#30-The Boy in the Garden

The Boy in the Garden

Written and Illustrated by Allen Say

Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010

22 Pages

Multicultural (Japan)

     Jiro and his father go to visit one of his father's friends, Mr. Ozu, for New Years. While Jiro's father is talking to Mr. Ozu, Jiro walks off into the garden. He sees a crane and sneaks up on him. The crane reminds Jiro of a story his mother told him about a crane who was saved by a woodcutter and became a woman and married the woodcutter. He is shocked to find that it is a statue and Mr. Ozu and his father laugh about how he thought it was a real crane. Jiro is upset by this and runs off. He comes across a cabin that reminds him of the woodcutter's cabin in the story. He goes inside and finds a kimono that is just his size. He puts it on and then hears someone coming. It is a woman and she reminds him of the crane woman in the story. She says that she has supper ready for him. Jiro has supper and tells the woman that she is the woman from the story he heard. She laughs and says he has a wonderful imagination. The next morning Jiro goes out to the forest to gather firewood but he is unable to find any. He remembers the money that Mr. Ozu gave him and asks the woman where the village is. She tells him it is far away. She tells Jiro that she will weave something so they can get food, but she tells him not to peek. Jiro hears the creaking of the loom and then suddenly a door opens. It is is father and Mr. Ozu. He wakes up to find that he has fallen alseep in the small cabin he found and all of this has been a dream.

     Say used watercolor to create the beautiful illustrations in this book. The format of this book is very formal. The text is on the left side and the illustrations are on the right. Also the Illustrations usually don't take up the whole page but instead are framed by white. Once Jiro starts dreaming, however, the illustrations take up the whole pages. I think Say does this to show just how large and vivid a child's imagination can be. Whenever Jiro wakes up again the book goes back to it's  original formal layout for the illustrations.

     I think this book would be a great book to use when talking about different cultures. This book contains several things that are unique to the Japanese culture. Also this book could be used when talking about different traditional literature stories. The story of the Crane woman is probably one that most Japanese children grow up hearing. It would be a good way to explain that traditional literature is not always the same in all countries. There may be different stories that children in other countries grow up with that children in the United States don't hear while growing up. Also this would be a good character education book. It would be a great way to help students understand that we should always treat others nicely just like the woodcutter did when he rescued the crane. 

#29-Tenzin's Deer

Tenzin's Deer

Written by Barbara Soros

Illustrated by Danuta Mayer

Barefoot Books, 2003

29 Pages

Multicultural (Tibet)

      This is the story of Tenzin, a young boy from Tibet. One day while Tenzin was out walking in the hills around his village he came across deer tracks. He followed the tracks to an injured deer. The deer had been shot with an arrow. Tenzin knew that if he took the arrow out it would only kill the deer faster. Tenzin doesn't know what to do but the deer tells Tenzin to carry him away and not to do anything for now. The deer tells Tenzin that he will find out what to do in a dream. That night Tenzin sleeps with the deer by his side and just as the deer says, he has a dream about a river running down the moutian. The next day Tenzin takes the deer to this river. The current of the river eases the arrow out of the deers side. This leaves a hole and Tenzin does not know what to do about the open wound. Again the deer tells Tenzin that the answer will come to him in a dream, and once again the deer is right. Tenzin cares for the deer and the deer becomes Tenzins closet companion. After a while the deer comes to Tenzin in a dream and tells Tenzin that it is time for him to let the deer go. Tenzin knows that this is the right thing to do but it is hard for him. When he wakes in the morning he lets the deer go and says goodbye to his dear friend. Tenzin grew up and became a doctor. Sometimes Tenzin would have dreams about his friend and he would see her as the strong beast she became.

     Mayer used gouache to create the illustrations for this book. Mayer uses borders throughout the book. All the pictures have a border around them. The text is always on the right side and is contained in a border. The border that contains the text usually has some art surrounding it that pertains to the text and may include things that are not in the larger illustration on the right side of the text. Usually there are little details included in the border around the text that are not included in the large illustration opposite the text.

     This would be a great book to use to help students understand that sometimes we have to say goodbye to people and things we love. It would be a great book to use if a student moves away in the middle of the year and the other students are sad about this. Also it would be good to help students if they have a family member die and they are struggling to deal with the death. It could be something that is shared with the whole class or could also be something that the teacher shares with just a few students that she knows need the lesson. I think all students would benefit from hearing this story. This also could be used to talk about the Tibet culture. It would be a great way to talk about how in Asia one of the things that people practice is caring for each other and the things around them. It would be a great way to teach a lesson on caring for each other and treating each other nicely.  

