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.

Year of Impossible Goodbyes

This book was a great companion of the book 'So Far From the Bamboo Grove'. I think that the two books show the two sides of the war perfectly. I have gotten the feeling that there is no enemy in these books, only victims and survivors. I enjoyed the courage of the character in this book. I felt that she was a believable example of what a young girl in this time period would be like. I think that the story line was probably more believable than the story line of 'So Far From the Bamboo Grove'. But I think that I enjoyed 'So Far From the Bamboo Grove' better. I feel like it gave me more excitement and overall emotions than this book. I do not want to take anything away from this book though. It was also very good. I loved the end of this book when the two children were struggling to get past the fence. I feel like this one scene depicted their entire struggle throughout the entire book. They were working so hard to get to that one point to set themselves free. I was really disappointed to find out that Aunt Tiger and Kisa were killed because of their activity in trying to save the people. But I guess that is what actually happened during this time. Overall I liked this book and I feel like the way the two books were presented and read in the text set format was a great idea. It added to the feeling of the books.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove

I have to say that this is one of the saddest books I have ever read. This is a story of a little girl named Yoko and her Japanese family's journey to leave Korea to be safe. There are certain parts of this story that stick in my mind. The first is being told that you have to leave your home right now. I don't even know what I would pack because you have to carry it all. I cannot imagine leaving my brother either. Not only did they have to leave but they were put on a hospital train with wounded people. Those would be the most undesirable conditions of all. The other thing that sticks out in my mind is when they need to shave their heads, tape down their breast, and wear dead soldiers' clothing to save themselves from being raped or killed. These girls and their mother had a difficult journey to get to Japan including no food or having to dig in garbage to have something to eat. The last thing that put me over the edge was when Yoko's mother died in her arms. I cannot even imagine how I would handle myself in that situation.
The book wasn't a complete sob story though. In the end the Yoko and her sister, Ko, find some nice people who allow them to live on their property, they go to school, and have different jobs to help them make money. They are surviving. In the end their brother returns to them. This was a very happy ending but I wished that it could have ended with her father returning as well.
This book is not only informational and historical but it is also entertaining and perplexing. I couldn't put it down. I think it would be a great way to introduce history to children as well just like we are doing in class. It is a big contrast to give them one side of the story and then the opposing side of the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested but would recommend that they brush up on the situation between the Japanese and Koreans before starting the book.
One last thing is that I love how the title is so fitting because they are far from their original home located in the bamboo grove, so far away from normal and safety.

No dessert forever!

I absolute adore this book! This book begins with no text. A little girl is playing with her doll and her little brother sneaks up on her and scares her. She accidentally knocks over a lamp and her mother comes in from the other room to scold her. She gets upset because it is not her fault and she is the one to get into trouble. This is an all to common and familiar situation. So the story goes on to show that the little girl starts to treat her doll like her child and scolds her just like her mother has scolded her before. I really like that the text is in voice bubbles too. As the story continues the doll gets smaller and the little girl gets bigger. The one picture that is also used for the cover is the little girl yelling so loud at the doll that all the toys are blowing away. Then the mother sees the little brother coming back to scare the girl again but the mother catches him this time. Now the mother scolds the little boy and the little girl becomes happy. She tells her doll that she will never get mad at her again. The closing page is the little girl hold her mother's hand walking out of the living room. I absolute think this story is great. The illustrations are water-painted and they make the story. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good book to read. The overall idea of the book is great and I enjoyed this book a lot.

Salt in His Shoes

Everyone knows who Michael Jordan is. Well this is a story of his childhood told by his mother and sister. Michael loved playing basketball with his older brothers and their friends but he was a lot shorter than them. This bothered him and he asked his mother how he could grow taller. She didn't know how to answer this but was cooking dinner so replied by telling him to put salt in his shoes and pray. Michael's father also had a conversation with him to tell him that he needed practice and determination and being taller would only help a little bit. The story continues to talk about his success on the courts in a park and how that determination lead him to the success he has had. I think that any young boy who is aware of Michael Jordan or not can use this story to inspire them. This is a good story to help teach children that if you put your mind to it and if you want it bad enough, you can achieve it.
The illustrations look like they could be right out of a cartoon. But my favorite is that on the first page it is young Michael going up with the ball in his famous pose and the last page is older Michael in the same pose. I think this is a great book and that many children could learn a lot from this success story.

