Final Reflection

I am so glad I got the opportunity to take this class this semester. Not only have I read tons and tons of awesome children's books, I have learned what it means to bring in diverse, high quality literature into the classroom. I also feel like there were some really meaningful activities we did, that I can see myself doing with my future class. For example, I loved reading "So Far From the Bamboo Grove" and "Year of Impossible Goodbyes" and comparing the different perspectives. I really liked the poetry class and how we brought one poem to life when we read it together as a whole. I also really appreciated learning about all the different genres and author illustrator poets when we did research earlier in the year. All of these wonderful activities can be used with younger kids to encourage them to read more, discuss more, and learn more (but in a fun creative way)! This class has inspired me to start reading even more children's books and to start to build my own library. Because I love to read, this class was a huge break for me. All of the work we were assigned didn't feel like work at all and I really enjoyed it.

A very important thing I have learned this semester is to treat students with respect and do not "dumb" down the topic because it is controversial or diverse. Students are not naive, and I strongly believe that literature is a great teaching tool that can be used to our advantage. I know that it's important for teachers to always always read literature before students do because sometimes you will decide that a text is inappropriate for a specific class. However, I know that I will take consideration of my smart intellectual students, and push them to think more.

One more thing that I've really taken to heart from this class: Books can lead a lesson or activity anywhere, and reading is such a fundamental part of school.

I am exciting to start looking for more books that I can use for different purposes in my class!!!!

"Bronzeville Boys and Girls" by Gwendolyn Brooks

This book is a collection of different poems that celebrates the "joy, beauty, imagination, and freedom of childhood". This book is about childhood from all walks of life, whether it be Bronzeville, Chicago or some other neighborhood around the world. This book illuminates all the emotions and experiences that children go through as they grow and develop. Some of the poems are about aunts and uncles coming to visit, "adult" parties, tea parties, dreams, being taken care of when your sick, , church, rich neighbors, dead gold fish, playing in the snow, being poor, claustrophobic from the city, babysitters, and much, much more! Many of these poems include repeating lines or words, and have a lot of rhyming also. The pictures are really neat. The illustrations look "child-like" which makes it even more meaningful because it has this child vibe throughout the book. Even through the writing, I hear the voice coming from a child. There are many obvious reasons this book could be useful in the classroom but one thing that set this book apart for me was how most of the illustrations and poems are about these kids growing up in the city of Bronzeville and how they experienced childhood. It would be interesting to have students read this book and then ask them to write a poem about their childhood. I bet this book would spark some ideas!

"Flamingos on the Roof" by Calef Brown

As I started reading this picture/poetry book, my first impression was that the poems are random. It includes poems about the ABC's, Flamingos on the Roof, Bob, Bug Show, Medusa's sister Sally, Biscuits in the Wind, Soggy Circus, Peas, Birthday Lights, Crystal Bowling Ball, Martian Men etc. I think this book would be a good tool to help students generate ideas of what they can write about. Although this book has different poems about random ideas, the ideas are everyday things that people see and can connect to. One poem that I really liked was called "Ten Cent Haiku" The poem was about a man sitting down to write a haiku about a dime he found:

"Shiny Silver Friend
I will never let you go
Look! An ice cream truck!"

As you can tell, this haiku was somewhat random. However, I really like the randomness because it shows that poetry can be about anything and can be written in so many different ways.

"America Is" by Louise Borden

Louise Borden answers the question of "What it's like to live in America" in this poetry book. This book has great historical and background information about how America came to be. The poems make references to the American flag and what it stands for, as well as the pledge of allegiance and the star spangled banner. The poems are about the coasts, the different climates, suburbs, rural areas and the city. The poems incorporate what kinds of people and different jobs are available in America. The author had included a very important poem about the first native people of America. I think this is so important because many kids don't really understand how we took over America.... The book also covers the importance of diversity and how there are all kinds of people living in America who are "one family and one team". "America is a land where we are FREE. To live. to speak out. to worship. to work. to play. to follow our dreams".

I think this is a great book about America. It is a positive book and doesn't touch on the disparities that we have in America but accentuates all the great things about America. I loved the illustrations. Each individual page looked like a painting and had a lot of work put into it. This is a great introduction book if your talking to students about America in general and what it encompasses.

"Good Dog" by Maya Gottfried

I love dogs, and haven't had my own for like eight years! so when I saw this poetry picture book about dogs I had to read it! The poems are written in all different forms and describe a different dog breed on each page. Some of the poems look like lists. Some of the poems have sequential rhyming. Some lines are staggered on the page. Some of the poems include repetition. I like how the poems represent the dogs behavior. For example, the Chihuahua's poem is short and defiant and the actual poem reminded me of a chihuahua. One line about the chihuahua is " I chased that hound, and then he hid. I may be small, but I am swift." Or another line from a bulldog poem was " All I really want is a hug and a bone". I really liked how all the poems describe the nature and behavior of each dog.

One of my favorite poems is in a letter format from a dog to their "person" and it's an apology for staining the piano bench and getting hair all over, and chewing on their leather shoes.

I think adults as well as children would get a laugh out of this book and it teaches you about different kinds of dogs and what kind of behaviors to expect of them. This is a great poem book that I would definitely use in my classroom to show students all the different types of poems that they can possibly do on their own.

"How to (un)cage a girl" by Francesca Lia Block

This is a young adult book for ages 14+ and I highly recommend keeping these poems for this age level audience or above. There is some graphic language and some graphic scenes that may not be suitable for even 14 year old's unless they are mature and can handle this kind of material. This author writes about growing up as a girl dealing with love, loss, happiness, heartbreak, insecurities and how she views herself as she grows and matures. Personally I had a rough 8th and 9th grade year, so a book like this would probably make me feel like I was not alone if I had the opportunity to read something like this when I was younger. Many girls go through these experiences and this is just one way to express your feelings.

I am going to share one of the many poems I enjoyed reading from this author.

Pain is like an onion:

remove one layer and the next is there
keep peeling, my beloved
peeling and chopping
putting in the pan
fry it to translucency
and eat it
let it digest
it's only been a year and a half
since he took your heart from your chest
peeled it chopped it fried it ate it spit it out

and eventually a new one will grow back
eventually
the tears
will stop

I felt like most of the poems that were written in this book had a lot of emotion and meaning behind the words. I know how hard it is to go through middle school and high school and even though it may seem unimportant and silly now, those trials and obstacles that we faced at the time were not easy to go through.

"Love that Dog" by Sharon Creech

I absolutely loved this short novel about Jack! His character made me think of how many young kids feel uneasy about writing poetry and writing in their Language arts classroom. From personal experience I always thought poetry had to look a certain way and that caused anxiety for me because I didn't really know how to write "good" poetry. For example many poets write stanzas or short lines, and that's perhaps why Jack would write down his thoughts in this format. the book offers different ways that people write poetry including poems that rhyme, poems that don't rhyme, poems that look like the object you are describing, poems with lines of repetition etc. I think this book teaches kids and everyone that poetry can be written in all different ways and can be written about ANYTHING.