#28-Sélavi

Sélavi, That is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope

Written and Illustrated by Youme Landowne

Cinco Puntos Press, 2004

29 Pages

Multicultural (Haiti)

      This is the true story of Sélavi, a Haitian boy. Sélavi's parents were shot and killed and Sélavi was left on his own to take care of himself. While Sélavi was walking around the capitol city one day he meet a boy name TiFré. TiFré takes Sélavi to a banyan tree which is where other orphans stay. All these children gather what food they can during the day and come back together at night and share the food. One day, After Sélavi has been living with these children for a while, a man with a gun stops Sélavi in the street and tells him he is a theif. Sélavi runs back to the tree and finds more men with guns. Sélavi runs away and into a chruch were the preacher is talking about working together to make a change. Sélavi tells the people about his friends and how they need help and the people agree to build a house for the orphans. After the house is built the children are provided for and are educated. They paint murals to educate people about the children who live on the streets but the murals are painted over and the house is burnt down. The children and adults come together and form a radio station where the children can be heard and not have their message painted over. The children and adults rebuild the home and the children continue to broadcast on their radio station everyday. The name of the Children's home is Lafanmi Sélavi, which means "the family is life" or "Sélavi's family". 

     Landowne uses watercolor to create the unique illustrations in this book. The illustrations in the book are very colorful. She uses lots of different hues to help protray what is going on in the book. The one thing that really caught my eye is how she made the men with guns look. They all have green uniforms and all of them are wearing sunglasses. All the sunglasses have some sort of design in white on the lenses. This gives the impression that the sunglasses are the mirrored type which do not allow you to see the wearer's eyes. This gives the reader a good idea of just how scary these men would be to a young child.

     This book would be good for older children. It would be a great book to discuss how in some countries of the world children don't have mothers and fathers and they have to find food and shelter on their own. It would be a great way to bring up how there are countries known as “Third World Countries”. The teacher could then talk about how the conditions in these countries are very poor and that sometimes children are not taken care of. This would also be a good book to do a writing activity with students. The students could write about how they would feel if something happened to their family and they were left alone in the streets. This is a great book to discuss the cruelties of the world and how we need to all work together and help make the world a better place to live in. 

#27-Rosa

Rosa

Written by Nikki Giovanni

Illustrated by Bryan Collier

Scholastic Inc, 2005

28 Pages

Multi-Cultural (African American)

     This is the story of Rosa Parks. This book explains how Rosa Parks started the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama by just refusing to give up her seat on the bus. This book explains in great detail how the community came together after Rosa's arrest to stand up for their rights. All it took was one ordinary woman to refuse to give in to the unfair rules to help fuel a very large non-violent movement. Her simple no, lead to a supreme court ruling that segregation on buses is wrong.

     Collier used collage and watercolor to create the very unique illustrations for this book. There is an illustrators note in the front of the book that explains that Collier choose to use a yellow, dark hue to most of the paintings because when he visited Alabama he noticed the heat. I thought this was interesting. Since I have lived in Alabama my whole life I liked the idea that he wanted to portray the heat that is so common in Alabama by using yellows. One picture that really captured my attention was the picture that is on the front cover and is also on the page about when the bus driver was trying to get Rosa to give up her seat. In the picture there is a yellowish circle surrounding Rosa's head, like light is emanating from her. In the illustrators note it explains that he choose to use this effect because he felt that “she is like a radiant chandelier, an elegant light that illuminates all our many pathways”. I really like how he did this because she really did help illuminate so many paths by just saying one word.

     This book is more suitable for older grades, 3^rd and up, because it contains more advanced words and some of the topics discussed in the book would not be suitable for younger children. This book would be a great book to use in a Civil Rights unit. It could also be used when talking about Black History. Another topic would be about important women in History. I think that too many times in history, the women get overlooked. So much emphasis is placed on the men in history but there are countless women that have made a huge impact on our lives today. This book could be used in several different areas when teaching social studies/history. I think it is a great book to share with students, especially children who live in Alabama. 

