A Boy Named Giotto

A Boy Names Giotto was written by Paolo Guarnieri and illustrated by Bimba Landmann. It was translated by Jonathan Galassi. It was orginigally published in Italy in 1998 by Edizioni Arka and then republished in America in 1999 by Douglas & McIntyre Ltd. It is a multi-cultural, informational text.
This is the story of Giotto, a youg boy in Italy who herds sheep for his father all day everyday, but dreams of doing something much different. Giotto spends his days ignoring the sheep and instead drawing pictures in the sand and on the stones around him. He loves to draw and dreams of one day drawing all the time, for a living. One day the famous painter Cimabue comes to his town with his famous painting, Madonna with Child. Giotto is enthralled and follows the painter back to his studio to see how he works. Giotto gets up the nerve to talk to Cimabue and he shows Giotta how to paint frescos, which will last forever, just like Giotto has dreamed of. The next day Giotto starts painting on the rocks out in the field where he watches the sheep. He loses track of time and finally his father and Cimabue come and find him in the field and are both amazed at the painting he has created. Cimabue begs Giotto’s father to let Giotto come study with him at his art school. Giotto’s parents insist that he is too young but they promise to send Giotto to him when he is older. Giotto is only 8 when Cimabue finds him, but 7 years later he goes to school and excels past his classmates in painting frescos. At the end of the story he leaves his home to go to Assisi to paint frescos that will last forever.
This is a cool story about a little boy who doesn’t fit in with his surroundings. This little boy knows he likes to paint, but he also knows that his father will not approve. This is a story about not fitting in and following your dreams even so. This is a lesson that can be learned all over the world because kids in America struggle with not fitting in just like kids in Europe, China, etc. The pictures in this book were really interesting. The illustrator used gold to make Giotto’s painting stand out because the rest of the book is done in orange and brown shades. I really loved the historical background of this book because of the art history behind it. Not many children’s books address art history which would make a great lesson for students. Kids love to draw and create things and this story could incorporate really well into a lesson about frescos or painting or even a famous painter.

Coppelia

Coppelia was told by Margot Fonteyn and illustrated by Steven Johnson and Lou Fancher. It was published in 1998 by Harcourt Brace & Company. It is a multicultural informational text.
This is the story behind a ballet called Coppelia. The story goes that an old creepy man who lived in a town in Europe liked the make life size dolls. One day he left one of his beautiful young lady dolls sitting in the window of his shop and everyone who walked by thought she was real. They tried to greet her but she would, of course, never answer. A young man named Franz came by and tried to greet her while his fiancé, Swanilda watched, just then the old man wound up the doll and she blew kisses to Franz who returned them excitedly. This did not make his on looking fiancé happy. That afternoon there is an announcement from the Burgomaster saying that any couple who decide to get married the next day will be granted a large dowry from the government. Swanilda listens to the wheat as the tradition says, but the wheat is silent, meaning that Franz is not a good man. The old man soon leaves the shop and Swanilda and her friends see that he has dropped his key. They decide to go into his shop to see what the young lady is doing blowing kisses to her fiancé. When they go inside they find all the dolls and make a mess winding them up and playing with them. The old man returns while they are still there and all of the girls quickly run away except Swanilda who hides behind a curtain with the beautiful doll that charmed her fiancé. No sooner have the other girls left than Franz comes climbing through the window searching for the beautiful girl. The old man accuses Franz of being a thief but he quickly explains that he has fallen in love with the doll, who he thinks is a girl. The old man talks Franz into sitting down to have a drink, but gives him a poisoned drink and Franz is quickly thrown into a deep sleep. The old man starts to work his magic and starts to pull the life out of Franz to give to the doll. Suddenly the doll comes to life and starts to dance around the room. She is really Swanilda in the dolls clothes. She starts asking all kinds of questions about Franz and the other dolls and the old man is not happy with how she is asking. Franz finally wakes up and Swanilda shows him the doll that he thinks he has fallen in love with. They run out of the shop and she takes him back because she loves him so much.
This is a cool story because it is really a ballet. I took ballet for many years and it is really interesting that a ballet can be written down in a book like this one has. The other really beautiful parts of this book are the illustrations. Each page is a detailed and beautiful acrylic art piece. They really put you in the mind set of being in Europe many years ago. I really liked this book, I think mostly because of the pictures. The story was a classic tale and a good ballet, but the pictures really made the book.

Boxes for Katje

Boxes for Katje was written by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen. It was published in 2003 by Melanie Kroupa Books. It is a multi-cultural informational text.
This story is about a little girl named Katje, who lives in Holland after World War II. Her town is almost destroyed and her family and neighbors have very little food or money to live on. One day Katje receives a package in the mail from a relief organization in America. She gets socks and soap and chocolate and a letter from a girl names Rosie, who lives in America. Katje writes back to Rosie thanking her for the package and telling her a little more about her situation in Holland. Rosie then sends Katje another package with more things that Katje needs and Katje sends Rosie another letter thanking her. This happen three times and the final time Katje receives so many packages that she can share with the whole town. Katje then decides she wants to send Rosie a package and she knows just what to send her. She gathers the townspeople and tells them what she wants to do and they all pitch in and send Rosie a huge package full of tulip bulbs!
This is a heart warming story about the impact of relief organizations. I have participated in a lot of volunteer work with organizations like “The Children’s Aid Society,” but I have never really gotten to see the benefits of my work before. This book is based on a true story, so it shows the reaction of the people who receive the gifts and supplies. I really liked the mix of the story like aspects of this book and the real life part of it. “The Children’s Aid Society” is a real organization and this story is real, but the details are made up and Candace Fleming has told it in a different way. I think this is an excellent message to share with kids. It shows them that they can make a difference and that one small gift can turn into something that saves a whole town. Teaching children to give back to their world is a huge priority in schools, I feel. Kids need to understand that there are people who do not have as much as they do and that they can easily help these people.

Flyaway Girl

Flyaway Girl was written and illustrated by Ann Grifalconi. It is an informational text on Africa and also realistic fiction. It was published by Little, Brown and Company in 1992.
This book is about a little girl names Nsia who is called Flyaway girl by her mother. Her mother calls her this because Nsia loves to run and run. Her mother swears one day she is going to fly away. The other women in the village encourage her mother to start giving Nsia responsibility and making her help with the chores. Her mother knows she will need Nsia’s help, but she hates to subdue her adventurous nature. She compromises by asking Nsia to gather reeds and then play while they dry. While Nsia is looking for light and dark reeds she hears a mysterious voice singing a song to her. At first Nsia is scared but she remembers that the spirits of the ancestors sometimes speak to the villagers so she listens. Then she asks the spirits to help her find the dark reeds. They sing her a song and lead her right to the dark reeds. She lays them out to dry, but instead of running to play she sits by the river and thinks. She realizes that she is growing up and that maybe she can help her mother.
This is an African story about a village preparing for the New Year. It is informational because of the description of the village and the discussion of the way the women prepare for the New Year. It is interesting to read about another culture and I think kids would be really interested to hear about the traditions of another country. I especially loved the pictures in this book. They are paintings with real photos of African women and children laied on top of them. They are real and moving and make the book so much more applicable and believable. There is a spirits aspect to this book, but showing the people that the book is about, right there on the pages is an irreplaceable feelings for kids and for adults alike. This is a great book to lead into talking about New Years and how it means we’re moving into a new year. This is a new concept for kindergartners and even a good review for first graders. You can ask children how we in America celebrate the New Year as it compares to the traditions in Africa.

Lady Lollipop

Lady Lollipop was written by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jill Barton. It was published in 2000 by Scholastic Inc. It is realistic fiction.