Pastry School in Paris

So this book is about twins who go to Paris and attend a baking school. I wasn't too impressed with the story. The twins in the story end up saving this woman by making their famous brownies. I was bored with the book and the illustrations. The only thing I thought was good about the book was that it was teaching children measurements. At the end there was even a note to parents and teacher to give them ideas about teaching measurements. Other than that I was not impressed.

Luther's Halloween

Luther is a triceratops and this is his first Halloween. His friend dresses up like a werewolf and he dresses Luther up as a pirate. They go out trick-or-treating and Luther gets scared of some of the costumes. But when one boy, who is dressed as Dracula, starts stealing people's candy, Luther gets brave. Luther scares the Dracula to get back everyone's candy. I think this story is cute for a young child just learning the concept of Halloween. I like the fact that Luther is a dinosaur but yet he is dressing up for Halloween with human children. I think children will really like the simple lessen behind this book.
The pictures are as pretty good. They are bright and have simple but yet good quality about them. I think it is difficult to illustrate children in costumes but this is done very tastefully.

Peter's Pockets

This book would be a good story for a new reader. The text is simple and the story doesn't require any additional thinking outside what is stated in the text. The story is about a boy who gets a new pair of pants but the pants don't have any pockets. So on his journey with his uncle, he has to put all his new treasures that he has found in his uncle's pockets. When they get home, the mother sews on pockets from random things around the house. Now the boy has enough pockets to put all his treasures in.
The pictures are also simple. They are all in a box and are done in colored pencil. Definitely a bit dull. This is probably not a book I would read to a child or read again for that matter.

School Picture Day

First off I want to say that the name Josephina Caroleena Wattasheena the First is comical. This story is a cute little tale about a very curious girl. She fidgets with mechanical stuff to figure out how things work. But everything she messes with ends up making a mess out of her classmates. Today happens to be school picture day and Josephina has ruined everyone's picture outfits by getting oil on them, water on them, and many other things. But when the photographer's camera breaks the only one who can fix it is Josephina. The words that are used are fun and I think that children would like to hear them.
The illustrations in this book are pretty good. They are all over the place and I like that. They are just one scene landscape type pictures. There are small little pictures all over the pages showing different people in different situations. I think that makes it interesting and that it would grab the attention of the children reading the book.

The Night Eater

What a great bedtime story! I think this book is adorable and would be a great story to read to any child right before bedtime. This book tells the story of the 'night eater' who follows the moon eating away the night sky so that the sun can come out. After a comment made by the moon about night eater gaining weight, he decides not to eat anymore. This causes problems for everyone. People start seeing nocturnal animals and plants start dying. Night has lasted so long that night eater has forgotten why he has stopped eating the night sky. So he begins eating again and everything returns to normal.
The idea of this is so abstract and the illustrations depict that perfectly. I love the fact that the night eater is wearing a night cap and pajamas. The illustrations are gorgeous though and the colors are so vibrant. I love how the pictures distinguish night and day by using warm and cool colors. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone!

Dancing Larry

So this is not my favorite book. Apparently this is a part of a series of stories about this bear named Larry. In this book Larry wants to dance at ballet class but the teacher says that nears are not allowed. So he makes his own dance production. I am not a fan of this book. This could be because I haven't read any other books in the series but I feel like this is a boring and somewhat confusing book. Children may enjoy the book but I feel like the names are hard to pronounce and it is hard to follow the plot line. There is also no climax either.
The pictures are just ehhh too. I am not impressed but I am not disgusted either. I will think twice though next time I see a book about a polar bear named Larry. Not my style.

Snake Alley Band

This book is clever. It is about a snake who is in a snake band. I thought this was creative because of the noises that animals make is now being considered a band. Anyways the little snake believes that the snake band is getting a little monotonous and suggests to the snake bandleader that they should recruit different animals to help the band out. The bandleader gets mad and kicks the little snake out of the band. So the little snake makes his own band with other animals. I think this book would be fun to read to a child because of the fun sounds the animals make. It makes the story more interesting. I think that any young child would like to listen to this story.
I think the illustrations were a little boring. They were colorful but I thought they seemed a little sloppy. Overall it is a good book and would probably only recommend this book for reading to children or to be read aloud.