#26- Pharaoh's Boat

Pharaoh's Boat

Written and Illustrated by David Witzman

Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2009

38 Pages

Non-Fiction

     This is the story of how the Pharaoh, Cheops, was once a great ruler over Egypt. After his death, his son, Djedfre, was in charge of making sure that a boat was built for his father. The ancient Egyptians believed that in order to reach the eternal life, the deceased needed a boat to cross a river that led to the afterlife. Djedfre had workers create a grand boat for his father. This boat was then taken apart and the pieces were carefully piled up next to the base of Cheops pyramid. Centuries later in 1954, archaeologists discovered the boat and Ahmed Youssef Moustafa began the difficult job of restoring the boat. This books explains both the process that the ancient Egyptians workers did to make the boat and the process that Ahmed took to reconstruct the boat.

     Witzman used colored pencil, pen and ink to create the illustrations for this book. All the illustrations are very detailed. Witzman includes lots of hieroglyphics throughout the book. He has pictures that would most likely be seen on pyramid walls. Most of the illustrations show the workers creating the boat and most of the illustrations include notes about the building and the tools that the workers used. Also several of the diagrams include labels for what the different parts of the boat are in each stage of construction.

     This would be a great book to help students understand more about Ancient Egypt. It would be a great book to have available for students to look at while doing a unit on Ancient Egypt. It is also a good book to use to talk about archaeologists. This book would be great to help students understand just how much work goes into restoring what archaeologists find. Also this book gives great insight into what the culture of the Ancient Egyptians was and what they believed. There are several different things this book could be used for while teaching Ancient Egyptian lessons.

#25- My Brother Martin

My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Written by Christine King Farris

Illustrated by Chris Soentpiet

Scholastic Inc., 2003

34 Pages

Non-Fiction

“And my brother M. L. looked up into our mother's face and said the words I remember to this day. He said, “Mother Dear, one day I'm going to turn this world upside down.”

     This is a biography of Martin Luther King Jr. told by his sister Christine. She tells stories of what it was like growing up with her younger brother who grew up to be a huge influence on changing the laws in America. She tells stories of playing pranks on the neighbors and their unsuspecting piano teacher. She also tells stories of playing with the only two white boys in the neighborhood and then one day being rejected by the two boys just because of their skin color. Christine also tells stories of how their father not only preached about standing up to the injustice that was so prevalent in those days but how he also practiced it. Martin Luther King Jr.'s father may have been one of the biggest influences on him becoming who he was. Christine focuses on how Martin was just a normal boy who found out how cruel the world was and wanted to do something about it. He vowed to his mother that one day he would turn the world upside down, and he did just that.

     Soentpiet uses watercolor to create the beautiful illustrations in this book. The pictures in the book are very vibrant and realistic looking. Soentpiet chose colors that make the reader feel like they are actually living Martin's childhood with him. All the pictures are very detailed. The format of the book is very formal. The text is always on one side and the pictures are on the other. All the pictures contain a border around them.

      This book would be a great book to share with students to help them see that Martin Luther King Jr. was a normal child just like them. It would be a great way to teach students that they can do anything as long as they put their mind to it. It would also be a great way to talk about the injustice of the laws during the time that Martin was growing up. It would be a great starting point for a writing activity where students could be encouraged to talk about how they would have felt if they were black and lived during that time.  

#24-If The World Were a Village

If the World Were a Village: A Book About the World's People

Written by David J. Smith

Illustrated by Shelagh Armstrong

Kids Can Press, 2002

32 Pages

Non-Fiction

     This is a very informative book talking about the world population. It starts out by explaining how the world is very densely populated. It lists how many people live in the world as of January 1, 2002. After talking about how many people live in the world it breaks it down so that it is easier to understand. The book talks about the world as a village of 100 people. So every person would represent 62 million people from the real world. The book then goes on to list the different nationalities, languages, ages, and religions of this world village using the reference of the world being a village of 100 people. The book also explores issues like food, air and water, schooling and literacy, money and possessions, and electricity. It talks about how some people have more food, better air and water, money and possessions and are better educated than others. It talks about how unequally things like food and money are spread throughout the global village. The book ends by explaining how the population of the world has increased throughout history and explains problems that could develop if the word population continues to grow as rapidly as it has in the last few decades.

     Armstrong used acrylic to create the brightly colored pictures in this book. The illustrations in this book contain lots of green. Armstrong also uses lots of vibrant colors to depict the different types of people that occupy the global village. Armstrong does a great job of making the village look like it is occupied by different cultures. Each picture corresponds really well with the information that is covered in the text. The pictures are beautiful and full of variety, just like the people they represent.

