Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Blog

Goodnight, Blog

2009-04-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

This blog and I have been through a lot together. We have traveled - been to Florida and back and suffered through the accompanying second-degree sunburns that were left from the trip. We have been through many moods, angry, happy, and sad. We have spent numerous hours together in various computer labs and desktops and listened to many songs - mostly rap, because that's what we like.

Writing this blog has really helped me explore children's literature in a way that is personal to me. I tried to make all of the entries interesting and relevant to my life, so I would view the book looking for things that really made sense to me. I never knew reading picture books could open up these avenues for me. I ended up getting pretty deep occasionally. I talked about divorce and my precious grandpa. Other times were noticeably more lighthearted, revealing my more flaky side. ha. I ranted and raved about pickles and pancakes. Some may think I'm a little crazy. They might be right.

The thing is, I was having fun. I'm glad I was able to open up in this venue. I definitely had my reservations at first. It is such an open, public forum that my name is attached to. I didn't want to really say my true feelings, and I wanted this blog to be academic. While it certainly was academic in its very nature, I think I was able to transcend the academic standpoint a bit and let my real feelings come through. I talked about real connections I made, real situations and characters and things that had very real effects on me.

I have learned that it is possible to give my students these same kinds of responses through these books. They are all going to have their own very personal readings of books. Some may stick out to them, some may not. And just because I liked a book absolutely does not mean they are going to. What is important is allowing each child the opportunity to find those books that really make a connection to them. I want to find those books that elicit responses about their parents' divorces and a grandparent they love - even those books that make them talk about pickles and pancakes.

So, while the formal relationship between this blog and I might be coming to an end, I could definitely see my blog and I spending more time listening to rap together. Hopefully we can even endure a few more sunburns.

Too Much by Dorothy Stott

2009-04-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

This book is literally a little book for little kids. It is a tiny tiny square book about Little Duck. Little Duck can't find anywhere he can swim, so he tries to swim in the sink, the fishbowl, a paintcan, and my favorite, in a pickle jar. It is so so cute for young kids.

I read it to my roommate, who is kind of like a little kid. The following is what happened after the book was over.

Kyle: You have to blog about that?
Me: Yeah.
Kyle: What are you going to say?
Me: Maybe that I like pickles and that if I were a duck I would try to live in a pickle jar.
Kyle: No.

So, of course that's what I'm going to blog about. If I were Little Duck and I dove into a jar of pickles, I don't think I would ever leave. Yum, pickles are so delicious. And think about it. You would never have to leave to find food. (At least until you eat all of the pickles in the jar.) Your meals are right there for you. And a delicious drink. What a great home. Well, it'd be great if they were dill pickles, anyway. Sweet pickles, no thank you.

Oh my gosh, the picture of Little Duck's reaction to the sour pickles is the sweetest thing I've ever seen, too. This is a really fun book to read with young kids - maybe preschool to kindergarten age. Or I guess college kids. Ha, Kyle.

Gossamer by Lois Lowry

2009-04-19T21:19:00.000-07:00

Littlest is the newest dream giver in her community, the Heap. Supervised by Thin Elderly, the two visit a woman's house every night, collecting thoughts, feelings, and memories form the woman's various personal artifacts. She finds memories and feelings in buttons on the woman's clothing and a blanket strewn over a worn couch. The book is heartfelt and sentimental. The characters are lovable right from the very beginning, right when you hear their names. There is an innocent curiosity that overarches the book.

I couldn't put this book down. It was such a good read. I would love to have this on my classroom bookshelf when I'm a teacher. It is something you can use as a demonstration book, too. Dreaming is something Lois Lowry always wondered about, and she used this curiosity as her muse. Students can do the same thing. They can take something they have always wondered about and put their perspective on the answer. It is like an inquiry project, but the kids use their imagination to find the answers.

Just thinking about this book brings me back to Sanibel Island, Florida. That's where the reading for this book took place. Just another reason to love this read :)

Art by Patrick McDonnell

2009-04-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

This book is definitely appropriate for young elementary students. Of course, I really liked it too. Each page has only a few words, all coming together across the pages to tell the story. The words that are on the page, though, are very descriptive: "the curliest cue." All of the words are accompanied by a drawing. The drawings are also very simple, done in either black and white or reds, blues, and yellows.

And the story is about art. Well, art and Art. Art, the visual representations and Art, the boy who is creating art. The double use of art was fun to work through. I feel like it might get a little lost on young kids, but it would be fun for them nonetheless.

And at the end of the book, Art's art is hung on the fridge, where all good art deserves to go.

The Night It Rained Pancakes by Mirra Ginsburg

2009-04-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

At first when I was reading this book, I kept catching myself thinking about a biblical story - the one about the two brothers, one who is good and obedient, and one who leaves home and wastes all of his father's money. There was a similar kind of good brother/bad brother dichotomy at play in this book. However, the good brother in this book was genuine as well as gullible, something that is missing from the good brother in the biblical tale. The gullibility, though, is something that is fun for kids and makes it reachable to younger children.

This story is based on a Russian folklore, and I have to say I was a little confused about where this tale was going at the beginning. The "bad" brother, Ivan, put pancakes in a tree, a bunny in a fish net, and a fish in a bunny trap - all of which were done with no explanation. I was beginning to question Russia's ability to come up with a good tale. (No offense.) But I was biting my tongue a few pages later. Everything came together, everything had a purpose. It was a total "aha!" moment, and I must admit that Russia came up with a pretty smart folktale in this one.

And now for the real reason I picked this book off the shelf. I totally have to share this because it's been an obsession as of late. I LOVE pancakes. Seriously. LOVE. Not lying, I've been eating pancakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the past week. I don't know what's come over me - but it's a serious problem. And my boyfriend and I have been having a competition to see who can make the best pancakes. I'm totally winning, by the way. Yum, I made the BEST pancakes the other day - so fluffy! Ha, don't know why I thought it was important for you to know that - but it is. :)

The Moon Came Down on Milk Street by Jean Gralley

2009-04-14T09:28:00.001-07:00

What really stood out to me about this book was the AMAZING illustrations. Each page is so bright and colorful. The use of light is especially amazing. The moon literally radiates on the pages, sending the kids looking out the window into shadow. Even when you can't see it, you know the moon is always there because of the yellows and blues on the page. The story is in a bright, peaceful dream world where the moon is the center of the night. In this world, the moon has fallen down on the street and people run out of their homes to push it back up into the sky. It is magical and colorful and imaginative.

The format of this book is also very intriguing. The book itself is a tall, skinny rectangle, an unusual shape for a book. The text is different sizes and colors on each page, playing again with the light of the moon. The dedication page is on the very last page of the book, which seemed to make the dedication even more meaningful - as though, after the story was written, the final thing the author thought about was Tony and how this story reflects what he means to her. It was very powerful.

The whole book was powerful. Dreamlike.

If Kisses Were Colors by Janet Lawler

2009-04-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

This book was beautifully written - something that people of all ages would appreciate. I found myself reading this book as though it were being read to a young child before bedtime - the child snuggled tight in linens of bright blues and yellows, head on pillows of down, the Lion King nightlight aglow beside the bed. The child's mother sits next to the bed on a wooden rocking chair with a red cushion, rocking quietly back and forth as her tongue glides over the cheerful words, her voice a quiet hum. The chair was once the child's grandfather's - his favorite chair. I can see this book being the pair's favorite bedtime book, the pages dog-eared and worn to the point of separating from the spine.

This book was very much like Love You Forever by Robert Munsch to me. It is something I imagine children and parents finding really endearing and meaningful. It is something I can see very young kids memorizing, reciting it to their parents before they can read the words, flipping the pages as they go along in time with the words that are still foreign. The words are accessible for young kids because they follow a very simple rhyme scheme and the pictures match each page precisely. Young readers would really enjoy reading this book.

And so would families right before the go to bed. The Lion King nightlights aglow.

Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins

2009-04-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Rosie's Walk is a book about a cute little hen who goes on a walk across the farm she lives on. It is such a simple story - the entire book is just one long sentence. Reading the story, there seems to be just one character, so the book is very easy to follow. However, what is fun about this book is the story that is being told in the illustrations. Though he is never mentioned in the story, the pictures introduce a new character to the book: a sly fox who wants to eat little Rosie for lunch. He follows Rosie as she walks across the yard, around the pond, over the haystack, past the mill, through the fence, under the beehives, and finally back home for dinner. Teachers can use this book to show young learners that they have to not only use their ears but also their eyes to understand the full story.