This is the story of Princess Penelope, who is spoiled rotten because her parents, the King and Queen give her anything she wants. Her birthday is soon approaching and her parents have no idea what to get her. When they call her to ask she replies, "a pig!" Her parents are astounded, but they call all the pig herders in the land to bring their best pigs for the princess to choose from. She passes all the plumpest and prettiest pigs in the row and finally chooses a skinny, dirty pig. Her parents are appalled, but they agree and the boy who owns the pig and resembles the pig closely comes with them to take care of the pig and teach Penelope how to train her. The pigs name is Lollipop and Penelope quickly realizes that this is no ordinary pig. She immediately gets it into her mind that her pig should live in the palace with her, but her parents, especially her mother protest, loudly! Johnny, the pig herder, goes to work house-training Lollipop and quickly teaches her not only to use the bathroom outside, but also to wipe her feet before she comes into the house. The king is sweating because he cannot see how Penelope's pig and the Queen are going to live in the same house. Finally Johnny discovers that the Queen has a rose garden and also that Lollipop can be very good for roses. He teaches Lollipop to weed and till the dirt around the rose bushes and also to use the bathroom around the rose bushes because it is good for the roses. The King, Penelope and Johnny bring Lollipop to the rose garden one day for her to do her thing. They await the Queen's return from a Rose competition and when she comes home they explain everything to her about Lollipop. They show the Queen how Lollipop can till the ground and help the roses. They show her house Lollipop can go out of her pig flap in the door to use the bathroom and wipe her feet when she comes back in. The Queen is very impressed and she finally agress for Lollipop for live inside with Penelope. Johnny is given a job working with the Queen in her rose garden and is granted Dukedom for his help with Lollipop. Lollipop is granted Ladyship because of her affect on Penelope. After the whole experience, Penelope was not such a brat anymore and actually seemed to care for other people.

This is a fun story about a little girl who wants nothing but a pig for her birthday. I love that she is her own person and wants what she wants no matter what people have to say. I like Penelope much better after she is trained by Johnny and becomes and cute little girl and not such a brat. I really love the friendship formed by Penelope and Johnny because they come from two different worlds, but they both share love for Lollipop. This is a great story about growing up and overcoming selfish wants and being spoiled.

I think this is a great story for little girls, and boys who are going through a selfish phase. Little people, often do not realize the way they are acting and this is a good story to maybe bring this to their attention. This is also a great book to teach kids about taking care of pets. All kids want animals of their own and they promise to take care of them, but this story really shows the training aspect of animals. Over all this was a really cute story about a Princess and a Pig!

A Mouse Called Wolf

A Mouse Called Wolf was written by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jon Goodell. It was published in 1997 by Dell Yearling. It is a realistic fiction book with a bit of fantasy mixed in.

This is the story of a mouse, his 13 brothers and sisters, their mother and the pianist they share their home with. The mother has her children and wolf is the very smallest. She decides that he needs an extra special, extra long name to make up for his small size. She sees a sheet of music from the piano next to their hole and reads the name Wolfgang Amadeus Mo.. on the top and decides it is the perfect name for her smallest son. So that's what she names him and his sibling shortened it to wolf. Eventually all of Wolf's brother's and sister's moved out of their hole to other places around the house, but Wolf stays with his mother. They venture out at night to find food and during the day Wolf listens to the woman play the piano and dreams of being a singer one day. His mother assures him that mice cannot sing, but Wolf is determined and tries his luck one day. It turns out that he has the loveliest voice you can imagine. One day the cat chases Wolf and his mother into the piano and the lid slams shut, trapping them inside. Wolf's mother is afriad they will never make it out alive, so Wolf sings to her to comfort her. When the woman comes to the piano, she hears Wolf singing and is delighted to see a singing mouse. She leaves chocolate for Wolf and his mother and slowly brings him out of his hole and convinces him to sing for her. She teachers Wolf all kinds of lovely songs and he sings for her as she plays. One day the woman, Mrs. Honeybee, is not at the piano at the time she usually is. Wolf ventures upstairs to see what has happened and finds Mrs. Honeybee laying on the floor hurt. He doesn't know what to do, so in an attempt to get someone's attention he sings as loud as he can from the window and manages to get a policeman's attention who comes to see what the matter is and rescues Mrs. Honeybee. Mrs. Honeybee has to be in the hospital for a long time, so while she is gone Wolf decides to compose his very own song to sing for her when she returns. Mrs. Honeybee finally comes home and one night when she is just laying down to sleep, Wolf comes upstairs and sings his Sonata for her. She is overjoyed and decides to name her furry friend after a wonderful composer just like this mouse. She names him Wolfgang Amadeus, Wolf for short, without ever knowing that was already his name!

This is a short, and entertaining novel for kids just starting to read chapter books. Wolf is a charming little mouse who will win the hearts of all of his readers. I really loved that Wolf believes in himself even when his mother does not. She is actually not really interested in his singing until the very end of the book when Wolf sings her his own sonata. I was not really impressed with Wolf's mother for most of the book. She was only interested in food and was not really interested in her son hardly at all. I also love the unlikely friendship formed in this book. The old woman and Wolf form a bond that surpasses even communication, which they cannot have. This is really a sweet story and I think kids will really enjoy it.

This is a great book for teaching about music. It mentions Sonatas and Composers and Octaves. I think it would be great for a music lesson to show kids these terms in context.

The Leprechaun's Gold

The Leprechaun’s Gold is written by Pamela Duncan Edwards and illustrated by Henry Cole. It was published in 2004 by Katherine Tegan Books, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers. It is a multi-cultural fantasy book.
This is an irish tale about a man who plays the harp better than anyone in Ireland. He teaches a boy to play the harp and the boy decides that he is better than the old man and that he can make lots of money off of playing the harp. One day the king decides to hold a contest to see who the best harp player in all of Ireland really is. The old man and the boy set off on foot for the journey to the castle for the contest and eventually stop to rest at night. While they are sitting by a fire, the boy gets nervous that the old man may actually beat him at the contest, so the boy snaps one of the man’s harp strings when he isn’t looking. The man knows he cannot possibly win the contest with a string missing. Then all of a sudden they hear a voice crying out for help. The boy fears it is a leprechaun playing a trick on them so he refuses to see if they really need help. The old man goes to check and indeed finds a leprechaun caught by a rabbit by his big toe. The man scares the rabbit off and invites the leprechaun back to his fire to rest. The leprechaun asks the man how he can repay him and the man insists that he want for nothing. The man starts to play his harp and the leprechaun notices that he is missing a string. When the leprechaun asks about the man’s broken harp he explains about the contest and how sad he is that he cannot compete with his broken harp. The leprechaun instantly decides that the man is only interested in the money, even though the man protests. The leprechaun magically makes the man fall asleep and calls his other leprechaun friends out to get out their gold. When the man awakes nothing is wrong so he continues on to the contest with his broken harp. When the contest begins the greedy boy starts to play and his strings mysteriously break all at once. Then when the man pulls out his harp to play, he finds a brand new golden harp that helps him play the most beautiful song in Ireland. He wins the contest and the king insists that he stay and play for all of his parties.
This is a cute story about the Irish custom of Leprechauns. I especially enjoyed the pictures in this book. They are so full of color and expression. They really make the book what it is. I think kids will be intrigued by this tale. St. Patrick’s Day is exciting for Elementary School kids. I can remember being scared to death that a leprechaun was going to pop out of my desk and pinch me if I forgot to wear green. This would obviously be a great book to read around St. Patrick’s Day to share the Irish perspective on Leprechauns.

