Booklist for Blog

For this class, I read and blogged about the following books:

Chapter Books:

The Dreamer

We Are the Ship

A Tale Dark and Grimm

Turtle in Paradise

Twilight

The Hunger Games

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Bridge to Terabithia

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Blubber

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Feathers

The Witches

Are you There, God?  It’s me Margaret.

Picture Books:

Blue Lipstick

The Uglified Duck

How Rocket Learned to Read

Martin’s Big Words

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach

Dave the Potter

Goal!

The Duchess of Whimsy

Snowflake Bentley

Flotsam

Hey, Al

Saint George and the Dragon

It’s a Book

And Tango Makes Three

Chalk

Are You There God ? It's Me, Margaret.

Are you There God?  It's me Margaret. is written by Judy Blume and appears on the Challenged Book List.

This is a true coming-of-age story about a girl growing up and learning the lessons of being a young girl.  Eleven-year-old Margaret's family has moved to a small town in New Jersey from their apartment in New York, and she makes friends easily, but definitley notices differences in her family and her friends'.  She has an ongoing relationship with God about her worries and anxieties through short verbal prayers and journal entries even though her family has no religion.  As she journeys through the story, Margaret finds that her curiosity about religion and how she will fit in without it actually draws her further from God.  I thought this book had some great lessons and themes, and most girls can learn quite a bit from it.  It reminded me about several books I have read in the past because of some of the things the characters do and how they treat one another.  Most of it is very spot-on for girls of eleven and twelve years old.  I admired Margaret's relationship with her grandmother and found that it reminded me a lot of my own relationship with my maternal grandmother.  She was very much like Margaret's and it made me remember how valuable those times together were.  

Blume, J. (1970). Are you there God? It's me, Margaret . Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Bradbury Press.

The Witches

The Witches by Raold Dahl is on the list of 100 Most Challenged Books.

The Witches is a silly story set in Europe during the modern day.  It is a story of a young boy that is being raised by his grandmother after the death of his parents.  She lives in Norway, but he has grown up in England.  The most important lesson his grandmother has taught him is how to recognize witches and avoid themso he can survive.  Apparently witches are out to destroy all of the children in the world.  After learning about witches, the young boy is more alert in his every day actions and tries to avoid them at all costs.  While on holiday, the boy and his grandmother find out they are staying at the hotel where the witchedsof England are having their annual meeting to talk about there new plan to rid the world of kids.  The boy falls prey to the witches who test their plan on him and turn him into a mouse.  The only flaw is they cannot kill him after he becomes a mouse because he is too smart to fall for dying in a mousetrap.  When his grandmother learns of his new existence, they devise a plan to give the witches a taste of their own medicine, literally.  When their plan works, and all of the English witches turn into mice, they decide they must spend the rest of their days together extinguishing the world of all the witches in the other countries as well using their own plan against them.  I did not really connect with this story in any way, but I did enjoy the relationship between the boy and his grandmother as it reminded me of times In spent with my own grandmother learning many things from her.

Dahl, R., & Blake, Q. (1983). The witches . New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.

Chalk

Chalk is written by Bill Thomson and is a selection from the Notable Books for Children's List.

 

 

Chalk is a super fun book to "read" that uses oodles of imagination.  It is a wordless book that really does not need words as the story leaps off the pages at you from the cover to the end.  Three children are walking in a rain shower to the park and discover a bag of chalk.  Little do they know that the chalk is magical and as they begin to draw, they find what they have created becomes reality.  The sun that is drawn rises and dries up the rain, and the butterflies also rise up from the pavement and fly away.  When the third child draws a dinoasur, it too rises up and starts to chase the kids who run into the playground equipment to escape.  The disosaur artist quickly draws a rain shower and the dinosaur melts away leaving nothing but a chalk memory and green puddle.  The children decide to leave the magical chalk behind as they leave the park for some other children to discover.  This book instantly reminded me of the times when my own children would play with sidewalk chalk for hours and create all kinds of materpieces that also became memories and colorful puddles so they could start all over again on their concrete canvases.  The illustrations are so well painted and bring such life to the storywit their close-ups and illumination.  A very enjoyable book to "read"!

Thomson, B. (2010). Chalk . New York: Marshall Cavendish Children.

Feathers

Feathers by Jaqueline Woodson is a Newbery Honor book.

This is a little book that packs inside its cover a very big story.  The story of Frannie and her hearing imparied brother Sean is one that shows how delicate relationships are and how each relationship leaves its mark on your world.  Frannie and her family live in a large city in the early 1970's and even though the city and school are not segregated, the concept is lost on the city where the black families live on one side of the highway and the white families on the other.  When a new white boy comes into Frannie's class, it rocks everyone's world as he doesn't seem to belong, but somehow does.  Everyone from the good-goody girl to the school bully is taken by the mysterious, new boy who eventually makes his way in his new world.  I connected with this book in many ways because not only have I been the new kid in class, I have also been the one who stood up for someone without knowing them against the bully.  The relationships between Frannie and her family and her friends are so simple yet also seem so complex.  I love the way it is written so that you delve into Frannie's deepest thoughts and understand her fears, and see her understand the symbolism in the feathers. 