The Magic Rabbit

I absolutely LOVED this book!! The story is about a boy magician and his assistant who is a rabbit. The boy is performing his magic on the sidewalk when someone bumps into him and the rabbit gets lost. The book goes on to show the rabbit looking for the magician and the magician looking for the rabbit.
My favorite part of the book though was the illustrations. They are all in black and white except for the 'magic'. The star on the magician's wand is yellow and all of his magic is in yellow. As the magician is looking for his rabbit some of the yellow stars are falling from his wand which is how the rabbit ends up finding the magician. I love the theme of the yellow which follows into the end pages and also the title on the cover of the book.
I feel like any child would love this book for the fact that most kids are fascinated with magic and the illustrations a good enough to keep an adult entertained. I would suggest this book to anyone looking for a picture book!

My Author

The author I chose was Tom Birdseye. I really wanted to pick an author that I wasn't really familiar with. I looked at his website, http://www.tombirdseye.com/, and decided that he looked very interesting. I love the fact that he talks about how he never liked school and was a horrible writer and speller. Now he is an accomplished writer who travels to tell his story and to give writing tips. I thought his website was very informative and well laid out. I like the fact that you can read about each one of his books including his inspiration, awards the book has won, and a passage straight out of the book. I feel like Birdseye is a very interesting person who enjoys the outdoors and writes his books more toward the male population. I think this is great because boys are usually more difficult to get into reading.

I read his novel "Tarantula Shoes". This book was a typical book for any child, geared more towards boys. The boy in the book moved to a new town and is going to begin junior high. This in itself is scary enough but now he has to be at an entirely new school. The story is about him wanting a specific pair of shoes. He believes that these shoes will help him be cool at his new school. I think all children can relate to this situation in one way or another. Trying to fit in and be 'normal' seems to be the goal of the majority of children. I think that Birdseye captured real emotions for his readers in this book.

I also read his "Soap! Soap! Don't Forget the Soap!" book. This was an adorable book about a boy who is forgetful. I feel like children will find this book humorous and it enjoy it. I did of course. The poor boy gets himself into some trouble because he cannot remember what his mother sent him to the store for. The story plays out nicely and he remembers why he is there. I think children of all ages will appreciate the quirky nature of this book. The illustrations are also quirky. They provide a great image for the reader to supplement the story.

Another book I looked at was 'Under Our Skin'. This is a nonfiction book about different children and their stories. This book is very interesting and sheds good light on different races. I think that it is a very informational book and a good way to address the topic of race with children. For enjoyment purposes, maybe not so much. The book does have great photos though. I think that this topic is a good one to address and that this is a good way to do it.

The last thing I wanted to mention about Tom Birdseye was that I enjoyed reading this interview with him, http://writingforchildren.suite101.com/article.cfm/an_interview_with_childrens_author_tom_birdseye

The Class So Far.....

So far this class has been a great experience. I wasn't sure what I expected from the class being a Speech and Hearing major. Up to this point though, I have nothing but good to say about the class. I really like the format of the class. I enjoy actually reading children's literature instead of reading about children's literature. I think it is a great way to learn. I also feel like blogging about it has really developed my thought process as I am reading the material.
I think that the genre project was also a great learning experience for me. Not only did I learn some great things about my genre but it was good to see everyone's handouts and presentations.
I guess the only thing that has been a little be difficult for me is relating what we are learning to actual classroom environment because that is not what I am studying. I feel like that doesn't come as natural to me as it does to the others in the class.

Anticipation Guide: So Far From The Bamboo Grove

If you were forced from your home, and could only take with you things that you
could carry on your back, what would you take?

"What a beautiful costume you are wearing."

How far would you go to survive?

"Are you a boy or a girl?"

How would you feel if the one stable, strong thing in your life was taken away suddenly?

