The Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco

There is a lot going on in The Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco.  I was going to argue that there is too much going on for a children’s book until I realized that it is a true story! Wow!  The story starts out by discussing two best friends, Traci and Marilyn, and their wonderful teacher Miss Cynthia Wichelman.  The action picks up when Marilyn is diagnosed with leukemia.  In support of Marilyn, all of the students in her class shave their heads along with her.  We then find out that Miss Cynthia Wichelman also has cancer.  The two girls and their teacher form an after school club called “The Lemonade Club” and support each other through these troubled times.  In the end, Marilyn and Traci are flower girls in Miss Wichelmans’ wedding and Miss Wichelman goes back to school to be a doctor.   This is a just a glimpse into this story, there is a lot more going on as well!  This story had a definite plot and there were two or three different climaxes throughout.  I would say that in the actual story we don’t get a lot of character development, but the afterward tells us that this was a true story and gives us information about what the girls did with their lives.  Traci, who is Patricia Polacco’s daughter, becomes a doctor  and Marilyn becomes a teacher.  We can infer growth from this additional information.  Despite the somewhat dismal topic discussed in the book, I would say the mood is definitely hopeful and uplifting.  The illustrations were done in pencil and marker and complimented the story well.  I was personally inspired by Miss Wichelman ( I even wrote down a few notes about her classroom) and I hope to someday inspire students the same way she does. 
            Hmmm…where to begin!  There are so many ways this long book could be used in a classroom.  First, it could be used to address the painful subject of cancer.  Most children will have some knowledge of cancer and probably will know someone who has had it.  I would address this topic by allowing kids to write and share about their experiences as well as offering some biological information about what cancer is.   This book could also be used with a text set on bullying or friendship.  Students could make a list or draw ways that friendship helped Marilyn and   Miss Wichelman beat cancer.  I think this is important with younger children because often their definition of friendship is limited to playing and niceness.    Lastly, I would definitely want to talk to my students about how this is a true story and how the experiences of the girls when they were younger influenced what they chose to do with their lives. 
Year Published: 2007

The Worm Family by Tony Johnston

“Rejoice in who you are!  Rejoice in who everyone else is!”  That is the quote on the inside of the cover of The Worm Family, by Tony Johnston, and that is what the story is really all about.  A worm family would like to find a permanent home but get chased out of neighborhoods because other underground creatures don’t approve of them.  The worm family doesn’t want trouble so they keep moving but they eventually decide enough is enough.  They take pride in themselves and this pride and goodness is eventually recognized by the neighbors and they are accepted.  I adored this book and felt satisfied that even worms can find value in their lives!  This book flowed beautifully off the readers tongue because it had somewhat of a rhyme scheme going.  However, the rhyming words weren’t just simple words like “cat” and “hat.”  Elevated vocabulary that offered a challenge to the reader like “toes” and “discomposed” was used.  The story had a definite plot and we go to see the entire worm family develop into a strong unit that valued their own worth.  The illustrations were done in oil paint on paper and they were superb.  They showed scenes from a variety of perspectives, for instance one of the pictures was done from the perspective of the worms looking out a key hole onto a caterpillar family looking in.  It is obvious that a great deal of care was taken because the pictures were filled with details that gave the reader more information.  My favorite picture is of the worm family trying to fit in by wearing “cool” shades, listening to worm jazz, learning other languages, admiring art (a Mona Lisa worm of course), and reciting poetry.  “Wormer, Wormer, Burning Bright…In the dirt clods of the night…” J
            I can definitely see myself using this book in a classroom someday.  First, I would use this book in an insect or bug text set.  This book could be made interactive by allowing kids to identify the different types of bugs depicted in the story.  Also, there is a lot of factual information about worms presented in this book in a humorous way.  I would want to check the accuracy of it before I used it in a class, though, because it does not cite any references.  This book could also be used to talk about families.  The worm family differs from the traditional worm family because uncles, aunts, and grandparents all live together.  The family members are all very supportive of each other and find their strength through this support.  This book could also be used to talk about valuing one’s own uniqueness.  I would first discuss what the worms were insecure about and then talk about strategies they tried in an attempt to fit in and whether or not these were successful.  The front of the book contains pictures and names of each of the worm family members so, as a potential writing assignment, students could pick one of the characters and retell the story for their perspective.  I think activities such as this are valuable because children get to practice the skills involved with point-of-view and character development in their writing.  Lastly, I would definitely use this book for Readers Theater.  There are lots of parts so the whole class could be involved and kids would have fun creating bug costumes and masks.  I think Readers Theater is great because it fosters a sense of community in the classroom that makes each day a little better.
Year Published: 2004          Illustrated:Stacy Innerst

A Sign by George Ella Lyon

A neon sign maker.  A circus tight rope walker.  An astronaut. No, none of these.  A writer.  A Sign, by George Ella Lyon tells the story of a young girl’s progression of dreams as she grows up.  The young girl, who turns out to be the author, eventually grows up to be a writer and realizes she still does many of the things she would’ve done in those author jobs.  She “makes words glow” and “puts one word in front of the other and hopes the story doesn’t fall” and she “blasts words into readers’ hearts.”  The illustrations compliment the story by showing the physical growth of the girl alongside her mental maturation. The details in the illustrations indicate that a great deal of care was put into them; however, they weren’t overly appealing to me.  That being said, I had a warm feeling after reading this book.  It really brought home to me just how much important childhood dreaming is for helping us develop into the person each of us is meant to become. 
            After reading this book to children, I would tell them about my own childhood dream occupations, such as wanting to be a photographer, scuba diver, and lawyer, and how I decided on becoming a teacher.  I think it would be fun to incorporate a worksheet, or have children draw their own, that depicts a series of growing child and have the students color in the figures as the occupations they wanted to be at that age.  For instance, maybe when they were three they wanted to be a fire fighter and when they were four a doctor.  As a homework assignment, I would have them interview a family member about their childhood dream occupations and the job they eventually decided on.  I would invite guest speakers who have interesting jobs to come talk about their childhood dream occupations and their current occupation.   My goal with this book and these activities would be that children grasp that the world is their smorgasbord; they can pick up whatever they want and change their minds and go back for something different later on.  Another topic I would use this book for is talking about writers.  I think it is good for students to think critically about what it is that writers do for us. I want them to gain an understanding about the power words can have to comfort, entertain, ignite change, create controversy, and to simply be a friend to a lonely reader. 
Year Published: 1998          Illustrator: Chris Soentpiet