Nim's Island

Nim’s Island was written by Wendy Orr and illustrated by Kerry Millard. It is realistic fiction. It was published by Yearling, w division of Random House in 1999.
This is a novel about a little girl named Nim and her father, Jack who both live on a secret island. They have their whole lives set up with a garden and a pool to drink from and a satellite for cell phones and internet and everything. One day Jack leaves Nim on the island for a few days to go and gather science research on plankton. Nim knows she’ll be fine on her own because her sea lion friend, Selkie and her iguana friend, Fred will look after her. She starts to get worried after a few days when Jack’s cell phone isn’t working anymore. In the meantime she is checking the e-mail for Jack and gets one from a famous adventure story writer name Alex Rover. Nim starts a conversation with Alex about floating coconut rafts and living on the island and both of them have the wrong impression of the other. As Nim gets more and more worried, Alex starts to realize that Nim isn’t kidding and that she is really all alone on an island right at the same time Nim realizes that Alex is indeed a woman and not the adventurer she thought Alex was. Nim knows that her father is ok because they have been sending letters through the frigate birds, but she is still worried. Alex decides that she cannot leave Nim on the island by herself any longer so she sets off on the first true adventure of her life. On the day Alex and Jack are both supposed to arrive at the island there is a terrible storm and the whole island is wrecked. Nim hides in the emergency cave until she realizes that Alex needs help and then she ventures out to save her. Nim and Selkie struggle to get to Alex and then the three of them struggle to make it back to the island, even with the help of a giant sea turtle and a coconut raft. In the end it is the coconut rafts that first bonded Alex and Nim that save their lives as well as Jack’s life. This adventurous story ends with all three of them, Jack, Nim and Alex living happy and exploratory lives on their own private island, just the way Nim likes it.
This was such a fun-filled and exciting novel. I was instantly drawn to the idea of a little girl getting to live with her father on a beautiful island full of animal friends. Kids will love this story about this daring girl and her experiences living by herself on an island for a few days. The thing I kept thinking about was being afraid. I have always been afraid of the dark and afraid to even be the last one to go to bed in my house, much less the only one to go to bed in my house. But Nim isn’t really afraid of that. I realized that there aren’t robbers or murders or normal things to be afraid of on an island that no one knows about. This was a novel concept for me. I really liked the freedom that Nim has being on an island with just her father all the time. I grew up in a suburb off of a big city so I would have no idea how to live like Nim, but the idea is endearing. A huge part of this book is the idea that no kid is too young to do big things and be brave in any situation. Nim rescues Alex from a storm that not many people would venture out into. I especially loved the friendships in this book. Nim found friendship, love and comfort from the most unexpected creatures. Chica is a sea turtle who only comes around once a year, but Nim loves her because she is such a great listener. Fred is an iguana who loves coconut and is always there for Nim to have company and talk to. Selkie is a protective sea lion who will cuddle with Nim anytime she is scared and take care of her even when she doesn’t think she needs taking care. This book really shows the importance of companionship in any form and the value of pets in a child’s life.
This book would be great to teach kids about practical things like survival skills. Learning how to build a fire and cook your own food is fun and useful for anyone. This book could lead into science lessons about foreign animals and food in nature that is available. A cool field trip to link to it could be a camping trip for students at the end of the year.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is written by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Bagram Ibatouilline. It is a fantasy book, but also realistic fiction from a different perspective. It was published in 2006 by Candlewick Press.
This is the story of a little girl named Abilene and her china rabbit, named Edward. These two are best friends and Abilene loves Edward very much, but Edward never really returns that affection towards Abilene. He of course cannot tell her because he is a doll, but his thoughts are never of how much he loves her. Abilene’s grandmother can see that Edward does not love Abilene like she loves him and she warns Edward that he is disappointing her. One day Abilene takes Edward with her family on a boat trip. While on the boat Edward is accidentally tossed overboard and begins a miraculous journey. He is at the bottom of the ocean for almost a year and then a storm washes him up and he is caught by a fisherman’s net. The fisherman and his wife love Edward for quite a while, until their evil daughter throws Edward away with the trash. Then Edward spends a long while at the dump buried under trash. One day a dog comes and digs Edward up and takes Edward with her. The dog and her owner, who is a traveling hobo, take Edward along on their journey. Then Edward is thrown from a train that the three of them are riding one night and is found by a woman on the road. The woman hangs Edward up as a scarecrow until a little boy discovers Edward and knows the perfect home for him. The little boy takes Edward to comfort his sick sister. The sister loves Edward, but then she passes away and Edward sets off again, this time as a dancing rabbit with the little boy. With the boy Edward almost is no more when his head is broken by an angry diner owner. Then, thankfully, Edward is fixed by a doll mender! He sits on a shelf, lonely and having given up on life, until one day a little girl takes him down. When her mother comes to look at Edward she knows that it is her Edward that she lost at sea so many years ago.
This story is about a doll’s incredible journey. Before Edward set out, he was spoiled and haughty and did not care one bit about love. Through his journey with all kinds of people, he learns what love is and learns how much he really does love to be held. Edward almost gives up on ever being loved again while he sits on the shelf at the doll mender’s shop and waits, but his journey ends back at home with the little girl he loved first.
I loved this story. I loved that it was about learning how to love and how to be loved and also that it was told from a dolls perspective. Almost every little girl has a favorite doll that she talks to and that she really believes hears her and loves her back. This story affirms that and gives the reader a perspective that has rarely been taken. I was a little confused by the grandmother’s story just like Edward. The grandmother told a story of a princess who refused to love and was turned into a warthog by a witch. The grandmother told this story to Abilene, but was looking right at Edward as she said it. I understood that Edward was disappointing the grandmother by not loving Abilene back, but I could not make the connection between the warthog and Edward. This is a story full of magic through a doll that understands and also full of sweet, touching stories of love. This is a wonderful adventure to go on with Edward.
This book can be used in a classroom to teach kids about caring and about being thankful for the people who do care for you. Most elementary students go through a selfish stage where all they care about is toys. This book can show kids that toys are not what make everyone happy and that they need love and kindness in their lives. This would be a great book to extend and make last for weeks. I can see young readers being enthralled with the story and wondering where Edward will end up next.

Moja Means One

Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book is writte by Muriel Feelings and illustrated by Tom Feelings. It is a Caldecott Honor Book and can be included in the multi-cultural informational text genre. It was published in 1971 by Dial Books for Young Readers.
This is a counting book that teaches children to count in Swahili, while also giving kids interesting facts about African culture. The authors note at the beginning explains her desire for children from Africa to know their home language and culture and also for people to start learning a language that is so central to African culture in general. She lived in Africa for two years and learned to speak the language pretty well. While she is not from Africa, she did live their and so she has probably done a good job of relaying the culture accurately. This is a great book for teaching young kids to count even in English. All the numbers are written in English and Swahili and each picture shows the number of things that is written on that page. The pictures in the book are basic black and white sketches with a lot of shading. I loved that this book was so simple and yet tied in such a wonderful and rich culture that not many people know much about. I think the more books written about African culture the more connected our world would be and the more support they would receive to fight disease and hunger. This book also gives kids a look into another culture. Kids are very curious about other countries and this book relates their culture to something as basic as counting that most 2 year olds know how to do. This is just a great, simplistic book to teach kids how to count and also to share the world with them.

A Country Far Away

A Country Far Away is written by Nigel Gray and illustrated by Phillipe Dupasquier. It was published in 1989 by Orchard Books. It is multi-cultural realistic fiction, but also an informational text because of the depictions of African culture as compared to American culture.
These two men have created two stories with one text. The top half of every pages shows the life of an African child, who lives in a rural country without many resources. The bottom half of every page shows an American child with all the amenities that most average Americans enjoy but also take for granted. The text of the story is basically a journal of a few days time. The cool part is that the journal is being written by both boys at the same time, but is interpreted in two different ways by the pictures. Like both boy’s mothers have a babies. The American mother is shown in the hospital with doctors taking care of her, while the Africa mother is shown in an open air house with a midwife next to her. Both boys say they ride bikes one day, but the African boy rides the one bicycle they have in their village with the other kids running beside him, while the American child participates in a dirt bike race and wins a trophy. This is an excellent book all around. The pictures are colorful and descriptive. The text is simple, but paired with the pictures it has all kinds of meaning. The main pull of this book is the meaning behind it. You can tell the authors want to show how much American’s have that they take for granted and how little people in countries like Africa have. This book is great thing to use in a classroom to decrease ethnocentricity. It opens kid’s minds up to the idea of other people in the world who are like them, but very different from them at the same time. This was an amazing read!

