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.