The Honeybee Man by Lel Nargi and Kyrsten Brooker

Fred, the main character in The Honeybee Man, has a very unique family.  In this tale, by Lela Nargi and Kyrsten Brooker, Fred cares for and understands his bees as if he were their father.  He has become so knowledgeable about bees and making honey that he knows which bees are young and which are old and he knows exactly what bees do when they leave the hive.  He gives the queen bees historical names, such as Queen Mab and Queen Nefertiti, and talks to them as if they can understand him.  One thing, although though there are many, I liked about this book is that the other human characters, Fred’s neighbors, were ethnically diverse.  The illustrations enhance the story by giving us a visual of the bee hive and honey-making equipment.  It also helps us get a better grasp of Fred as a character.  The front of the book states that the illustrations were done in “collage and oil paint.”  The use of collage adds tons of details to the book by helping us get to know the character and his environment better, such as using real pictures as the decorations in his home.  As we learn about Fred and his bees and get a chuckle from his strange actions, we are also learning a lot about bees!  The inside of the cover and the last two pages provide the reader more factual information about the life of a bee and the honey-making process.  One caution, though, is that the author does not provide sources for the reader to verify the accuracy of the information.  Despite this one caution, I enjoyed everything about this book and fell in love with Fred the bee keeper.  He just reminded me so much of my Grandpa!
            Obviously this would be a great book to use in a classroom when talking about the life of the bee and making honey.  It lays out the steps of the honey making process as well as provides information about the life cycle of the bee.  At some point after reading this book I would like to invite a real bee keeper into the classroom to give the children more information about this occupation/hobby.  I think having guest speakers is a great way to show the kids how big the world is and how many opportunities there are.  I thinking having guest speakers also increases the likelihood that kids will store the information they’ve learned in long term memory because it will be more salient in their minds.  Another activity for this book is splitting the children up into groups of four or five and, as groups, having them draw a picture of one step of the bee cycle or the honey making process.  The drawings could then be combined on a bulletin board.  I like activities such as this because I believe they foster a sense of cooperation and community in the classroom that is so vital to learning.  Lastly, this book could also be used to introduce children who live in small towns or a suburb to city living since the story is set in Brooklyn. The illustrations are wonderful and provide students with pictures of the city neighborhood from a variety of perspectives.  The main character Fred, also describes the sights and sounds of city life, and uses city terms such as “brownstone” and “roof top terrace.”  I think natural teachable moments will pop up in a discussion such as this because chances are some students in the classroom have been to or lived in a big city before and can share their experiences of how life is the same and different there. 
Year Published: 2011

Julius by Angela Johnson

As a child, I always wanted a pig for a pet so I was immediately drawn to Julius, by Angela Johnson.  It is the story of a little girl, Maya, who is given a big, Alaskan pig by her grandfather.  Maya names the pig Julius and they become instant friends.  Her parents do not like the pig very much because it is loud and makes lots of messes, but Julius and the pig do all kinds of wonderful things together.  In the end, Maya teaches Julius manners so her parents will appreciate him as much as she does.  Although this is a very short book with a static plot, we do see some character development in Julius.  We also get to see the relationship between Julius and Maya blossom.  May doesn’t have any brothers or sisters and longs for one in the beginning.   We get to see Julius fill this void for her.  As always with illustrators that use mixed media, I found them to be dessert for the eyes!  The book says they are a combination of acrylic, watercolor, fabric, instant coffee, crayon, and India ink.   This combination comes together in a very bold way and gives the book the energy that it needs in order to effectively pull off a story about a pet pig.  Lots going on in a big way!  The pictures match up with the words of the story but also add humor to the story because we get a visual of the pig doing all these silly things.  There is a lot of detail in these illustrations so I would be sure to let children have ample time exploring the pictures and all there is to offer in them.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book because I think it accurately captures the love between humans and their pets.
            I would use this book with a text set about pets or by itself as a read aloud to lighten the mood because it will give children, and myself, a good chuckle.  After reading this book, I would provide opportunities for students to write, draw, or talk about their own pets and pet experiences.  What do you have to do to care for your pet?  What do you and your pets like to do together?  How did you name your pet?  How do you teach your pet things?  I have found that children love talking about their pets and can go on and on and on about them.  My goal for this assignment would be to inspire students to turn their verbal enthusiasm for their pets into enthusiasm for writing about their pets.  Some students will not have a pet of their own at home so I would give them the option of writing about a pet they know or writing about a pet they would like to have in the future.  Since a pig is somewhat of an unusual pet, along with this unit I would talk about exotic pets that some people have.  I would find clips on youtube where people are keeping animals, such as monkeys, buffalos, and alligators, as pets.  Students could then write about exotic pets they would like to have and possibly make up a story about the crazy things these pets do.   I think any activity in which you give students a writing prompt about a topic they are interested in goes a long way as far as sparking interesting in writing.
Year Published: 1993          Illustrator: Dav Pilkey