Teachers can also use this book to begin talking to young kids about direction words.

It is a short, sweet story that young kids would love to read and feel proud about their reading.

Trainstop by Barbara Lehman

2009-04-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

I would pick out a wordless book by accident. I knew when I saw the cover of Trainstop that something looked familiar. The second I opened the book, I realized that it was illustrated by the same woman who illustrated the wordless picture book, The Red Book. The main character looked so similar to the girl from The Red Book that I imagined it being the same young girl. She has just found herself in a new adventure in this story.

The young girl gets on a train and, when all of the other passengers are asleep, she sneaks off the train into a new world. My favorite part of the book, though, was when the girl was sitting on the train watching the landscape pass by outside her window. It brought me back to one train ride I went on with my best friend. We rode the train from his house in Wheaton, Illinois, to downtown Chicago. It was the first train I had ever been on, probably a fifty minute ride. I remember sitting by the window watching the cities pass by. We went downtown to see the musical, Wicked, which was absolutely amazing. Afterward, we knew we were cutting it close to the last train's departure. Of course, we were about five blocks away from the trainstation and the train was leaving in two minutes, so we ran as fast as we could across downtown Chicago to catch our train. It was so fun and definitely the first thing I think about when I think of trains. This book brought me back to that memory.

Daley B. by Jon Blake

2009-04-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

Aw! This book was so cute. Ha, I loved it. It's about a rabbit, Daley B, who is very confused. He does not know what kind of animal he is, or especially why he has such big feet. He finally decides that he is a squirrel, and he sits in the trees eating acorns with them. Honestly, it reminds me of a couple very confused people I know. But we won't get into that.

It's hard to read too deeply into this one. It is definitely a book that is intended for kids to have fun reading. They can get inside Daley B's crazy, confused imagination as he wonders what kind of animal he is. The illustrations are simple and colorful, as is the rest of the book. Ya know what it reminded me of? Tacky the Penguin! No wonder I liked the book. And there's a text-to-text connection for ya - take that, Block A. :)

I would love to have this book in my classroom library. I think it is something that kids would read over and over again because it is so simple and fun.

George Washington's Teeth by Deborah Chandra & Madeleine Comora

2009-04-10T07:47:00.001-07:00

Back to the historical fiction books apparently. I'm not quite sure what led me to selecting this book off the shelf. I felt like I had either read it before in one of my classes or that someone had recommended it to me. Either way, I had heard of the title, and maybe it was in search of where I had heard it that I picked this one up.

I thought it was a fun book. It depicts George Washington, a very serious character in American history, from a playful angle. We get to learn all about his teeth, which apparently were the cause of great pain for him. We see him in a vulnerable state that we never really hear about in school. And the book is all about teeth, which young elementary students have lots of experience with.

The book was simple, with an ABCB rhyme scheme that can really help beginning readers learn to decode words. They realize that the second and last lines have to rhyme, and they can use this clue to help them read words that would otherwise be somewhat advanced for them. This book also includes a real timeline in the back where students can learn about some of the great accomplishments of George Washington as well as some of the real dates in which his teeth were causing him trouble. This one would be kinda fun for kids in history class.

Never Poke a Squid by Denys Cazet

2009-04-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I was kind of intrigued by the title to this one. It sounded like it would be an amusing book, and for the most part, it really was. The best part of this book to me is that it takes place on Halloween. In an elementary school, Halloween is one of the most fun and crazy days of the entire school year. The kids wait all morning to finally put on their costumes and walk around the school yard in a celebratory parade. Then they go back to their classroom and eat sweets until we send them home with their parents who know the sugar high is just beginning. It is seriously my favorite day ever.

This book is formatted so that there is one main story that runs throughout the book. However, there are also little side stories taking place on each page, where the kids are bantering back and forth and getting into all sorts of mischief, usually while the teacher is talking or doing a lesson. The side conversations were fun because it was a very realistic depiction of the craziness that goes on at school, especially on Halloween.

I also thought it was interesting how the author used exaggeration. It is no secret that kids are prone to exaggeration. In this book, though, the kids' tales of the stories that happened that day at school are very modest - short and to the point. The exaggeration lives in the illustrations, and it is through them that we see what really happened at school that day.

This was a pretty fun book. The kids would especially love reading the conversations on the side of the story - they make the book exciting. I also loved that there were Spanish words. Overall, I'd say this one was pretty good.

One Smart Cookie by John Nez

2009-04-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure you could get any kid to like a book about a dog named Cookie who wears glasses and loves to read. Maybe some kids wouldn't jive as much about Cookie loving to read because, let's face it, a lot of kids don't enjoy reading themselves. That is really what this book is about. While Cookie reads everything he can get his furry paws on at home, the children in the family avoid reading at all costs. Cookie starts going to school with the little girl, Duffy, and enters the school spelling bee. Although he loses, Cookie alerts Duffy that there is a fire in the school and Duffy saves the day by reading the directions to pulling the fire alarm. Reading literally saves the day.

This story can really encourage young children to read and write. It presents these processes as though they are inherent in all of us, we just have to search for them deep down. This is an effective approach to reading for kids who think they cannot do it. We can show them that they can do it - reading and writing is somewhere within them; they just have to keep looking. The book also couples reading and writing into one process, which is also very important to notice. Reading and writing are highly intertwined - it is very difficult to do one effectively without being able to do the other. I have learned in my classes that it is most effective for students to work on both reading and writing at the same time, because as you are writing, you are reading what you are writing; the boundaries are gray.

As I was reading I was thinking of my second grade buddy with whom I am helping to read and write. At the beginning of our first session, I asked him if he was a reader. He immediately said no. However, he has shown me that he is an incredibly talented reader who is, in fact, reading at an advanced level for his age. He had just never thought about being labeled a "reader" before. I think it is important for teachers to teach their students about their literate identities in both reading and writing. It seems like that is all Duffy and Nash needed in this book - someone to show them that they, too, are readers and writers. This book is a good one to show emerging readers and writers that they are literate as well.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

2009-04-08T16:28:00.000-07:00

This text is a complementary text to The Year of Impossible Goodbyes. Well, maybe "complementary" is the wrong word. The two books present the opposing sides of the same conflict between Korea and Japan. This text comes from the point of view of a Japanese family living in Korea at the time of the conflict. The family had to flee the country, disguising themselves and hiding in order to survive. Showing different perspectives of one issue is something that is very enlightening for students. They are often presented with one very American view of history. In fact, sometimes it is even hard for kids to recognize the fact that there is a different side of the story. Teachers should really work to show kids that there are multiple perspectives and interpretations of every event.

In class, we talked a bit about how knowing both sides of a story really changes things. Knowing all of the angles makes things less black and white, making it harder to label one side as "right" and one side as "wrong." I had that experience in reading these two books. It was hard for me to look at the Koreans as being right after reading So Far From the Bamboo Grove, even though that was my initial reaction after hearing how much they suffered from the Japanese imperialism presented in the first book. I would not have believed that I would feel sympathy for the Japanese after reading the second book. But I really did as I was reading about the tragic life of this Japanese family.

A Chair For My Mother by Vera B. Williams

2009-04-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

I loved this book. I liked it right away because of the very clear, calm voice. Even in a tough situation, the book read as though everything was eventually going to be okay. I really appreciated how reassuring it was, and how patient this family was even in hard times.

I also had an incredibly personal connection to this story. Last summer, my dad quit his job and moved across country to buy a restaurant that was going bankrupt. He had always wanted to own a restaurant, and was willing to do anything to turn this one around. However, he had to give up many of the few comforts he had had with his former job. He moved into his new home with barely anything, including couches and chairs. The only place in the house we had where we could sit was the kitchen table, and my dad would come home so exhausted from work that he really needed somewhere where he could relax. My family really struggled that summer. I've never seen my dad so tired, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I tried to convince him to save his money for a boat and forget the couch. He thought it was funny.

It took us the rest of the summer to save enough money to buy a couch. It seems like such a simple thing, something that every house automatically has. When you don't have it, it becomes something you can really appreciate. This story took me back to last summer and my family's financial troubles. Millions of kids around the country can also relate to a tale like this.

