Wednesday, September 30, 2009

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?

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

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.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

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.

Stinky by: Eleanor Davis

The only graphic novels I ever remember reading as a child were the Archie comic books. I always thought that most graphic novels were about super heroes and action packed fighting. Was I wrong! I picked out this book titled "Stinky" in the curriculum lab and I really enjoyed it. I previewed the book and thought that I would give it a try. While previewing, I noticed the illustrations were "kid friendly" or resembled something a kid would draw in their own notebooks. For example, on the inside cover there is a map of a swamp where a monster lives and everything is labeled from "possum tree" to "onion patch". On part of the map it shows where a little kid starts to cross paths with this monster. The novel is about a monster who is territorial and thinks he knows everything about kids. There is a new kid named Nick who starts exploring in the monsters swamp area and he decides this spot is perfect for building a tree house. Well the monster doesn't like this one bit and devises all these master plans to get rid of Nick. The monster is humorous in his attempts like for example, he dresses up as a ghost to try and scare nick away and he hides Nick's hat in a bottomless pit in hopes that Nick won't want to come around anymore. Eventually the monster realizes that Nick really isn't all that bad, and kids are actually really fun to hang out with. They become friends and co-exist in this swamp area.

This book is something I think little kids would really enjoy and connect with. The pictures and the text allow for alot of interaction and text to self connections. Kids can be territorial and judgemental and sometimes they need a good example like this to show them that they shouldn't make assumptions until they really know another person. Another reason I think this book is interactive is the monster asks many questions of what he is thinking outloud.... I think reading this book would encourage readers to say what they think the monster will do next, or what they think the answer is to the question.

This book is funny and that is always a great way to get kids interested in reading. I actually think I am going to use this book on friday with two second graders in my child study. I can just imagine all the things they will have to say about stinky, nick and the swamp! I would highly recommend this book to teachers.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

I WANT TO BE A COWGIRL By: Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross

This book is about a dreamer. And little kids are big dreamers with so much imagination! I think this was such a fun book that little kids (and everyone) can relate to. Everyone dreams to be somebody or something, and I think it's so important for little kids to voice their dreams. This would be a fun book to include in a lesson of writing about "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I remember as a kid, writing about what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I'm sure kids still do it today.

The book is about a girl who lives in the city, and all she really wants is to be a cowgirl! This girl is different from all the other girls because she doesn't want to do what the general society expects of her. She doesn't want to sit and be a girly girl, or cook and clean in the kitchen. Instead she wants to go on an adventure and live the life of a cowgirl breaking broncos and sleeping under the moon. The text is large and simple and the illustrations are colorful and fun, which makes this book appealing to the younger kids. Another thing I noticed about the illustrations is the character imagines all these different settings and places where she could be a cowgirl, but you can faintly see the buildings and sky scrapers in the background in which she currently lives. I thought this was interesting, because maybe she is not ready to leave home or the city just yet.

This girl has got an imagination and big dreams of some day being a cowgirl. I want to encourage kids to figure out what their dreams are and help them see that they can be anything and do anything they put their mind to! I would definitely use this book in my class of 1st or 2nd graders.

Rain Makes Applesauce By: Julian Scheer and Marvin Bileck

"Rain Makes Applesauce" is a Caldecott book and I think it is because the pictures are so intricately designed and fascinating to look at. The text is simple and also imaginative but it doesn't really make sense unless you use your imagination. This book has different crazy statements such as "My house goes walking everyday","Rain makes applesauce","Monkeys mumble in a jelly bean jungle" and "Monkeys eat the chimney smoke". These lines are so abstract and unreal that it was hard for me to like it the first time I read it. Then I read it the second time and put more focus on the pictures... and it really does require an imagination. The pictures are really awesome, but I don't think I would pick this book to read to my entire class. Some kids that are more creative and imaginative would probably really enjoy these fun pictures, and perhaps even make up there own stories to these illustrations. Other than the pictures being elaborate and fun to look at, I don't really have much to say about the book.