Tillie The Terrible Swede by Sue Stauffacher

History and childrens’ books.  When I see a book such as, Tillie The Terrible Swede, combining two of my favorite things in life I obviously have to pick it up.  Before reading this book I had never heard of Tillie Anderson.  I should have, though, because she did a lot for women’s rights.  She was an immigrant who came to America and fell in love with competitive bicycle racing.  In the late 19^th century, riding a bike and wearing pants was not considered proper behavior for ladies but Tillie did it anyways.  She broke many bicycle racing records throughout her life.  I truly enjoyed reading about Tillie’s bravery and zest for life and the story is so well done that children will enjoy it too.  What I liked most about Tillie, besides her name which I love, is that she did not stop racing after she got married.  It truly is an empowering historical story.  I did not, however, find the illustrations to be that great.  I would say they were mediocre at best.  The faces on the characters were just two dots and some lines.  It just didn’t seem like a lot of care was taken with the illustrations.
            The use of this book in the classroom is pretty straightforward.   I would use it to teach about the Womens’ Rights Movement.  I think the topic would need to be introduced before the story was read.  I would introduce the topic by saying, “Even though women  can do almost everything men can do now days, it wasn’t always this way.  Women used to have to follow very strict rules and were not allowed to do many things, like vote or get good jobs.  We are glad that things have changed today but it was not an easy process.  Woman had to work very hard to be able to do have these things we call rights.”  I would then go on to explain about human rights by having the children brainstorm things that they think everyone should be allowed to do.  The day I read this story to the class I think it would be fun to dress up as Tillie Anderson and ride a bicycle into the classroom.  When the teacher does things like this I think it makes them very memorable for the kids and they are more likely to transfer the information to long term memory.   I think it would be good to follow-up this story by having children research another suffragist.  When children spend time doing their own research on things, they feel more invested, and thus, are more likely to remember the information.   

Year Published: 2011          Illustrator: Sarah McMenemy

The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story by Joseph Bruchac

I love Native American stories like that in The First Strawberries, by Joseph Bruchac, because they remind readers to appreciate the simple things in life and see the beauty that is all around.  It is a Cherokee tale that has been orally passed down through the ages.  In the story, a husband and wife quarrel and the wife takes off walking.  The husband is very sorry and wants to apologize but he cannot catch up to his wife.  The sun helps him catch up to his wife by tempting her with delicious strawberries that she stops to pick.  When she eats the sweet strawberry she is reminded of how sweet life was with her husband before they quarreled.  The words in this story are very simple but I think this adds to the mood of the story as that of the oral tradition.  The illustrations help the short tale along and the beginning of the book says they are done in “water colors and colored pencils.”  The book was well done but it didn’t “wow” me like other books.
            I have some hesitations about using his book in my classroom and initially wasn’t going to blog about it for this reason.  However, I decided it would be good to get my ideas and feelings out in words.  I would be apprehensive about using this book because it has some obvious religious connotations, such as “the creator made man and woman.”  I’m worried that using this book might lead to a large group discussion about religion.  I know when handled in the right way, conversations like this can go really well but at this point I don’t feel confident enough in how I would handle it.  If I were to use this book, I would introduce it by saying, “We are going to read a story that is very old.  The book is not very old but people use to tell this story using their voices before there were books.  The group of people who gave us this story are a group of people named Native Americans.  You might have heard of them before and they have wonderful stories.  We are very glad they told these stories to each other because now we can enjoy the stories in books.  Native Americans have an idea about where the first strawberries came from.  This does not mean that this is where they came from for sure.  It’s just an idea someone had.  Just like all the stories we read, you may like or dislike it and you may think it is real or not real.”  Obviously this would be a good book to use with a Native American or oral storytelling unit.  I would ask students to share oral stories that they know.  I think this is a good exercise because it allows children to learn about the parts of a story through their own speech.  I would also use this book to talk about apologies.  I would ask the class about how the man apologized and how he felt after he did.  The students could then share their own feelings about apologizing.  I believe it’s always important to include a text-to-self connection as much as possible because they help children remember the lesson of the book. 
Year Published: 1993          Illustrator: Anna Vojtech

My Abuelita by Tony Johnston

Beautiful.  That’s what I thought of this story and it’s illustrations.  My Abuelita, by Tony Johnston, is a tale about a little boy and his grandmother (abuelita).  Abuelita is an eccentric, loving woman whose job, as it turns out, is a professional story teller.  The book has static plot consisting of the boy and his grandma getting ready to go to work.  The writing is definitely not dumbed down for the reader, and what I loved most about the writing is that many of the words are in Spanish with an English translation next to them.  But enough about the writing, on to the illustrations!  Oh, the illustrations!  For me, they are like a dream!  I thought David Diaz’s illustrations in Smoky Night were my favorite but now I would have to say it is these by Yuyi Morales.  They are colorful and eccentric and a combination of different materials.  The description in the front of the book says they were “created with polymer clay, wire, felting wool, acrylic paints, fabric, wood, metals, and Mexican crafts, then photographed and digitally manipulated.”  I don’t know if they would suit everyone’s taste but I think they are just so wonderful and funky.  Despite whether or not one likes the style, I’m sure no can deny what they add to the story.  They compliment the story, and yet, tell a story of their own.  This is one of my favorite books I’ve read for this class.
            There are so many ideas I have for using this book in my classroom that it’s hard to decide where to begin.  First, I would use this book for a unit on families.  The boy’s family appears to be made up of himself, his grandma, and his cat.  It is important that children see families that are different than the traditional nuclear family and still loving and happy.  Second, I would use this book to introduce Spanish language to the children.  I think a book that contains another language is a good way to introduce it because, in the form of a story, it is more relevant to children.  It would be good to discuss important aspects of Spanish culture at the same time the language is introduced.    Another important topic I would want to bring up about this book is the concept of being a story teller as a career.  I would want children to ponder the questions: Do you know any storytellers?  What’s a career that we have heard of that is similar to this?  I think talking about this will help children see that being creative and writing is not just something we do in class; it can have much broader applications.    
Year Published: 2009          Illustrator: Yuyi Morales