You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer! by Shana Corey

2009-04-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

I would read this book as a kind of prompt to talking about women's rights and their development in our country. It is another historical fiction book. Amelia Bloomer was a real person, as was Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who was one of the most prominent spokespeople for women's rights in the mid 1800s. Like "Mama Went to Jail for the Vote," this story shows a definite progression in character and in the culture of the time. Amelia Bloomer is such a strong woman that she does not care if she is defying what it meant to be a woman. She knew that she was uncomfortable and that she did not have to conform to be a woman. What a great message for young girls today.

This book does not have to be read from a historical standpoint, though. It can also be read to young girls who are very into fashion. They get to see the fashion development in our country and the way women were expected to dress a long time ago. It would be fun to have the girls design an outfit for themselves after reading this. This book would be good for one of my friends who is working one-on-one with a second grade girl who always wants her to bring in makeup and nail polish. I would recommend reading this book instead! The student's teacher would probably appreciate it more than the makeup and nail polish.

Mama Went to Jail For the Vote by Kathleen Karr

2009-04-08T14:32:00.001-07:00

This is a historical fiction book about women's suffrage in the United States. Susan Elizabeth's Mama explains to her that women are "in chains." "'We are half the population of this great nation, yet we haven't any say in how it's run. That's why we want the vote!'" Mama is a great activist for the women's campaign, marching and protesting outside of the White House even though President Wilson refuses to acknowledge her. Susan Elizabeth at first does not understand the cause, thinking it is just women wearing pretty colors so they can smoke cigars at a voting precinct with the men. Susan Elizabeth's father doesn't understand either. "'Women were meant to be an ornametn to man, and to comfort him after his labors,'" he tells his daughter.

The campaign is such a long one that we get the chance to see Susan Elizabeth grow as a character. When her mother is arrested for protesting, the young girl takes action herself. She makes her own sign and goes to stand outside the White House where her mother left off. It was great to see her development thoughout the book, and it really drove home the idea that individual people can make a difference.

This is another book I could see reading in a social studies context. It is historically accurate, yet fictionalized so as to give students characters with whom they can develop a personal connection. It also zooms in a topic that is very broad: women getting the vote. The students would be able to see how impassioned one family became over the issue, which gives them the chance to become impassioned about it as well.

And the whole time the song "Votes for Women!" from Mary Poppins was playing in my head. I could see Mrs. Banks wearing her sash, her hands stuffed inside a muff, dancing around their living room singing a song I had never understood when I was younger. Aha.

The House Across the Street by Jules Feiffer

2009-04-08T14:06:00.001-07:00

I just kind of picked this book off the shelf in our school library not knowing what it was about. It looked like a simple book that young kids would enjoy. I was definitely correct in that aspect. The voice in the book is clear and the ideas are simple. A boy dreams about the life that his neighbor lives across the street. The voice is something that I particularly enjoyed. The author did a great job making it sound authentic - like the thoughts were really streaming in the mind of a young boy. They were innocent and imaginative and humorous. From a child's perspective, the book is something that would be fun to read because the house across the street contains a lot of unusual, interesting things.

From a teacher's perspective, that aspect of the book is fun, too. It would be really fun for a first - second or third grade classroom to write stories or draw pictures about the way they imagine their neighbors' houses. However, what is really great about this book is that the teacher can also take it so much farther than that. The narrator in the story dreams so much about the house across the street because it is so much larger than his own house. The house across the street represents a wealth that the narrator has no experience with. His wild imaginations of what lies inside of the house are a testament of how he sees rich people living: everything is perfect and extravagant. A teacher can use this wealth disparity presented in the book to really talk to her students about similar issues. The teacher can really use this to connect her students with the book and to present the idea of class.

I really enjoyed this book. It was so versatile - it can be fun if all you are looking for is a fun read. Or, it can be deep, useful for talking about serious issues that would absolutely come up in a classroom - especially in schools with families from diverse financial backgrounds. Even at a young age, kids notice when they are different from their peers. This book really channeled that idea and put it in a lighthearted, fresh text.

A Picture Book of Lewis and Clark by David A. Adler

2009-04-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

I initially picked up this book to use for a project in my elementary social studies class. My project was to transform a given social studies text to become a curriculum I would give to a class of fourth graders. Although fourth graders could be reading about Lewis and Clark from a social studies book or from chapter books, I think it is important to still give them the opportunity to look at picture books. Giving fourth graders the chance to go back to picture books is kind of like a break for them. They get to transform back to when they were second graders again for the story.

And this is a really great picture book. It is nonfiction, so it contains a great deal of facts. However, it is still very interesting. There are still characters that are developed; we are introduced to Lewis and Clark's lives before they are on the trip west. We get to read snippets from the journals they wrote on their journey. And we get to hear about events that would never be mentioned in a history books - things like Lewis getting shot by one of his team members. It was also very interesting to find out that the group had made decisions by taking a vote. Although voting was nothing new at the time, Lewis and Clark allowed all of their team members to vote - including African Americans and women who were not allowed to vote at the time.

Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi

2009-03-31T17:51:00.000-07:00

I was so so impressed by this book! We talked about it today in my Children's Lit class and it's kind of a relief because I've been wanting to talk about it with somebody. I have to admit, I feel rather naive about the subject of this book. I had never known that the Japanese had invaded Korea, much less rendered the nation in rather defenseless servitude to theirs. Taking that into consideration, I was able to connect to Sook's (or Nuna's, as I like to call her) story very closely.

In class, we were asked to write about something that was powerful to us in the book. I have very vivid images of Nuna's grandfather. I loved this character - his incredible strength and comparable fragility. I can picture quite clearly Nuna's mother taking down branches from grandfather's beloved pine tree and putting them in a wooden bowl next to his bed. She brought what he loved to him when he was unable to go outside.

Three days later, the grandfather dies. To me, the tree was totally symbolic of the grandfather himself. One represented the other so that, when one's existence was ended, so too was the other's. It is as if the tree had become a part of his identity, his entire being. Like when elderly couples who have been together for sixty years lose their spouse, many times they die within days - from heartbreak and from the vital connection that has been broken inside them.

After the grandfather dies, Nuna goes back into his room and touches his quill pins. She later wishes she can take them with her as she is fleeing her ravaged nation.

All of these images of the grandfather instantly pull at my heartstrings. I think of my own grandpa, a tiny, leathery man with a shock of white hair, a mischievous glint in his eye, and always a smile on my face. He always called me Emmy, a name that few have ever called me by. Even today when people say that, my heart stops for a moment. After he died, I remember going into his favorite room and just running my hands over his worn blue rocking chair. I sat down in the wooden rocking chair beside it and just stared at it for a while, willing my precious grandpa to be back with me. After a while I got up and sat down quietly in his chair, rocking back and forth, picturing him there. Nuna's relationship with her grandfather brought me back to this place.

What a great book - it piqued me on a personal level and conveyed amazing historical information that I had previously been in the dark about. Definitely a good read and definitely something I will put into my classroom. The quietness of the pages really drew me in.

Children's Lit Thoughts and Reflections

2009-03-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

I have to say that all of my friends make fun of me about blogging. My roommate won't shut up about it. Maybe it's the stereotype that only really emotional kids with a lot of anger and resentment toward the world blog. (And maybe, disregarding our class, that's true. I don't really know. I'm not that into it.) So whenever I say I have to go blog, my roommate always says, "Oh how modern of you." I think it's pretty funny.

I am fully confident, though, that I enjoy blogging about three thousand times more than I would like writing a paper. I feel like I have way more creative freedom in this medium - I feel more open to tell my real feelings about the book, even if they are pretty bad. (Check out the Lemonade Club review for further details.) And I feel less pressured in writing in perfect English and perfect grammar. Which gets me thinking about using blogging in my classroom someday. Yeah...maybe I'll do that.

I'm glad that this class is actually making me get into a library to read books that might appear in my classroom. I have always loved reading, but obviously I haven't read kids books since I was a little kid. It's good for me to have an idea of what books to put in my classroom library, what books are appropriate for certain subjects and themes. I'm glad I have an excuse to go out there and get my hands on some children's literature. (Not that I really needed one before - I would hope that teaching is a good enough excuse.)