I appreciated the progress through out the book as Jack builds confidence in himself. At first he wants his teacher to keep his work anonymous. Once he gets positive feedback and realizes that what he is writing is important and is "good" poetry, he starts to come out of his shell a little bit and lets the teacher put his name on his work to show the class. Through different poets the teacher introduced to the class, Jack really started to like one poet and author in particular named Mr. Walter Dean Myers. When Jack took Mr. Walter Dean Myer's style of writing and applied it to his own stories, he was able to create some very interesting poems. I think it's important for teachers to model different examples and show students that poetry can be written in so many different ways. (Which this author did include different poetry at the back of the book that the teacher used throughout the unit--very useful!)

When Jack started writing with the notion that an audience may be listening he had found a sense of purpose. When Jack wrote to Mr. Walter Dean Myers he found another purpose or function of writing. Even though authors or poets might not always give students the response they are looking for, this is an example that shows that sometimes they do respond and it can be so rewarding!

This was a very powerful book and I really really enjoyed reading it. I was so excited for Jack and his class to have Mr. Walter Dean Myers come in and read some of his poetry to the class.

"Lost and Found" by Rebecca Doughty

Have you ever lost anything? I think everyone can relate to the term "lost and found". This is a story about a little girl named Lucy who loses personal things throughout her day. This book is about losing and finding things. There is a rhyming beat throughout most of the text. For example "Getting off the bus, I lost my snack. It must have fallen out of my pack". I really like this book because it's simple and it's a theme that most kids can relate to. After doing a mini lesson on "brainstorming to develop an idea" I realized that this book would work for this too. When Lucy gets grounded she goes and looks under her bed because she is bored and she finds a whole list of things under her bed! It also could probably spark an idea for readers and writers because it discusses so many different things from items such as her lost dog to her toothbrush or cowboy hat. It's a simple book, but I think many young readers would like this book. I did!

"Fish School" by Nancy Poydar

This is a cute fictional picture book that has lots of factual information about fish, mammals and ocean life. Charlie goes on a field trip with his classmates to the aquarium and brings along his own gold fish. A problem arises when Charlie misplaces "wishy" his gold fish. The classmates, Ms. Finn and Charlie work together to find wishy and eventually they find him under a seat in an auditorium. I think this a fun book and can be used in a science lesson or students could just read it for enjoyment. The book doesn't give that much information about fish but it does decipher the difference between freshwater fish, ocean water fish, and other sea creatures like dolphins which are mammals. I really liked how the author and illustrator represented the students with all different skin colors and I really liked how the author highlighted some of the words. Repetition and highlighting familiar words can help students learn new words and build on their vocabulary.

"Melvin Might" by Jon Scieszka

This is a cute story about cars and trucks. The main character, Melvin is afraid of living because he worries about every little thing. His friends try and get him to "soar through the air" or "splash in the water" bug Melvin's worried that he might get hurt, or get stuck or he might get dirty. Then he is confronted with a dilemma when his friend Rita is in real trouble. He has to decide if he can get over his worries to help his friend. In order for him to help her he's got to go through all the different obstacles that his friends were experiencing earlier like jumping the bridge, swimming through the water, and soaring through the air. He starts to believe in himself and eventually he helps Rita. This book reminds me of a cross between the movie "Cars" and the book "The little engine that could". I felt like this book has a lot to offer kids because there is a great message and the book connects to kids on a personal level. Cars and trucks are an interest that many young kids (especially the boys) have and are personally invested in. One other thing I really liked about this book was the layout. Some pages you had to actually unfold (the climax of the story) to see what was going to happen next.

I like this book because I am a worrier! I need to remember to slow down and enjoy life and books like these help me remember that.

"Do Not Build a Frankenstein" by Neil Numberman

This book is about a little boy that is new in the neighborhood and he has an urgent message to tell all the kids. "DO NOT BUILD A FRANKENSTEIN!". The little boy lists reasons not to build a Frankenstein because they are a lot of work, they can get annoying, they require a lot of attention etc. At the end of the book Frankenstein offers to play "Monster Tag" with all of the kids and they all accept him into the neighborhood. The little boy realizes that it isn't so bad having Frankenstein around and he joins in on the fun.

This was a cute book that didn't have any "important" themes or messages but I think this is a great book to get students reading who are more hesitant to read. This book uses text bubbles which may make the reading look less threatening because it appears to have less text to read. From experience, I know some primary level children really enjoy reading comic books and this is kind of like that. The illustrations are also very cartoon like and the colors are very bright. This is a book that I think most 1st and 2nd graders would really enjoy reading out loud.

"39 Uses For a Friend" by Harriet Ziefert

I used this book in a mini lesson for my block A class to help kids elaborate or think about more ideas to say about a specific topic. I liked this book because it's very simple and some of the pictures are actually quite humorous. For example, one of the uses of a friend is "napkin" and then the illustration is of two kids and one kid is wiping there hands on their friend's shirt. The book gives different "uses" for a friend such as co pilot, back scratcher, therapist, pillow, story teller, accomplice etc. I think this is a great way to get kids brainstorming about a topic that they want to write about. I would definitely use this book in a primary level classroom. Kids pick up on the humor, and it's a fun read for me too.

"Year of Impossible Goodbyes" by Sookan Nyul Choi

Reading this book right after "So Far From the Bamboo Grove" was very beneficial for me as a reader. I appreciated how both authors were able to captivate their experiences without bashing on the other race. Reading these books together was a powerful experience because it shows how destructive war can be for both sides of the war. Reading from both perspectives helped me understand that no matter where you live or what nationality you are, neither side was right in their actions.

The book, "Year of Impossible Goodbyes" was actually very educational for me. Growing up, we didn't learn a lot of information about WW2 and how it effected all the different countries. Of course I learned the basics, but it's kind of embarrassing the lack of information that I know of past war times. I knew that North Korea is a communist country but I never knew it was because the Russians came during 1945 and took over N. Korea, after the Japanese surrendered.

Again with this book, I empathized a lot with Sookan. I can't imagine going through some of the horrific events she went through and the descriptions she gave made it very real for me. I was heartbroken when Captain Narita and his men cut down her Grandfathers tree. That was such a sacred thing to him and his religion. Another way the Japanese would make the Koreans suffer is when they would starve the Koreans to make them give up whatever family treasures they still had left. Or when Captain Narita decided to take the "sock girls" away so that they can be used and raped at the Japanese soldiers will. People should never have to endure these kind of experiences. I was captivated by the courage and hope that Sookan and Inchun had when they were separated from there mother on there journey to escape North Korea. They luckily met someone that helped them and directed them towards the Southern border. All of these are events are just unimaginable. When I was 10, my worries were minuscule compared to what these children and families had to endure.

I think these books are so powerful, and I definitely would recommend reading the two books together like we did in this class. These books actually kind of scared me... thinking about our world today and how someday war could break out in the United States. I hope that we can use these books to learn about the past and understand what happened and to hopefully make peace in our world today.

