Children's Literature
Sharing my thoughts on some exceptional books...
Woodson, J. (2014). Brown girl dreaming. NY: Penguin. This is a memoir written in free verse about the life of Jacqueline Woodson. She begins by telling about her birth in Ohio during the 60s. Her father wanted to name her Jack, but her mother was against it and named her Jacqueline. When she turned one, her parents split, and her mother moved Jacqueline and her siblings south to Greenville, South Carolina. During this time in history, there was racial discrimination, but Jacqueline loved growing up and living with her grandparents. The memory of her father slowly faded and she begin to call her grandfather "daddy." She makes references to the experiences of being African American during this time, like walking downtown with her grandmother and being followed around in certain stores simply because they are colored. She also makes references to not really understanding but knowing that people were marching to make the world a better place. She tells about a neighbor Ms. Bell, who would hold meetings at her house for those who were marching. While growing up at her grandmother's she is raised as a Jehovah's Witness. She recounts learning the days of the week because five out of the seven days were for bible study and service at the Kingdom Hall. Her mother eventually moves the family to New York City looking for a better life. Jacqueline prefers the south because she feels that New York is "loud and strange" with "hot cement." Although she has struggled as a reader, she begins to write and feels a deep desire which she practices often in a composition book. Sometimes she writes something so amazing that others often think she didn't write it, but she did. Living in the north is a very different experience than living in the south. Although she misses her grandparents and living in the south, in New York she makes friends and her teacher validates her talent for writing. She soon enough discovers who she is and her purpose in life. There is an author's note at the end of the book in which Jacqueline discusses how she returned home and how her family members helped fill in some of the gaps in her memory. She reveals meeting up with her father again at the age of fourteen. Woodson does an amazing job at helping the reader walk in her shoes. She doesn't simply tell her experience but instead shows the reader through descriptive language. When she left Ohio for example, she says he father waved goodbye like he would to "guests leaving Sunday supper." You can feel the emotion when she says that Hope, Dell, and herself would run up to grandpa and "crawled him like a tree." There are many references to events in history like the marching, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Black Panthers. Other great books to read: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, and Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon
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Wiesner, D. (2001). The three pigs. New York, NY: Clarion Books. This story takes the old classic tale of The Three Little Pigs, and adds an imaginary twist. It begins with the original tale up until the wolf blows the pig out of the story frame. The pig becomes a three dimensional realistic looking pig. The story continues with the wolf arriving at the second pigs house, but the first pig appears squeezing himself through the story frames and tilting the story frame to the side. In the format of a graphic novel, the pig speaks through a speech balloon and tells the second pig to hop out of the story frame. Together they make their way to the third pig and disrupt the story frames to get away from the wolf. In a humorous fashion the pigs make a paper airplane and hop on to explore other tales. Several pages are devoted to illustrations alone of the pigs flying on the paper airplane across white pages in the book. They land and jump into the tale of Hey Diddle Diddle, but quickly leave with the cat and fiddle following. Then the pigs come into another tale and rescue a dragon guarding a golden rose just in time. Each character leaving the story frame changes into a three dimensional realistic character. These characters then parade around rows and rows of story frames. They come across the third pigs brick home and decide to head back into the story frame together. But first they must arrange the frames that were knocked down back into sequence. Just as the wolf is about to huff and puff, the dragon comes out of the house and knocks him over. The illustration shows the letters on the page interrupted and scattered. The story ends with the pigs, dragon, and cat enjoying each others company over a bowl of soup. Another Caldecott winning book to read by this author is: Flotsam Paterson, K. (1977). Bridge to Terabithia. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. This is a story about an eleven year old boy named Jess Aarons who wants to be the fastest runner in the fifth grade when he returns to school. All summer long he dedicates his mornings to perfecting his run. When the first day of school finally arrives, he is disappointed when a new girl in school named Leslie Burke outruns him and all of the boys. Jess lives in a small community in Virginia. Leslie just moved with her family into the Old Perkins Place which is close to where Jess lives. Jess and Leslie quickly become good friends. Together they take on class bullies who continually tease them and others. Outside of school they create a magical kingdom, just over a creek near the woods, and name it Terabithia. There Leslie teaches Jess a world of imagination. She makes him king of Terabithia, and along with herself as queen, they fight off invaders and protect their kingdom. One day, Jess goes to the museum with a teacher he admires named Mrs. Edmunds and Leslie goes to Terabithia by herself. It had been raining for the past few days and the creek was well above its usual level. Tragedy hits when Leslie's rope used to cross the creek breaks and she drowns. Jess struggles to accept Leslie's passing, but realizes that she taught him so much about himself. He decides to build a bridge to cross the creek over to Terabithia and introduces