The Three Little Pigs by David Wiesner

Fairy tales are special just as they are but something truly magical happens when the characters from different fairy tales mix.  This magic is captured in David Wiesner’s version of The Three Little Pigs.  The book starts out with the traditional Three Little Pigs story and then the little pigs escape these pages and end up in what appears to be the land of books.  They meet the Cat with the Fiddle from “Hey Diddle Diddle” and save a great dragon.  In the end the pigs decide to go back home and bring their new friends with them.  With these new friends, the ole’ big, bad wolf is no match for them and is quickly eliminated.  What can you say?  It’s David Wiesner, so the illustrations are phenomenal and do most of the story telling.  I love the contrast between the plain, cartoonish, and run-of-the-mill three little pigs’ story illustrations and the vibrant, realistic illustrations when the pigs escape the page.  Wiesner plays with perspective in these realistic images so at times it seems like it is actually a close-up snap shot of these pigs.  It’s awesome! 
            The first thing I would do with this book when reading it to children is ask them which set of illustrations they like better, the more cartoonish ones or the realistic ones, and talk about why they feel this way.  I hope that the discussion that springs from this will help children to start to develop a discerning eye when it comes to illustrations and art.  I think this would be an interesting book to use when teaching about the parts of plot because this story messes with the traditional plot structure.  I think it’s important that children are exposed to examples of non-traditional plots because it will help them to understand that writing allows for lots of creativity and new ideas.  The possibilities are as endless as the universe.   Lastly, this book could be used as a writing prompt for children to write their own tales about characters who find themselves in other stories.  This is an exercise I myself would love doing so I am sure older children would like doing it as well.  As always, I think it’s important to give students an alternative to writing a story, such as writing a script to be acted out or drawing the story, because some children prefer these art forms for showing what they know and can do.  I think these kinds of activities are important because they unlock children’s creative potential by giving them building blocks from which to start.
Year Published: 2001          Awards: Caldecott Winner

In the Wild by David Elliott

Is it a crime to make so many rhymes?  Probably not if you’re as good at it as Daivd Elliot.  His book In the Wild, illustrated by Holly Meade, contains small rhyming poems about exotic animals.  All of the poems have a different rhythm and rhyme scheme that makes this book fun to read aloud.  It has a very musical feel to it, almost like a celebration song for the animals.  The illustrations are really unique and it says they are done in woodblock prints and water colors.  I like the woodblock effect because it creates unique lines that give the animals’ covering a unique looking texture that we don’t see as often.  What I did not like about this book is how he used cliché exotic animals, such as the elephant and tiger.  I would’ve liked to have seen some animals that I am not as familiar with.  Another thing I think could be improved upon in this book is some of the rhymes seemed a bit forced and out of place, such as “When peaceful, silent; when angry, loud.  Who would have guessed the Elephant is so much like a cloud?” I know poetry is all about expressing personal feelings and imagery, but as a reader I just couldn’t relate to this description of an elephant.     
            I could definitely see young children really getting into this book.  They would enjoy the bright illustrations and rhyming descriptions.  I would use this book to talk about animal habitats since it features animals that live in a variety of habitats.  I also think it would be fun to read the rhyming description of the animal to the children first and have them guess which animal they think it is.  Young children could also act out the behaviors of the animals as I am reading the story.  I think activities that make books more interactive are a great way to spark interest in reading.  After reading this book to older children I would have them write their own animal rhyming poems.  Some of the descriptions get pretty scientific, such as talking about our evolutionary connection to the Orangutan, so it would be fun to have the children right the poems about some scientific aspect of the animals after learning about them.  I think it’s a good idea for teachers to use cross curricular activities, such as this one, as much as possible because it helps children foster more connections, and thus, deeper learning.
Year Published: 2010