     This book would be better for older children since it covers such a hard concept for children to understand. It is a great book to use to help children think about the bigger picture of the world and not just think about their town and where they have grown up. This book would be a great way to start a discussion about how there is enough food in the world to feed everyone, yet people die from starvation everyday all over the world. It would also be great to use when talking about percentages. Since the village is a village of 100 people students could easily calculate the percentages that go along with each category. Also students could try to figure out how many people of the world each number actually represents using the scale at the beginning of the book. This book would be a great way to integrate both math and social studies.  

#22-Abraham Lincoln Comes Home

Abraham Lincoln Comes Home

Written by Robert Burleigh

Illustrated by Wendell Minor

Henry Holt and Company, 2008

30 Pages

Historical Fiction

     This is the story of Luke, a young boy who goes with his father to the local train tracks to watch Lincoln's funeral train pass by. Luke and his farther make the trip in the middle of the night in order to see the train carrying Lincoln's body. Others are gathered at the tracks and are holding torches. The train is headed to Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln's home.

     Minor uses gouache watercolor to create the vibrant illustrations. Minor does a great job of capturing the dark night using dark blues. As Luke and his father get closer and closer to the crowd that is gathered around the tracks, the dark blue night is engulfed in orange flame. As the train approaches the pages turn from a background composed mainly of dark blue, to being enveloped in bright orange. Minor does a great job of portraying what it must have been like to see the train pass by late at night while people held torches. Minor also does a great job of capturing the details of the train. The reader feels like they are actually up close to the train as it passes by.

     This is a great book to explain how upset the nation was after Lincoln's assassination. The end of the book shows the actual path that the train took as it made its 13 day journey to Springfield, Illinois. The book also contains some interesting facts about Lincoln's funeral train. After reading the book, students could draw out the journey that Lincoln's train took. Students could also do a writing assignment about how they would have felt if they had been alive during this time and if they had been in Luke's place watching the train pass by.

#22-Abe Lincoln Remembers

Abe Lincoln Remembers

Written by Ann Turner

Illustrated by Wendell Minor

Scholastic Inc., 2001

28 Pages

Historical Fiction

      This is a book telling the life of Abraham Lincoln as if he were telling about his life. The book is a brief description of his life. It leads up through the Battle of Gettysburg and the end of the Civil War. The book ends on the night that he and his wife, Mary, went to see a play. This book does something that most biographies can't, it makes the reader imagine how the person actually felt throughout their life.

     Minor uses oil paint to create the beautiful illustrations in this book. The colors he chooses are very vibrant. The pictures that contain outdoor scenes are especially detailed and colorful. Minor does a great job of using the color to draw in the reader to the story. Most of the book follows a formal layout with the text on one side and the pictures on the other. All of the pictures contain a border around them.

     This book would appeal more to younger students, Kindergarten through third grade. This book would be great to use when talking about the presidents. It would be a great way to help students realize that even though the presidents were in a very high position of power, some of them started out with humble beginnings just like most Americans. This book could also be used when talking about the Civil War. It would be a great way to help introduce the assassination of Lincoln. Even though it may be on a lower reading level it could still be used in upper grades because of its unique point of view. It would be great to help older students really think about what all Lincoln might have felt while in office and it could be a great introduction of a writing activity in which students write from a president's point of view about what was going on during their time in office.

#21- John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry

John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry

Written by Jason Glaser

Illustrated by Al Milgrom, Bill Anderson, and Charles Barnett III

Capstone Press, 2006

32 Pages

Historical Fiction

     This is a graphic novel depicting the events of a not so well known event that helped fuel the Civil War. The story is of John Brown, an abolitionist, who would do anything to end slavery. John Brown grew up in an abolitionist family and was a part of many orginazations that helped slaves. John Brown went as far as to kill some men that he knew wanted slavery to remain legal, but he was never caught. John moved and grew a beard. He began to devise a plan to take over Harpers Ferry, a military outpost. He figured that he could get weapons for slaves and they would be able to fight for their freedom. After much planning and less support than imagined, Brown led the raid on Harpers Ferry. After only 36 hours the raid was stopped and Brown was imprisoned and hanged. One year after Brown's death the Civil War began.

      Milgrom, Anderson, and Barnett used acrylics to create the illustrations. The book is put together in a graphic novel format. There are lots of action pictures and most of the pages contain several panels. The illustrators used lots of color to help make the story seem real. The illustrations really make the reader feel like they are living this historic event.