"So Far From the Bamboo Grove" by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

Wow. What a moving story. When I first started reading, the book reminded me a little bit of the Dear America Series which are stories about fictional characters during real historical past times. I really liked how "So Far From the Bamboo Grove" is written from the author's real life experience. I felt that this book relates to young readers because the author writes from a "child's" point of view. There were times when Yoko would complain about walking, or complain about being wounded, or refuse to give up her blanket because she was afraid people would get blood on it. War is a very abstract idea for people that haven't been deployed or have not experienced being in a war zone in their life. Even though I have never had to experience any of these horrible traumatizing events, I feel that this book made it concrete for me, in a way that I could connect with Yoko's character and really feel what she was feeling. I was so scared for her when the communists came to their home and took their belongings and kicked Yoko in the ribs. Or when there was a bomb and some of the shrap metal had inflicted Yoko's chest and ear. In the beginning of her life Yoko had to see people being beaten, murdered, as well as she saw what it was like to be homeless and hungry, cold and helpless. I can't even imagine going through the hardships she went through as a young girl just trying to stay alive. I assumed Yoko's mother died from hunger or some illness, but I was curious to find out what was the cause of death.

I really like the idea of comparing the two different perspectives of two people that lived through the same war but from two different "sides" of the war. It teaches kids, or helps them form opinions about war. Who is the real enemy? Especially times like these when our own country is currently at war with Iraq. I am looking forward to reading "The Year of Impossible Goodbyes" because I know that I will probably sympathize with this person as well. During war, so many people suffer. I just can't get my head wrapped around the idea that we as a human race actually travel to another part of the world to kill people over power or resources. It's such a foreign thing to me, but I really appreciate how this book, "So Far from the Bamboo Grove" allowed me to understand what it was like to live as a Japanese girl in Korea during World War 2.

"No Zombies Allowed" by Matt Novak

Sometimes I think it's important to pick out books and read them to your students just because they are fun, entertaining books. "No Zombies Allowed" is one of those books. I chose this book to read with *Trey (reading buddy) because it was a day before Halloween and I knew that the kids were all very excited about their costumes and trick or treating. This book is about two ladies that throw an annual Halloween party and they are preparing for this years party. They find pictures of zombies, werewolves, witches, ghosts, vampires and other creatures "ruining" the party by doing various things. Such as the zombies drop their eyes into the punch bowl or the ghosts moaned and groaned about everything. So the two ladies decide to be more careful about who they invite this year. Eventually they find a picture of two witches that looks oddly familiar. They realize that all of the pictures were really their friends dressed up in costumes, and that they too had dressed up as witches the previous year. They remember how much fun the party was last year and decide to let everyone come to the party. I like this book because it can show kids that sometimes people may be dressed up in scary costumes and act kind of funny (in character) but that it is just a costume and they are doing it for the fun of Halloween.

When I read this to Trey* he started to catch on, and he predicted that these were all the friends dressed up in different costumes. Overall, this is a fun, festive book that kids will enjoy because it talks about all the different Halloween creatures and what kinds of "vile" actions each does. It's important to sometimes choose books like these because we need to remember for ourselves and for our students that we should all read for enjoyment sometimes too.

"Eek! Creak! Snicker, Sneak" by Rhonda Gowler Greene

For the spirit of Halloween I picked out a few books that I thought *Trey in my child study would enjoy. "Eek! Creak! Snicker, Sneak" is about two night time tricksters named Bugbear and Bugaboo who find pleasure in frightening kids in bed. Although it might sound like it would not be a good book to use because many little kids are afraid of the dark, or whats underneath their bed, the book implies that the two nighttime tricksters are one friendly furry animal and a tall giant that just want to have a little fun. In the end, the kids devise their own plan to scare these night time crawlers and it works!

This book in particular was good for Trey* because he is a new emergent reader and he needs these kind of books to help him become a stronger reader. This story has rhyming and repetition throughout the story which makes it easier for students to learn more words based on words they already know. It also helps new emergent readers to become better spellers too.

What I really liked about this book was all the onomatopoeia's it had including giggles, "tee-hee-hee-hee" and freightening sounds such as "Eeeeks, Cr-r-reaks, and big bad H-ow-owls and Yee-ow-owls!" At the first and second grade level, students are breaking words down and spelling them out. This book is simple, has fun illustrations, and has many reading strategies and mini lessons that can be used to help kids read.

"The Book that Jack Wrote" by Jon Scieszka

One other book that I found from the same Author (Jon Scieszka) is called "The Book that Jack Wrote". Again, the illustrations are what made me first preview the book and then looking at the inside flap got me even more interested. The inside flap copy talks about being the inside flap copy and how you as the reader are probably wondering what this book is about.It is about Nursery Rhymes and Fairy tales written in a very abstract way, just like the pictures. The pictures almost look like they are put together in a collage style, but in fact they are just really detailed and the shading and coloring is really interesting. I thought this was a clever way to grab the readers attention, because now you want to know what this book is about. So the story starts out with a framed picture of a person lying underneath a huge book called"The Book that Jack Wrote". This book is interesting because it isn't the ordinary fairy tale. However, the text is simple and has a lot of rhyming and repetition. For example: "this is the cat, that ate the rat, that fell in the picture, that lay in the book that jack wrote". Each page, there is a new twist to the story which is added to the rhyming verses and to the story. It seems that the story is being told backwards and at the end you see how the man in the tattered coat at the beginning of the story got squashed by the book. The illustrations are what really hold this book together and make it entertaining and unique.

"The Frog Prince Continued"

One book that I loved reading as a kid was "The Frog Prince Continued" by Jon Scieszka. I was and still am fascinated by the illustrations in this book that were done by Steve Johnson. For starters, the front cover says "The Frog Prince" and then slashed in red blood writing across the cover is "CONTINUED". I think the dark tones and the eerie and abstract pictures makes you really get into the story. The book starts out by showing the last page of the original "Frog Prince" story and the picture and text illustrate that the frog turned into a prince and lived with the princess and they lived happily ever after. But then Jon Scieszka tells what really happened after they were married and lived "sort of happily for a long time....Okay so they weren't so happy". In fact, the frog prince and his princess actually didn't get along very well and were very different people. I don't to explain the whole story here, but needless to say the Frog Prince goes adventuring about to try and find a way to become a frog again. I really enjoyed reading this story because it gives a different perspective, a more realistic perspective. I think children and adults appreciate this style of writing because it's interesting to see that these fantasy fictional characters are actually having real life problems and do not live in a perfect world. In this book, the author also eludes to different witches from different fairy tales throughout the story. Kids can make text to text connections as well as text to self connections in this book. And lastly, this book has an important real life theme that even adults have trouble with sometimes which is the saying that "the grass is always greener on the other side". The prince spends all this time trying to become a frog so he can live happily ever after again, when the whole time he could have been at home with his princess trying to make things better.


In this book Jon goes beyond the "normal" story of the fairy tales that we all know and love. Instead of just ending at "they lived happily ever after", Jon goes deeper and gets the real emotions and feelings that are going on inside the Frog Prince. I think this attracts readers because we want to know what really happened, and not just some fantasy that has the perfect ending. (Even though at the end of this book the frog prince and princess do live happily ever after, however as frogs! ....does this mean that the woman had to change into a frog to make the frog prince happy?)