Magpie Magic. A Tale of Colorful Mischief By: April Wilson

By far, this is one of my favorite books! There are no words, just pictures! The illustrations are so rich that you can understand and interpret what the author's message is without text. The book is about a child who starts using his colored pencils and he draws a crow. The crow comes to life! Then he draws cherries for the crow to eat. The crow watches... and starts his own mischief...

As the story goes on the crow understands how to draw different objects himself. The bird draws a fire that comes to life. The child decides to draw a cage for the bird so that the bird cannot draw anything else that will get them in trouble. The bird is very clever and finds his way out...but I don't want to give the whole story away so that YOU can find out what happens for yourself and come to your own conclusions of what you think happened. This picture books leaves you smiling at the end.

This book would be great for any elementary aged student. I think some kids would be able to personally connect with this story because the crow gets into trouble and sometimes kids like to see what they can get away with. This book would allow for a great group discussion because students would be able to make their own interpretions of what happened and share with their peers what they experienced when reading this story.This book just goes to show that people can say things in different ways and use multiple sign symbols without using actual text.

This Next New Year By: Janet S. Wong

The narrator of the story is a little boy who explains the new year in his own Korean culture which is called the Lunar New Year. This is the day of the first new moon. The text is very simple and explains the Chinese New Year by giving examples of different traditions they do such as cooking duk gook, getting Thai food to go, and stuffing envelopes with money. Many different cultures celebrate the Chinese New Year in different ways. Some people light fire crackers at midnight, some go to he parade and see big beautiful dragons that people make. The little boy talks about his luck and how he has a fresh start on the new lunar year.

This book definitely is a fun, colorful book that explains another culture and what some other cultures do to celebrate the Chinese New Year. I think it would be a great book to bring into the classroom if you are teaching kindergarten or first grade. The words are simple and would be easy enough for the kids to understand most of the story. Its a great way to introduce another culture to your class too. The pictures definitely were the coolest part of the book though, very bright and fun to look at. The little ones would enjoy this read!

Ruby and Bubbles By: Rosie Winstead

Ruby is a little girl who feels SO big. She definitely has an imagination as she narrates her own story and explains how she has twins, her own talk show, and a bully named Bratty Hatty. Ruby decides to not let these mean neighbors get her down so she decides to get a sitter and go shopping. (In actuality she doesn't have any kids, she is probably 9 or 10 years old with a big imagination). So on her shopping trip she buys a bird and names him Bubbles! This is her bestfriend. Mean Bratty Hatty makes fun of Ruby and her bird Bubbles because he can't fly. However, Ruby reads through a bird book and realizes that not all birds like to fly...for example, ostrich's or penguins!) Ruby loves her best friend Bubbles and doesn't care that he doesn't fly, she loves him just the way he is!

Ruby's character does a great job of not letting this bully get to her, and she shows Bratty Hatty that she doesn't have the time of day for her! I think this was such a cute book that could be used in a classroom full of little kindergarteners, first or second graders. At that age, kids are trying to figure out how to develop friendships and sometimes it takes having a doll or a bird as a friend to build that confidence up. This also teaches a good lesson about being nice to people. At the very end Bratty Hatty and her friend get pooped on by birds, and that goes to show, if you are not nice to others, someday another person may not be nice to you!

How the characters were illustrated really demonstrated each characters persona in this book. Ruby had such an imagination and she wore these wings that you could see she had made herself. As for Bratty Hatty and her friend Mean Maureen, their shirts said "Who Cares" and "Bug Off". The story was cute, and I think little kids would enjoy it and maybe even learn a good message too!

Dear America Series: "Early Sunday Morning" The Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows. By: Barry Denenberg

While searching in the library I found the Dear America series and instantly remembered reading some of these books as a young girl. I remember laying on my top bedbunk spending hours reading about these young women and their experiences they lived through during important historical events in time. Although these stories are fictional, the information given about the time period in american history is true. Some of the women are fictional characters and some are real characters. The Dear America series is written in diary form and are actually written by various authors. I always wrote in a diary as a young girl so I imagine that is why i loved reading these books too.

