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.