"The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" by Jon Scieszka

After doing the author study last week, one of my group members did their study on Jon Scieszka which sparked an interest to explore some of the books he has written. The books looked funny, and I really was attracted to how Jon writes some of the old folk tale stories from a different point of view. For example, Jon wrote a book called "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" and it is written from the Wolf's point of view. After reading the three little pigs from this point of view the reader can understand that most times there isn't a right or wrong answer, but there is often times, a grey area in which people with different view points have different feelings and different perspectives about the same event or idea. Alexander T. Wolf is the wolfs name, and from his perspective the reader understands that all of the huffing and puffing was actually all a misunderstanding and he did not mean to intentionally harm the pigs. He actually was looking for an ingredient and went to his neighbors (each of the three little pigs houses) to see if they had it. Alexander had a horrible cold and accidently blew the houses down with his gigantic sneezes. From Alexander T. Wolf's perspective he didn't see any harm in eating the already dead pigs after their houses were accidently blown down by his sneezes. This could book could even facilitate a conversation or debate on whether we should eat animals in our society. I would definitely recommend this book, and use this book in my own classroom to teach students about multiple perspectives and being aware of other people's view points. Plus, this book is fun to read!

Ed Young: Author and Illustrator

Ed Young has illustrated over 80 books, and has written 17 of those. His illustrations are beautiful! Personally, I feel that Ed's illustrations make the text so much more powerful because they are so unique and fascinating. Sometimes Ed using a collage art style and other times he just makes amazing illustrations. Ed's work is based on his philosophy of Chinese Paintings. He quotes "A Chinese painting is often accompanied by words. They are complementary. There are things that words do that picture never can, and likewise, there are images that words can never describe". That quote really sums up how I felt when I was researching and looking at the various books he has illustrated and written. One of my favorites was "My Mei Mei" which is about a young girl who gets adopted by her parents and eventually asks her parents for a sister or a "mei mei". Her parents eventually do adopt another daughter and the book describes the bond between the two young girls. In the author's note I learned that this was based on his two daughters whom were both adopted. I really appreciated that some of his work comes from his own personal experiences. "My Mei Mei" is beautifully written, but the illustrations are even more so. They cover the entire pages and are so bright and warm felt. I really enjoyed reading this book. Many of Ed Young's books are also based on folktales that incorporate morals that he wants to convey to the reader. The book called, "What about Me?" is a story that I have heard many different versions. In Ed Young's tale he puts his own style in his writing and illustrations. The boy in the story goes on various adventures in search of gaining knowledge from a Grand Master. At the end of the story, the Grand Master tells the boy that helping others can be so rewarding and through living your life, you will gain knowledge. Ed Young conveys deep messages through his illustrations and writing. Ed Young feels that his purpose for writing children's books is to "stimulate growth in the reader as an active participant". I took this as it is Ed's way of saying he is trying to help teach and make kids aware of bigger issues in our world. I really appreciate the work that he has done.

This project helped me see the importance of learning about the author/illustrator/poet. Even in the classroom, learning about the author can be a very effective way of getting the students interesting in the author's work. This experience also demonstrated the importance of talking with your peers about books and authors. I learned about four other authors/illustrators and it sparked a personal interest to go read and check out some of those books. If students can do this same kind of activity, they can advocate and encourage each other to read books based on their knowledge and interests. Book choice is very important. This is a great way to learn about different authors and different books that are out there in the world.

Mid Semester Reflection

Overall, this class has proved very useful to me for my future career as a teacher. I have really enjoyed learning about different genres of children's books and learning how books can be such powerful tools in the classroom. I feel that I am also getting a lot out of this class personally, because I am taking the time to pick out books that interest me and I am finding out what kinds of genres and various authors I really like. I feel that learning what kind of books I enjoy will help form my style of teaching, (even though I won't ever limit my class to one genre by any means!). I think that this class has allowed me to delve into kid's books in a way that I haven't since I was a little kid. This is important because I am going to be an elementary school teacher, and I need to be a reader just like my students are becoming readers. By reacting, enjoying, and analyzing various books in this class, it has allowed me to see that I will be able to do these same things with my own students in the future. There is an endless amount of books out there, and that overwhelms me a little bit. However, this class has really encouraged me to look at different authors/illustrators and to look at different genres. It has also made me aware of some really fascinating books. Most of the reading I have done the last few years has been "school based" texts. Even though, this class is a requirement, I feel that it has allowed me to start reading for enjoyment again.

The Misfits by: James Howe

So far, this book has been really engaging, and I have really gotten into the characters and the story plot. There are text to self connections as I look back at the dynamics of high school and look at the different cliques and groups of students. I really appreciate how the author writes the story from the "misfit's" point of view instead of from an outsider looking in. A very important part of the story occurs in chapter 13 when we find out the purpose of the misfits independent party: "no more names". There is a lot of bullying that happens in schools and the damage that can be done is endless. This book touches on different kinds of people that are "geeky" or stand out and aren't "normal" compared to their peers. Some of these are "misfits" because they are gay, very tall, fat, unconventional, etc. Kevin, the "jock" character is even stereotyped as the "stupid jerk" that always makes fun of people but doesn't have the smarts to back up his insults.

Predicting what the second part of the book is going to be about, I think the kids are going to create this political party for social action to stop bullying and name calling. Many kids and even adults can enjoy this book because they can relate to their own experiences in middle school and high school, and they can see how power is played in the school institution. This book is full of rich text that facilitates big ideas that can relate to pre-adolescents. This book is funny, but also has a serious undertone of the effects of bullying. I am exciting to finish reading this book, and see what Addie, Bobby, Joe, DeShawn, and Skeezi Tookis have in store for social action...

Mommy Laid an Egg by: Babette Cole

The title of this controversial book is pretty self explanatory of what the book is going to be about. Children are curious and want to know where babies come from. Usually they ask their parents, and either they get the truth or they get some made up fantasy story of how kids are made. If the parents don't give the kids an answer they are going to learn it sooner or later from friends. Anyways, this book starts out with these parents treating their kids like babies and giving them with crazy made up stories of how babies are born. The parents say that girls are made from sugar and spice and everything nice, and boys are made from slugs, snails and puppy dog tails. This line right here can facilitate a discussion about stereotypes of boys and girls. So are girls only supposed to be nice and be in the kitchen with sugar and spices? Are girls not allowed to get dirty and play with bugs like boys do? I didn't like this "made up" story that the parents tell their kids in this book because it is stereotypical of what girls and boys are "supposed" to be like in our society. Another tale that the parents made up is that babies are delivered by dinosaurs. I mean come on! Are the kids stupid? Dinosaurs have been extincted for millions of years, so how could they deliver babies? If I was a child, I wouldn't want to be lied to. If anything, I would rather my parents say they don't feel comfortable talking about it, and I would either forget about it or go ask my siblings or friends. I really liked how the kids in this book listened to their parents stories and then they responded by pretty much saying " I don't think so, daddy has a tube with seed pods and mommy has an egg inside her". Then the kids go on to say "this fits inside here" and explain the actual process by drawing different positions of how mommy's and daddy's fit together. The way the kids explain it is "it's a speed race for the eggs and the winner get the egg and it grows into a small baby". I understand how this book would be a very controversial and perhaps inappropriate book to share with students in the classroom. But I do think that this is an excellent book for parents to use if they do want to explain the truth about where babies come from. I really appreciated how this author showed how many people patronize young kids and act like they don't know anything. Most kids do know a lot, and if they don't, they will learn. It is a natural part of life.