     I think this would be a great book to have in a classroom library. This is part of a library called the Graphic Library. I think it would be great to have as many books from this graphic novel library as possible. I think that it would be better for children in fifth grade and up. These books are great to help students really get into the history stories. Some of the stories that are in the Graphic Library are stories that usually don't get covered in the history curriculum. I think it would be a great way for students to learn more about the lesser known, but still significant, historical events in American History. When teaching a certain time period, the teacher could have the Graphic Library books that go along with that time period on display in the classroom library and the students could be encouraged to read them on their own. 

#20-Zathura

Zathura: A Space Adventure

Written and Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg

Hougton Mifflin Company, 2002

38 Pages

Fantasy

      This is the story of two brothers, Danny and Walter. Danny is the youngest and Walter is always picking on him. One day, while the boys are in the park, Danny finds a game. They go back to the house and Danny starts to play the game. Soon he and Walter find themselves battling robots, pirate space ships, and learning about the effects of no-gravity. The game continues until Walter is sent back in time through a black hole. Walter finds himself back in the park with Danny and stops Danny from getting the game. Even though the boys never really finished the game they both learned how to get along with each other and how to do things together.

     Allsburg used pencil and pen to create the black and white illustrations for this book. Even though all the illustrations in this book are black and white they are very vivid. The illustrations in the book look very realistic. It almost feels like you are watching a black and white film when you read the book. The pictures are very detailed and the reader can tell that Alsburg spent a lot of time drawing the pictures. Allsburg also uses a technique that is similar to crosshatching in the pictures that give it an even more detailed look.

      This book would be great for older students. It is a great book to use to teach students that it is better to get along with the people around you than it is to fight with them all the time. It would be a good way to help students understand that cooperation is better than bullying. Also it would be a great book to use with a space unit. Even though it is a fantasy book I think it would be a fun way to introduce a unit on space. It could also be the basis for a writing activity in which students write a story about a space adventure they would like to have.

#19-Skippyjon Jones:Lost in Spice

Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Spice

Written and Illustrated by Judy Schachner

Dutton Children's Books, 2009

30 pages

Fantasy

“Holy green gorillas,” gulped Skippito. “It's a Martian-ito!”

     Skippyjon Jones LOVES Mars. He loves it so much that he borrows some red spice from his mom so that he can turn his bed into Mars. Soon Skippyjon Jones finds himself on a Martian adventure. He joins his friends on the surface of Mars. He gets separated from his friends and makes friends with a one eyed martin who looks almost like him, minus the fact that he only has one eye. Skippyjon finds his way back to his friends and soon comes face to face with five green Martians. His twin is with the group and he has to fight his twin for his sock monkey. The Martian twin lets go of his sock monkey and Skippyjon is sent flying back into his bedroom out of his closet door.

     Schachner used acrylics, pen, and ink to create the illustrations for this book. Schachner uses lots of vibrant color in this book. She mainly uses red since the main setting is Mars. While Skippyjon is in space she uses lots of reds for the surface of Mars and dark blues for the surrounding sky. The way she uses the colors makes the reader feel like they are actually on the surface of Mars. She does a great job of making the reader feel like they are actually on Mars.

     This book would be great for younger children. Young children would really relate to Skippyjon's imagination. This book would be a great book to read during a space unit. This book would also be a great book to read as a basis for a writing assignment about what students think they would find on Mars. Also the book contains lots of Spanish words so as the teacher reads the story the teacher could teach them what the words mean. It would be great to use in a class that had some ELL students because the teacher could have them help her translate the words.

#18-Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

An apdatation of Lewis Carroll's Original Tale

Illustrated by Robert Sabuda

Little Simon, 2003

12 Pages

Fantasy

   

      This is a pop-up adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. It chronicles the adventures that Alice has after she falls down the rabbit hole and into a mysterious wonderland. She chases the white rabbit who is late for a very important date, eats a cake that makes her shrink, has a conversation with a caterpillar, has tea with the mad hatter and plays croquet with the queen using a flamingo. Alice finally wakes up and finds that she has really been sleeping all this time.

      Sabuda uses his paper engineering skills to turn this classic into a interactive story. The story literally comes alive as the characters pop off the pages. There are several interactive things in the book. My favorite was an accordion like paper structure that you lift up and then look down the hole at the top. This lets the reader actually look down the rabbit hole and it makes it feel like you can actually see Alice as she falls down the very long dark hole.