I think one thing I need to work on, though, is looking at different genres and types of books. I am kind of stuck in a rut of similar books. I need to be a little more adventurous in my choices. Another thing I struggle with at times is which books to pick up. I could just do the totally random guess - but then I worry that I'm missing out on a different really good book. I might try looking at some book lists online or something - not sure yet.

Well, it's 6:39, time to go to class. (That's one unfortunate thing about this class - it's kinda late and it makes me miss my fav. show, 30 Minute Meals. But I TiVo it so it's all good.)

She Come Bringing Me That Little Baby Girl by Eloise Greenfield

2009-03-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

Last controversial book for this series of blogs and I have to say that I am not unhappy about that. They're making me think a lot harder about different perspectives - how people read into the words on the page and how they might find offense in them.

It was pretty easy for me to figure out how people might take offense to this book. The boy in this book really wanted a baby brother that he could throw the football with. When his family brings home a new baby girl, he is highly upset. In fact, to me, the book takes this emotion too far. The new brother talks about how ugly the baby is, how he hates her. He avoids her and despises the way she is adored by the rest of his family. To me, the extent of his dislike is just a bit too far. It takes one step over the line. It is natural for kids to feel upset about a new baby. I just did not like how upset this boy became.

The book did redeem itself, though, when the boy finally holds his new sister. He realizes that he cares about the new baby and that, even though she is a girl, she might be fun to have around. He might even be able to throw the football to her.

I don't know about this one. I can't tell if it is controversial to me or if I just did not like it... I guess either way, it won't be one I run out to buy.

Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole

2009-03-08T21:37:00.000-07:00

This is another book that probably will not be featured on my school bookshelf. Kids are definitely curious about where babies come from, which is a tough topic for adults to handle. I appreciate the humor in this book. It definitely would work to cut through the awkwardness. (And I'll admit I was laughing at the different ways these parents tried to tell their children about conception. My two favorites were "Sometimes dinosaurs deliver [the babies]" and that babies are found under rocks. It cracked me up.) If the book had stopped there, I would have loved it.

Of course, had it stopped there, it would have failed to address the issue at hand. The true parts of the book are also the parts I did not really like. Maybe I am still too immature to handle this topic, but I found myself cringing at the explanations. They became WAY too graphic in my opinion. The sentence "This fits in here" with an arrow pointing to...well, you can figure it out... really got me upset. I'm sorry, but that's just weird.

Of course, it continued to get weirder. I was taken aback by a page full of the parents in different sexual positions. No discussion about where babies come from with elementary school students needs to go that far. That is going way beyond the realm of that innocent question.

This book in two words: too far. Or: no thank you. (Whoops, that was three.)

The Un-Wedding by Babette Cole

2009-03-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

I have to say I am somewhat sitting on the fence about this one. Maybe this blog will help me figure out my true feelings for The Un-Wedding by Babette Cole.

My first read of this book left me feeling somewhat disturbed. I found it insensitive. As a child of divorced parents, I can say firsthand that divorce is usually not something to be celebrated. In my family, there were no cakes and definitely no parties involved in the entire process. Instead there were arguments and tears and awkward moments with new families and cold distances and families spread across the country. This seemed like an inappropriate way to depict divorce to children.

However, I also understand the necessity of showing kids that divorce is usually for the better for the families that endure it. There are obviously reasons for the separation. Hopefully it is bringing about a better situation for the family and, ultimately, good things can come from it. I have developed a good relationship with my step-mom and have gained three step-siblings. And it shows kids that the nuclear family is not the only kind of family.

I guess I just coming back to the word "still." Even though it does all of these good things...is that enough? I think I am starting to hop over the fence toward not being okay with this book. I cannot get past the portrayal of divorce as a happy, celebratory time. It is unrealistic and insensitive to the parties involved. This one won't be appearing on my shelf.

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman

2009-03-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

I was surprised to see Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman in our class reserved section of controversial and banned books. A text book in one of my other classes had mentioned this title before, talking about what a great book it was for kids. (I cannot remember the exact parameters of this description, but I recognized the title right away from hearing about it in my other class's text.)

The story is one that seems somewhat common. A young girl wants to be the lead in her school play - Peter Pan. However, she is quickly told that she cannot be Peter Pan because she is a girl. Seems ordinary enough. However, another kid chimes in, saying Grace cannot be Peter Pan because she is black. Here's where the controversy comes in. But is this really a controversy? I have a feeling it is something that comes up quite often, especially in classrooms full of young children who tend to be very literal. With kids, often what you see is what you get. The Disney portrayal of Peter Pan is a white cartoon character. To them, this makes the whiteness binding. If the book ended here, I could begin to understand why it was controversial.

But it doesn't. In fact, the book goes on to talk about Grace's portrayal as Peter Pan in the play. She perseveres past the doubt. She knows she has the right to be Peter Pan as much as anyone else, and she reaches her goal. I could see this book being read in elementary classroom as an example of the power of believing in yourself. Despite what other people may say, you can overcome great obstacles if you believe. That is the message I get from the book. Sounds like a good one to me.

Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting

2009-03-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

When I heard the title of this book, I thought it was going to be the story about the movie with the little girl and her father who teach geese how to fly south for the winter. I'm pretty glad it's not that, because I'm pretty sure that movie made me cry. But I was really surprised about what the story was actually about. It is told from the perspective of a young boy who is homeless. He has been living in the airport with his father for a while while they save up money for a place to live. The family knows other families in the same situation, traveling around different airline concourses in an attempt to remain unnoticed.

Again, I was confused about what is controversial about this story. I assume it is the homelessness. Is this a subject warranting silence from the school institution? There are undoubtedly students within the American school system who are homeless. Shouldn't this issue be addressed, then? I guess I just do not see how silence is helping the situation. I would hope schools could be open about issues their students are facing.

One thing that did bother me, though, about this book was the idea of invisibility. The boy and his father wanted nothing more than to be completely invisible within the airport. No one could know their names or that they were there. They had to be completely invisible in order to survive. This really made me uneasy. No one should have to go through life pretending they do not exist.

I have to admit, I am on the fence about this one - not about whether it should be allowed or not. I do not see a problem with it being in a school library. I just do not like it because of the invisibility factor. It upsets me to think that people live like that. Homelessness, though, is something that should be openly discussed in the school setting because it is an issue that resonates with a lot of kids.

The Misfits by James Howe

2009-03-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

If I went to Paintbrush Falls Middle School, I'm pretty sure I would be a misfit, because these are the kids I would want to hang out with. Bobby was absolutely my favorite. His thoughts and though processes were so honest and genuine. He was who he was and, although this made him vulnerable, he did not deny himself. He was so strong and such a strong character - it was fun to get into his head to see what was really going on in there.

James Howe's use of sarcasm throughout the book was really fun, too. I was laughing out loud about some of the things that came out of the characters' mouths.

There was a lot of talk about the gay stereotypes used for Joe's character. My teacher said something that I could not get past. As a gay seventh grade student, there are not really a lot of choices as to how to act. Joe is really caught in a tough position. He realizes that being gay is not something that is openly accepted - in his town, in his school, and by his peers. He is lucky and has friends and family that are willing to support him no matter what. He shows them his identity and knows that, ultimately, they will still be there. Sure, he talks about RuPaul and Madonna. He could be a little bit deeper. But I think for a gay seventh grade boy, this is pretty believable.

I am still struggling to figure out how this is a controversial book. It does include homosexuality. However, homosexuals are not aliens. They are humans beings. Sure, they may lead a lifestyle you might not choose to endorse. This is not an excuse to pretend they do not exist. This book has such a good message about being truthful to yourself. It would be a shame to withhold it from the classroom because of a homosexual character. Honestly, it is hard for me to believe that things like this are still an issue in America in the 21st century.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

2009-02-24T19:08:00.000-08:00

I love love loved this book. (That sentence was inspired by Jack.) Right away I had such a deep connection to Jack. I remember when I was in middle school, my language arts teacher would collect our writing assignments in a large stack. The next day, she would kneel down beside my desk and ask if she could read mine out loud. "Only if you don't say who it's by," I would always say. I did not want anyone knowing it was me. Even today, I feel much more comfortable openly expressing myself when I know my name is not attached to it. So Jack and I hit it off right away. I knew where he was coming from.

