#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.