Hush! : A Thai Lullaby

Hush!: A Thai Lullaby Is written by Minfong Ho and illustrated by Holly Meade. It was published in 1996 by Orchard Books. It is a multi-cultural children’s book. It is written as a lullaby and therefore a poem.
This story is a mother’s plea for all the animals around her home to be quiet so that he baby can sleep. The baby is not interested in sleeping at all with all the commotion around. As I said it is written to rhyme and can almost be sung. Each page also includes the noise each animal makes in the Thai language. This was the most interesting part of this story. The animal noises that they make in Thai are very different from the noises that we use in English. When we were little my Uncle taught my brother that a pig says nui-nui instead of oink-oink, because he was very involved in the Japanese culture that is what pigs say in Japanese. The pictures in this story are really great. They seem to be collages and also drawing pieced together. They are very simply, but very expressive of how the mother is feelings. The cutest part is that you see the little boy slowly peering over the edge of his bed and then climbing out and going to watch all the animals that his mother is trying to quiet. I really enjoyed this story. It was simple enough for very young children to read along and soon memorize. The fact that it is from the Thai culture makes it great for teaching kids about other cultures.

Becoming Naomi Leon

Becoming Naomi Leon is written by Pam Munoz Ryan and published by Scholastic Inc. in 2004. It is realistic fiction and also a multi-cultural novel.
This is the story of a little girl named Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw. A little girl who lives in a trailer names Baby Beluga with her Great-grandmother, Gram and her little brother Owen. Naomi is a quiet girl who likes to makes lists and worry. She is also very talented at soap carving which she learned from her neighbor Bernardo. Naomi’s story is about her finding her family and finding her voice. One day Naomi’s mother shows up at their door and decides to get to know her children after 7 years of no contact. Gram is hesitant to let her get close because of her wild past and unstable personality. Naomi’s mother, who is now calling herself Skyla quickly sets about buying Naomi all kinds of fancy things and it is soon apparent that she has no interest in Naomi’s little brother Owen. Owen was born with physical deformities and because of these Skyla is not interested in him being associated with her at all. Soon Skyla shows her violent and unstable side and Gram, Owe and Naomi are forced to run away to Mexico in Baby Beluga to escape Skyla’s temper and determination to take Naomi with her to Las Vegas. While in Mexico, Naomi learns how to live a little. She gets to experience the radish carving contest that resembles her talent for soap carving and best of all, she gets to meet her father. She finds love from a man she does not remember and in that love she finds her culture, her background, and her voice. Naomi Leon goes back to California a changed little girl and when she, Owe and Gram have to defend their family against Skyla, she is able to revel in her new found voice and keep the home she has always known. I love the line in the final chapter when Naomi is talking about her father when she says, “Imagine all that love floating in the air, waiting to land on someone’s life!” This story was touching and emotional in all kinds of ways. Owen is a sunny little boy despite his physical deformities and despite the fact that he is picked on at school and even despite the fact that his mother does not want anything to do with him. This little boy stays positive and never sways in believing that better days will come and that their lives are wonderful. Gram is this amazing Great-grandmother caring for 2 kids that are not even blood related to her. She is fierce, kind and sweet. Naomi is a shy little girl who has no idea who she is and by the end of the book knows where she has come from and where she wants to go. Skyla is a maddening woman who embodies all kinds of negative images of mothers that many children have to deal with. She is absent, an alcoholic, sweet and sugary one minute and then violent and mean as a snake the next. Naomi and Owen want her love so desperately and she just has no idea how to love a child. Skyla has mental problems from her alcohol abuse and is rightfully kept from gaining custody of her children in the end. The vast differences between Skyla and Naomi and Owen’s father, Santiago are astounding. Skyla is a delusional alcoholic, while Santiago is a sweet, kind, caring, honest man, who only wants to love his children in any way he can. While Skyla disappeared to find her life, Santiago continued to send money to Gram and named his fishing boat after his estranged children. I really loved this book and everything it stands for. I thought the language really pulled you into the story and I think the level of intensity is perfect for an upper elementary class.
This book would be great to start talking about other cultures, especially the Mexican culture. The Festival of the Radishes is a real event in Mexico and would be really cool for a 4th or 5th grader. Also soap carving is a really cool idea for kids. Obviously plastic knives would need to be used, but an art lesson could easily stem from this book as well as a social studies lesson. Also a lesson on abuse and why it is unacceptable would be great to discuss with this book. There are a lot of lesson opportunities with this novel. Keeping yourself open for your students to talk to is key, but opening up this subject may encourage kids to open up about things going on in their home lives. All in all I thought this was an excellent book.

Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone

Harry Potter by J.K Rowling, illustrated by Mary GrandPre was published by Scholastic Inc. in 1998. It is in the fantasy genre and is about a boy who learns he is a wizard and goes off the wizard school and also on an incredible adventure.
Harry is about as plain as they come. He lives with his Aunt, Uncle and spoiled rotten Cousin, who treat him awfully. One day Harry receives a letter and after a struggle finds out that the letter is from a wizarding school. Harry is actually a wizard! He goes off to school and meets Ron and Hermione and quickly realizes that he is not just going to blend in with everyone else. Everyone in the wizarding world knows Harry’s name and considers him a hero for something he has no idea about. Harry learns that when he was a baby his parents were killed by an evil wizard names Voldemort, but when Voldemort tried to kill Harry, the spell backfired for some reason and Voldemort was supposedly killed.
When Harry arrives at school he is sorted into a dormitory and starts his schooling. He quickly becomes involved in the Quidditch team and sticks to his two friend Ron and Hermione. One day he stumbles upon a hidden room while running from a professor. In the room is a mirror and when Harry steps in front of it, he sees his parents. Harry cannot explain why he can see his parents in a mirror in a random school room, but he spends hours and hours there before the headmaster Dumbledore shows up in this random room and explains to Harry that the mirror shows our heart’s deepest desire. Harry goes on to be very successful at Quidditch and then Hermione, Ron and Harry become entranced trying to figure out who Nicolas Flamel is. They know there is something being hidden in the castle and they know Nicolas Flamel has something to do with it, but they struggle to learn who he is. Finally one day they learn that Flamel is the inventor of the Sorceror’s Stone. As the year finishes out Harry, Ron and Hermione find out more and more about the Sorceror’s Stone and the book ends with a battle between Harry and supposedly Professor Quirrell, a meek, studdering professor, who turns out to be just the host of Voldemort’s weak soul. Harry manages to take the Sorceror’s Stone from the mirror of Erised and keeps Voldemort from coming back to full life.
I, like most of it’s readers, really enjoyed this book. It is so packed full of adventure and friendship and mischief that I don’t know how anyone could not love it. Harry is a classic underdog and he comes out on top! He goes from a miserable life to one full of friendship, love, excitement and belonging. Harry finds friends in Ron and Hermione and never purposefully compromises that friendship. This book showed me a lesson in loyalty. The book talks about the power of love, especially at the very end when Dumbldore is explaining things to Harry. He explains that love like Harry’s mother gave to him when she was trying to protect him from Voldemort leaves a powerful mark on him. When someone loves you, they give you something that cannot be taken away and that makes a lasting impression on you and those around you. I love that the power of love is taken so literally here. That the fact that Harry’s mother loved him so greatly means that Voldemort cannot even touch him because his skin will burn from the love. I know kids already adore this book, but I think reading it with a class and allowing them to talk about it with each other and offering them ideas about plot and character development would be an excellent way to show kids about great literature. This book combines just enough magic with just enough everyday kid stuff to pull in all kinds of children. Kids can relate to Harry and being picked on. The richness of the language pulls you into the story and creates a whole Harry Potter world inside your head. The reader gets caught up in the adventure and just thank goodness there is a sequel. I think the ultimate message of this book has a lot to do with belonging. Harry goes from a house full of people he can’t stand to a school with friends he loves dearly and would do anything for. He finds a home and a family and that is worth more than anything he can imagine.
Obviously this novel would be great for teaching kids about fantasy literature. It can also teach them about friendship and ability. Harry isn’t very old when he starts this adventure, but achieves great things and encouraging your students to believe this about themselves is a worthwhile task. I loved the idea of the Mirror of Erised and how it helped him in the very end. This is a novel idea to think about. What is a deepest most desperate desire. I honestly hope mine is to see God in the Mirror of Erised. I think things like true love and success in life would come to mind as well. But I hope my heart would instantly go to God and find in the mirror, confirmation and affirmation in His face. This activity would be a great one to go along with reading this book to a class. Ask them to think about what their deepest desire is and have them draw it in a mirror template.