This book is really special to me not only because the story is the sweetest thing I have ever heard (seriously!), but also because my mom read it to me. Yep, my mom read me this book this last weekend when I was laying sick on the couch. I cannot remember the last time she read me a book. I'm sure it hasn't been since I was a little girl. But I would suggest it to all of you. Sit down with your mom and read a book. And, I would recommend it be this one. It is powerful and playful and funny and sad and heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once. My mom and I cried about Sky. We laughed at Jack's defeated remarks about poetry. It was a time we spent together that I really appreciate and will always remember.

And every time Jack said his dog was bark bark barking, my heart melted. I will most definitely have this book in my classroom when I am a teacher. More importantly, I will most definitely have this book on my shelf at home. Maybe even on my nightstand to keep it close.

Love love love.

long night moon by Cynthia Rylant

2009-02-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

Quiet. This book is a very quiet book, one to read snuggled in bed, toes wiggling, hushed voices, nightlight on. The pages are dark, done in sharp blues and deep blacks. The light of the moon reflects off snowy banks and spring flowers. Though birds are flying and raccoons bantering playfully across the pages, I feel calm. Even the tiny clicking of the keys as my fingers graze the keyboard seems a disruption to these quiet nights.

This book is really not what I expected it to be. There are no characters save the moon who changes with each month. In January he is the Stormy Moon, October the Acorn Moon, and finally, the Long Night Moon of December. "This is the faithful moon." And isn't that true? December nights are the deepest, fullest blacks and blues. The Earth seems to hold its breath; the land is hushed, silenced by a blanket of downy snow.

My favorite moon, though, is June's Strawberry Moon. The soft cursive script glows slightly pink, and the light of the fireflies mimics that of the moon. The moon, too, hints soft pink, peeking out from behind the trunk of a large tree. The illustrations are breathtaking. It is definitely one you should pick up and see.

I Wonder Why by Lois Rock

2009-02-24T18:35:00.000-08:00

If I ever need a book to introduce a science unit to elementary school kids, I will turn to this book. This is a book full of curiosity. It asks about clouds - why are they pink when the sun is yellow? It asks about rivers. Do they ever get tired and want to stop flowing? This book really makes the reader turn into himself to search for the answers. It made me question myself. What are my beliefs? Because the book offers no answers. There are only questions. The reader must find the answers in and of himself.

When I was reading this book, I imagined a group of kids from one neighborhood. Exhausted from running around all day in the hot, sticky summer heat, they finally slow down, collapsing on a bed of grass still smelling that freshly-cut smell. Their arms tucked behind their heads, they at first just lay there and simply be. The kids look into the sky and muse silently about the clouds drifting lazily by overhead. Each child sees his own image - a cat, a trumpet, shady tree drawn out in fluffy white, personal to only him. Finally the internal becomes external, one child sparking the timeless conversation about cloud shapes. "Do you see that one that looks like an umbrella?" "Umbrella! That's a kangaroo!"

This book is great because every question is open to interpretation. There is no prescription of what to see, no incorrect responses. You personalize the story as you see fit, just as the clouds whisp in marshmallowy shapes that only you can see.

A Lot of Otters by Barbara Helen Berger

2009-02-24T15:46:00.000-08:00

This story was very short and sweet. Our library has it marked for preschoolers, probably due to the short sentences on each page. However, the story was one you have to think about.

Mother Moon is looking for her "moonlet" child. On the page, we see a baby boy in a cardboard box, holding a book. I thought the baby was reading the book. Confusion number one. When the baby drops the book into the sea, some silly sea otters pick it up, reading it to one another as they swim along on their backs. The story is about Mother Moon, who has lost her moonlet. When she cries, her tears appear as stars. The otters dive deep down to the bottom of the sea and collect shiny bright stars from the ocean floor. When they bring them up to the surface, Mother Moon notices them and finds her baby. The baby she was looking for is the baby in the cardboard box, floating in the sea.

The illustrations in this book are awesome. She uses numerous blue colors for the sea, adding in tiny white bubbles and waves when the otters swim in it. The stars literally shine on the page. They make the page bright and enchanting. This was a fun book for young kids. It is one I would read before nap time, because the words are quiet and the moon is out.

William and the Night Train by Mij Kelly

2009-02-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

In my Block A class, we are talking about helping kids read more deeply into books. One way to help students get the most out of their literature is encouraging them to ask questions about the book. This book would be a good choice for scaffolding this process. I caught myself wondering, is there really a night train? Does William really think he is getting on a train? Or is he just asleep in his bed? Is this a one-time trip on the night train, or does William ride it every night? All of these questions would be fun to explore with children. It would be interesting to see if they read into the story literally or symbolically. What does the night train mean to them?

The story is a fun one for kids. The text rhymes, lightly dancing off the tongue. The tale follows William, who boards the night train amidst "zookeepers, shopkeepers, writers and fighters" and "babies in bundles" all searching for sleep. William, though, is wide awake. He wants to explore the train, crawling over the sleeping passengers, looking forward to tomorrow. Not only is the message fun, but the text itself is fun. The font varies in size and swirls around the page in the shape of the smoke emitting from the train's smokestack.

Just as the story was enchanting, so too were the illustrations. Though it is a story about nighttime and "sleepyheads," every page is filled with bright blues, yellows, and greens. Toward the end of the book, the illustrations start including fluffy white sheep. The first time through the book I did not realize their importance. Looking back, though, I know they arrive when William starts to finally feel the weight of sleep behind his eyes. Of course, sheep are traditionally counted by people to help put them asleep. They work even for wide awake William.

The Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco

2009-02-24T09:26:00.000-08:00

I would consider this book the literary equivalent of a slap in the face. The story itself is not so much of a slap - it is a childrens story about friendship and hope. So how can that possibly be a bad thing? Let me count the ways...

As I was reading this book, I found myself rolling my eyes. Right away, I became annoyed. The girls' fifth grade? (I might have made that up) teacher holds up lemons to her classroom every day before the bell rings for dismissal. "What do we do when life gives us lemons? We turn them into something sugary and sweet; lemonade!" she cheers. I am sorry, but if one of my teachers repeated this cliche, overly cheese-ified line every day, I might lose my mind. And perhaps this is the cynic in me coming out. Maybe I simply was unable to revert back to my fifth grade self while reading this book. Maybe if I were a fifth grader reading it, I would wonder why my teacher did not encourage us in this way. At this point, I just couldn't handle it.

There were two things that were even more upsetting to me about this book. One was Marilyn's (one of the young students) distress about her weight. As I was reading, I thought to myself, do kids this young worry about being five pounds heavier than their best friend? Because Marilyn looked no bigger than her friend in the illustrations. Is this really an issue suitable for students in fifth grade? A few extra pounds?

What was most disheartening to me about the book, though, was the relationship the two girls had with their teacher. The teacher talked to the girls about her fiance and personal life in a way that I thought crossed the line. When I was reading this book I was scribbling furiously in my notebook in response to this relationship. "Unprofessional!" I wrote. "The student/teacher relationship lines have been blurred!" "The teacher is in no position to share that kind of personal information with her students!" As a future teacher, it is very important to me that teachers have a close, trusting, and open relationship with their students. However, it is the teacher's responsibility to keep some sort of professional distance. Unfortunately, I think the professional boundaries were overstepped in this story.

You're probably still wondering how this could be considered a slap in the face. I wrote "unrealistic" in my notebook five times while reading this book, mostly in response to the student/teacher relationship. When I turned the last page of the book, though, guess what I found. A picture of the three real-life characters - two students and a teacher about whom this story was based. Whoops. I guess it is possible; obviously, it has to be, since this story happened. It just didn't come off as real to me.

It really was a story with good intentions. Unfortunately, I just was not able to believe it. This one probably will not appear in my classroom library.

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff

2009-02-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

Yes, I have chosen an "if you give a girl a gimmick" book, as my teacher would say. I can't help it - I'm in love. This book is the cutest thing in the whole world. Something about cats, my favorite animal in the whole world, and cupcakes (with sprinkles), my favorite food in the whole world, is completely irresistible to me. Come on. On the first page, the cat is flying in the air holding a cupcake in his tiny right paw - just complete elation. That cat is the happiest cat I have ever seen. It's great.