The particular book that I picked up and read for this assignment was "Early Sunday Morning": The Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows. Amber Billows is a young girl who grows up traveling with her parents and brother because her father is a reporter during the war around 1941. Amber starts a new diary every time she moves to a new state so this book is broken up into two parts: Washington state and Oahu Hawaii. The book has a slow start, as Amber writes about her daily routine and drama that she has with her school friends. When she finds out she is moving, she won't talk to her father for a few days, but then eventually gets excited about the move. As it gets closer, she has anxiety about not knowing how to speak their language, dress appropriately, and know how to act in the different culture. However, as soon as she gets there she meets her bestfriend and she realizes there are many people with different ethnic backgrounds including Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian but can still be "american". Amber's new bestfriend is Kame and she is Japanese. Amber is surprised at how good Kame can speak english. When Pearl Harbor gets bombed things drastically change for Amber. She stops going to school and starts to go to the hospital with her mom to help all the wounded soldiers and civilians. Amber sees many people die and people she knows suffer from the bombings. Amber's friend Kame is going through a hard time as well, because at this time, people were afraid that the Japanese Americans would turn against America. Kame's father was taken away for questioning, and Kame's family was banned from speaking Japanese over the telephone. The story doesn't really have an ending, but leaves you kind of sad for Amber and her family and friends. There is an epilogue that tells what happened to the real Amber Billows after the war.

This book would definitely be appealing to any young girl who enjoys learning about history, but also anyone that enjoys reading about others' hardships with friends, family, and life obstacles. This book is a great way for kids to learn about historical events because it's interesting and they can connect with these young characters at a personal level. There are some descriptive scenes that depict what happened to the wounded soldiers and ships when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

I enjoyed reading this book, but was surprised at how fast and easy the text was. The recommended age for this book is 12+ but I would argue that any advanced third or fourth grader would be able to read and enjoy these Dear America Books.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

The Twilight Series By: Stephanie Meyer

I just finished reading the last of the four twilight books right before school started back up two weeks ago. I decided what better time than to write about these books that have become a teen pop culture phenomenon! The only reason I read the first book was because I saw the not so great movie this summer in the theatre, and was curious to see what all the fuss was about.

After reading the first book I was hooked! The text is simple enough to engage a younger audience of probably 5th and definitely 6th graders. In fact, one of the boys I babysat this summer was reading the twilight books at the same time I was so it was really awesome to be able to connect with this 12 year old boy who for the most part doesn't want anything to do with babysitters!

SO what are these books all about? It starts off with the average girl named Bella who moves in with her dad because her mother is re-married and is traveling with her new husband and his basketball team. So to give a re-cap quickly, we've got this 17 year old girl who is uprooted from her whole life, and placed in this eerie small and damp town where the sun rarely comes out. Bella falls madly in love with the passionate but creepy edward cullen character who is of course, a blood sucking vampire. I think what is so fascinating about it is the fact that he wants her in so many different ways including the taste of her blood. Bella feels this connection and they become inseparable. There is so much action, love, sadness, and all different kinds of emotions that kids and adults (people like me :)) can get lost in the fantasy world that mixes with real world emotions. The book challenges friendship, parenting, trials of young love, etc. These are things that young pre adolescents are about to go through and so they can connect on a personal level with Bella.

The text is simple enough for students at the 5th or 6th grade level to understand and comprehend. Also, the books are PG for the most part..... however there are some parts that elude to sexual content and violence. I would recommend this book to any mature 5th or 6th grade reader that enjoys reading (because they are very long books) and a reader that has an imagination! I don't think these books should be used for the curriculum in school, but I do think that they are great option for free choice books and are fun, imaginative, and exciting! I would also recommend the Twilight series to teachers who are teaching grades between 5th and 9th (at least!) because they have become so popular and it would be a good way to connect with some of your students! I don't think it's necessary but it is interesting to know what your kids are reading in their free time in and outside of school.

