Final Class Reflection

I have really enjoyed this class. It wasn't at all what I expected but I have gained more from it than I anticipated. I have learned not only what types of books I enjoy for children but also how to determine what is good children's literature and what makes it good. I have learned many ways to analyze and even criticize literature for children. The projects we have worked on throughout the semester have also be very beneficial to me. I have gained new insight to poetry, graphic novels, wordless books, and many other types. I have a new appreciation for literature for children. There is more to it and more depth than I ever gave it credit for. I have a new boundary as well as to what I consider children's literature.
Even though I am not an education major, I have learned many good things about the education system through this class. I really had to change some of my thinking to cater to the thought process of future teachers. In this way it has been challenging to me. I also am enjoying the process of the final text set that we are compiling. I am finding it interesting to look deeper into how and why I would choose and teach about certain topics. I am excited to hear other's opinions in this area as well.
I came into this class needing it only for an elective to fulfill a credit and came out of the class gaining so much more than that.

Once I Ate a Pie

When I saw this book I immediately asked myself who this book would appeal too. I figured little boys love dogs and what better way to get boys interested in poetry other than poetry about dogs. And the picture on the front is pretty darn cute. I love that this book has different fonts and sizes for different words making emphasis on certain things. I also love all the names for the dogs in this book. Every poem in this book captures the true identity of each dog. The illustrations all capture it as well. The are beautiful pictures. I love the puppy picture where it looks like the paw prints are smeared all over the page. But I have to say my favorite poem in the book is "Mr. Beef" because I think it is hilarious that at the end is says, "Once I ate a PIE".

Orangutan Tongs

What child doesn't enjoy a good tongue twister. Well this book is full of them and even I enjoy them. I like the fact that these are not really well-known tongue twisters. This makes the book interesting because you really have to think to get the rhyme correct. The tongue twisters are about a lot of random things. My favorite one is about the undies. I think children would love the fact that the book talks about undies. This book is probably closest to what I used to think of as poems, rhyming.
The only thing I didn't really like about this book compared to some of the other poem picture books I have read is that it really doesn't tell a story. Also the illustrations aren't my favorite. The are a little plain and appear a little sloppy.

Shoe Magic

What another wonderful book by Nikki Grimes. This collection of poems is about children trying on different shoes which makes them imagine they are different things. I love the idea of this because all children have imaginations that just don't stop. I think that shoes is a great way to get those different directions to their thinking. In their shoes they can be anything they want or go anywhere they want. My favorite poem in this book is the one titled "Here Come the Clowns". This is a cute poem that vividly describes a clown.
The illustrations in this book are also very good. I love the fact that the shoes are emphasized so much. In every picture the feet are abnormally big, drawing your attention to them even more. The people look almost like cartoon characters because of the disproportional body parts.

Looking for Jaguar

I have to start off by talking about the pictures in this book. They are absolutely gorgeous. The paintings are so life-like. The main color used in this book is green, depicting the jungle. But somehow the other colors that are used are so vibrant against the different shades of green. The animals and flowers and plants are so real looking.
The book is a collection of poems about animals and plants in the jungle. The are very clever and informative. My favorite is the "Rainbow Lorikeets" poem. There is so much movement and sound in the poem. The poem is about birds and their lifestyle. It is amazing that information about what they eat and how they live can but put into such a short poem.
The last thing I liked about this book was in then back, there is information about each animal and plant written about in the poems. There is also a write up about the rain forest in general. I think this was a great idea. Not only is it very informative for the reader but the poems are enjoyable as well as the illustrations.

Danitra Brown Leaves Town

What a lovely story of two best friends. The summer has begun and they will be split. Danitra leaves to visit her family. The book is about their summer without each other. The two girls write letters back and forth about their summer adventures. They are in the format of poems in the book. I think this makes the book so much more interesting. My favorite poem is the last one titled "Home Again". This is when the two girls are reunited. It is a short and simple poem but expresses so much. I feel like it was a very good poem to conclude their summer apart. The illustration on this page also makes the poem better. It is the two girls embracing.
The illustrations overall are very good. I am not sure how they were done but they add so much to the poems which leave a lot of room for imagination. I also love the fact that this book is a different race other than Caucasian.

Love That Dog

I never thought that I was a fan of poetry. But this book opened my eyes to a new way of reading and appreciating poetry. This was a quick read but had so much power. I could completely relate to the character in this book. I had all the same questions and concerns about poetry. I feel like the child really developed throughout the book along with his poetry. I feel that the way the teacher responded to his poetry, by putting it up on the wall and suggesting he send it to the author, was very encouraging to the boy. I think that the way the poems he wrote related back to poems that were taught in class, which were actually someone else's poems, was a great idea. I loved that the poems were in the back of the book for me to refer back to because I am not familiar with poetry. I don't think that it is likely that the author would show up to the classroom like what happened in the book. But I really enjoyed that part of the story and thought that it added a lot to the plot. I also think that the activity we did in class, reading the poems aloud with different voicing, made the poems come alive. I went back to the book after that class and reread some of the book. I got a lot more out of the story the second time when I read it slowly and added some other emphasis. Great book! I would definitely use this to help introduce or explain poetry to any younger child.