A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson

A child's Garden of Verses is written by Robert Louis Stevenson and illustrated by Ruth Mary Hallock. It was published in 2007 by Barnes & Noble Inc. It is an anthology of poetry. I chose this anthology of poetry before I read the "contemporary" part of this assignment, but I really enjoyed these poems so I decided to write about them. Robert Louise Stevensen writes in a older form of english. He uses words that you do not hear everyday, but this language is what makes his poetry great. These words are what makes his poetry traditionally and stereotypically poetry. He uses apostrophes, similes, personification, repetition and a very traditional rhyme pattern in most all of this poems. In his poem, The Wind he writes "O wind, that sings so loud a song!" This gives the wind human characteristics. This line of the poem is also repeated at the end of every verse. In his poem, My Bed is a Boat he likens his bed to a boat and rhymes about the adventures a little boy takes while he is really asleep. He rarely, if ever, uses alliteration or onomatopoeia. These poems do not relate well to every student. I think most kids will be bored after 2 or 3 of these poems. But, given the right reader and the right context I think a class could appreciate this type of poetry. The book is illustrated by Ruth Mary Hallock. Her drawings are old timey but enchanting. They embody the feel of the poems they illustrate very well. She seems to use drawings and watercolors to get the feel she is looking for. There are not illustrations for every poem in the book. Her drawings are spread out among the poems. While this book has an older feel than some I think the poetry in it is lovely and really embodies what poetry is all about.

One of my favorites is:
Picture-Books In Winter
Summer Fading, winter comes-
Frosty Mornings, tingling thumbs,
Window robins, winter rooks,
And the picture story-books.

Water now is turned to stone
Nurse and I can walk upon;
Still we find the flowing brooks
In the picture story-books.

All the pretty things put by,
Wait upon the children's eye,
Sheep and shepherds, trees and crooks,
In the picture story-books.

We may see how all things are,
Seas and cities, near and far,
And the flying fairies' looks,
In the picture story-books.

How am I to sing your praise,
Happy chimney-corner days,
Sitting safe in nursery nooks,
Reading picture story-books?

I like this poem because it shows the mind of a child realizing that time stands still in books. The child is realizing that as the weather and the world changes outside, the world is always the same and always magic inside a book. I love that Stevenson was able to capture this in a poem.

Rosa by Nikki Giovanni a biography of Rosa Parks

Rosa is written by Nikki Giovanni and illustrated by Bryan Collier. It was published in 2005 by Scholastic Inc. It is a biographical and informational text as it talks about Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement. It won the Coretta Scott King Award for Non-Violent Social Change in 2006.
This children’s book outlines the events surrounding Rosa Parks famous ride on a public bus. It takes you through a normal day for her and lets the reader see that she was not someone on a mission to upset everyone around her, she was just a woman riding a bus who did not want to give up her seat for a white man. The story also relates some of the other major happenings during the civil rights movement such as the march on Washington and Martin Luther King Junior’s famous speech. The illustrations in this book are what really make it a wonderful book. The pictures are made with watercolors and a collage technique. The collages are amazing because of the materials used. When it talks about Rosa working in a sewing factory, Collier uses material to make the collage. The page almost seems to be bunched in places like real fabric would be. In some of the pictures you see the capitol building in the background, reminding the reader that this story affected our government, our history and most importantly our lives today. The coolest parts of the illustrations for me were the ripple affects around Rosa and Mr. King’s heads. When one illustration shows Mr. King giving his speech there is a ripple affect coming from him that shows the picture around him but with the affect from his voice. It shows his affect on the world around him and how his words made a tangible difference in the society he lived in. The crown-like ripple around Mrs. Parks, which is shown on the front cover as well, shows her impact on history. It shows the she stuck out on the bus she was riding as someone going against the grain. The art in this story is truly beautiful. This story makes history real and interesting and shows readers who this woman was. It is no wonder that this story won the Coretta Scott King Award.

Here is Bryan Collier's website for more about his artwork.

Stone Girl, Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning by Laurence Anholt

Stone Girl, Bone Girl: the story of Mary Anning was written by Laurence Anholt and illustrated by Sheila Moxley. It was published in 1998 by Orchard Books and is a biographical children’s book about Mary Anning and young fossil hunter who makes a huge discovery at the age of 12.
Mary Anning was born in England and when she was only a baby she was struck by lightening. Her parents didn’t think she could survive something like that, but Mary surprised her parents and started out her life in an extraordinary way. She kept up her extraordinary ways after her father, Pepper, showed her a fossil down by the sea. Mary was fascinated and spent all of her time their looking for “curiosities,” as she called them. As time went on Mary developed a large collection of curiosities, but she did not develop a large amount of friends because she spent all of her time along by the sea. The other kids would tease her and sing, “Stone girl, Bone girl. Out-on-your-own Girl!” Mary would always run back to her father who she loved most anyways. One day she met some of her father’s friends, the Philpot sisters, who also collected curiosities. They told Mary about a sea monster hidden somewhere in the cliffs by the sea that would be a great treasure to find. Mary’s father soon grew ill and her story saddens with his death, but a dog finds Mary and helps her keep looking for her treasures. Mary begins to sell her curiosities to help her mother support the two of them. Then one day Mary and her puppy find the sea monster that the Philpot sisters had talked about! Mary became known as the “Fossil Girl” and made enough money from her discovery for her and her mother to live off of for the rest of their lives.
This story has a lot of sadness in it, but it also has a happy ending. I thought it spoke a lot to individualism, because Mary did not fit in with her peers. She sticks with her passion though and makes a huge discovery that even adults could not find. I also thought this book did a good job of dealing with death. Losing a parent is one of the scariest things for kids, and talking about it or reading about it might make it easier for kids to not be so worried about their parents dying. The pictures in the story were really colorful. They really helped tell the story by giving visuals of where Mary was searching for fossils. I loved the little fossils that were drawn in the rocks, it makes the reader know where the sea monster is hidden before Mary even finds it. This is exciting for kids and helps them understand about fossils more. Overall I thought this was a great example of a biography for younger children.

A Biographical Poem on Mary Anning:

MaryExtraordinary, Loner, Exploratory, Perservering
Daughter of Pepper, mentee to the Philpot Sister’s, friend of the little dog,Lover of curiosities, Pepper and exploring.Who feels fascinated by fossils, worried for her father and a bit left out by her peers.Who finds happiness in discoveriesWho gives support for those who don’t fit in.
Who would like to see the alleged sea monster that the Philpot sisters talked about.
Who enjoys digging up cool things from the earth.
Resident of Lyme Regis, England.
Anning

Mama by Jeanette Winter an informational text about the Tsunami Disaster of 2004

Mama is written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter. It was published in 206 by Harcourt Inc. It is basically a picture book and also an informational text about the tsunami disaster in 2004. It is the story of a baby hippopotamus who spends all of his time with his mama. One day they are swimming in the ocean when a huge tsunami comes and separates the mama and son. The baby is found by people from a zoo and is taken to live in the zoo with other animals because he cannot find his mama. The baby hippopotamus is sad at first, then he finds a stand-in mama in an old tortoise.
This story is beautifully illustrated. The colors are bold and beautiful and compliment each other very well. You wouldn’t think that basic lines would create good drawings, but this is the technique that Jeanette Winter uses. The lines just grab your attention because of the boldness and are so beautiful because they are so basic. The text is bold and a bit playful. The only words in the entire story are “mama” and “baby.” I love that though there are only two words in the book, there is an entire story in the pages. The story includes family bonds, separation, sadness, a struggle between holding onto the memory of the hippo’s mama and finding a new home and mother figure at the zoo. This is truly a heart breaking story, but it can be read almost by 2 year olds! The author’s note at the end gives a more detailed description of the tsunami and the facts behind this picture book. It explains that the baby hippo was really found and brought to the zoo and that one day they hope the hippo will form a bond with another mother hippo that is also living at the zoo. I was almost mad at first that they took the hippo to live at the zoo, but the author’s note helped me realize that the hippo was in need to protection and camaraderie that he may not have found by himself in the wild.I have really fallen in love with this story. It is so beautiful and easy to understand for younger kids. I think it has a great lesson to teach and include in any classroom.