"Bu Un Cho Kyu" (Good Luck in War)

Autumn O

Emily A

Sarah T

The Misfits

Wow. What a great book. It's hard for me to grasp the reason why this book is on the controversial list. I think this is such a great book for children who are at the stage in school where groups and cliques begin to arise. I feel like this book can give hope and inspiration to anytime of child whether they be in the "misfit" group or not.
The characters in this book are so real to me. I feel like I could change the name of each and every character to someone I know personally. Their personalities are so lifelike and so easy to relate to. I love how this group of friends isn't the average cookie cutter type of children that we normally read about in this type of literature. I love that they have their flaws and that it is easy to recognize and easily pointed out. But I also love how they use each others weaknesses to their advantage by substituting someone else's strength. I love how throughout the whole book I thought for sure that Addy was going to be the president just because of her attitude. Come to find out that she wasn't elected and she didn't even give the presidential candidate speech. I could go on and on about the parts that I liked.
One last thing that I wanted to comment on was the idea of Joe being homosexual. I know this is why some controversy has come up about the book but I don't think that Howe was flambouant about the way he presented it. I feel like he presented Joe as a strong willed and very intelligent boy who was only trying to be himself. I really did feel sorry for him when 'fagot' ( yes with one g) was written on his locker. He never missed a beat though. He jumped right back at the person who wrote it with a comeback. He never hung is head about it. I feel like this book has a lot of important lessons for children to learn and is able to help them through a difficult time in their lives. I definitely will keep this book in mind for the future.

Smoky Night

Let me start by saying these illustrations are gorgeous. I love the fact that the colors are so not the expected shades of what is being shown. The people are blue and purple which are definitely not real colors of people. But it doesn't matter. Any of these events could happen to anyone of any color.

There are things in this book that make me sad though. The characters don't go into Mrs. Kim's market because they need to buy from their own people. This is disturbing to me. But the fact that their cats bring them together is priceless. I think this is symbolic of in the time of crisis and chaos it doesn't matter who you are, your skin color, the language you speak, or anything else. The two cats were huddled together for safety. And then the two cat owners come together.

The riots caused havoc in this town. Which is a part of history, has been and will be. I don't understand why this is a controversial book. Apparently there is violence but the underlying meaning is that people from different backgrounds may look different on the outside but on the inside they are the same. They have the same fears and they have the same responsibilities to their families. I think this is a great story about the two people finally coming to accept one another. Too bad it takes a riot to make them realize.

This is such a sad story. I cannot believe that anyone could do this to another person. It is such a shame that people have to endure this type of ridicule and pain just because of the color of their skin. I feel for the big brother in this book as well because he feels responsible for keeping his little sister safe and there was nothing he could do. I also can relate to the little girl never wanting to leave her room. But the triumph that occurred when her friends showed up to support her was a 180 degree turn. I definitely wouldn't have guessed that. I like how the story ended that they overcame this horrible event and have grown from it.

The illustrations are great. I can see these characters being turned into a cartoon. The pictures show more than the texts lead on. The brother has a black eye as well which you wouldn't feel as sorry for him if the pictures didn't lead you there. I don't think this book should be so controversial. I think it is necessary to get these stories out there for children to learn from and to know what is right and wrong and that both occur in this world. I feel that the ending of persevering makes this book one of my favorites.

Daddy's Roommate

I read the first line in this book and about died! I love that it started off with a divorce. The divorce rate is so high right now that I find it inevitable that we share this information with children. Even if the child's parents are divorced, they know someone who is whether it is grandma and grandpa or an aunt and uncle. Divorce is everywhere. Society is changing and I think that what we teach children should too. I think the book gives a great light to the word gay. I love how the book comes right out and says it. These days more and more children are going to school that have two mommies or two daddies. I feel that the more normal we make it, the better it will be. Books like this are great for that.
The pictures are great. They help to tell the story. The little boy has so much fun with his dad and his dad's roommate that it is impossible not to like the situation he is in. This book should not be controversial in my eyes because it is happening around us. I think this is something that should be normalized in our children's literature.

Nappy Hair

The way this book is written is so much fun. I can totally hear an African American speaking these words. The way the font changes, it makes you able to hear people in the background jumping in to give their input. I think that book is great though. It takes something that everyone has in common, hair, and shows the difference in it. Not that it is a big deal if you have straight, curly, or nappy hair. It is a neat way to display a big problem in the world, racism, with a little one like differences in hair types. There are also hints of religion and slavery in the book as well. These are more discrete but they are still big issues being laid out.

Again this is another brilliant way to get hard topics to discuss out on the table. Slavery is a part of our history and it needs to be taught. This book brings it up discretely but it brings it up. I feel it is necessary to have books like this to teach the non-African Americans about African American things (like nappy hair) and also for African American children to see that they are completely normal. They need books that relate to them just as much as the Caucasian children do.