Uncle What-Is-It Comes to Visit by Michael Willhoite

This book is about two kids who have an uncle that comes to visit for the first time. Their mother tells them that her brother is gay, but she doesn't get a chance to explain. The kids go out in the neighborhood and ask people what being "gay" means. They get the stereotypical responses back such as "it means he's a fag" or "queer" or "they dress up in women's clothes because they want to be woman"...etc. Even when the kids ask their mother if their uncle is married she responds and says "no he's not married, he's actually gay". That statement kind of disturbed me a little bit because I support gay marriage and gay rights. People need to accept it and stop acting like being gay means they are bad people. Anyways, the book continues and the uncle arrives. The kids are surprised to see that he is nothing like they had been told or what they expected. He looked like a normal guy who liked to do normal things. The book illustrates that gay people are just like heterosexuals and it also explains that gay men fall in love with other men instead of women. Also the same for lesbians, except the opposite (women fall in love with other women instead of men). I liked this book because it shows many different stereotypes that ignorant, heterosexual people hold against gay people. I think kids need to read books like these so that when they do meet or see a gay person they understand that they are just like them, NORMAL. This book is controversial because some parents and teachers do not feel comfortable with their kids learning about gay people because they don't believe in it and think that it might turn their child gay....which is ridiculous! I believe that gay people deserve the same rights as everyone else and they shouldn't be discriminated against because of their own personal choices.

I Never Knew Your Name by: Sherry Garland

This is a book about a boy (narrator) who observes his neighbor (young teenage boy) at different times throoughout a short period of time (my guess is a month or two). The neighbor boy plays basketball and is very isolated from other people. The main character/narrator wants to play with the neighbor boy but on several occasions decides against it. The narrator notices his sister making fun of the neighbor because of his funny clothes and the little boy's rationale for this is "I guess that's the way big sisters are". When the main character sees the neighbor boy feeding the pigeons he almost decides to go up on the roof and join him. However, he notices that the neighbor boy is crying so he decides against it. Eventually the narrator finds out that the neighbor boy committed suicide. The book never states that the boy committed suicide, but the pictures and the text makes the audience infer that that is what happened. For instance the sister says to the little boy (narrator): I don't know why he did it, he wasn't so bad. The sister probably felt guilty for making fun of someone she really didn't know. The little boy felt really guilty for not trying to be friends with him, when he really did want to get to know him. There is a high suicide rate for teenagers, and children need to be aware of the negative effects of bullying, stereotyping and not accepting people can have on young adults. This is a book that I would definitely share with a group of older intermediate level readers because even though this is a controversial topic it is something that is relevant or may be relevant for them in the near future. Middle school and high school are some of the hardest experiences people go through in life. If kids are aware of the statistics and the effects having a friend can make, they may be more willing to accept people that are a little bit different from themselves.

The Stupid Kids Die By: Harry Allard

First of all, the title sends a very strong statement that really explains what this whole book is about. Stereotypes. Stereotypes of how people are supposed to act and how they are supposed to be in our society. This is a family called the "Stupids" who do various activities that are not acceptable and do "stupid" things such as not being able to tell time, mows carpet instead of lawn, eats breakfast in the shower, eating with feet, making a dress with chickens, can't see in the dark so they must be dead. These are all examples that happen to the stupids throughout the story. The message of the story is show that if people do things in an unconventional way, you are stupid. It is hard for the general population or different groups of people to be acceptable of others that are different from them and do various activities in a different way. For example, some people may not have been born with arms, thus they do everything with their feet including eating, writing, cleaning, grooming etc. How can people judge that this person is stupid because he or she uses their feet instead of their hands. When the author used the example of the women making a dress out of chickens it made me laugh out loud. In our society it is acceptable to make fur coats and no one laughs at them. In fact, they are regarded as most likely having money and a higher social economic status. So isn't that the same as making a dress out of live chickens!? I thought that was a funny example that demonstrates how some of the ideas that are "normal" in our society, can be kind of messed up and "stupid" from another person's perspective.

"The Un-Wedding" by: Babette Cole

This controversial picture book is about two kids and their parents and the process of divorce. Throughout the entire story, they never mention the actual word "divorce" but refer to instead as an "un-wedding". The book explains why parents fight and give specific examples of how they disagree and have different ideas. For example, the mom's idea of a dog is a big fat furry one. The dad's idea of a dog is a small cute short haired one. The dad's idea of vacation is camping, and the mom's idea of vacation is going on a cruise. I think the author does a good job of making these ideas understandable for kids, instead of saying that parents get divorced because of money, or an affair, or different values and beliefs. This book makes the controversial issue of divorce more kid friendly because it focuses more on the likes and dislikes that the parents have with each other. I don't know if this is necessarily good, because kids are smart and they understand a lot more than we thinkt they do. Maybe being honest with kids about the real reasons of the divorce would benefit them because they could better understand that it is not their fault.

One reason I think people get divorced is because sometimes they get married young, and over the course of time people evolve and mature and change into different people. This book focuses more on this aspect, that the parents have different interests and are very different people. One thing I didn't appreciate about the end of the book was how the author depicted a "un-wedding" or divorce as if it's a time for celebration and happiness. Divorce can be ugly, and very horrific for both the parents and the kids. I believe the author was trying to send the message that it is okay for people to get divorced, because the two people are usually happier as an end result. However, this book made it seem like it's "cool" if your parents get divorced because you get more material things, like two Christmas's, two birthdays etc.

An important aspect when teaching children about divorce is that it is NOT their fault. Many children take responsibility for their parents divorce and this can lead to low self esteem and really damage a child's psyche. This book briefly touches on this aspect, and focuses more on the idea that un-weddings or divorce is for people that have different interests. One aspect of this book that I really appreciated was how they talked about their parents having two separate houses, and there is a tunnel that only "Demetrius and Paula" can go through to get to each house. This is unrealistic because most divorced parents do not live in walking distance, but the message is that the kids still have both of their parents, they are now just in separate houses.

Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See? by: Bill Martin Jr.

I really like this book because it is a great choral reading that teachers can use for their kindergartners. Even younger kids to start reading even if they can't read actual text yet. The illustrations are bright and colorful and allows the reader to guess what the next bulk of text will be based on the animal or picture. I really like this book because it has a rhyming tone and it allows kids to read it even if they can't read words yet. My four year old niece Sydney knows the entire book by memory because it is one of her favorites and she takes pride on being able to read it on her own. This book has simple text and repetition too. This is an important strategy with new readers because they can start reading text that they are familiar with. This is how kids start learning how to read real words too by knowing what the text says without actually reading the book word for word. Eventually the kids will start connecting the actual story with the text.