The first time I ever read this book was in front of two classes of completely hyper Kindergartners. I was there as an Iowa cheerleader and our mascot, Herky, was sitting criss cross applesauce on the carpet, poking fun at kids while I read. It could have been complete chaos. Anytime there is a giant, black and gold bird in the room adorned in football pads and jersey, there is the potential for stampedes, screaming, running, band-aids, pandemonium. I was lucky. Apparently I had chosen a good book. With thirty-some pairs of eyes upon me, (a few were still understandably hooked on Herky) I dove into the book.

The Kindergarteners and I followed a silly cat on his wandering dreams of cupcakes and swimtrunks on the beach, to kung-fu kitty and back all in the name of sprinkles and cupcakes. The story really reminded me a lot of the Stinky Face book I have already blogged about. Both are about imaginations running wild, one thing leading to another as the main character slides down a slippery slope of adventures until, finally, he makes his way back to home base. When I read the ending, "And chances are, if you give him some sprinkles..." I paused as I turned the last page. The kids all yelled "He'll want a cupcake to go with them!" before I could even open my mouth. Great story and audience participation all in one. Yep. I was in love.

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester

2009-02-17T19:07:00.000-08:00

Naturally my eye would be drawn to a book about a penguin named Tacky who wears a Hawaiian shirt. I was honestly laughing out loud during this book. Tacky's comparison to his penguin companions, appropriately named Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect is hilarious; they are polar opposites. The other penguins are shown gracefully diving into the ocean; Tacky, wearing a floaty tube, orange swim trunks, and a pink swim cap, is described as doing "splashy cannonballs."

"Splashy cannonballs" is an example of what I really liked about this book: the descriptive, action-packed language. The hunters approach with "maps and traps and rocks and locks, and they were rough and tough" and they "thump...thump...thump"-ed their way toward the penguins, "penguins" at one point spelled with five n's. This kind of text would be something really interactive for kids to read. It is a text that is easy to animate vocally. When I read it, I can hear how I would read it aloud to students, switching from deep timbres for the "thumps" to the nasally, tacky voice Tacky uses to chant, "What's happenin!" I cannot wait to sit down with a child and read this text aloud.

What is awesome about Tacky, too, is that he saves the day not because he is the coolest penguin in the pack. He saves the day because he has enough strength of character to behave in the way truly depicts himself. Tacky the Penguin gives value to the outliers in the classroom, the kids who march a beat of their own. It shows that these students are special in their own ways. They can be confident in who they truly are. Tacky was, and his differences become a cause for celebration. Differences are okay. In fact, they are the basis of this nation. Hurray for Tacky.

little blue and little yellow by Leo Lionni

2009-02-17T18:29:00.000-08:00

I think I have mentioned once (or probably, numerous times) that I would really like to teach Kindergarten. I love little kids and the curriculum for that age. One of my favorite things ever to talk to kids about is color. It is such a tangible thing for children. They can see the difference between reds and blues and greens. They know that the sky is blue... but then ask them if it is always blue and they discover that it can morph into greys and purples, blacks and pinks. And every kid has a favorite color. It's hard to strike out with little kids when you're dealing with color. It's usually always a winner.

This book was definitely a winner for me. Looking at the cover, I expected a watered down depiction of how two colors, in this case blue and yellow, can combine to create new colors, green here. I was so excited that the book went way beyond factual descriptions. The first page introduces the reader to little blue, a little blue circle. He lives at home with his parents, and he loves playing with his best friend, little yellow. The personification of the colors is so clever. They literally become alive, little blue and little yellow forming green when their colors melt together in the midst of a hug. This story kind of sneaks in the factual information behind the facade of a story about friends. It is a great "head fake" book. The kids would read this book because it is an enjoyable story, but they are digesting factual information at the same time.

One thing that I thought was really cute but overlooked was the character naming. "Little blue" and "little yellow" were so incredibly simple. I realized today that they are perfect names for Kindergarten to first grade aged children. I was volunteering today and two little girls, one in Kindergarten, the other in first grade, wanted me to play haunted house with them. I was going to be a ghost, the Kindergartner a vampire, the first grader a werewolf. When asked what our names would be, the Kindergartner replied, "Little ghost, little vampire, and little werewolf." Perfect. The names were such a small detail in the book, yet they were entirely suitable for the age range. Text-to-life connection? Check.

Ugly Fish by Kara LaReau & Scott Magoon

2009-02-15T21:41:00.000-08:00

I feel like most childrens' books always present things as being pretty - it is rare to find a picture book with something "ugly" as the main focus. Of course, I think Ugly Fish is really cute, but that's beside the point. "Ugly" caught my eye right away. And once I saw the picture of Ugly Fish, I was hooked. (Ha, no pun intended.) I brought the book home to read with my roommate who loves loves loves fish. He kind of resembles Ugly Fish in a way, too. :) I digress.

I knew this was going to be a good book for me right away. The dedication reads, "For all the ugly fish swimming around out there- you know who you are." Already smiling, I proceeded to open the book. I love love loved this book. The pictures were simple and funny. The text was simple and funny. There's nothing more perfect for kindergartners.

Ugly Fish is a book to have fun with. Even the text formating is fun and interactive for kids. It swirls around the page, following Ugly Fish as he chases Kissy Fish, mouth open wide, eyes focused on his delicious snack. The words are repetitive, making it easy for kids to follow and giving them a pattern to enhance beginning reading.

I think I hit the jackpot with this book. At the very least, it was perfect for my roommate. We really enjoyed reading about Ugly Fish. It is a fresh approach to dealing with bullying set in a context of humor and sooooo cute fish.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein

2009-02-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

The illustrations in this book were amazing. I have never seen so many shades of blue in my life. They transform the story, taking us from daylight to the tones of midnight blues and back again into the light blues of morning. It would be fun to go through them and name them fun crayon names with kids. The illustrations are also intriguing because they come from many different perspectives. We see the peoples' views from the ground, looking up hundreds of stories to see a man dancing in the middle of the air, framed by the moonlight. We also see what the man would see, looking down from the tallest of buildings with no net to save him, only the traffic below. Illustrations such as these show us the freedom the man describes feeling when he is in the air; we see that there are literally no boundaries. He is alone in the air, touching nothing but the thin rope between his feet. He has become a bird and we, as readers, have as well.

When I read this book, I was thinking about my trip to New York City. I must have been in fifth or sixth grade at the time. My family went over to Ellis Island and my aunt pointed out the towers when we were on the ferry. "They're called the Twin Towers," I remember Aunt Linda telling me. "But if you look closely, you can tell they're not actually the same size. One is taller than the other." I remembered thinking those two buildings were pretty spectacular. This book definitely had an emotional connection for me. It brought me back to that summer and the innocence with which I had looked at the towers. I would have never in my wildest dreams thought about those towers falling to the ground one day. This book is written from a voice of the same innocence. There is admiration not only for the incredible act performed between the two structures, but for the memory of the buildings themselves.

This book is elegant and adventurous. It was surprising and intriguing. I was amused when the judge sentenced the tightrope walker to performing his talent in the park. It made light of a potentially heavy situation. The book, like the blues meticulously painted throughout, was wistful and delicate and exciting. I loved it.

Two Old Women by Velma Wallis

2009-02-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

I started reading Two Old Women by Velma Wallis for my Native American literature class. It had never crossed my mind that the book might be appropriate for kids until my professor mentioned that it was actually written for children. There are a handful of pictures sprinkled throughout the 140 pages, and the the text is relatively large for an adult novel. Although the subject may be somewhat obscure for children, the themes running throughout are appropriate for all ages. As it mentions on the cover of the book, Two Old Women is a tale of "betrayal, courage and survival," all of which are accessible ideas for even young kids.

I was really intrigued from this story from the very beginning. Velma Wallis mentions in the introduction that it is a tale that had been passed down through time in her community; her mother had told it to her and she is forwarding it to her readers. Although it was dense with survival techniques and descriptions of the way of life on the land, I particularly enjoyed the communicative exchanges in the book. The Alaskan tribe in this book had been cultured to talk to each other singularly about events affecting their daily survival. There is a point in the middle of the book when the two women open up to each other under the guise of survival; however, they really open up the lines of communication on an emotional, affective level. Just as a reader, I felt an intense release at this point. I cannot imagine how the women felt after being bottled up for so long!