     This would be great to have in any classroom. Both younger and older children would enjoy this book. Older children would be able to read the story on their own and the pop-up would be very appealing to younger children. I think that this book could be used in an older classroom to show that illustrations don't always have to be 2-D. After having the students look at the book they could be encouraged to make their own mini pop-up book. I think it would also be a great way to start introducing harder books that students will have to read in the upper grades. Alice in Wonderland is not an easy read but this pop-up version would make it fun and enjoyable. I think children of all ages would really love this book. I do think it is the type of book that should be borrowed from the teacher, however, because of it's fragile nature. I think it would be better for the teacher to keep this in his/her private library and allow students to “check it out” and be given strict rules as to how to handle the book.

#17-Petite Rouge

 Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood

Written by Mike Artell

Illustrated by Jim Harris

Puffin Books, 2001

23 Pages

Traditional Literature

   This book is a cajun version of Little Red Ridding Hood. In this version Petite Rouge, a goose, is given the task to take food to her sick Grand-mere. While she is traveling through the swamp she comes across Claude the gator. Claude tries to get her to share her food, but Petite Rouge scares him off with her pole. Claude is very mad and decides to swim ahead of Petite Rouge and sneaks into Grand-mere's house and scares Grand-mere into the closet. He then disguises himself as Grand-mere and lays in her bed. When Petite Rouge arrives she soon figures out that she is being tricked by Claude. Claude then tries to eat Petite Rouge, but TeJean, her cat, plays a trick on Claude. TeJean throws Petite Rouge a piece of boudin that is covered in hot sauce and Claude eats it and has to jump in the swamp to cool his mouth. Claude never bothers Petite Rouge or her Grand-mere ever again.

     Harris used watercolor and pencil to create the illustrations for this book. Harris uses a lot of negative space in the book to help emphasizes things. For example most of the illustrations are double page spreads with full illustrations on both pages but on some pages he uses negative space to help emphasizes something. When Claude first comes up to Petite Rouge he tips the boat and the end that she is in is the only part that is illustrated on that side of the double page spread. The other side is a full picture. Harris used negative space in this illustration to draw attention to the fact that Petite Rouge is sitting in the boat which is now raised high above the water.

     This book would be great when talking about different dialects. The whole book is written in a Cajun dialect. It also contains lots of french and cajun phrases that students may have never heard. Students could also compare and contrast this book with the original Little Red Ridding Hood story. This book could also be used to just talk about Cajun culture and explain where the Cajun culture came from.

  

#16-The Three Snow Bears

The Three Snow Bears

Written and Illustrated by Jan Brett

G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2007

30 Pages

Traditional Literature

   This is an Arctic version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In this version, Aloo-Ki is fishing on a ice floe when her team of dogs floats away on a pice of ice. Meanwhile a family of polar bears is having breakfast but the little bear's breakfast is too hot so the family takes a walk while the food cools off. As Aloo-Ki tries to figure out a way to get to her dogs, she comes across a large igloo. She goes inside and tries the soup. Of course the first is too hot, the second is too cold and the third is just right. Then Aloo-Ki tries on the boots and finds that the smallest pair is just right. Finally she lays down in the smallest sleeping bag and takes a nap. Meanwhile the family of polar bears have spotted the team of dogs and saves them and pushes them back to safety. The family then returns to their igloo to find that their breakfast has been eaten, their boots have been messed with and the little bears are missing and have been replaced by some other boots! Then they find that their sleeping areas are messed up and the little bear finds Aloo-Ki asleep in her sleeping bag. Aloo-Ki wakes up and runs out the door to find her team of dogs. Aloo-Ki and her dogs ride back home while the bear family waves good-bye.

     Brett uses watercolor to create the beautiful illustrations in this book. The pictures in the book are all bordered. Also on the sides there are vignettes showing a side story. In the side story it shows the family of polar bears and their adventure while Aloo-Ki is in their igloo. The side story that Brett tells in the vignettes shows the bears rescuing the team of sled dogs. Brett does a great job of using these vignettes to tell two stories at once. It allows readers to not only follow Aloo-Ki's story but also the bears story while they are out of the igloo. As the bears get back to the igloo in the side story it builds suspense because now the reader knows they are coming back and the reader wonders what will happen. All of the illustrations in the book are beautiful. Brett uses a lot of whites, blues and other Arctic-like colors to help make the book feel like you are really in the Arctic.