Mad Dog McGraw by: Myron Uhlberg

This book is great for kids that are afraid of animals, specifically dogs! I got attacked by a dog when I was in second grade and remember it vividly, but I am still a dog lover and appreciate animals very much. I liked this book because it gives the perspective of a little kid and how he sees this "mean dog" who growls at everything like trucks, storms, and chases kids and shows his sharp teeth. The boy devises a plan of how he is going to get past the dog and he creates stilts to walk on so that the dog can't get to him. The little boy needs an umbrella so he can sail right over Mad Dog McGraw. Eventually the little boy asks his parents for a cat and he tries to lure a cat to his house by using milk. When he brings the cat home, the dog actually is fond of the cat and they become friends. This shocks the little boy because he thought that the dog would not like the cat and would scare it away. The little boy was very confused at this point because this went against the prior knowledge he had about this mean Mad Dog McGraw. The little boy has a conversation with his mom about why the dog isn't very mean. I really liked this part of the story because the mom just responds "I wonder why" and the boy kind of figures it out all on his own. By having that conversation with his mom he was able to work out a problem in his head and decide that dogs really are not that bad. The illustrations are kid friendly and the text is also good for new emergent readers because there is a lot of repetition and small words. The pictures match up with the text as well, so new readers could easily use the pictures to help them out with words they are just learning.

One Afternoon by Yumi Heo

I wanted to read a book that was written by an author that is different from my ethnicity. I also chose this book because I really liked the illustrations. They are very detailed and the text is written differently on every page. Some are wrapped around different pictures, some text is written in a collage like way, some text is placed in different areas such as the kitchen table. I really liked this because it was different from a lot of children's books that I have read the text is quite simple, and describes the story of a boy and the typical day he has with his mother. They go to the laundromat, the hair stylist, grocery store, ice cream store, pet store, and how they traveled through a busy city. Along with story words, there are also different words placed on the page that go along with the objects that make noise. For example, at the pet store there are words like "wuf, wuf, and meow, and tweetle tweetle" to describe what the animals sound like. Another page that had these kind of sound effects was at the supermarket. Words such as "KaChing" and "clink" to signify the sound of the cash register. I thought this book would be a fun read for a younger audience because the simple text and fun illustrations are very engaging and inviting to young readers. I think little kids would have fun reading all the sound effects and making sense of which objects make which sounds. Other than the main character and the mother being Asian, I was surprised to see that most of the other characters in the background were Caucasian. This idea could facilitate good questions and discussion about ethnicity and race.

Messing Around on the Monkey Bars by: Betsy Franco

I really liked this book because it had two elements that sometimes children are turned off to just because of the stigma they sometimes hold: school and poems. This book had a collection of poems that were about the different elements of school. I felt like this book was really neat because growing up, I didn't have a great experience or much exposure to poetry. This book allows kids to see that poetry can be written in many different forms and by many different people including kids! I also really enjoyed the illustrations. The illustrations have all different kids with different skin color and physical attributes which is actually more realistic of what they see in their actual classroom! The illustrations also look like they were drawn by various kids, but they were actually drawn by one person by the name of Jessie Hartland. (that would have been cool though, if the author had different kids draw the pictures for her book). Some of the poems included animal reports, school bus rides, play ground fun, lunch money, homework blues, and many more. I really would recommend reading this book to your kids, and then having them create their own poems about the different elements they have in their own school. This is a great book to get kids interested in writing poetry.

Egg Drop by: Mini Grey

The first thing that popped into my head while reading this book was the old tale "humpty dumpty" because it is about a baby egg that wants to fly and ends up cracking because he didn't wait to become a chicken. The book describes all different ways the other chickens tried putting the egg back together again....with string, tape, thread, nails and screws, chewing gum, and tomato soup but then they come to the realization that shells don't heal. The last page of the book is cute because it says "luckily, the Egg was not wasted". I liked the humor in the book, and thought that kids would really enjoy reading this story because it is familiar to "humpty dumpty". Kids could easily make inferences and predictions throughout this book because it leaves many "cliff hangers" or places in the text where you could ask questions about what is going to happen to the Egg. One of my favorite parts of the book was when the Egg climbs up this tall tower and leaps off the edge and is so happy because he's flying. Then, on the next page it says "But the egg was not flying. It was falling". This line is so funny because at first, the author gives the perspective of the egg, and then shows what is really happening on the next page.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

I read this book when I was in 5th or 6th grade and remember it being one of my favorites. It is very abstract and makes the reader think about how other people in the world may live their lives differently. When I first started reading this book for the second time, my initial thoughts are these people live in a cult like community or a communist community where there are no "real" choices, feelings or pain that people have to experience. One of the most important messages I got from reading this book was that life consists of so many good memories, pain, and love. If we take away all these bad things so that people can live a somewhat "content" life, then the community also has to take away all the good things that life consists of. There are many instances in the text that allows you to think about your own life and your own community and compare to how this community lives their life. What really bothered me was the lack of choice that these humans have in their community. They are raised this way, so they don't know the difference. It is difficult for me to fathom the idea of being born into a community like North Korea where you have limited human rights and cannot even leave the country. This book would be an awesome book to bring into the classroom and talk about community and our world. I really enjoyed reading this book because it got my mind thinking about how lucky we are to live in a world with choice, and there are so many beautiful things to appreciate. Some of the things Jonas experiences in the book are so normal to me like color, and animals, seasons, the sun, etc that I take them for granted. It really bugged Jonas and it would bug me too if I was the only person in the community that could see and feel and experience life in that way. Some people may argue that there is something good about living this kind of simplistic life, but in my mind it would be so boring.....I would feel like a robot! Or maybe I wouldn't know any different?

Owly: The Way Home and The Bittersweet Summer by: Andy Runton

This graphic novel is one of many in a series of Owly comic books. Owly is the name of the main character. He is an owl who knows what it's like to be human as he goes through different adventures while helping other creature friends. Owly goes through different life obstacles and different adventures in each of the series. In the Owly comic books, there is barely any text, however there are many symbols and facial expressions that help the reader understand what is going on throughout the story such as question marks, equal signs, pictures, sound effects, etc. Also the pictures flow logically and are understandable.

In this specific book, Owly comes across an abandoned baby worm that is left out in the cold and he takes it under his wing and cares for the worm. He feeds the worm, clothes the worm and brings the worm back to health. The worm explains through different pictures and symbols that he was separated from his family because of a rainstorm and that is how he got lost. Owly comes up with a great idea to look at a map and try and help this worm find his family. So they go on an adventure together to reunite the worm with his family. While camping, the worm comes across some berries, but Owly warns him that the berries are probably poisonous. Instead, Owly goes and picks an apple for the worm to eat. Eventually the worm remembers where he lived at one point and Owly returns the worm to his family. However, when they get to the house the family is frightened by the Owl and they slam the door in Owly's face. The worm quickly explains the story of how Owly saved his life and is not the enemy. Eventually they let Owly come eat with their family and the worm actually decides that he wants to live with Owly and go on adventures with him. So the worm leaves with his friends and goes backpacking on another adventure.

Again, these pictures are very illustrated and the symbols make it quite clear what is going on in the story. I think this would be a good choice for a kid that initially doesn't like reading because it has pictures, actions, and it allows the reader to interpret what they think is happening based on the symbols and pictures. This specific story is cool because it teaches the audience that it is okay to be friends with people that don't look like you (because the owl and worm are different creatures and are "supposed" to be enemies). Sometimes the people that you think are your enemies are actually in fact your best friend or mate. The Owly graphic novels are a great way to get kids interested in story telling, and books. Plus, they offer moral lessons too.