Woodson, J. (2007). Feathers . New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

And Tango Makes Three

And Tango Makes Three is written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and is on the 100 most challenged books list.

 

 

 

This touching story is one of families and tolerence.  Two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo in New York came to live with one another and adopted an orphaned egg that eventually hatched into a female chick named Tango.  The two males, Roy and Silo, cared for the young chick and took care to raise her and teach her all of the ways of a penguin.  There is so much tolerence at work in this book, from the animals themselves to the spectators at the zoo, and it is a nice way to share the information which is based on two real penguins of the same name at that very zoo.  It made me think of how much the kids have changed since I was in school.  I think that now there are so many more cultural differences and changes that kids are exposed to that they are much more tolerant of differences among one another that I can ever remember as a child growing up.  How nice for younger students to see that there are differences in families even in the natural world, and yet, they are still a happy and thriving family. 

 

Richardson, J., Parnell, P., & Cole, H. (2005). And Tango makes three . New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is written by Jacqueline Kelly and is a Newbery Honor Book.

 

 

Calpurnia Tate, or Callie Vee as some call her, is an eleven year old girl growing up in a small central Texas town during the year of 1899.  She is surrounded by boys as she is the only girl of seven in the Tate family and happens to be smack dab in the middle of it all.  Callie has a wild spirit about her that keeps her from embracing the fineries of the young ladies of her time choosing instead to explore the world around her with her Grandfather, who is a naturalist and retired from the cotton plantation the family owns.  Her relationship with her grandfather has been nearly non-exitent until he sees her interest in the natural world, and gradually their relationship grows out of mutual respect for their love of nature.  This great book took me back to a time when I was able to spend some very treasured summers with my own Papaw as he worked in his electrician business.  Occasionally I would be allowed to go with him to a job that had to be supervised or for a bid as he owned the company.  Much like Callie Vee, I can remember being in awe of the knowledge that he possessed about his world that was so unfamiliar to me.  I was able to grow close with him over gardening and tinkering around in the garage.  A few times in the novel, Callie takes to her bed in sometimes real and sometimes feigned illness which prompts her to remember her family's cure-all of codliver oil.  That also made me laugh as I remembered my Papaw wanting to mop my tonsils with some red substance that we called "monkey blood" when I mentioned that I had anything resembling a sore throat.  One time was enough for me to know that I did not like it, and nothing would make me say I was sick enough for that.  As the title reads, Callie goes through an evolution or change as she struggles with the internal issues that many strong women of her time must have dealt with; should she become a proper young lady for her family to present to society or follow her heart into science where she knew she could find happiness.  It was a very enjoyable read!

Kelly, J. (2009). The evolution of Calpurnia Tate . New York: Henry Holt.

Blubber

Blubber by Judy Blume is on the list of the 100 most challenged books.

  Blubber is a book that I can totally understand and relate to on many levels.  It is understandable why some people would want to challenge it due to the content of bullying, name-calling, and dishonesty, but these issues are something that is very real in the world today, unfortunately.  The story's main character really learns a lesson about how to treat someone when she becomes the target in the classroom instead of one of the people picking on the target, which is the role she was used to playing.  If more kids read this book, maybe a lesson could be learned about how it feels on both ends of trhe sprectrum.  Each year, I see 6th graders play these games with one another, especially the girls, where there is a ringleader and those that follow blindly without making their own decisions between right and wrong.  With the change in technology and the introduction of cyber-bullying, parents and teachers have to be even more aware of the unfortunate opportunies for kids to lead one another astray.  This tale, while dated, teaches some good lessons.  While I was reading it, I fully expected there to be a more negative outcome simply because I have seen many of the negative things that can happen from bullying.  The lesson may be simple and timeless, but it is even more important now than ever before.

Blume, J. (1974). Blubber . Scarsdale, N.Y.: Bradbury Press.

 

It's a Book

It's a Book is written by Lane Smith and is a New York Times bestseller.

 

 

This book made me laugh out loud!  It is a great conversation between a monkey and a jackass about just what a book is.  The jackass is very much plugged in and wants to understand a book the way he understands tweeting, texting, and computer skills.  The monkey is very patient and lets him know that it does nothing that technology can do as because "It's a book."  Such a simple message, yet very profound.  I would like to share this book at the beginning of class this year with my 6th graders and see if they can get the underlying message that the jackass learned about the value of a book in a digital world.

