Children's Literature
Sharing my thoughts on some exceptional books...
Sendak, M. (1963). Where the wild things are. New York: Harper Collins. This book is a fantasy about a little boy named Max who is mischievous. One night he dresses up as a wolf, plays with a hammer and nails, and even chases the dog with a fork. His mother has had enough and sends him to his room without dinner after calling him a "wild thing." In his room Max's imagination runs wild. A forest begins to grow, and then an ocean appears with a private boat. He sails away to where the wild things are. When he arrives, his is greeted by creatures with terrible roars and gnashing teeth. Yet, Max is unafraid. He is able to tame them and they made him king of all the wild things. They have a wild rumpus. When Max orders them to stop, he sends them to bed without their supper. He becomes lonely and smells food somewhere from far away. He decides to leave. The wild creatures beg him to stay, and even threaten to eat him. When he arrives back at his room, there is a warm supper waiting for him. This is a Caldecott award winning book. In this story the message is about forgiveness and unconditional love. No matter how much Max may misbehave, his mother loves and cares for him dearly. I think that Max learns a lesson from the creatures. He realizes that just as he is able to tame the wild creatures he encounters, just maybe he is able to tame his wild side. The illustrations of the creatures are large and reflect the Max's wild side. There are double page spreads of Max having a good time with his wild friends. After reading this story, a lesson to do with children could be researching some monsters. Have them look in the encyclopedia and list five facts about monsters such as the Yeti, Big Foot, Abdominal Snowman, Cyclops, and Gorgon.
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Oppel, K., & Klassen, J. (2015). The nest. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. This is a book about a boy named Steve. He experiences anxiety and stress over his newborn baby brother who was born ill and weak. These stresses appear to trigger strange dreams about what at first he believes to be an angel talking him. She tells him that she along with the others have come to him to save his baby brother. She makes him believe that she can make him 'normal'. He soon discovers that she is not an angel but instead a life-sized wasp. It is important to note that he is allergic to wasps and as a result has a fear of them. She seems very caring and concerned for Steve and his family and tries very hard to convince him that she is going to 'fix' the baby. Her workers are working very hard to take care of the new baby that is growing inside the wasp's nest right outside baby Theo's window. Because Steve is not sure whether the wasp is real, he begins to doubt if she can really help him. She reassures him that she is there to help ease his stress and make things better for everyone, so Steve agrees to accept the new baby. He then finds out all of the details of what he must do to gain the new baby and he no longer wants to participate. The wasp tells him that it is too late, therefore; he must comply. In the end, Steve does everything he can to save his baby brother from the wasps. This story's theme deals with coping with difficult situations and anxiety. Another theme that is implicit is wishing for perfection in a world that is not perfect. Steve wants so badly to have a perfect brother because he believes that his parents will be happier. Oppel does a nice job at expressing the mood in the story. The illustrations along with the text keep the reader continually feeling eerie about the queen wasp and her plans. Watch a book trailer here: https://youtu.be/7ZdbWYGHJ80 Curtis, C. P. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963. New York: Delacorte Press. This is a historical fiction about the life of a family in Flint, MI consisting of mom (Wilona), dad (Daniel), two brothers Byron and Kenny, and a sister named Joetta. Byron is the oldest and the most rebellious. Kenny recounts much of what life is like to live with a "juvenile delinquent". He says that many of his neighbors call them the "Weird Watsons." Byron is always getting himself into trouble. He takes food from the local grocer by signing for his mom and dad, he plays with fire, and even gets a crazy hairdo. When mom and dad have had enough, they decide to take Byron down to Birmingham to stay with Grandma Sands. Byron is quite unhappy about this. While staying at Grandma Sand's house, an unfortunate event unfolds. The church where Kenny's little sister was at on Sunday morning was bombed. Four little girls were killed, and for a while the family thought that Joetta was among the dead. Kenny has a had time understanding why anyone would want to hurt people. This event of hatred and racism affected Kenny and he withdrew from his family to the back of the couch. As a child he believed that the area behind the couch had magic since many of their pets would go there when they were sick and come out healed. He hoped that he too would come out better after spending some time there. Byron makes him realize that he helped save Joetta's life. This is a good book to teach allusions. There are several allusions such as when mom talks about Byron's hair looking like Bozo (the clown). Another example of an allusion is when Kenny hears Grandma Sands' laugh and says she sounds like the wicked witch of the west (The Wizard of Oz). There are others which would make a great mini- lesson. This book brings to light the horrifying events in the south surrounding the Birmingham church bombings that were taking place during the Civil Rights Movement. After reading this book, a great assignment to do with children is to have them go to the library to research the bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Nelson, K., & Aaron, H. (2008). We