I like the illustrations. They are vibrant colors and show the story nicely. Again I enjoyed this book but don't quite understand the controversial part of this as much as some of the other books I've read.

Sami and the Time of the Troubles.

So this book is one of the controversial ones that I read. I am not sure how I feel about it. My feelings are a little on both sides of the fence. I feel like it is a great way to bring up a topic like war that is hard to talk about to children. I know that they will learn about wars in history class so I don't understand why not introduce them by showing how other children live their lives. This boy Sami is the main character and the story is about how his family has to stay in the basement until the fighting has calmed. His father was lost in a bomb in the market so it is his mom, sister and himself with his grandfather. I personally like the book. I feel that it is interesting to learn and try to place yourself in Sami's shoes. I cannot imagine growing up like that. But the truth of the matter is that some children do. I feel like now is a better time than ever to introduce this to children and use it as a teaching mechanism in order to make them aware. If we ever want things to change then we need to start teaching it. But I also see the other side of the argument. I don't think children who are not in this exact situation should be burdened with it as well. It is just something that our society has set up with the ideal of what a childhood should involve.

The illustrations are gorgeous in this book. I love how when Sami's is remembering the good days the color of the pictures are light and airy and on the contrast when there is fighting going on the colors are dark. I find this gives a great effect to the book. The book also introduces children of color. This child is not the Caucasian boy we usually see in children's literature. But I hope it isn't giving the wrong impression that Caucasian children don't go through these types of hardships. I understand why this book is labeled controversial but I feel it could be a great teaching tool in schools or at home.

Some Things Are Scary

I think this is a wonderful book for children. I think it really picks and pulls at the word scary to help children understand that things are scary. I think it helps to teach that there are things you need to be scared of, like strangers. I also think it helps to say that it's ok or normal to be scared of things like being up high. I think it is trying to take away some of the taboo that children feel about being scared. I feel that it is a good way to introduce some of the things that others maybe be scared of. Some of the things are humorous which keeps the book light and airy. I think that it brings up very important things that as a parent or teacher you might not think to bring up.
The illustrations make the book for sure. Even though the text is great, the pictures go right along with it and add so much more drama and feeling to the text. The last phrase is the best for me and sums up my life in one small, simple sentence found in a this book. "Knowing you're going to grow up to be a grownup is scary."

Who's in the Hall?

This is a long....... confusing...... book. It is a mysterious book about an apartment building and it's tenants. This is kind of a tongue twister all over the place. I am not sure what else to say. I really did not enjoy it. I felt like the book focused too much on text and not on pictures. I was confused by the book and have the feeling that maybe a child would be too. I get that it is supposed to be this huge riddle to figure out but I definitely was not into it. The pictures really didn't excite me either. I feel like I am starting to get a headache from reading it.

A Little Excitement

Ugh! I can totally relate to the narrator as soon as the book begins. He starts off by complaining about winter not being fun because he lives so far out in the country and the only people to play with are his older sisters. I remember this being one of my major complaints about growing up. I grew up on a farm and only had my siblings to play with most of the time as well. As I am reading this book it is like deja vu for me. I remember my dad being worn out from working on the farm just as this boy is reminicing and hearing about past blizzards that covered houses in snow like the boy is told by his grandmother. So the boy wishes for some excitement in his dull winter. That night something happens to their wood burning furnance and starts a huge fire. They all have to get up in the middle of the night to make sure the rest of the house doesn't ignite. Many of the neighbors come to help contain the fire. After they have the fire under control they all have a feast to celebrate putting the fire out. In the end the boy learns a lesson from all the chaos and decides that he admires his sisters and decides to get along with them.
The pictures are like painting in this book. They are gorgeous. I think this book is great for any young child and teaches a valuable lesson.