First Thoughts on Informational Texts

My first gut reaction to this assignment was that we were going to have to read textbook-like accounts of some famous dead person. I was not excited about the thought. It didn’t even occur to me, at first, that there would be children’s literature or even picture books that could be considered informational. When I picked out the books I wanted to read I got more excited but a little confused. I was still confused as to how they were going to be entertaining for small children and also informational and aligned with historical facts. I guess I was very skeptical of the assignment as a whole. I think students, especially at the elementary level will have basically the same reaction. Kids will hear biography or historical and their eyes will immediately glaze over. I know there must be better books out their to address these subjects and I'm excited to read a few to see what is being written.

Cinderella and Why Meat Loves Salt

I chose to compare Cinderella by Judy Sierra and Why Meat Loves Salt by Nina Jaffe.  Cinderella is basically the well known story picked up by Walt Disney while Why Meat Loves Salt is the Jewish version of the traditional Cinderella story.  I read through Cinderella just to remind myself of the story.  I thought it was a neat difference that the step mother and one of the step sisters called her "Cinderbottom" because she always sat in the ashes from the fireplace.  Int he Disney version, there is no explanation for why she is called "Cinderella."  Then when I started to read Why Meat Loves Salt I was confused.  The story does not start out similar to the traditional story at all.  Mireleh is the main character and she comes from the nucleus family consisting of her mother, father and two sisters.  Neither of her parents have passed away and her family loves her very much.  Then when Mireleh answers her father's inquiry as to how much she loves him with the statement, "As much as meat loves salt," he is unhappy with her answer and drives her from the house.  She meets a mysterious man along the way who gives her a magic stick to grant her any wish and goes to stay with a rabbi and his wife and son.  She decides she wants to attend a wedding with the family so she uses her magic stick to produce a dress and beautiful slippers.  The slippers are the one concrete similarity between the stories.  Most of the other details are different.  At the wedding the rabbi's son dances with Mireleh and tricks her into losing her shoe.  He, much like in the traditional tale, vows to marry the girl who fits the shoe and goes looking for the girl who is right in his own home.  She explains what she has done and after his parents have a dream about the mysterious man, he agrees to marry her.  At the wedding Mireleh tells the cooks not to put any salt into the food.  Mireleh's family comes to her wedding not knowing that it is their estranged daughter/sister who is getting married and when her father grimaces over the lack of salt on the meat he realizes that his daughter really does love him and everything works out in the end.   I liked this story, but it is very different from the Disney version that I am used to.  I thought it was kind of odd story because of the father testing his daughters and because of the drastic measures he takes without even asking her to explain her answer.  The art work was well painted with great colors.  The characters didn't have clear facial features and some of the lines were blurred.  I thought the illustrations portrayed the story very well.  This book was a neat look into Jewish culture and the traditions.  it mentioned the stomping of the glass and the use of hoopah's during wedding ceremonies.  It also mentioned the nature of most Jewish fathers and the way Mireleh's father through those feelings out the window when he was mad at Mireleh.  I think this is a great book to use when discussing other cultures and religions, especially if you happen to have a Jewish child in your classroom.

Swamp Angel

Swamp Angel is written by Anne Isaacs and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. It is a tall tale and is appropriate for grades k-5. The story is simple enough for lower levels, but also has enough of a story to appeal to older grades.
This is the story of Angelica Longrider, a little girl born in Tennessee. Angelica was born a rather large baby and grew up with talents to match her size. One day when a wagon train got stuck in a swamp she came to their rescue and lifted the wagons out of the swamp. From then on she was called Swamp Angel. In the area where Swamp Angel lived, there was a bear who was ravaging all the people's food cellars. The people in the area decided to make a contest out of catcing the bear and Swamp Angel decided to join the hunt. No matter how much the men in the contest made fun of her, Swamp Angel would not give up and eventually she was the last one left out hunting for the bear. The bear and Swamp Angel met up and proceeded to have to battle of the century all over Tennessee. The two of them fought and fought and even fought in their sleep. Swamp Angel eventually kills the bear when she snores so loud a tree falls on the bear. The people of Tennessee have a great party with all kinds of bear soups and cakes and muffins. Swamp Angel uses the bear's pelts to make the Shortgrass Prairie of Montana and when she threw the bear into the sky she was said to have made a constellation shaped like a bear. These are reminders of the great fight between the great bear and Swamp Angel.
I loved the endearing dialect used in this tall tale. There is something about the way the author uses the language to tell such an astounding story that grabs you pulls you into the story. I can just imagine the way a child would become enthralled with this tale. The illustrations in this story really help to create the story. They never come right out and say that Swamp Angel is larger than normal, but the pictures show how she can perform the feats that she does. The coloring of the pictures puts you into the mind set of back country Tennessee and really shows the beauty of the land. I think tall tales like this one will really grab kids attention.
This story opens the door for teachers to teach about tall tales. The real life applications that may or may not be true is a cool way for kids to be creative. Reading this story and discussing whether or not their really is a constellation of a bear and then having students right their own tall tales is a different way to have kids write that may help them enjoy writing.

Jack and the Beanstalk and The Giant and the Beanstalk

I compared Jack and the Beanstalk by Steven Kellogg and The Giant and the Beanstalk by Diane Stanley. Jack and the Beanstalk is the traditional story of Jack and his adventures in climbing a beanstalk and stealing from a scary giant. The Giant and the Beanstalk is a variation of this story told from the Giant's perspective. It gives a new insight to this old tale and introduces a different take on a classic story.

Here is my full poster:

Here is the Jack and the Beanstalk side of the Venn Diagram:

Here is The Giant and the Beanstalk side of the Venn Diagram:

Here is the center of the Venn Diagram:

Lon Po Po

Lon Po Po is the Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood. It is translated and illustrated by Ed Young. It is a fairy tale and is appropriate for grades K-3.
Lon Po Po is a story based closely off of the story of Little Red Riding, but with some key changes. A chinese mother of three children leaves their home one day to go and visit the children's grandmother for her birthday. The three sibling promise to be good and lock the door after their mother leaves. Soon after there is a knock at the door and the children are suprised to hear their Po Po or Grandmother outside the door. They figure it is ok to let in their grandmother and they open the door. What they don't realize is that it isn't their grandmother outside, but a wolf trying to trick them. As soon as they open the door the wolf blows out their candle so that the children cannot see that it is really a wolf. The children and the wolf, who they think is their grandmother soon get into bed and the children become curious about their granmothers appearance. The wolf has a tail and sharp claws and just like in Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf makes up excuses for these things. When the oldest child, Shang lights a candle, she gets a glimpse of the wolf for a split second before the wolf blows the candle out again. Instead of jumping up and screaming, Shang decides to be sneaky and tell the wolf about the Gingko nuts that are so good to eat and right outside their house. The children climb the tree and start to eat the nuts without the wolf, until Shang has an idea. Shang says that if the wolf gets in s basket and throws a robe to the children that she will pull the wolf up to the top of the tree to eat some of the delicious Gingko nuts. The wolf agrees because his stomach is so hungry. The children "accidentally"drop the wolf twice, but on the third time they pull the wolf up high, they let go of the rope and the wolf "breaks his heart."
This story shows courage and cunning on the part of the children in the story. I would suspect that most of my future students would have no idea what to do if wolf came into their homes pretending to be their grandma. I thought the story was well written and gave a good twist on the original story of Little Red Riding Hood. There was a lot of text on each page, but the story still leaves a lot up to the reader to infer. For instance, Shang sees the wolf, but she never has an "aHA! moment" where she lets her siblings know. Shang just goes to work with her plan, and we just have to assume that she has it all planned out and that the other kids will follow along. I loved the illustrations in this book. The pictures are all painted, probably water colored. Each page is divided into vertical pictures. There are very few harsh, clear lines in the art work. The majority, if not all of it has blurred edges. Some of the paintings even swing towards being interpretive. The pictures are not clear cut, so interpretation is left to the reader. This gives the chance for different readers to get different impressions of the sane picture. I really loved that this was the style of this book.

Where I'm From

I am from barefeet, from a dead end road and summers that seemed to last forever.

