instead, her dad offers to buy her a cheaper (not as cool) pretend dog, and she responds with a bratty “buy me the stupid dog then” (14). I didn’t appreciate her dad still buying her a dog after she talked to him like that. Anyway, I like the message the author provides. At the elementary and middle school age, fitting in and having the same material objects as other is very important to many students, like in the book. However, as we learn in the end of the book, none of that matters.

Hello!