     This book would be great to have students compare and contrast Goldilocks and the Three Bears with. Students could maybe even be encouraged to write their own version of the traditional story. It would also be a good book to use to talk about life in the Arctic. Students would see a lot of ways that living in the arctic is different from living somewhere warmer. This book could also be used to teach about the Inuits, Aleut, and Yupik tribes who live in the Arctic.  

#15- Stone Soup

Stone Soup

Written and Illustrated by Jon J. Muth

Scholastic Inc. 2004

29 Pages

Traditional Literature

    This is the European traditional story of Stone Soup but it takes place in China. In this story three monks, Hok, Lok, and Siew are traveling through the mountains of China. They are talking about generosity when they come to a town which has forgotten what it is to be generous. The villagers have had a rough time in the last few years so they have all decided to just take care of themselves. When the monks arrive all the villagers shut themselves up in their houses. The monks decide to make stone soup and get a young girl to help them. As they begin to make the soup more and more of the villagers come out to help. The villagers begin to add more and more ingredients until they have created a very tasty soup that all the villagers can enjoy.

     Muth used watercolor to create the beautiful illustrations for this book. He uses a lot of neutral colors. The village is very plain looking. The color choice makes the village look very depressing, which is exactly what the village has become because everyone is selfish and only cares for themselves. Muth uses a few colors to help brighten up the story. The little girl is wearing a yellow shirt and this helps begin the change in the village's appearance. As the story progresses more and more color is added. Each person has a different color shirt and so as more people add to the pot of soup there is more color. By the end of the book, when the monks are saying farewell to the village, the village looks more like a nice, pleasant place and is very inviting because there is more color shown. Muth does a great job using the colors to help set the mood of the story.

     This book could be used for a character education lesson about generosity. The teacher could talk about why it is important to be generous to others. Students could also make their own recipe for Stone Soup after reading this story. This would also be a good book to use about the Chinese culture. There are some notes at the end of the book regarding some things about the origins of the Stone Soup story and about Chinese culture that is represented in the book which could help the teacher explain the chinese culture more. 

more.

#14-Dream

Dream

Written by Susan V. Bosak

Illustrated by Wayne Anderson, Lou Fauncher, Christian Birmingham, Barbara Reid, Yang Huang, Michele Lemieux, Shaun Tan, James Bennett, Bruce Wood, Robert Ingpen, Raul Colon, Leo and Diane Dillon, and Mike Carter.

TCP Press, 2004

28 Pages

Poetry

"Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly"
-Langston Hughes

    This is a story told in poetic form. It is a story about life and how in each stage in our life we see things differently. The main theme of the book is to never stop dreaming. Even when life gets hard we have to find the motivation to keep going. It is a very powerful book to help us see that we can achieve great things when we dream and make wishes. The book also has an inspirational quote on each double page spread.

     There are 15 illustrators for this book and all the illustrators have their own medium that was used. The mediums used include oil paint, pastels, 3-D plasticine photographed, watercolor, ink, collage, colored pencil, acrylic, and digital media. I love the fact that this book has so many different illustrators represented and so there are lots of different mediums used. At the end of the book is a list of each illustrator with thumbnails of the picture(s) they contributed to the book and it tells what medium they used and has a short bio for each illustrator. The book is laid out so that each section of life is a double page spread and is a different color. The book starts out in yellow and progresses through the rainbow of colors and ends back on yellow. Each color corresponds to the time in life talked about on the double page spread. The early years are colorful and then the teenage years are blue to represent the melancholy years of adolescence. As the person ages life goes to black and white to gray. Then the person remembers their dreams and the pages are green. This is a very colorful book, but the colors are a great way of representing the different stages of life.

     This would be a great book to start the beginning of the year out with. The students could write their wishes on a star. It would be a great way to help students realize that no matter how rough the school year may get, they can accomplish a great deal if they just put their mind to it. I think this book would be a great way to help motivate students at the beginning of the year. It would also be a great book for older students. It would be a great book to read to 6^th - 8^th graders close to the end of the year. The teacher could read it to the students and explain that as they make the transition from childhood to teenage years they need to remember their dreams. The teacher could have them make a list of goals and dreams they have so that they will stay encouraged as they go through the next stage in their life. Also at the back of the book it lists a website that students could go to and create their own Dreamer Profile. There are lots of activities that could be used on this website in the classroom setting.