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Don’t you just love it when everything turns out exactly as it should?  Although this outcome isn’t usually consistent with real life, it does leave a reader with a warm and fuzzy feeling.  Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale, is a Newbery Honor Book about a fourteen year old Mountain Girl, Miri, who is very uncertain about herself and her future.  She has no idea why her father will not let her work in the linder quarry like the other kids her age in Mount Eskel, Danland and she feels very useless.   When an official from the royal family arrives in their village to say that a princess academy will be built to educate all girls age 12 to 17 because the priests have predicted the queen will come from the village, everything changes.  Through brilliant character development, we watch Miri grow into a strong, intelligent girl who saves the others girls at Princess Academy more than once and who helps the village improve it’s linder trading practices after years of being cheated.   Miri is not the only character we get to see grow in this book; Hale also does a brilliant job of having the supporting characters also transform into their best possible selves. The plot has multiple climaxes that are very descriptive and keep the reader on the edge of their seat.  Yet, the setting is what I was most impressed with in this book.  Hale effectively brings to life a believable, yet imaginary country, Danland.  Within this country, she effectively creates a unique province, a class system with each class having defining characteristics, a special language of the mountain people, a system of government, and even natural resources unique to the area.  I would love to spend some time in this writer’s imagination…absolutely fascinating!  Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  What I liked most about this book are the strong female characters.  Miri does not end up being the princess (sorry, spoiler).  Rather, she makes a life of her own as a teacher by using her knowledge and resourcefulness.  Also, I liked how throughout the book “doing the right thing” is positively reinforced for the characters, and thus the readers, in a subtle, yet profound way.
            I’m not really sure if I would use this book for the whole class.  I don’t know if it has universal appeal and, although it was well done, it doesn’t have that something special that really exhilarates me.  I think if the teacher isn’t excited about a book, it’s hard to get the kids into it.  That being said, if I were to use this book I have a couple of ideas for activities.  First, the class could track the growth of Miri or any of the other characters.  I think this is an important activity because it allows students to more fully appreciate what goes into writing, and hopefully, it will improve their own writing.  Second, the description of the action and the dialog in this book would make many of the scenes wonderful options for acting on the dram a.  Besides the obvious public speaking benefits of acting, I think inhabiting the roles of these strong female characters would be very empowering for middle schoolers who are struggling with self-consciousness issues.  The characters in this book use their own, somewhat magical, language called quarry talk.   I think it is important that students ponder and try to grasp the importance of language and how it functions in their own lives.  I would have students ponder these questions: Why did the people of Mount Eskel need to form their own language?  Why can’t Britta understand the language?  How are languages created?  Lastly, I would do a lot with setting in this book.  Students could make maps and/or dioramas of Danland.  I think these are good assignments because they provide a form of assessment that students who may not succeed at paper/pencil tests can possibly excel at.  I think students would also have fun creating their own countries in a similar fashion to how Hale created Danland.   For their own country, they would need to come up with the geography of the land, language, government, social classes, prejudices, commerce, and natural resources.   When student’s engage in activities like this one, I think it helps them appreciate civilization and culture a lot more because it brings out the complexities of these taken-for-granted topics. I think it also helps them pay more attention to things such as government when learning about other cultures or historical events.
Year Published: 2005          Awards: Newbery Medal of Honor

Can You Say Peace? by Karen Katz

Goom-jigi.  Kurtuku.  Heiwa. He ping. Peace.  Can You Say Peace? by Karen Katz is a book celebrating International Day of Peace (September 21).  The book has a static plot consisting of children all around the world saying “peace” in their own language.  Each child is accompanied by an illustration depicting life in that country.  The last page brings home the main message of the book that no matter how different people may look or live, everyone wants and needs the same things.  Although this book was very short and did not have much of a plot, I believe it has a very powerful message that all human beings need to be reminded of.   The illustrations had a folk art feel and  were vibrant and gave the book a hopeful, uplifting tone for the reader.  I loved how there were a variety of patterns on the buildings and clothing.  You could spend a lot of time looking at the illustrations because there is a whole bunch going on at once in them. 
            This would be a really great book to use with a kindergarten or first grade class.  I think celebrating the International Day of Peace is a great idea.   Children could create flags from other countries and talk about why peace is important.  I think topics such as “peace” are daunting and a bit abstract to young children unless they are made relevant to their personal lives.  So, I would encourage students to think about t how they can create peace everyday at home, in school, and on the playground.  To address this topic, I would probably split children up into groups of four and five and have them act out a scene where students chose peace or make a poster for peace that could be displayed in the hall.  Another reason I would use this book is because I think children would really enjoy practicing saying “peace” in these other languages.  I think International Day of Peace would be a great time to bring in games or songs that children in other countries enjoy.  I would definitely use this book in my classroom because it shows kids just how big the world is that we live in, yet how similar we all really are.
Year Published: 2006          Awards: Chosen for READ poster art

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

I don’t know what those kids are taking about…I love the name Chrysanthemum!  Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes, is one of the sweetest books I’ve read in a long time.  It is the story of a little girl who is given a very special name by her parents only to have it be a source of ridicule when she enters school.  She eventually overcomes her name insecurities with the help of her parents and a special teacher, Mrs. Delphinium.  The precision of the wording in this book was amazing.  I loved how Henkes incorporated flower verbs into the story as much as possible, such as “wilted” and “bloomed.”  Even though it is just a short picture book, we see Chrysanthemum‘s character develop throughout the story.  The illustrations didn’t wow me but they did capture the personalities and emotions of the characters very well.  I also liked how on some pages the author would expand on the story by putting a series of pictures in squares on one page that give more information than the words.  All in all, this is a wonderful story about the importance of a name that I’m sure many children can relate to.
            I would use this book to address two topics: bullying and names.  After reading this story, I would ask the students to describe how Chrysanthemum felt about her name before and after the students teased her.  I would then have students discuss or write about a time that someone teased them about their name or something else.  I think Chrysanthemum is a character we fall easily in love with and feel her pain along with her. So, I think children will be in the right frame of mind to discuss bullying after this book because they just felt the consequences of it first hand through Chrysanthemum’s experience.  To discuss names with this book, I would have my students journal about how they feel about their name.  As a homework assignment, I would have students go home and ask their parents why they decided to name them the name they did.  I would then have them share their name story with the class the next day.  I think this is an important assignment because I think it really cues students into their own uniqueness and how special they really are. 
Year Published: 1991              Awards: ALA Notable Children's Book     Horn Book Fanfare