The Straight Line Wonder By: Mem Fox

This was probably my favorite book out of the five short stories I have read so far for this class. It is just so unique in how the author uses lines to demonstrate the moral of the story (the moral of this story is so important.... (being like everyone else is boring, being yourself and doing what you want to do with your life is key!)

So this is a story about three straight lines and they are all best friends. The first line decides he wants to hop, jump, bend and creep in heaps instead of stay in a straight line. The two other lines are appalled by this, and say to the first line "Stop! People will stare!" but the first line would just respond and say " I don't mind". Eventually the two lines leave the first line because they do not want to be associated with this line that is so different from everyone else. The first line liked being different from everyone else and enjoyed doing the different actions .

One day, a famous film producer spots the unique line and says what a wonder the line is, and he loves how he moves, and he should be in his new upcoming film! So, the line now is famous and gets to jump in humps everyday. At the end of the story, the two old friend lines say they are pleased to have him as their friend, and the first line is so happy because he is accepted by his friends and he never has to be straight again.

This book can be used as a metaphor for many different things. But the most important lesson from the story is that it is good to be different from everyone else. I think kids would really like this book, because it has fun action verbs and illustrations, and it teaches them that being different and doing what you love is very important in life. Also, I thought that this would be a good book to make into a story drama. Kids could act out the different actions that the text provides, and the students can really understand the idea that being "straight" and doing what everyone else wants to do isn't always the best way to go.

Betsy Who Cried Wolf By: Gail Carson Levine

My very first impression of this book was confusion??? I kept waiting for something important to happen, or rather I was waiting for a lesson to be learned. I think the author was trying to make a point that everyone can get along, and you shouldn't just assume that wolves are going to hurt your flock of sheep. But even by the title of the book, I assumed that the moral of the story was to "not cry wolf" so that people will believe you when something really goes wrong and your in need of help.

This book is about an 8 year old girl named Betsy who goes through Sheppard School. Betsy is in charge of a flock of sheep that she takes care of everyday for the farmers in her community. she is taught different things such as "look to your left" and "look to your right" and "look straight forward" in order to spot the big bad wolf. When reading this book, I immediately went back to the old tale "the boy who cried wolf". The moral of that story was to demonstrate that lying can be dangerous because if you always lie, no one will believe you when your really in trouble. However this story, "Betsy Who Cried Wolf" was very different from the original tale. Betsy meets a wolf named Zimmo, but he's no ordinary wolf. He has a plan to get food from her, and he eventually gets a piece of Betsy's pie! He ended up startling the sheep, but in the end he saves them and herds them all together for Betsy. Betsy remembers what the farmers told her to do, and she goes to tell them about the wolf, but no one believes her when she tells them what happened. After a few times of her "crying wolf" she eventually proves that there was in fact a real wolf and the farmers did apologize to Betsy for not believeing her the first time. Zimmo and Betsy stay friends and Zimmo actually promises to help keep the sheep safe by taking the "Sheppard's Oath".

I understand that the author was trying to make a more hip version of the old tale, but I guess I liked the original much better. In reality, wolves and sheep don't get along and farmers do have to worry about various animals hurting or even killing their sheep. It wasn't believable for me, but I think most kids would probably like the story on the surface because it has a lot of funny lines (For example, the sheep talk and say quirky things). For the kids, they might find it funny to see this big bad wolf help this little girl out and eat pie instead of be mean and scary. On a positive note, there was an abundance of descriptive text and there was many illustrations that made the story more entertaining.

I Love Saturdays y Domingos By: Alma Flor Ada

Just by reading the title, it shows that this book is bilingual. The book caught my attention because more often we are seeing schools develop dual language programs. I think this is such a great idea and so I decided to read this book and decide if it would be a good book to read in such a program.