#13-Sidewalk Chalk

 Side Walk Chalk: Poems of the City

Written by Carole Boston Weatherford

Illustrated by Dimitrea Tokunbo

Wordsong Boyd Mills Press, 2001

32 Pages

Poetry

    This is a book of poems about what it is like to live in the city. Some of the topics of the poems include things like getting a haircut at the barber shop and going to the laundry mat. All of the poems portray something about what it is like to live in the city and family life in the city. Most of the poems center around African American children and their families.

     Tokunbo used watercolor to create the colorful illustrations for this book. All the pictures are very vibrant and full of color. The colors match up with the theme of each poem. For example a poem entitled Aunt Lizzie's Pictures is about how the child's aunt has all her family members pictures on display along with some influential African American's pictures. The illustration for the poem contains lots of blues and purples to help portray the tranquil feeling the child would feel when she is at her aunt's house.

     

     This book would be good for grades 2^nd and up. The book would be great when teaching about different cultures. It would be a great way for students to see how city life is different from country life. Students could compare and contrast their lives to the life of the child who lives in the city. This book would be a great way to help students who live in the country to understand that not all children live in the same places they do. This book would be a great way to have students write about something about their everyday lives in the form of a poem. This book is a really great book that students could be encouraged to read on their own also. The teacher could read a few poems out loud to the class as part of a book talk and encourage the students to read it on their own to discover more about city life. 

#12- Old Mother Hubbard

Entry #12

Old Mother Hubbard

Written and Illustrated by Jane Cabrera

Scholastic Inc. 2001

26 Pages

Poetry

   

     This is a poetic take on the old nursery rhyme Old Mother Hubbard. Old Mother Hubbard goes to the cupboard to fetch her dog a bone, and when she gets there it is bare. So Old Mother Hubbard goes out to buy the dog all sorts of things. She buys him a hat, shoes, coat, and a wig. When she returns from each of her shopping adventures she finds the dog doing crazy things like riding a goat, washing the cat, reading the news, or dancing a jig. At the end of the book she gives the dog a huge bone and the dog is very pleased.

     Cabrera used acrylics to create the vibrant illustrations. The illustrations in this book are very bright and bold. Cabrera uses a ride range of colors for the illustrations. She tends to use a lot of reds, yellows and oranges. Also in each illustration you can see the brush strokes. This gives the pictures a little texture. All the pictures are very colorful and very child friendly. Her choice of colors really makes this a fun read.

     This book would be best suited for younger children. It could be used in the younger grades, Kindergarten to 2^nd grade. This book could be used to teach phonics. It would be a great way to have students pick out rhyming sounds. It could also be used to teach different jobs that people do. In each scenario Mother Hubbard goes to a different person to get what she needs. She goes to the cobbler, hatter, barber, etc. to get what she needs. This would be a great book to teach students about different jobs that people used to have but aren't as common anymore. Also this would be a good model for students to create their own fun rhyming scenario of a place that Mother Hubbard went to get something for her dog. 

#11- In The Wild

In the Wild

Written by David Elliott

Illustrated by Holly Meade

Candlewick Press, 2010

29 Pages

Poetry

     This book describes different wild animals through the use of poetry. Each animal has it's own poem and each poem is written in a different format. None of the poems have the same format. This book contains both rhyming and non-rhyming poems so it is a great way to show students that not all poetry has to rhyme.

     Meade used woodblock prints and watercolor to create the beautiful illustrations for this book. The colors are very bold and vibrant in this book. The colors match the mood that each animal reflects. Also Meade used a lot of jagged, wavy lines to represent movement and horizontal lines to represent tranquility and calmness. For instances with the Zebra there are lots of wavy lines under the feet of the Zebra to help represent it running fast through the plains of Africa. The illustration for the sloth, on the other hand, contain more horizontal lines to help portray it's laid back approach to life in the trees.

     This book has several different ways it could be used in the classroom. I think it could be used in almost any grade level. It would be a good book to use when doing a unit on animals. It could also be used to show that there are different types of poetry. Also if students were learning about animals in certain habitats like African animals, the teacher could read the poems about those particular animals and not have to read the whole book since each animal has its own poem and it would not take away from the book as a whole. Also only reading a few of the poems may encourage the students to go read the rest of the book.  

Intro

I am a future elementary teacher. This blog has been created for an assignment in one of my education classes. I have created this blog to post blogs about children's books that I am reading for my children's literature class. I hope that people will read this blog and learn about the great books that are out there and go and check them out. I may post more blog entries even after I am done with reading the required amount of books for my class. I hope to keep this up so that I can share with others the great books that are out there for children to enjoy.