The Curious Garden by: Peter Brown

This is a fun story that has a clear and important message.....that sometimes even the smallest efforts made by one person can make a huge impact on other people in your community or even the world. "The Curious Garden" is about a little boy who lives in a dreary city that has no green life at all. He explores and finds this little patch of green grass and plant life by an old rail road track. He decides to be a gardener and starts watering it, and helps the green patch grow. Eventually the plant life spreads throughout the city. The gardening is contagious. People start to garden and have their own plants as well.

This book is good for many reasons. Our world right now is in desperate need of attention. This book is age appropriate for young kids because it allows us to spread this message in a way that they can understand it. The message is that we need to start cleaning up our environment and "be green" conscious so that we can protect and replenish our natural resources. It also is a good book because of the other important theme that is happening..... that one person can make all the difference by doing simple and small things. It doesn't just have to be about being environment friendly. It could be about helping the poor, or saving an animal, reading to a younger kid to help them read etc. This book teaches about social action and how contagious it is when you help someone or something in your world. This is a book that I will definitely use in my classroom because it has so many different teaching elements that you can talk and discuss with students.

Big George: How a Shy Boy became President Washington by: Anne Rockwell

I was really interested in the historical fiction books this time around, because it is interesting to find out about historical figures and characters in the past in a fun way. We also learned a little bit about historical fiction in last week's presentation so I wanted to see what I could find. I came across this book "Big George" and was fascinated by the cover of the book. It looks nothing like the picture or idea I had in my head of what George Washington looks like. I always thought of President Washington looking like a short frumpy pale old dude with a white curly wig. Ha! This book gives many facts about our first president that I had no knowledge of before reading this book. For instance I found out that George Washington was actually very shy and didn't like making conversation with people. He loved dancing, because he didn't have to talk! He was actually very tall and stood out in crowds. George Washington had a hot temper and used this to his advantage while fighting for the King of England in the French/Indian War in 1755. George got married and became a farmer, but then fought against the King of England when the colonists and Englishmen fought. Washington had become a General and led the colonists to a victory and Americans had eventually won their independence. Because of his great leadership through these battles that had led to this nation, Washington was unanimously elected the first president of the United States of America.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It didn't feel like I was learning a bunch of facts that I have to know for a test or to fill out some worksheet. But it really grabbed my attention and I was interested in hearing about Washington's life and the events that led up to him becoming the president of the United States. This would be a great book to incorporate into a lesson about presidents. Not only does it give great factual information about our first president, but it allows readers to hear about Washington as a real person who went through hard times and struggles just like we all do. This book allows us to see President Washington in another light. Along with great story this book produced, the illustrations are very intriguing and beautiful. I think many kids would enjoy reading this book, as well as adults!

The Mermaid Queen by: Shana Corey

"The Mermaid Queen" is a historical fiction book about a woman by the name of Annette Kellerman who swam, and became famous for inventing "water ballet", revolutionizing women's swimsuit apparel, as well as becoming a champion swimmer.

The story starts out with a young girl from Australia named Annette who was a fragile and weak girl because of a disease (rickets?) that made it hard for her to walk. Annette and her father began swimming together, and Annette became stronger and healthier. Eventually Annette started setting swimming records because she had become such a great athlete and swimmer. At the time Annette was swimming, it was not acceptable for women to show bare skin, so in Britain at one of her shows, Annette took a man's (horse) racing uniform and wore that, and then sewed on stockings so that her legs weren't showing. At this time in America, women were wearing full dresses, bonnets, stockings and shoes into the water at the beach that made it almost impossible to swim. When Annette showed up she wore her race outfit that bared more skin than any women had ever dared to try. She was arrested, and had to go to court. But she defended herself by saying that she wore that outfit so that she could swim freely and exercise for her health. The judge ruled in her favor and from then on women started buying and wearing these types of swimsuits. To this day, you can see how Annette Kellerman has changed our swimsuit fashion in America and all over the world. It is amazing to see how much we have downsized the material that we use for our swimsuits today....

This is a fun story that has bright and colorful illustrations that cover all of the pages. The text is written in different ways, some wrap around the text, other text is made bigger to emphasize some of the actions that Annette is doing such as "SPLASH!" Not only is this book based on a true story, it also connects to the audience now. Young kids can think about how much they love to swim and wear bathing suits in the summer, and they can relate to this Annette character who had a hard time even participating in some swimming competitions. I am a girl, and I am into fashion, but it also is interesting just to learn about the history of the swimsuit and how it has transformed into what it is today. I am glad we aren't still wearing dresses and bonnets, and leggings in the water.....but sometimes I think maybe our itty bitty bikini's can be a little too much. What do you think? What would your kids have to say? I really enjoyed this book, and think it is a fun historical book that you could read with your class.

"The Piggybook" by Anthony Browne

In Block A we are learning about perspectives, positioning and power. And again we were asked to pick out a specific perspective or a specific character that has power in various books. One of the books that was very interesting and had a strong male dominant view was this book called "The Piggybook". I had never come across a book like this before that was so blunt and almost offensive to me (being that I am a female reader that feels that women should not be submissive). This book is about a family of four, a mother, a father and two sons. The males in the family rely on the mom to do everything for them such as the cooking, cleaning, and making money to support the family. The father figure would use derogatory language towards the mother and say "Hurry up with the meal, old girl!" The boys and the father would relax, while the mother was portrayed as this slave. Eventually the mother snaps and leaves the home and leaves a note saying "You are all pigs".....The males come home to this note and they turn into pigs! They can't cook or take care of themselves, the house is a mess, and they are lost without their mother. They begged Mrs. Piggot to come back and the males all pitched in with chores and other responsibilities. At the end, the mom is content because she isn't having to do all the work herself and the whole family is working together.

I think there is a good message that the author is trying to send to the audience, that kids and fathers shouldn't take their mothers for granted and they should always help around the house. Nonetheless, I still think there is that underlying message that this is what's normal in most households but it shouldn't be this way. Also, this book is directed toward the white, suburban middle class family that has a father, a mother, and kids who have a nice home and food etc. If I did bring this book into my class I would definitely have the kids think about who's perspective this is coming from and why are we always giving the male the dominant position of power in books, movies, and in the Media.

The Giving Tree by: Shel Silverstein

I always enjoyed reading "The Giving Tree" at home and at school when I was a kid. This book is a classic, that many kids even today have read. I always interpreted the book as a story about a boy and how he goes through the life cycle of different stages, growing older, and eventually dying. Throughout the boy's life, he has this tree that he goes and visits, and the little boy expresses all these wishes that he wants. The tree gives up everything and anything she can to satisfy this boy. Eventually there is nothing left to the tree, and the boy is old and it ends that way.
Now when I was younger, I thought this book was just about the cyle of life. But now looking at this book as an adult, I can see different positions of power being worked out through the characters. The tree is a "female" character that gives herself to this boy and does everything she can in her power to help this boy succeed and be happy. The boy never gives anything in return and eventually there is nothing left to the tree. This book is emphasizes the idea that the little boy/man that he becomes has the power in this situation, which demonstrates to the audience that the male is in the position of power. In our society, sometimes there is this notion (especially in the recent past) that women should be submissive to the dominant male and sacrifice their happiness to make the male happy.