To me, Two Old Women is a replacement for Hatchet or Brian's Winter in the classroom setting. (Even though I did love both of those books when I was younger!) This has a similar facade of survival and strength. However, it simultaneously conveys messages of culture, pride, and friendship that might be lacking in the other books. I think it is intriguing, too, that this story has great importance in the Gwich'in culture. It would be fun for students to hear a traditional tale from this perspective. It is definitely a book around which a theme unit could be born.

Robot Dreams by Sara Varon

2009-02-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

My roommate was making fun of me the whole time, but I was CRACKING UP at this book. It was so funny! I'm not sure I really even know what it was that was funny - the illustrations, the situations the characters found themselves in, or the sound effect words that popped up throughout the novel. It was probably a combination of all three. Either way, I just loved this book.

There was such a strong feeling of companionship in this book. Dog has been searching for a friend for a long time. Finally, he builds Robot, and they are instant besties, if you will. They make popcorn together, tuck each other into bed, and perform moves synchronize swimmers would be jealous of. They are two peas in a pod.

Sadly, the book is also incredibly tragic. Dog is forced to leave Robot behind after he rusts on the beach. The duration of the book shows Dog and Robot dreaming about their long lost friend. I might not be doing this portion of the book, but trust me, it was tragic. I was really upset.

The fact that this book garnered such an emotional response from me is really telling of its quality. It is so easy to relate to the characters. Everyone wants to find that one friend you can make popcorn with and synchronize swim in the ocean with. Unfortunately, many of us also lose that friend. This just shows one way people might go about handling these points in life.

I would highly recommend this book to people of all ages. I'm telling you, I was laughing so hard during it. The next second, I was ready to cry. Maybe I'm just an emotional wreck. I would like to say I doubt it, though. I think this is just a great book. :)

Oops by Arthurt Geisert

2009-02-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

I am the most accident prone person I know. It's my combination of clumsy, awkward, and kind of spacey that really makes me prone to the most bizarre circumstances one could ever find herself in. I picked up this book simply based on the title. I knew immediately that I would have a strong connection to the book because "oops" - well, actually "oopsy" - is one of the most frequently used words in my vocabulary.

Fortunately for me, I have never been this unlucky. Everyone has heard of the phrase, "Don't cry over spilled milk." The family in this story has major reasons to disagree. One of the kids in the story innocently knocks over his glass of milk at dinner time. Rightly so, the family thinks nothing of it. Little do they know, this glass of spilled milk will probably cause major tears in the future. It leads to the complete destruction of their home.

I thought the premise for this story was really fun. It is imaginative and dramatic, so it is a blast for kids to see. Of course, the plot is so situational it makes the story completely out there. Had one object been moved slightly to the left or right, this disaster could have been avoided. That is something fun for kids to think about. In fact, my 20-year-old roommate still does this. He likes to make fun of the stupid situations I get myself into by going back and analyzing how the disaster could have been avoided had one small detail changed.

Oops is light and humorous. It is fun for kids (and adults) to allow their imaginations to wander into that "what if" place. What if a puddle of milk could really cause a house to be completely destroyed? Would milk be more expensive because it is incredibly dangerous? And would it have to be just milk? Would orange juice have the same effects or would they be lessened by the thinner beverage?

Could this happen to me?

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

2009-02-10T18:32:00.000-08:00

I thought this book was so cute! The cover got me right away, the big fat snowman with his tiny scarf and thin smile. I could feel the excitement of the young boy when he woke up to see snow falling outside his window. It is a feeling every kid can relate to; the first snow is the most exciting of the season! And the snowman is the ultimate outdoor activity in the winter.

I loved the snowman in this book because he is different from the stereotypical snowman. Instead of three giant snowballs composing his body, this snowman has real legs and arms. His nose is not made from the typical carrot. Instead, the young boy gave him an egg for a nose. These unique touches gave the book and the snowman a very personal feel.

While reading this book, I kept catching myself thinking about the last snowman my cousins and I constructed. Every winter, my whole family meets in Indianapolis to celebrate Christmas. My sophomore year in high school (my cousins were both in college at this time), it snowed a ridiculous amount. We loved it. It was the light, fluffy, airy snow - perfect for playing in. My two cousins, Erin and Megan, and I ran outside and built our own snowman. The rest of our family made fun of us for it because it took us hours (with little proof of that kind of effort) and we were "too old" for snowmen, but my cousins and I loved him. We took pictures and it never fails for one of us to bring our snowman up at Christmas time. Reading this book reminded me of the feeling you get, even as adults, while building a snowman. It instantly reverts you back to childhood. I think it's time my cousins and I construct the next version of our snowman.

A Boy, A Dog, and A Frog by Mercer Mayer

2009-02-10T13:06:00.000-08:00

Mercer Mayer was one of my favorite authors as a child. His critters were always my favorites. This book, like the ones I was familiar with as a child, also incorporates a friendship with animals. In it, a young boy and a dog set out on a journey to capture frogs. They see a big, fat frog sitting atop a lily pad and set off running to catch him in their net. They are unprepared for the playful frog's cunning nature and skill at escaping their grasp. When the boy and his dog finally give up and head for home, the frog joins his new friends.

This story is really a prime example of a tale that can be told without the use of words. The facial expressions of the boy, the dog, and the frog show every emotion, every feeling and thought. Words would only detract from the subtlety of the book and its messages.

A Boy, A Dog, and A Frog is a simple tale about a boy and his adventure with his dog and frog. It is very light-hearted and playful. This book is most appropriate for young children - the plot is simple and the progressions from scene to scene are easy to understand. This book would be great to use with children who are not yet able to read as well as kids who are not confident in their reading skills. Putting a book in their hands can show them that reading can be fun and, perhaps more importantly, that they have the ability to read a book. A teacher can remind them that this book, though it has no words, requires reading skills.

The Red Book by Barbara Lehman

2009-02-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

The cover of this book is very indicative of what lies beneath. There appears to be no title, not even an author's name. There is no background. The only thing we see is a young girl running, to where we are unsure. She is carrying a red book, why we do not know. Much is left to our imaginations. We must fill in the blanks ourselves. Since The Red Book contains no words at all, we must continue to fill in blanks as we go along.

The Red Book's plot is very simple and easy to follow. This makes the book very appropriate for young kids. However, the same fact also makes it appropriate for older students as well. They can put their own spin on what is happening in the pictures. They might imagine an exact location for the island of the boy with the matching red book. They might even come up with a name for the island. They are able to determine why it is that the girl decides to leave her normal life to see the young boy and how much time has elapsed in their relationship. The pictures are simple and step by step. This offers young readers an easy understanding of the book and leaves plenty of room for an open interpretation by more advanced readers. In fact, the ending of the book is not really an ending at all. The reader must decide what happens with the magical red book and its new owner after they close the book.

The Red Book is imaginative and fun for readers of all ages. Like the girl in the story, it allows you to fly away on a balloon, using your imagination to interpret the story and personalize it to suit what you believe is happening and why.

You Can't Take a Balloon Into the Metropolitan Museum by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman and Robin Preiss Glasser

2009-02-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

When I heard the title of this book, I knew I wanted to read it. There's something about little kids and balloons - adventures are sure to follow such a vulnerable couple closely. Of course, reading is used loosely in this situation, since there is no text in the book; occasionally a word on a sign pops up, but I hardly think that counts. Illustrations instead tell the story, a whimsical tale that follows the balloon's flight through the city. More and more interesting characters join the chase for the balloon while the balloon's owner explores the Metropolitan Museum with her grandma.

The illustrations in this book were fantastic. Every page was incredibly detailed, down to the varying expressions on passersby and the landscape of the city. Most pages are primarily in black and white. The only colors are those of the balloon and its pursuers at the time. This helps the reader focus on the story being told. The paneling in the book, as in graphic novels, shows the plot progression, also organizing the tale.

What is especially intriguing about the book is the relationship between the balloon's adventure and the works of art the girl is seeing. This hints at a relationship between art and real life - perhaps that art indeed functions as a mirror of real life. The book incorporates real pictures of statues and paintings, all of which are viewed at the same time something similar is happening in the balloon's journey.