are the ship: The story of Negro League baseball. New York: Jump at the Sun - Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group. This is a nonfiction book about the beginning and ending of the Negro National League. The narrator tells the story from the eyes of many of the players in the league. It begins with the passion Rube Foster had to develop an African American baseball league in the 1920s. It speaks about the experiences of the players as they came into cities in the south and had nowhere to stay for the night, or a restaurant that would serve them even though they had money to pay for food. The players would experience hatred in segregated areas, and they were paid a lot less than their counterparts who played for the major leagues. Sometimes their experiences were good. They enjoyed playing in Latin America because they were treated like in the words of the narrator, "kings." The narrator highlights many of the players throughout the book and ends with the introduction of Jackie Robinson. Jackie along with the major's commissioner paved the way for future African American players to integrate the majors. The book's chapters are titled in innings with the last chapter titled "Extra Innings" about the end of the Negro League. There are lists of Negro Leaguers who made it to the Major Leagues and Hall of Fame at the end of the book. The author's note highlights Nelson's passion and research to develop this book that took him eight years to complete. It contains a bibliography, end notes and an index. The illustrations which are painted based on photographs courtesy of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum are breathtaking and beautiful to look at because they show such a great amount of emotion. After reading this nonfiction piece have children pick a player from the league and create a baseball card. Have them illustrate the front of the card, and then research some of the players statistics to include on the back. Gaiman, N., & McKean, D. (2008). The graveyard book. New York: HarperCollins Pub. This fantasy story centers around the protagonist named Nobody Owens. Its setting is in a graveyard. When Bod (short for Nobody) was a toddler, his entire family was murdered by a man named man Jack. Bod was able to climb out of his crib and escape through the open front door. He made his way into a graveyard where the ghosts debate what to do with him. Mr. and Mrs. Owens decide that they will raise Bod in the graveyard and with the help of a guardian,Silas, Bod will be safe from the outside world. Silas is neither dead nor alive. Bod grows up in the graveyard and is taught many things from the ghosts that live there. He learns to fade, dream walk, and haunt. All these skills help him throughout his adventures. When he was little, he met a girl named Scarlett who loved playing with him in the graveyard. Her parents thought that Bod was just an imaginary friend. After moving away for a few years, she returns and meets a man named Mr. Frost who she believes is a historian who lives in the same house that Bod lived in as a child. When she tries to find out information about the murders that occurred there, Mr. Frost lures both Scarlett and Bod to his house and tries to murder Bod and finish the job. Bod and Scarlett escape and Bod is able to overtake the Jake of all trades. In the end he slowly begins to lose his abilities to see the ghosts. Silas, prepares him with money and a passport to help him assimilate to the outside world that he can now be a part of. Gaiman uses language that appeals to the senses. His descriptions of the setting are detailed and elaborate, helping the reader feel like they are right there in the graveyard with Bod. He is also skilled at keeping the reader in suspense up until the very end of the story. Watch a book trailer here: https://youtu.be/P_UUVwTaemk Giovanni, N., & Collier, B. (2005). Rosa. New York: Henry Holt. This is a nonfiction picture book about the life of Rosa Parks. It begins with giving background knowledge of Rosa as a seamstress. She is a hard worker and a talented seamstress. One day is December of 1955, she decides to leave work early. When she is seated on the bus, she is asked by a white person to give up her seat. She refuses. She knows that she will be arrested for not complying, but she stands her ground and does not give in. After her arrest, the Women's Political Council receives word of what has happened and they decide to help boycott the buses. Martin Luther King Jr. joins and leads the Civil Rights Movement. The technique of collaging the illustrator uses creates large and lively pictures that will surely grab the attention of young children. Other books by the illustrator Bryan Collier are: Knock Knock: My Daddy's Dream for Me, and Uptown Bell, C., & Lasky, D. (2014). El Deafo. New York: Amulet Books. This is a graphic novel about a bunny girl who becomes hearing impaired after recovering from an illness. When she goes home with her new hearing aid, she feels strange and worries about others who might stare at her. She starts at a school where all of her classmates are deaf. She learns many skills like reading lips and facial expressions. This is somewhat comforting to her until she has to change schools. Once she gets her new device: The Phonic Ear, she feels a little embarrassed to wear it. But once she realizes how awesome it is, she begins to feel like a superhero. She no longer needs to try to read the teacher's lips because she can hear her loud and clear. She can hear her teacher everywhere she goes, from the teacher's lounge to the restroom! She is so awesome that her classmates entrust her to be the lookout during math time while the teacher is gone. Once she hears the teacher coming, she alerts the class. Cece makes some friends along the way, but one named Laura is quite bossy, and the other named Ginny