I am not saying this is a book you shouldn't use in your classroom. However, I do think that while you read this you should help your students dig a little bit deeper and see from a different perspective. Do the children connect with this kind of environment where the females in their family are always giving and never recieving? This is kind of a controversial topic, but definitely should be pointed out if this book is read to a child audience. Otherwise, the children will read this and subconsciously hear these underlying messages that women are supposed to always give and give and be submissive to these male dominating figures.

Hogwash by: Arthur Geisert

This book is for the kiddies that love to build and experiment and make contraptions with building toys such as "Marble Works"....that's what this book reminded me of when I read it. This book is also a wordless story, but leaves so much to the readers imagination with the wonderful illustrations and intricate details of a machine. "Hogwash" is about little piglets that have fun playing, rolling, and getting dirty in the mud, but then are sent through this crazy machine that cleans them through different steps.

I think kids could definitely get into this book, and use their imagination to explain the different steps that the piglets go through to get clean. The illustrations are fantastic. It almost looks like some of the artwork was done with a strategy called "pointillism". There are also very small details that some kids would definitely be interested in pointing out. For example, on the contraption there is a thermometer so that the water does not get too hot for the pigs. There are also tubes that drain the water into a river, so that the tubs do not overflow with the piglets in them. There's all kind of little details that kids would be able to work through by looking and the pictures and figuring out how the machine works.

Kids can relate to having fun and getting dirty, they can relate to the curiosities of figuring out how different machines and contraptions work, and they can relate to having mommy's making them take a bath and getting clean! I think this book would facilitate a lot of discussion with kids as they might have questions or even answers to what is going on in the pictures. I enjoyed this book, and think it is a fun story for the younger kids.

Chicken and Cat Clean Up by: Sara Varon

This colorful wordless picture book is about two friends, a chicken and a cat. The chicken has the idea to start a housecleaning business and asks the cat to join him. The only problem is that the cat is clumsy and tends to mess things up rather than help clean. The cat breaks dishes, he doesn't know how much soap to use, and he even eats one of their customers plants! The chicken is absolutely fed up and kicks the cat out to the curb and out of his business.

While the cat is sitting on the curb, he ends up saving the day by catching a mouse thief that stole another lady's purse. The community is pleased and in return the cat gets a reward for doing such a good deed. The chicken forgives the cat for screwing up the "housecleaning business" and adds "mousecatching" to their services.

Again, I think this picture book is a good one for the little kids because they can tell the story based on how they interpret the pictures they see. (However, without reading the description of the book, even I feel like I would be confused as to what is going on in the story) The illustrations are somewhat bland too, not much color or expression.

I think the message of the story is that everyone is good at everything. So find what you like to do, and what your good at, and pursue that. For the cat, he was able to "mouse catch" and help the community at the same time.

Really I don't have much to say about this book, I felt like the entire book was kind of boring and there wasn't a clear message to the audience. Like for instance, why would the chicken ask the cat to be in a house cleaning business when the cat is sleepy and clumsy? I just didn't think the book had that much to offer to the reader. This isn't a book I would choose to read if I was a kid.

Polo and the Magic Flute by: Regis Fallen

This simple picture book is a fun read that could be utilized for the young primary grades. It's a book that I would probably use one on one with a student that has an imagination and likes to tell stories. Just by looking at the illustrations, the reader has to infer what they think is going on in the story, and I like how some picture books like these are made to do just that. The illustrations are made in a comic strip fashion but there are no words. Polo goes on an adventure, where he starts out at sea by himself. He comes across a whale that lifts him up onto land. Polo meets a friend that introduces him to this magic flute and then the friend disappears. Confused, Polo sits and waits at the bus stop while a snail comes and scoops him on his back. They travel together until Polo is dropped off near the old friend. They play their flutes together and sail away on magic carpets.

Okay so that was my short synopsis of what happened. But reading this book with a young child would allow for other interpretations. They could read it to you and tell you what is happening in each of the illustrations. I make a text to self connection with this book because it reminds me of my niece Sydney. She will have these princess books that have words in them but because she can't read yet, she will tell her own story of what is happening based on the pictures and of what she knows based on being read to in the past. Other times she will ask me to read one line, and then she will go from there and make up what happens for the rest of the page. Children are so creative, and using a book like Polo and the magic flute would allow them to tell a great story in their own words!

Garmann's Summer by: Stain Hole

The illustrations in itself was what caught my attention. Just the cover page is abstract and eerie and makes you wonder who this child is and what his story is. There is so much expression in all of the faces that really made me empathize with each picture. The pictures are so realistic, it almost looks like the author took pictures and cut and pasted them onto the page. The pictures are almost "too" realistic for little kids... I understand why the author chose to put old people in many of the illustrations, but I think for some kids it might scare them. However, that is the point of the entire book: No matter what age you are, everyone is always afraid of something. This book is about a little boy who is trying to understand different things in his small world. He has three old aunts that talk to him about life and death, about starting school, about traveling and all different things. It's interesting to see all the different view points. You see from Garmann's (the little boy) view point that he is afraid of things like going back to school and whether he will lose a tooth or not, or what it's like to have butterflies in your stomach! Whereas, for the older aunts you see from their point of view that they are afraid of trudging through the snow with their walkers in the winter or where they will go when they die. From the mother's point of view you see that she is scared she will not be able to protect her kids at all times when she says "I'm scared of Garmann crossing the main road on his way to school". There is a strong message in this book that many people have a difficult time comprehending. It's a great book altogether.

These are just a few examples of how serious the content is in this book. Kid's are smart, and they do ask these kind of questions about life and death. I think this is a great children's book that educators, parents, teachers can use with their kids to help them understand that all people are scared sometimes and life and death is apart of living. I would know your students before reading this book, in case some of the subject content is too scary for them to talk about in school.

The Underground Gators by: Tina Casey

This book explains why there is a need for all the different buildings, objects, and things in the city...for alligators of course! Personally I wasn't really interested in this book because from the beginning I thought in my head that the concept isn't realistic. However, trying to look at the book from a kids point of view I could see how this book would be fun to read. The text is set up in a joke style way, like "Why are there so many hot-dog stands in New York?" -answer: Alligators love hot dogs. Another example was: Why is smoke always coming up fromt the streets/sewers?" answer: Besides hot dogs, alligators love barbecue. It would be a fun lesson to do on Places and Cities. After reading this book outloud to the class, we could then go back to the text and find the real answers to these questions. When I read this book to two of my kids for my child study, they really liked the book and thought it was funny. However, they also picked up on the unrealistic idea that Alligators can live in the city. I asked them why they thought alligators could not live in New york, and *Nick responded by saying that "alligators need to live in warmer places". This shows that this book is interactive and allows kids to ask questions and make inferences based on their background knowledge.

After reading the letter from the author at the back of the book it made more sense why she was writing the book. She worked for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and always got questions from reporters around the world: Are there really alligators living in the sewers? There are stories of an alligator that was pulled out of a sewer in 1935. She also notes in this passage that the important thing to remember is that "nothing dissapears when you flush it down the drain, and everything is connected". From my opinion, I didn't really get that message from just reading the book and looking at the pictures. However, if we read this authors note during the preview of the book, that could maybe change the message of the story while reading it.