Beach Play

Talk about missing the summer... This book makes me feel like I am at the beach already. I really like this book. It is unique because it doesn't use any complex sentences. The text is mainly lists of words. But I think that by not having complete sentences it matches the speech ability of children that would love this book. The words are so descriptive of what would happen at a beach. The movement of the words across the page add so much to the story as well.
The story is about this adorable little girl at the beach with her cute little dog. I at first didn't the whole story until I read it for the second time. The second time I really looked at the illustrations and it made so much more sense. The little girl finds a bottle with a letter in it. And the text says nothing about it in particular. On the drive home you can see the bottle sitting next to her. And on the back cover there is this letter that says "Dear friend, this is a picture of me. (with a picture) Please write back. Your pen pal- Hideko"
I thought it was so clever to have this little hidden story within a great book with excellent illustrations. Two thumbs WAY up! Bring back summer :)

My Brother Bert

This is a cute story told from the perspective of the little sister. She is very curious about her brother's room. He has a sign on the door saying 'No Girls Allowed'. Obviously this makes her more curious because she is seeing bizarre things. Bert has this love of animals and when she enters his room she discovers a zoo-like assortment of animals. The animals create complete chaos in the house and she needs to get everything back in order before Bert gets home.
I really liked this story. It gets you to use your imagination while learning different animal names. There are a few animals that I didn't even recognize. The story line rhymes which makes it even more fun. The illustrations are in water color and are great. They take up the whole page and make the story so much more interesting. There is great detail in all the pictures that makes it fun to find little hidden things.

The Giver

Oh The Giver... I will have to admit that I had never read this book before. I had a lot of expectations though. Every time I would mention that we would be reading The Giver I got pretty much the same reaction from everyone. The would say that they loved the book. Even in class I got the impression that a lot of people liked it considering many people wanted to read it again. But it lived up to all my expectations. Maybe a even a little more.
When I started reading the book I didn't understand exactly what was going on. I thought that the way Jonas was talking was a little different than what I wanted to read. I found myself reading words that weren't in the text because it was how I wanted him to say something. But as I got further along in the book the way it was written was very consistent with the type of community that Jonas lived in. I had mixed feelings about the ceremony part of the book. I thought it was really unfair how all the children celebrated their "birthdays" all on the same day. It really took away from their individuality and grouped them into a general group. I understand it was a characteristic of the community but I really didn't like it. It made me not like the community. When the Elder skipped over Jonas I really felt sad for him. But then I was happy for him because he got the honor of being Receiver. But then when I found out what the job of Receiver meant, I was unhappy again. It was like an emotional roller-coaster for me. The biggest shock I had was about the release. The whole book was making the release this big thing to be celebrated and to look forward to. Then the part about the twin being released by Jonas' father almost made me cry. I really was not expecting anything like that to happen.
Our discussion in class also made me think a lot. Throughout the whole book I really pictured Jonas as a white child, his family white, a nice "dwelling", and dressed in nice clothes. It is so weird how you automatically have these visions of how things are supposed to be. I also envisioned everyone in the community to be white as well as the Giver. The whole idea of the community being colorless also made an impression on me. I think this is a very big concept to get your head around. I think it is even more difficult for a child to do. I cannot imagine things being colorless but I like the way that Jonas was beginning to see color.
I would definitely recommend this book to any young reader. I can completely understand the hype around this book and why Lois Lowry won a Newbery Medal for this book.

Insects from Outer Space

And the King and Queen Bug of the Ball goes to.....
This is a very interesting book. Judging by the cover there is no way you could guess what the book is about inside. It is about bugs, what else, that are attending their annual Bug Ball. It just so happens that they are invaded by outer space insects. They make friends right away with these alien bugs and they help determine who the King and Queen of the Bug Ball are. It is just a happy go lucky story with not much conflict. There are a few humorous lines about rubbing antennae and shaking feelers or something of that sort.
But where the book excels is in the illustrations. These pictures are gorgeous and cover the entire page. There are borders around each picture that make the illustrations even more interesting. I never thought insects could be cute but these pictures do a pretty good job of making them look good. There is so much detail and color to ever picture. I first thought this would be a book that boys would like with bugs but I soon figured out that it is a very girlie book about a dance. The outer space insects would maybe grab the boys' attention a little bit more.
One last thing that I liked was that the story was told in first person by the insect who just so happens to win King this year at the ball. It adds another dimension to the book that I really liked.