The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

Wow! The Other Side, by Jacqueline Woodson, amazed me because I didn’t know such a big message could fit into such a short book.  I loved it!  I loved it so much that I re-read it to myself twice and then read it to my fiancé.   It is a book about childrens’ ability to see past color for the sake of friendship.  The story appears to be set in the 1950’s and a fence is up in the middle of town that separates where black and white people can live.  What is interesting about the plot, is that the white little girl is the one who feels isolated and left out.  Despite their parent’s warnings not to cross the fence, two girls from opposite sides come to sit together every day on the fence and eventually become friends.  Their actions inspire other children to come and sit on the fence as well.  The book ends with the girls believing that someday the fence will get knocked down.  The illustrations are done in beautiful water colors and they compliment the story plot.  I would love to have the illustration of the little girls sitting on the fence as a piece of artwork for my home.  So awesome!  I loved this book so much because it teaches about a sad and uncomfortable topic in a way that also offers hope. 
            Needless to say, I will definitely be using this book in my classroom.  I think that if you teach in a school with any diversity at all, race relations will be brought into the classroom at some point or another.  I will address this topic using books like this and discussion.  I will introduce this book by saying, “We are now going to read a book about some brave girls.  These girls are brave because they were willing to see past the way someone looks in order to form a friendship.  About fifty years ago, children were only allowed to play with kids who had the same colored skin as themselves.  Some kids were really brave and kind, though, and wanted to be friends with everyone regardless of how they looked.  We are lucky that now days we can be friends with whoever we want.  We must always remember to choose our friends based on how they treat us and not on how someone looks.”  I would then read the book and afterwards we would discuss what it would be like to be one of the kids in this book.  For older children, they could journal from the perspective of one of the characters.  I think activities like this are important because, not only do kids get to hear about the characters’ experiences, they get to feel the same feelings as the characters.  I also think this would be a great book to teach about the literary element of symbolism because of the obvious meaning attached to the fence.  Clearly, the fence is symbolic for the larger social issue of segregation and I think older children would be able to identify this.   Children need to know about symbolism because it helps them realize that texts have many layers of meaning within them, and thus, children will gain a deeper appreciation for literature. 
Year Published: 2001   
Illustrator:    E.B. Lewis  
Awards: ALA Notable, Riverbank Review Book of Distinction, Texas Blue Bonnet List, SLJ Best Book, Booklist Editor’s Choice, New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, 2001 Time of Wonder Award, IRA Teacher’s Choices 2002, (featured on covers of The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Booklist and The Baltimore Sun), 2004 Louisiana Young Reader’s Choice Award (Honor), 2003-2004 Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Master List, California Young Reader Medal Nominee, 2003-2004 South Carolina Book Award Nominee

Spuds by Karen Hesse

Spuds, by Karen Hesse, is a story about three children, Maybelle, Eddie, and jack, who are very poor and hungry so they steal potatoes, also known as spuds, from their neighbor’s field.  However, the children end up collecting more rock than they do actual potatoes and their mother is upset with them for stealing.  There is a definite plot to this story but I felt like the climax and ending was little forced, almost like it happened too quickly.  There isn’t a lot of character development through the words but the reader does get a lot of information about them from the illustrations.  The pictures appear to be done in water colors and the pale colors created by this medium add to the dreary tone of the story.  I like this story, because despite the children’s desperate state, the story has somewhat of a happy ending.  This story has a lot to teach young children about poverty and the importance of being honest.
            I’m a little hesitant to say I will use this book in my classroom because it didn’t “wow” me.  If I were to use it, I would use it when discussing the tough issue of poverty.  I would address poverty by first asking children what they already know about it and writing this down somewhere.  I would then read a book such as Spuds , and potentially some other books as well, and ask children if they learned anything new.  I would open the book to different parts and ask the class to think about how the children were probably feeling at this part in the story.  I think this exercise teaches compassion and empathy, as well as the skill of identifying emotions in oneself and others.   I would want to end this discussion by talking about the strengths the family in the story has.  For instance, the children in Spuds care about each other very much and have a mother who wants them to know the difference between right and wrong.  I think it’s important for children to realize that even if things seem bad or scary, there is usually a bright light, in the form of love or a lesson to be learned.  On a lighter note, this book could be used to talk about farming, with children speculating as to where this story takes place based on what is growing in the fields.  I probably wouldn’t use it for this, other than talking about what “Spuds” are, but it is always an option.

Year Published: 2008        Illustrator: Wendy Watson

The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson and Pictures by Beth Krommes

Being a Hawkeye, I naturally love black and gold but never before have I seen these colors make beautiful art like that found in The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson.  This book has a static plot that involves zooming into, and then out of, a house until we are eventually in a book.  This is all done using very few words and the last noun on the page is used as the first noun on the second page.  For example, “Here is the key to the house.  In the house burns a light.”  The pictures are very interesting and detailed and use black and gold exclusively.  I like this combination because it highlights certain things that "glow."  The illustrator, Beth Krommes, uses different patterns of lines to show texture and depth.   In my opinion, the illustrations are what makes the book.  Each page of the book only had about six words on it that were very simple to read.  Despite this simplicity, the book had a poetic rhythm to it that I thoroughly enjoyed. 
            Because the words are quite simple, I would only use this book with 1rst grade and under.  I think kids older than this might feel insulted by the easy vocabulary used.  I think younger children would have fun identifying the pattern in the book and speculating about what comes next.  I would have students write their own pattern book using a similar format.    All they would have to do is come up with one initial sentence and build off of that to make a story.  For instance, “I love hugs from my mom.  My mom goes for walks.  On these walks she picks up leave.”  I think this is a good activity for children because it shows them that creating a story doesn’t have to be overwhelming.  Rather, it starts with a single sentence. 
Year Published: 2008          Awards: Caldecott Award