is clueless. All Cece wants is a good friend. She finally meets her match a girl named Martha. Cece Bell does a great job at presenting how the protagonist feels. She uses fading font, and jibber jabber in the frames to help the reader relate to what Cece is hearing. When introducing the Phonic Ear, the illustration in the frame takes up an entire page. Each part of the Phonic Ear is pointed out and labled, showing its importance in the story. When Cece is dreaming and taking on the role of el deafo, the reader does not lose focus because the frames are outlined in a cloud like form. The author will then bring you back to the story with a "POP" in-between the frames. Other great graphic novels to read are: Babymouse: Queen of the world by Jennifer Holm & Matthew Holm, and Roller Girl by Victoria Jaimeson. Sweet, M., Newborn, R., & Paquette, C. (2011). Balloons over Broadway: The true story of the puppeteer of Macy's Parade. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. This nonfiction book is about the life of Anthony "Tony" Frederick Sarg and the facts surrounding the birth of the Macy's Parade. It begins with Tony's fascination with how things move and his invention on how to feed the chickens in the morning without having to leave his bed. He then move to London and begin making life-like marionettes. This lead to his move to New York and Broadway performances with his marionettes. Once in New York, R. H. Macy had heard about Tony and asked him to design puppets for the store's windows. It was a success, and Macy's had an even bigger job in store for Tony. Since many of the store's employees were immigrants, Macy's wanted to put on a parade for them bringing in all of their different cultures and Christmas traditions. In 1924 on Thanksgiving Day was the first parade. It was successful so they decided to have a parade every year. With the help of Goodyear, Tony did away with the live animals and replaced them with rubber blimps. Although he encountered some issues along the way, Tony was able to accomplish his magnificent upside-down marionettes for the parade. The illustrations in this book are a mixture of drawings, and collage. They are playful and include some of Tony's illustrations and notes from The Tony Sarg Marionette Book. The author includes a note and there is a bibliography with quote sources. The end papers in the book includes a copy of the original advertisement for the parade from the New York Times in 1933. Other books to read about puppeteers in the United States: Who was Jim Henson? by Joan Holub and Nancy Harrison, and Jim Henson: The Guy Who Played with Puppets by Kathleen Krull, Steve Johnson, and Lou Fancher. DePaola, T. (1983). The legend of the bluebonnet: An old tale of Texas. New York: Putnam. This folktale begins with some Comanche People asking the Spirits to save their people from a terrible drought. A young girl named She-Who-Is-Alone watches the people and speaks about what is happening to her warrior doll. The doll was made for her by her mother and carries on her head a blue feather her father gave her. She has lost both her parents and grandparents to famine. When the shaman returns to the people, he tells them that a sacrifice must be made in order for the drought and famine to go away. She-Who-Is-Alone decides that her doll is the ultimate sacrifice and in the middle of the night offers her most prized possession to the Spirits. She scattered the ashes in all directions and then fell asleep. When she awoke, all the land where she had scattered the ashes grew beautiful blue flowers. The land that is now called Texas is filled with these flowers every spring. The story's theme is about selflessness and sacrifice. The author includes a note about how he tried very hard to portray the Comanche People by learning their customs and way of everyday life. Another good book to read about bluebonnets is: The Bluebonnet Girl by Michael Lind and Kate Keisler. Bragg, G., & O'Malley, K. (2011). How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous. New York: Walker & Co. This non-fiction book is about the interesting and gory details of the deaths of famous people such as Henry VIII, King Tut, and Albert Einstein to name a few. Georgia Bragg uses creative wit to make the disgusting facts about their deaths interesting and at times a bit humorous. Take for example James Garfield's death. The details are that he was shot in the back and unfortunately "dialing 911 was still ninety years down the road" so calling for help meant someone having to scream at the top of their lungs. Since their were no X-rays, doctors had to stick their finger into the bullet hole to find the bullet. Turns out, Garfield died from all the germs from the doctor's dirty hands that infected his wound. Had they left him alone he would have survived. This book has a table of contents, making it easy to look up a specific person to read about. The information is chunked so readers can jump back and forth throughout the book and read them out of order. The book's illustrations are done entirely in black and white with each person illustrated to reflect their character (Charles Darwin looking out of a window hiding behind a curtain). There are witty titles to each section like Marie Curie's "You Glow, Girl" and Henry VIII's "Who Not To Marry". At the end of each section their are additional interesting facts, definitions, graphs, and maps to support what was read. Readers will learn when the first ambulance was invented and the meaning of a "Napoleon Complex". This book contains sources of research done for each of the individuals in the book. There is also a section with information and websites for further reading and surfing. Another great read by this author: How They Choked: Failures, Flops, and Flaws of the Awfully Famous |
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
textbook_assignment_2.pptx |