Zathura

So I didn't know when I picked this book out, that it was in a way a continuation of Jumanji. I remember seeing that movie for the first time in the theaters. I was so scared. I didn't like all the animals running a muck. I fortunately liked this book at my age now than I liked the Jumanji movie when I was younger.
In this book, instead of animals, the boys endure things like meteor showers, no gravity, and crazy robots. It is also a good story about brothers and their relationship. In the beginning they were fighting and on each other's nerves and in the end they became closer through playing this game.
Our in class discussions have made me think about different things I have been reading. In this book I noticed that even though the pictures are done in pencil and are in black and white, you can tell the boys are Caucasian. They live in a nice house and in a nice neighborhood. They are also dressed nicely. I have been thinking about this a lot lately in how our perception of what is normal is really shaped by all of these things and subtle messages. No where in the text does it say that the boys are white or that they have a nice house or anything like that but the illustrations depict that. It makes me wonder now if that really is true for the majority of children in this world. I really liked the book and the illustrations but it just made me wonder a bit. I think this is a great book for the science fiction genre as well.

Benny and Penny in the Big No-No

So this is my graphic novel. I am going to be honest and say I really wasn't too excited to read one of these types of books. I really had a bad attitude about it because I thought for sure I wouldn't like the style of writing. I was so wrong. I really enjoyed the movement and the pictures and all the dialect the story had.
It didn't hurt that the story was about two little mice. They were brother and sister and had the stereotypical brother/sister relationship. The brother is older and he picks on his sister but at the same time he is protective over her. He looks out for her and tries to show her the difference between right and wrong. The little sister is also very curious and almost on the edge of mischievous. They get a new neighbor and the story is about them meeting her and having a little problem at first. In the end they make a new friend with this new neighbor. I think it is even more cute because they are little talking animals.
The illustrations are done in colored pencil. They are really simple and mute colors. But the pictures add so much to the story. It is crazy to be able to see emotion on a little critters face like you can in this story. Definitely changed my perspective of this style of writing.

Jack and the Meanstalk

Everyone has heard the story Jack and the Beanstalk. Well this is a play on that story. Jack is a scientist in this book who loves to garden. He decided that he wanted to impress all of his gardener friends by having the fastest growing plants. So he went into his laboratory and got to work. Eventually his plant became enormous. It started creating problems like wrecking homes and towns with it's roots and blocking all the sunlight with its leaves. So the animals got together and destroyed the plant by chewing through its roots. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I really liked the original version so I thought maybe this one would be good. It was a little dull.
I really wasn't a fan of the illustrations either. They were a little weird to me. The colors of the meanstalk and the colors and pattern on the monster were just not my taste. I think the reason this book is considered science fiction would be because of the enormous plant of course but also there are talking animals in the book. Probably not going to remember this book.

The Christmas Adventure of Space Elf Sam

What do you do when Santa cannot deliver all the Christmas presents to the children who have moved to outer space? Well create a Space Academy for elves of course. This is a delightful non-traditional Christmas story about Space Elf Sam. He is chosen for one of Santa's missions to outer space because you graduated from the academy with flying honors. When Sam decides to take a short-cut, he ends up crashing on the wrong planet. This planet full of aliens does not know what Christmas is so Sam has to teach them to true spirit of Christmas. In the end, Sam teaches the aliens about Christmas and gets all the presents delivered on time.
The illustration in this book are awesome. They remind me a bit of animated pictures. In fact, Sam looks an awful bit like Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. Again I think this is a great science fiction book for children. It really sparks the imagination while continuing with a story line they are familiar with. I liked the creative space words as well. They weren't renaming things children already have names for but new things, outer space things. I think children won't be as confused this way.
I will definitely keep this book in mind when Christmas rolls around.

Earth Hounds as explained by Professor Xargle

This book would be considered a part of the science fiction genre of children's literature. The book is about a teacher who is teaching the class about dogs. He refers to them as Earth Hounds. I really enjoyed this book. It had a lot of subtle humorous things throughout the entire book. But I do not think children would pick up on these. I really think this would be great for getting children to use their imagination though. Thinking about other nonhuman life being in class just as they are would really get them going.
My only concern about this book would be that children would have troubles getting around the terminology that the author uses. She uses words like earthling to refer to humans, moohorn to refer to a cow, and sniffer to refer to the nose of the dog. I think it is cute and creative to use words like this but I think that a child would become very confused and may not understand.
The illustrations are hilarious and well done. They add to the parts where the words are not enough. Overall it is a very good book for the science fiction genre.