The lack of words in this book does not inhibit the plot. In fact, it allows the reader to be more imaginative in his or her telling of the story. He can make up what he wants the girl's name to be, what the dialogue may be, and what his truths are. The story was imaginative and fun and allows the reader to be imaginative and have fun.

Burning Up by Caroline B. Cooney

2009-01-31T16:12:00.000-08:00

When I was in middle school, one of my teachers recommended I read Caroline B. Cooney. "She's a great author," I remember my teacher saying. Her favorite Cooney book? Burning Up. I picked up the book back then and, reading it years later, some of the words jumped off the page that I still remember from back then. What I remembered about the book was one thing but what was most important about this book was what I had forgotten.

Burning Up is a book told from two teenagers' perspectives. The two teens, Macey and Aus, go to school in a wealthy white town in Connecticuit. When volunteering in the neighboring town, the teens run into fiery racism they thought only existed in the deep south. Not only has racism segregated the two neighboring town, Macey discovers it is also haunting her own town, friends, and family. While I remember reading the book, I had completely forgotten that the book was all about discovering racism and one girl striving to overcome it.

This is another great book to incorporate in a multiculturally friendly classroom. It is such a serious misconception today that racism only exists in the south - or worse, no longer exists in the United States at all. Burning Up unwaveringly challenges these assumptions. It sets extreme racism in a wealthy northern backyard, proving that discrimination and hate are not geographical phenomenons. They do not stop at a border, residing only in the south. Burning Up is a great book for upper middle school students to read in a multiculturally friendly environment.

Runaway Mittens by Jean Rogers

2009-01-30T21:03:00.000-08:00

So far, Runaway Mittens by Jean Rogers is my favorite childrens' book of the five I have read for class. I definitely see myself including this book in my classroom library when I am a teacher. Most importantly to me, Runaway Mittens would be perfect in a multicultural classroom. The story is about a young boy named Pica who lives with his family in the far north. His world is much different than what students in Iowa are probably accustomed to. Pica's family goes ice fishing in the story, the pictures showing them carrying long spears and dressed in heavy winter parkas. A new culture is represented in the story and, while students may notice the differences between cultures, they may also notice the similarities.

One thing that really stuck out to me during this story was this culture's apparent value of family. Pica's grandmother knits a pair of bright red mittens for him, the nicest mittens he has ever known. Grandmother knits the mittens out of her love for her grandson, and she promises him she will make him a new pair when he is older. Pica's reverence for his mittens is a sure sign of his devotion to his grandmother. Pica and his sister, Etta, also have a close relationship. Etta helps her younger brother look for his mittens when they have run away from him. Finally, the entire family goes out ice fishing together. It is easy to infer that this is an incredibly close family unit and that this is the norm in this culture.

This is a great book for all picture book level readers. The pictures are beautifully painted in warm hues. The pages are short, so it is appropriate for very young readers. However, the story is light and fun, making it suitable for readers of many ages. The multiculturalism is present but sets up no barrier - Pica and his family are very relateable in this wonderful story.

I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt

2009-01-30T19:39:00.000-08:00

One of the teachers I worked closely with mentioned once that she had been reading "Stinky Face" stories to her son before bed. She recommended the books to me, so I was excited to give this one a try. I was not disappointed.

Stinky Face is a boy with a vivid imagination. In this book, Stinky Face's mom is trying to put him to bed. As many little kids do, he decides he is not yet ready to bed and tries his hand at stalling. He happens to do a great job. Stinky Face comes up with funny situations to test his mother's love - and perhaps to see how long he can push back his bedtime. The situations become more and more far-fetched, yet the mom's love never wavers. Finally, Stinky Face is ready for bed.

This is a really fun book. It is imaginative and playful - definitely fun for kids. Author Lisa McCourt writes very suitably for young children, incorporating monsters with one eye and big fangs in a book that simultaneously speaks to the concept of unconditional love. The kids think they are listening to a fun story, yet important concepts are being conveyed at the same time.

I will definitely be looking for more Stinky Face books in the future.

Bebe's Bad Dream by G. Brian Karas

2009-01-30T18:58:00.001-08:00

Color seems to play a major role in my choices for childrens' books. Once again, color drew me to picking up Bebe's Bad Dream and rifling through its pages. I was amazed by the illustrations. I have never seen such a colorful book. Its contrast between the cheery, brilliant colors during the story's daytime and shadowy, flashlight nighttime is really interesting to see. The pictures look like something a young child would draw in art class or doodle on the side of his notebook, making it somewhat more playful and consequently, something kids can relate to very easily. The illustrations carried this story to the next level for me.

While I was reading the book, I kept catching myself imagining how I would read it out loud to a group of kids. It would lend itself nicely to an oral reading in an early classroom. There are numerous opportunities where the teacher would be able to stop and check for understanding in a covert kind of way. "What do you think will happen next?" seemed a very fitting and fun question during the book. This allows the teacher to ensure that the students are engaged with the story and gives the kids a chance to use their imagination while simultaneously testing for comprehension. While reading aloud, I would also be sure to develop very distinct character voices. Bebe, her annoying brother, and her mom are all very different from one another, thus presenting an easy opportunity to make the reading exciting orally.

Bad dreams seemed to be a major topic during my childhood. In school, we were always encouraged to discuss and write about our bad dreams. Bad dreams, then, are a very suitable topic for young kids. This story shows kids that they can overcome them. This would be a fun one to keep in the classroom library.

Piggybook by Anthony Browne

2009-01-27T17:38:00.000-08:00

I picked up Piggybook from the bookshelf because the drawing of the family looked familiar, like a Christmas ornament I had seen once was designed after these people. Their rosy cheeks and thin, curvy mouths rang a bell. I was amused by the illustrations throughout the book. The author/illustrator, Anthony Browne, begins to slowly sprinkle in more pigs and pig related artifacts with every turn of the page. This would definitely be fun for kids to explore.

This book looks at the life of one family appropriately named the Piggotts. Every day when Mr. Piggott and his sons wake up, they expect Mrs. Piggott to make them breakfast and send them out into the world while selflessly staying behind to clean up their messes and make them dinner. Finally, Mrs. Piggott has had enough and does not wait on her family, who gradually turn into pigs complete with hooves and tails.

Unfortunately, I had lukewarm feelings at best for this book. The Piggotts certainly learn to become more self-sufficient, however there was nothing particularly exciting about the book. I was unable to make any real connection to any of the characters - nothing drew me into wanting to know more about their lives or even, really see a change (except to give their poor mother a break).

Though it was not my favorite story, I do see how Piggybook could be utilized in the classroom. If students had a reputation for not cleaning up around their areas, especially following art projects, a teacher may read this book to show her students that she is not responsible for cleaing up after them. Pretty soon, she may stop all together and her classroom would become filled with pink snouts and curly tails - this could be a friendly and fun reminder for younger students to clean up.

Piggybook could also potentially be used around the time of Mother's Day or when entering a family unit. It can open up a discussion about what parents and loved ones do for us that we normally take for granted.

Piggybook by Anthony Browne was just okay for me. Yet the pictures were fun and it could definitely be used to teach students a lesson about personal responsibility.

School Days by B.G. Hennessy

2009-01-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

School Days first attracted my attention on a library shelf jam-packed with countless rows of playful titles dancing on the cover of books colored enchanting pinks and greens. Its simplicity was its main selling point. The title, as simple as could be: School Days. The cover is colorful and busy, yet charmingly looks like it was drawn from the hand of a child (or someone who works very closely with a child).

The story itself is also simple. Written in the format of a poem, this story is more or less description of the physical school environment and all of the things that go on within the school's walls. From circle time to recess to fire drills, this book cheerfully rhymes about many situations that happen in schools across the nation. In this way, I was able to really connect with the book on an emotional level. It brought me back to my days in early elementary school that were incomplete without my classmates bringing in their favorite toys for show and tell and brightly lit classrooms with students' artwork covering the walls.

School Days seems to be most appropriate for students in the beginning stages of their school experience - most likely for Kindergarten to first grade. It would be very successfully used at the beginning of the year when students are just starting the school year and are not quite sure what adventures await them. It could also be used as a good finale (if you will) for the school day - a summary of what was covered and what will come. The book ends at the end of the school day with,

"Now it's time for school to end
Say goodbye to all your friends."

Luckily, the students know they will be back tomorrow.