the magical place to his younger sister May Bell by crowning her its queen. There is great foreshadowing in this book. There are several subtle hints that the author gives to readers. Beginning with Jess' fear of going deep into the woods and comparing his feeling about it like being underwater and unable to breathe. Another hint is when May Bell reacts to Leslie's doubt about the bible. May Bell asks her "What if you die?" The continual storm can also be seen as foreshadowing doom. The themes explored in this story are the power of imagination, friendship, and the unpredictability of life. Another book to read by this author is: The Great Billy Hopkins. Holm, J. & Holm, M. (2005). Babymouse our hero. New York, NY: Random House Children's Books. This graphic novel is about a little mouse with a huge imagination named Babymouse. She is late to school because she misses the bus for over sleeping. While she overslept she dreams about being recognized at the Lincoln Memorial with a "pink heart". There is foreshadowing when the crowd yells "Babymouse! Our Hero!" On her way to school walking, she imagines she is traveling during the time of covered wagons and dusty roads. At school she identifies her good friend Wilson, and her enemy Felicia Furrypaws. Babymouse doesn't feel very good about school. She feels like school is a prison and she is being put on trial by her math teacher. She especially despises dodgeball during gym class because continually forgets her sneakers. Yet, today she finds out that they will be playing dodgeball next week for a grade. She is so worried about this but Wilson comes to the rescue and practices with her. She pictures him as a drill master. In the end she scores the winning point and becomes the class hero. The illustrator uses black, white, and pink throughout the book. The pink appears to highlight when Babymouse drifts into her imagination. The change in color helps the reader follow the storyline. The speech balloons with its different text font guide the reader to feeling the emotions present. The publisher's website contains some pages that can be used with children to practice writing inside speech balloons. The website is located at: http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/babymouse/homepage.htm Alexander, K. (2014). The crossover. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. creatThis is a novel written in a mix of free verse and rap-like poetry. It is about two twin brothers, Josh and Jordan Bell. They are both very skilled basketball players. Their father is Chuck "Da Man" Bell who used to play professional basketball and made lost of money. Their mother is an assistant principal at their school. Josh and Jordan's relationship seemed very close until Jordan gets a girlfriend. From then on, Josh feels abandoned and lonely. One day he lets out all of his frustration on the court and almost breaks Jordan's nose. This event leads to Jordan becoming estranged from Josh. In addition to this, Josh is dealing with his father's health issues. His father always makes it seems like he is okay, but Josh and Jordan suspect that his illness might be serious. All of a sudden Josh's dad collapses after playing basketball with him. Things will never be the same, and Josh and Jordan realize that family and their relationship is important. Unfortunately their father passes away. Josh and Jordan mend their relationship in the end. This is a Newbery award winning book. The author creatively uses different text fonts to enhance the emotions in his writing. Words are written sliding across, or in bold, helping the reader feel the rhythm and rhyme. This story centers around the themes of family and the strong bond among siblings. Other stories to read about basketball are: Free Throw and Triple Threat by Jacqueline Guest. De la Pena, M. (2015). Last stop on market street. NY: Penguin. This picture book is about a little boy named CJ who every Sunday rides the bus with his nana. He is very observant and has lots of questions for nana. Nana in return always has an answer for him. She makes he realize all of the beauty in the things around him. He wants to know why they go to a specific place every Sunday. She points out that if they didn't go to volunteer every Sunday then they would not have the opportunity to meet all of the wonderful people such as Bobo or the Sunglass Man. While they are on the bus, he wants to know why a man next to them can't see. Nana answers, "Boy, what do you know about seeing?" CJ learns that you can understand that world around you with your ears and nose. He also wishes he had headphones like some of the boys that are on the bus. Nana responds by telling him he doesn't need headphones when he has a real person right in front of him with a guitar. CJ listens to the man as he plays and sings. He is lost in the rhythm and all of its magic. Once they arrive and get off the bus, CJ asks, "How come it's so dirty over here?" Nana then tells him that when you are surrounded by dirt, you have a better eye to appreciate what is beautiful. In the end he is very happy that they arrived to volunteer serving food to people. The illustrations are simple and attractive to young readers. Many different people from different backgrounds are represented. The author uses imagery which in combination with the illustrations help the reader visualize and hear the story. De La Peña chooses words such as, "he watched water pool on flower petals," and "crumbling sidewalks and broken-down doors, graffiti-tagged windows" to help the reader experience CJ's surroundings. The reader can also hear "a bus that breathes fire," as "It signed and sagged." The theme in this book is finding beauty in all things. Watch a book trailer at: https://www.teachingbooks.net/qlso6zh "It's So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families" by Robie H. Harris11/15/2016 Harris, R. (1999). It’s so amazing. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press. This nonfiction book provides information about the reproductive process from the beginning with a sperm and egg, and takes the reader all the way through pregnancy, the birth of a baby and families. Although its intended audience is children, it's fun and interesting read for adults as well. The book is chunked into chapters, each one building the reader's knowledge for the next chapter. Yet, they can definitely make sense if read in isolation. The narrator is a bird who is discussing the information with a bee. They are interspersed throughout the book with reflections about what the topic is about. The bird always seems to find the information quite amazing, while the bee tends to want to change the subject or simply have no comment about it. They are comical at times, using puns like "It's true, I have been YOLKING around--a bit." These two characters often take some topics that may be embarrassing for kids to think about and present them with ease. Even sharing some misconceptions, ideas and thoughts that would be very similar to what children would think. The illustrations are age appropriate and represent racial diversity. When discussing families, different lifestyles are presented without judgement. The author has provided an extensive list of people who helped with the information for this book. They consist of elementary teachers, professors, social workers, and pediatricians to name a few. There is a table of contents and an index at the end for easy research. Other books to read by this author and illustrator are: It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health, and It's Not the Stork: A Book about Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends. Schlitz, L. A., & Byrd, R. (2007). Good masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a medieval village. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. This book is a nonfiction book containing character monologues that take place in the Medieval Manor England in 1255. Each character's life is different and the reader is given a window into what it was like to be a lord's nephew, a knight's son, a merchant's daughter, a beggar, and a miller's son during this period of time. Each of their voices provides a clear picture of their experiences. For example, Isobel, the lord's daughter, talks about a stain on her dress and contemplates who would want to do that to her. She questions why they hate her. Side notes provided by the author show that Isobel believed that her social status was the will of God. Some even show their prejudices like Jacob Ben Salomon, the son of a Jew, and Petronella, a Christian. This Newbery award book incorporates background knowledge about different events throughout the book. There are also notes in the margins which provide definitions and information on specific terms. The author includes a bibliography for further reading. Each character monologue has a portrait to help the reader visualize the character and their attire. A nice map of the land is illustrated at the beginning of the book. Other books by this author are: The Hired Girl, Splendors and Glooms, and The Night Fairy. Singer, M. (2010). Mirror mirror: A book of reversible verse. New York: Dutton Children's Books. This book contains well-known fairytales written in reverse poetry. These fairytales consist of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and Beauty and the Best to name a few. Each poem is divided into two columns. The first one telling one perspective, followed by the second column which reverses the poem and tells a completely different perspective. Singer cleverly uses the same words but changes the poems direction and punctuation to give the poem a completely different meaning. For example, in the poem "The Doubtful Ducking," the first poem is a confident duckling who knows for a fact that she will one day be a beautiful swan. When the poem is reversed and the punctuation changed the poem know is a doubtful duckling who doesn't believe she will be a beautiful swan someday. Also in "Cinderella's Double Life," the first poem is a sad Cinderella stuck in the corner shining shoes while her step sisters are enjoying the ball. The reversed poem has Cinderella in her shining shoes dancing at the ball while her step sisters are in the corner upset. The illustrations in this book are outstanding. Each poem has a full page colorful illustration divided in half showing both perspectives. They help enhance the text and meaning. After reading the poems in this book, a great lesson to do with children is to allow them to try to write, in a group of three or four, their own verso poem for a fairytale character. They will need to keep in mind the different points of view that they can be told for each poem. Landy, D. (2007). Skulduggery Pleasant. New York: HarperCollins. This work of fiction is a fantasy story about an eleven year old girl named Stephanie. Her uncle Gordon has passed away, and has left his estate in her hands. She doesn't realize that with his estate she will be immersed into a world of danger and magic that she never knew existed. One day while she is alone in her uncle's home, she is attacked by a stranger. Her uncle's friend Skulduggery, a detective, shows up to save her. They meet with the Elders to notify them about what happened at Gordon's estate, and realize that he was in fact murdered. She then joins him on a journey full of surprises. There are forces of evil that are trying very hard to locate a key that will grant them access to the scepter of the Ancients. This scepter will allow Serpine to bring back the Faceless Ones and bring him to power resulting in chaos. Many battles are fought and won by Skulduggery, Stephanie (aka Valkyrie Cain), and their allies. In the end, Serpine is defeated and the scepter is used to destroy the very thing he wanted so badly- the book of names. This story contains all of the elements of fantasy. It has a well-developed setting that contains supernatural characters who can perform magic. This world has a system of government which is headed by Meritorious and the Elders. They have kept the peace for a long time through a truce. Other books to read by this author are: The Faceless Ones and Scepter of the Ancients. |
Nora RuizI'm a stay-at-home mom who has three daughters ages 7, 4, and 1. I like spending time with family and enjoying a cup of coffee with sweet bread! Assignments:Textbook #2
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