I am from the sunshine.

I am from the oak trees, the rough grass and the wildflower necklaces.

I am from beach reunions and pig pickins, from Brittian and Edith and Marilyn.

I am from the big laughers and people who can’t say “no.”

From, “you can have anything you want princess” and ”don’t eat that it’ll make your babies be born neked!”

I am from the love light of Jesus, and the amazing joy and grace that only He can bring.

I'm from Jamestown by way of Greensboro, country fried steak and hot dog-and-cheese sandwiches.

From the snow days sledding down the big hill, the walk to school and the green shag carpet in my home.

I am from disposable cameras and bargain box shopping. From being involved in every aspect of a church I loved and still love. From too many Barbie dolls and a backyard tree house. From swinging in the hammock and riding bikes until we couldn’t see the road.

I am from a family who loves me with all they have and whom I love more than I know how.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs is "by A. Wolf as told to Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. It was published by Puffin Books in 1996. It is in the fantasy genre and is appopriate for grades 2-5.

Right from the start this book gives a very different flare. The book is "by A. Wolf" and is told from the point of view of the wolf in the classic story of The Three Little Pigs. The story is the wolf telling his side of the story and explaining how it was all a big mistake. The wolf explains that he had a terrible sneezing cold and needed to borrow a cup of sugar from his neighbor. He goes to the first pigs house, which was made of straw and knocks on the door. When no one answers he calls to the pig, but then he feels a sneeze coming on. He accidentally sneezes the pig's house down on him, killing the poor pig. The wolf explains what a shame it would be to leave a perfectly good dead pig lying there so he eats him! Then he moves on to the next pigs house, where a similar story occurs. He finally gets to the third and smartest pigs house which is made of brick. The wolf knocks at the door and recieves a rude answer from the pig inside. He asks for a cup of sugar to make a cake for his grandmother and when the pig gives a rude remark in regards to the wolf's poor grandmother, the wolf goes a little crazy. The police show up just as the wolf is screaming and yelling at the pig and also having a terrible sneezing fit. So in the wolf's story he is wrongly accused in the case of the three little pigs.

This story is written and illustrated by the same team who created The Stinky Cheese Man. It has the same story as that book, which is loved by children all over. The illustrations are all drawings and are very well done. You can tell that a lot of care was taken to create pieces of art for every page. I love that this book is like an exspose of a fairy tale that everyone knows. The familiarity will grab kid's attention, but the twist will hold their attention and keep them entertained. You could incorporate this book into a story writing lesson with middle to upper elementary kids. Students would think it was cool to try and think up an alternate plot to a story that everyone knows. This encourages imagination and writing skills.

Goldilocks and The Three Bears

Goldilocks and the Three Bears is retold and illustrated by James Marshall. It was published this time around by Puffin Books in 1998. It is in the fantasy genre and is appropriate for grades k-2.

This is the classic fairy tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This time Goldilocks is given a little more mischievious background aside from her already curious reputation. Just like in the original story, she wanders into the woods and sees the house that the bears live in. The bears are out for a walk to let their porridge cool so Goldilocks has a look around. She tries the porridge and gobbles up Baby Bear's bowl of porridge. She sits in the chairs and rocks so hard in Baby Bear's chair that she breaks it. She then falls fast asleep in Baby Bear's just right bed and does not hear the bears return home. She awakes to the scary realization that she is in the house of three angry bears and runs home, never to return to the bear's house again.

I think every child and adult has an appreciation for this story. Marshall gives it a new flare with his illustrations. His characters have more personality than some other fairy tales. The thing I noticed about this book was the vocabulary. There were a few words that I would not expect younger kids to recognize. This, however, opend up learning opportunities. A Text Talk lesson would be great for this story. The teacher could stop every few pages to ask the class what they think is going on and what they think will happen next. Some will know the story and others might not. At the end there is room for a vocabulary lesson. Many of the words, like scalding, are easily compared to words that kids already know, like hot. While this story is sometimes overdone, the simplicity is nice here. It gives new readers a chance to read a book with a little more text, of which they already know the basic storyline.

The Princess and the Pea

The Princess and the Pea was written by Lauren Child and illustrated by Lauren Child and Polly Borland. It was published by Puffin Books in 2006. It is a fantasy book and is appropriate for all elementary levels.
This is a story with a familiar title. Underneath the title it says “After the fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson.” The story line is much the same as Anderson’s old fairytale, but Child’s own use of language comes into play. The story is of a prince whose parents are ready for him to be married. The prince, however, is looking for the right girl who he can fall in love with, which does not prove to be an easy task. The prince meets all the princesses in the land and does not find any of them mesmerizing or fascinating, which are his two requirements in a future wife. One night a princess from the other side of the mountain wanders onto the royal family’s side of the mountain and gets caught in an awful storm in the middle of the night. She knocks on the Prince’s door and the King and Queen take her in for the night. The queen keeps asking her questions to check if she is a real princess and finally decides to test her to find out. She puts a pea under 12 mattresses for the girl to sleep on, because if she is indeed a real princess she will be able to feel the pea and not be able to sleep comfortably even on 12 mattresses. In the morning the princess is black and blue and very tired because she had not gotten any sleep. The prince is instantly mesmerized with her and the queen is satisfied that she is a true princess. The Prince and the Princess are married and just like all fairy tales, live happily ever after.
I really liked this story, because as much as it was a fairy tale it also came out of the fairy tale to include some of Lauren herself. Every now and then she would add a phrase like, “you know how princesses are” or “that’s the thing about kings.” This story could best be used for the art lessons that could come out of the beautiful illustrations and the interesting set up of the illustrations. Child created story box creations of her scenes and then Polly Borland photographed them to bring them to life. This could be used to show children different art styles and to encourage them to experiment with art and see what they come up with. Giving students freedom to express themselves is huge in elementary school. This book would be a great tool in accelerating that idea.
Here is a link to Lauren Child's website. There is more about her artwork and other works there. http://www.milkmonitor.com

Free Verse Reaction to Aleutian Sparrow

In the midst we see a hope.
In the midst we try to resist the fear,
but it comes
In the midst we support each other.
In the midst some give up on each other.
Nobody knows what they will feel when the storm hits,
but in the midst there are kindred hearts.
In the midst there is hope.
In the midst there are small joys.
In the midst there is love...

Clarice Bean That's Me

Clarice Bean That’s Me was written and illustrated by Lauren Child. It was published by Orchard Books in 1999. It is realistic Fiction and is appropriate for grade 3-5.
Clarice Bean is a series by Lauren Child that targets an older audience. Clarice Bean seems to be around 10 or 11 and shares many of the annoyances that most girls her age do. In this story Clarice explains her life. She goes through each member of her family and talks about them. This story is very much written through the mind of a 10 or 11 year old girl. The things she says about her family and neighbors are so funny and to the point that the reader has to laugh. Through her descriptions and thoughts of her family you see the struggles that most families have. Her older brother is at that sullen teenager stage. Her older sister is boy crazy and doesn’t understand Clarice at all, and her younger brother is a nuisance, just like all little brothers are. The best part of this story is the reality of it. All of the characters in the book are much like the people that most children have in their lives. Most kids have a mom and a dad and brothers and sisters. This family manages to work in a very quirky family and I would suspect that most families work in a very similar way.
I loved that this was such a simple book. There wasn’t really a story line, but it explored a lot of the aspects of Clarice’s life. This book would be great to introduce older elementary girls to. It shows them that there are even books written about the lives of girls their age so they must be important. This book could also open up the idea of keeping a diary to girls or boys who need an outlet. The story is set up as almost a diary of Clarice’s thoughts. This is where a whole class lesson could come into play; showing kids one idea of how a diary could work. This is a quirky book about a reasonably normal family.