This is a story about a girl who spends saturdays with her fathers parents. She spends her saturdays with "Grandma and Grandpa". Los Domingos (which are sundays in english) are spent with "Abuelito y Abuelita" whom are her mothers parents. Throughout the story, the little girl goes back and forth between saturdays and los domingos. She explains what she has for breakfast on saturdays in english, and then explains what she has for breakfast on los domingos in spanish. The little girl is definitely fluent in both english and spanish as she explains different activities she does on saturdays and los domingos. For example, she counts her grandmothers owl collection in english, and she counts her other grandmothers chicken eggs in spanish. She talks about animals in english and in spanish. She also talks about origin and stories that her grandparents have told her about her background. At the end the little girl has a birthday and both grandparents come together. She explains that some people say "Happy Birthday" and some say "Feliz Cumpleanos".

I would highly recommend this book to any teacher that wants to incorporate spanish into their curriculum. This could be an effective tool in making some students feel more comfortable in the classroom environment if perhaps there are some students who speak mostly spanish and very little english. I took four years of spanish in highschool and I wanted to see just how much I could remember while reading this book. Even if you don't know spanish, it is easy to infer what the spanish words mean just by looking at the opposite page because the main character describes similar things in both english and spanish.

Aside from this book being a great teaching tool, I think this book would relate to many students. If it doesn't personally relate, this book could spark an interest in learning a new language or at least being introduced to a different culture. I think learning about different cultures is important and this book does just that without being too overwhelming.

Yes Day! By: Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld

"What do you call a day when every answer is yes?...YES DAY!" This story is about a boy who dreams of a day where he gets to do everything and anything that he can think of. Kids are always asking questions, and a lot of the time, parents and teachers unfortunately have to say no. However, in this book, all of his questions are answered with a yes! I feel like students would really connect with this book, because all of the questions that this character asks is a question that most kids do ask in one way or another. For example, "Can I have pizza for breakfast? Can I clean my room tomorrow? Can we have a food fight? Can Mario come for dinner? Can we stay up late?" Okay so you get the point... all of these questions are usually hard to say yes to, and that is what makes it so appealing to the younger kids. This would be a great book for the younger crowd, probably between the ages of 4 and 6. The illustrations are simple, but very colorful and it adds to the story of all the things he gets to do throughout YES DAY. I really like the ending, when he asks "Does this day have to end?" and the last page says "Yes". This book wouldn't necessarily be a book I would use in a class lesson, however you could have a discussion with your students about the reasons why parents and teachers and even kids have to say no when people ask questions. Maybe you can't have a sleepover because it's a school night. Or maybe you can't clean up your room tomorrow because your cousins are all coming over to see you. Whatever the reason, people don't always get to do everything they want. Sometimes thats a hard notion for little kids (even adults) to understand.

The Worst Best Friend By: Alexis O'Neill

I remember being a young girl, and I also remember being a brat in my own social group. At the time. those little fights we got into felt like the end of the world. But fortunately, I am still friends witha few people from grade school. This book was fun to read and reminded me of how little kids can be enemies one day, and be inseparable the next. The story has two boys, Mike and Conrad who are the best of friends. Until one day, the new "cool" kid arrives at school and Conrad leaves his best friend Mike in the Dust for his new found friend Victor. In the end, it blows up in Conrad's face beause he realizes that Victor was just using him and he wasn't really a friend. Conrad realizes that he was the "worst, WORST best friend" to mike, and he asks if they can still be friends. Mike says yes, and they even do their secret handshake. (which by the way, I loved making up different handshakes when I was little!)

This would be a great read for the classroom, especially if there are issues with cliques, bullies, or even just fighting. The moral to the story was that people needs to treat their friends well, respect them, and be a friend that another can count on. This would be a good story to share with your class if you were having these kind of issues with your students. This book had vivid illustrations, which took up most of every page. The words are also easy enough for 1st and 2nd graders to start reading on their own. (depending on their reading level). There is a rhythmic tone when reading the story too. I enjoyed this book and would recommend reading it to a class full of 1st or 2nd graders!