Ahmed and the Feather Girl by Jane Ray

Interesting.  That was my first thought after reading Ahmed and the Feather Girl, by Jane Ray.  I’m still not sure if I like the book or not.  The words are not simplified for the reader or insulting by any means.  And, the story has a definite plot but it is very eccentric.  A young orphan boy who is a laborer for the circus, Ahmed, finds a golden egg and it hatches into a girl who is part bird.  The cruel circus leader keeps the girl in a cage until Ahmed sets her free.  The mood of the book is very dismal, and even though Ahmed and Aurelia become free in the end, the mood is still somewhat sad because it took magical intervention for them to get away.  There is not a lot of character development but we do get a sense of the characters from the sensational illustrations.   Ahhhhh…the illustrations…like a wonderful dream.  They were very colorful and energetic, and although somewhat surreal, it is obvious from the details that a great deal of care and work went into the pictures.  The illustrations compliment the story perfectly and almost tell the story more than the words do.  Every bit of the page is covered with something so this book would work well as a wordless book if the author had chosen that. What initially attracted me to this book was having a main character named Ahmed because I felt this story probably contained a multicultural perspective that would be great for classroom sue.  However, upon finishing the book, I decided that this book actually plays into a stereotype of Middle Easterners being vagrants and gypsies.  For this reason, I am still undecided as to if I like the book or not. 
            If I did decided to use the book, I would focus on the treatment of the orphan and the feather girl, Aurelia, and the feelings the characters must have had.  After reading the story, I would ask students how they felt about the way Ahmed was treated?  How do you think Ahmed felt upon finding the egg and when the circus leader took it away from him?  How do you think Aurelia felt being locked up in the cage?  My goal for these questions would be that the class would have a discussion about what human beings need to survive.  I would want students to grasp that we not only need food, water, and shelter, but we also need love, freedom, and friendship.  I think it is important that students understand these things because, as they are growing up and deciding what they value in life, they need to have information about what it takes to achieve a sense of well-being.  Without this information, they will be unable to make choices that help them obtain this. 
Year Published: 2010

Yours Truly, Golidlocks and Extra! Extra! Fairy-Tale News from Hidden Forest by Alma Flor Ada

I chose to blog about Extra! Extra! Fairy-Tale News from Hidden Forest and Yours Truly, Goldilocks, by Alma Flor Ada, because what makes them great is consistent between both of them.  Both of these books use characters from a plethora of fairy tales and tell their stories in a unique way.  Extra! Extra! Fairy-Tale News from Hidden Forest tells fairy tales through newspaper articles.  The lead story is “Mysterious Plant Causes Alarm,” with the mysterious plant being the beanstalk from the well-known fairy-tale “Jack in the Beanstalk.”   An example of another side story is “Italian Village Concerned About Fate of Beloved Toy Maker,” which is the story of Pinocchio.  The articles contain black and white illustrations to go along with the story and, in-between the different editions of the newspaper, are colorful illustrations depicting the newspaper being delivered to the townspeople and their reactions to the events.  What I loved most about this book is how the newspaper contained editorials that showed how the townspeople, particularly L. Feline and Hetty Heeny, had differing opinions on what action should be taken.  It was interesting to me because L. Feline’s and Hetty Heeny’s differing opinions seemed to mirror a conservative and liberal voice.  Thus, the newspaper was very realistic.  Yours Truly, Goldilocks tells a story through the letters the villagers of Hidden Forest are sending to each other.  Each letter is written in different penmanship and different paper and is accompanied by a colorful illustrations that shows either the character’s home or a scene that helps the story’s movement.  In the beginning of the book there is a map of Hidden Forest so readers can familiarize themselves with the area and identify where the action is taking place.   I loved this book and it was definitely my favorite of the two.  The character development is flawlessly amazing and what better way to present it then by telling the story from a variety of first person perspectives through letters.  We get to see the rising action from all sides, including the protagonist and antagonist, and this makes for a very suspenseful story! 

            These books are definitely high quality and could be read just for fun.  They put a new spin on a well known plot and don’t insult the readers by using simple vocabulary. These books would also be great to use when learning about proper letter writing format and newspapers.  The letters in Yours Truly, Goldilocks are written in correct format so students could identify the parts of the letters, such as the greeting and salutation.  I personally do not think letter writing is that exciting of a topic but students would have fun with it if they could write as if they were a character.  This is a great activity because students can really get to know the character whose perspective they are writing from and develop an emotional connection to the text.  Extra! Extra! Fairy-Tale News from Hidden Forest is also written in a format that is similar to mainstream newspapers.  I foresee myself reading the story to the class and then introducing the different parts of a newspaper.  I think a fun activity would be introducing a fairy tale dilemma and have students write editorials from a characters perspective about what should be done like they did in the book.  This is a worthwhile activity for children because it allows them to think about what motivates people and about the complexity of issues. 
Year Published: Extra! Extra! (2007) and Yours Truly, Goldilocks (1998)
Illustrator: Leslie Tryon

The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry Compiled by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson

The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry features 200 poems by Bill Martin Jr.’s favorite authors.  I loved reading the poems in this book!  First of all, a lot of the poems are extremely humorous and have great rhyme schemes.  Second, the illustrations, which are all done by well-known illustrators of children’s books, are phenomenal and make poetry very accessible to young children.  I know the beauty of poetry is the in the fact that people are allowed to create their own mental images from the words the author paints.  However, when children are just being introduced to poetry, the format and word positioning is often confusing and it helps to have illustrations that assist in grasping the full meaning of the poem.  For me, I think it is hard to get children excited about poetry unless they connect to it and I think well done illustrations are one way to establish this connection.  Another thing I liked about this book is how it is organized according to themes, such as animals, people and places, school time, me and my feelings, Mother Goose, and nonsense.  I think it really helps to show children that poetry can be about anything and this layout makes it easy to find a poem about a certain topic. 
            This is a book I most definitely will have in my classroom as a resource.  In fact, I plan on purchasing a copy in the near future.  Children will have fun saying the poems out loud and looking at the great illustrations.  My hope is to have a variety of poetry books in the classroom, and each day, have a different child read a poem to the class in the morning.  I think this is a good activity because children can practice speaking in front of an audience and, because many of the poems are humorous, it would give the class a chuckle which is a great way to start the day.  When it comes to a poetry unit, I think this book does a lot of the work for the teacher. It provides hundreds of high quality poems that can be used as poetry examples.  Many of the poetry styles in this book can be borrowed for the purpose of having the students create their own poems.  I think it is important that children write their own poems because it allows them to break from the traditional sentence.  It also helps build vocabulary by giving them opportunities to practice finding that perfect word.    

Year Published: 2008        
Notable Information: Foreword by Eric Carle and Afterword by Steven Kellogg

Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting

Controversial?  I have a hard time seeing it.  To me, Fly Away Home, is a piece of realistic fiction that depicts, a very sad, yet very valid reality for some children in America.  I can see where some people might think that the sadness is too much for young children, but chances are that one or more students in a classroom have dealt with homelessness first hand.  I liked this book because it showed homelessness from the child’s perspective.  I felt like the author had really done her homework because the boy’s day-to-day life seems very believable.  Also, I liked how the sadness of the story was contrasted with the great love and dedication the father had to his son.  I think there are a lot of messages ringing through this book that make people slightly uncomfortable but accurate, such as hard work doesn’t necessarily guarantee the basic necessities of life.  I have difficulty understanding how someone would want to shelter children from the realistic sadness of this book.  I believe exposure to these issues teaches children compassion and understanding for their fellow human beings. 
            I will definitely be using this book in my classroom.  I think it would be great to use with a unit on family or homes.  Also, this would be a great book to tackle the issue of poverty in the classroom because it presents homeless in a way that is not horrific.  After reading this book, children will need ample time to discuss and process what happened in the story and what feelings were ignited within themselves.  Also, I would reread this book and focus on how the characters are coping and what each of the characters value.  I think this is important to do because children may have negative stereotypes in their minds about people without a home, such as being criminals or being dirty, and focusing on these positive aspects could foster compassion and dispel negative images.  For older children, it would be great to use this book as a lead in to a discussion on local poverty issues.  It is important that kids realize that homelessness is a real phenomenon that many people face in their own community.  Possibly as a class project, students could engage in activities that address homelessness, such as a food drive or a public awareness campaign. 
Year Published:  1993          Illustrator: Ronald Himler

King and King by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland

King and King, by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland is, among many other things, a story about the power of love.  Prince Bertie has his pick of princesses but will settle for nothing less than true love.  He finds this true love in a prince.  First of all, this book had fabulous illustrations!  They were composed of a variety of medias and were energetic and eye catching.   These illustrations really complimented the overall positive mood of the book.  The plot of the book was a traditional fairy tale in which a royal heir must marry.  There are two slight variations in plot, though, that make this book phenomenal!  First, and most prominent, is the fact that the prince ends up with another prince.   The plot presents this ending in a very positive and matter-of-fact way that really leaves the reader with a warm and satisfying feeling associated with the story.  Second, the princesses that are offered to Prince Bertie as potential wives are very diverse and multicultural.  I loved this!  We get to see princesses from all over the world, including places as different as Mumbai and Texas.  Although we all love fairy tales, these traditional stories often contain characters and plots that are oppressive to certain cohorts.  It’s great to see authors challenging this aspect of fairy tales by recreating them in ways that give silenced individuals and groups a place in them and a voice. 
            Many of the books that I read that address LGBT topics I would want to have on hand as references in case the topic was brought up by a student in class, but I wouldn’t necessarily use them for a lesson.  However, I chose to write about this book because it is one that I would like to use as part of a lesson or read aloud to students.  I think this book touches on the topic in a really positive way that is not overwhelming to students who might not be as familiar with this issue because the plot is, for the most part, familiar.  Basically, this book presents the topic in such a way that I would feel comfortable as a teacher addressing it and tackling any questions.  I think this would be a great one to use with a lesson on fairy tales.  I would introduce this book, after having read a fairy tale with a similar plot line, by saying, “Now we are going to read a story that is very much like the one we just read but a little bit different.  After the story we are going to talk about what was different about the two stories and what is the same about the two stories.  Just like all other books we read, you might feel confused, happy, surprised, amused, sad, mad, excited, or you might feel nothing after I read this book.  Whatever you feel is ok and we can talk about it after wards.”  I would leave ample time to discuss how this book compared to other fairy tales they’ve heard and the feelings they had about the book.  Since this book is geared toward younger children, I think students may inquiry as to why the prince wanted to marry another prince instead of a princess.  I would open this question up for student hypotheses and would conclude the discussion by talking about how we are all different and we all like different things.  Some kids like the color green, while others like yellow.  Some kids like the mountains, while others like the sea.  Some kids love pizza, while others love cheese burgers.  Some princes wanted to marry a princess, while others prefer princes.  None of these preferences make someone better that someone else.  They just make us unique and special.      
Year Published:  2002         
Notable Information: Potential presidential candiates have been asked to give opinions on the book, has been on some banned book lists, some groups have requested a sequel about the couple adopting a child