I Will Never Not EVER Eat a Tomato

I Will Never Not EVER Eat a Tomato was written and illustrated by Lauren Child. It was published by Orchard Books in 2000. It is realistic Fiction and is appropriate for grades K-2.
This is a story in the Charlie and Lola series. Charlie and Lola are a brother and sister pair from England. In this story Charlie is left in charge of Lola for the evening while their parents go out. It is Charlie’s job to feed his very picky sister dinner. Charlie offers Lola lots of choices for dinner, but she doesn’t seem to like any of the food he offers. This is when Charlie gets creative. He makes up stories for all of the food that Lola won’t eat so that the food seems different, interesting and fun to eat. Carrots are not carrots anymore but orange twiglets from Jupiter. Peas are not peas, but green drops from Greenland. They go through many of the foods that Lola said she wouldn’t eat and she tries and likes all of them. In the end Lola actually asks for a tomato. When Charlie acts surprised, Lola simply says that she of course loves moon squirters!
This book gives a new twist to kids being picky eaters. Most kids at some point refuse to eat certain foods. This book shows that if kids just try some foods they may actually like them. This book can be used to try and open children’s minds, but also to identify foods. The words can be covered up in the story and the kids can identify what kind of food it is. Food is something that all kids can relate to and if kids are given the option they will be picky. I Will Never Not EVER Eat a Tomato is a good tool to use in a practical lesson for younger students.

Snow is my Favorite and My Best

Snow is my Favorite and my Best was written and illustrated by Lauren Child. It was published by The Penguin Group in 2006. It is realistic fiction and appropriate for grades K-2.
This is a story in the Charlie and Lola series. It explores a snow day with this brother and sister. Lola is Charlie’s excited younger sister, who cannot seem to get to sleep because she is so excited for the snow to come tomorrow. They finally get to sleep and in the morning their world has turned completely white. Charlie and Lola go out to play in the snow with their friends and have a wonderful time. They sled and make snow angels and when they get too cold they come home for hot chocolate. Lola plans to go out and play some more the next day, but when they wake up, the snow has melted and everything is going back to normal. Lola wishes that it would snow everyday and Charlie has to explain to Lola that if it snowed everyday it wouldn’t be as special. In the end Charlie has a small surprise for Lola to make the snow last a bit longer!
This is yet another great story by Lauren Child. She takes everyday normal occurrences and makes them funny. Snow is something that every kid looks forward to and this story helps children realize that the magic of snow can’t last forever. I really like the Charlie and Lola series because it makes normal things that everyone goes through become fun and entertaining.
This is a good story to read with a class when winter comes. Depending where you live, kids could have snow days. When beginning a lesson on the winter season, this story would be great for younger children.

Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent

Hubert Horation Bartle Bobton-Trent is a story written and illusrated by Lauren Child. It was published by Hodder Children's Books in 2004. It fits the children's fiction genre and is appropriate for first through third grade reading levels. However, it could be enjoyed by all elementary levels.
This is the story of Hubert, who is the son of the Bobton-Trents who are extravagantly rich. The Bobton-Trents love throwing parties almost as much as they love their only son. Hubert grows up in a huge mansion with his parents and all three of them enjoy a luxurious lifestyle until Hubert starts to realize that they are running out of money. Hubert tries to sell some of their things to make some money but soon realizes that they only logical answer is to sell their beloved mansion and move to a smaller house. He is not sure how his parents are going to feel about moving since they love their mansion so much. Hubert finally breaks the news to his parents and they sadly leave and move into an apartment complex in the city. It turns out that all the Bobton-Trents need is each other and friends to enjoy and they still have both of those things even in a smaller house. In fact the Bobton-Trents were never happier!
I really enjoyed this story because it has a moral that money does not buy happiness. The thing that really made this story was the illustrations though. Child uses a very unique art style to make this book unique. She uses patterned paper for backgrounds a lot and draws the pictures of the characters to overlay on the backgrounds.
This book can teach a moral lesson to a class. It is fun to read and students would enjoy it and also possibly get something out of it. It could also be used in an art lesson as well. Kids can look at the pictures and create their own mixed media art.

Zack's Alligator

Zack's Alligator by Shirley Mozelle, illustrated by James Watts is the story a boy named Zack who recieves an alligator key chain in the mail and when he waters it the alligator begins to grow and comes to life. This story is an older book published by Harper & Row in 1989. It can be placed in the fantasy fiction genre. It is appropriate for children grades k-3.
Zack recieves a packages in the mail from his uncle Jim in the everglades of Florida. It is an alligator key chain that Zack is instructed to water. When Zack puts Bridget, the alligator in the sink she comes to life and quickly starts to grow. He has to move her to the bathtub soon because she grows too large for the sink. Bridget is a fun-loving but bossy alligator that takes Zack on an adventure. The make meatloaf surprise and go to the park. At the end of the story Bridget starts to shrink again and eventually shrinks back to down to key chain size. The story ends kind of abruptly with Zack promising to water Bridget again tomorrow and Bridget being happy to live in Zack's pocket.
This story is a fun way for kids to imagine what it would be like to have an exotic pet. However, it is a very unrealistic as the parents and other people in the story just sort of accept that this kid has an alligator that he got in the mail. I liked the story because of the imagination involved and also because of the pictures.
This story can be useful in a classroom when discussing manners. Bridget the Alligator is very bossy and messy and does not apologize or offer to help clean up her mess. I don't know how a child would feel, but I was left kind of hoping Zack would leave her as a key chain so she wouldn't cause anymore problems! This book is mostly a fun book for kids to read. There is a lot of text so kids could get more practice at reading than with smaller books. Overall this book is good, but not the best example of children's literature.

Moses

Moses, When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Kadir Nelson is the story of Harriet Tubmans struggle for freedom and her trust in God to lead her in helping other slaves to reach freedom. This story was published in 2006 by Hyperion Books for Children. It is in the Historical Fiction genre and is geared toward grades k-3.
The book is a conversation between Harriet Tubman and God, with some narration. The story goes through all the trials she went through as a slave and then running away to the north to escape freedom. It does not end with her reaching freedom though, she then goes back to help her family and other slaves reach freedom by using the underground railroad. The story is based on facts in history but does not claim to be a true story.
I really enjoyed the structure of this book. The way it is written as a conversation was a different take on children's literature that I had never seen before. I was not sure how it could be used in a school classroom because of the religious basis, but I think the illustrations by themselves tell a story that is beautiful. I really enjoyed this book because of the emotions it evoked. I got goose bumps reading it and realizing the human aspect of the undergroung railroad and the intensity of being a runaway slave.
I would be nervous to read this book to my class because of the blatant religion that makes up the story. I think if I explained to my class that the story is based on Harriet Tubman's belief in God and that the real story is in the facts behind it then I would absolutely use it in my classroom. I think this is a good way to introduce a heavy subject to younger students. The kids can see the real emotion involved in a piece of history that is usually glossed over in school.

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page was a very basic children's picture book. The words are basic and repetitive, but the pictures are indepth and capturing. The book was published by the Houghton Mifflin Company in 2003 and could be included in the Animal Trivia genre.
Every other page in this book shows a certain part of a few different animals and asks what do you do with a nose, tail, mouth like this. Then the next page after each of these pages shows the rest of each of the animals and explains how they use the parts uniquely. The illustrations in this story make the book what it is. The pictures of all the different animals are intrigueing and will pull kids into the story. The book also teaches kids about different animals and how they use their bodies differently than we do as humans.
The book uses very basic language and is very repetitve. It is made for kindergarten or first graders learning to read. The repetitive nature of the story makes it easier for kids to learn the rythm of reading and begin to match their spoken words with the words on the pages. I enjoyed the book but I was not as enthralled with it as other stories I have read for this age level. I think the animals will hold kids attention and give kids a greater understanding of the world around them.
I would encourage all of my kindergarten students to read this book or even read along with me while they are just beginning to read. I think it would also be an excellent tool to read to the entire class to discuss different types of animals and different types of art.

Carnival at Candlelight

I just finished Mary Pope Osborne's Carnival at Candlelight. This is part of the Magic Tree House series. The book is a chapter book about the adventures of Jack and Annie. In this book they go to Venice to save the Grand Lady of the Lagoon. The kids use magic and there own problem solving skills to figure out what to do next. I really enjoyed the book. The writing was detailed enough to create a good story, but simple enough for elementary students to understand and enjoy. Reading this first book for World Literature for Children has gotten me excited to have my own classroom and read with my children.