 

Smith, L. (2010). It's a book . New York: Roaring Brook.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is written by J.K. Rowling and is an A.L.A. Notable Book as well as a challenged book.

 

 

  This final installment in the Harry Potter Series is definitely my favorite.  While I thoroughly enjoyed the entire series, this book for me was the best one for the balance it has in all of the elements present in the previous six books.  After my latest and fourth read of the book, I have come to apprciate the complexity in the characters and their relationships with one another.  The serious nature of their quest for the horcruxes consumes them but still leaves room for things like  feelings of jealousy and questions of loyalty between the characters.  Each time Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to move locations or make a new discovery, the writing takes me to the actual place and time, and it is like I am there to experience the joy and pain of it all.  The feeling of revenge lays thick in the air of the book as the deaths of many key people in Harry's life must be avenged by "the one" and he must face Voldemort in a final battle.  Each time I read the book, my pulse quickens as I get involved in the story and even comment loudly about the choices Harry makes, good and bad.  I find myself in this world of descriptive writing and creative vocabulary and get lost in the words on the pages.  This entire series is one that I will read over and over again, and I think the final book, with a little humor and sarcasm, adventure, and magic is the perfect end to a fantastic journey.

 

Rowling, J. K., & GrandPré, M. (2007). Harry Potter and the deathly hallows . New York, NY: Arthur A. Levine Books.

A Tale Dark and Grimm

A Tale Dark and Grimm is written by Adam Gidwitz and is a New York Times Bestseller.

The title says it all for this book as the tale is definitely dark and Grimm as in the Grimm Fairy Tales.  Anyone who has read a Grimm tale knows that it is nothing like a typical fairy tale.  This particular tale has a twist to it as it takes the story of Hansel and Gretel and basically follows them through their own story as well as crossing over into some of the other Grimm tales.  Their lack of trust from being betrayed by their parents gives them the fuel they need to keep on going in the face of danger and death.  The narrator's asides and conversations give a humorous twist to the book and keep the reader involved.  As I was reading, I could not help but think about students that I know who would love this book.  There was of course plenty of symbolism in the story as well as lessons that could be learned, and it was fun to go through the stories and see if I was correct in my assumptions as I followed the characters throught their adventures.

Gidwitz, A., Grimm, J., & Grimm, W. (2010). A tale dark and Grimm . New York: Dutton.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is written by Tom Angleberger and is on the Master List for the Texas Bluebonnet Nominees for 2011-2012.

 

 

 

     This was a very cute book which would make you think right away is some kind of mystery.  While it was not a mystery, it was a fun read as the story is told from several characters' points of view.  I enjoy books like that because I feel that they have a lot of voice in the writing.  This book really had a lot of voice and interactions with the characters.  It is definitley a book I think that upper elementary boys would enjoy as it has that kind of humor, and you can really get into the mind of how a boy that age would be thinking.  The Origami Yoda is a central figure that is kind of controversial, but it reminded me of cootie-catchers or fortune tellers the my friends and I played with at that age.  The Origami Yoda gave its advice the same way that a cootie catcher gave its advice, and the kids could choose to take it or not.  What was really interesting about this book was the characters.  As a teacher of 6th graders, it made me chuckle when I read some of the conversations the characters had with one another, as they sounded very much like conversations I hear in the classroom, in the halls, and on the playground. 

 

Angleberger, T., & Rosenstock, J. L. (2010). The strange case of Origami Yoda . New York: Amulet Books.

Turtle in Paradise

Turtle in Paradise is written by Jennifer L. Holm, and it is a 2011-2012 Bluebonnet Nominee and a Newbery Award Honor book for 2011.

     This book is an enjoyable read that transported me back in time and place to old Key West after the Great Depression where the main character, and 11 year old girl named Turtle, is sent to live with her cousins and aunt while her mother seeks out a job as a housekeeper in the Northeast.  Having never met her family before, Turtle experiences them for the first time without her mother, whom is the only person she has ever been with in her life.  While her outlook on life is a little more realistic than her mother's, she learns that this small community of family members can be home even without her mother there.  I really connected with this character in a few ways.  When I was ten, my mother decided we should move from my hometown, and where my immediate family lived, to a small town in Northeast Texas where she spent her childhood summers visiting her grandparents.  Much like Turtle, I walked into a small community where everybody knew of me and my family, but I knew nothing of them.  The culture shock I felt moving from a large city to a small town was mirrored in Turlte's experiences in Key West.  I will definitley recommend this book to my students for many reasons, but I love the way it ended.  A bit of a twist made what seemed like a neat and happy ending a little more messy than expected.

 

Holm, J. L. (2010). Turtle in paradise . New York: Random House.

 

Blue Lipstick

Blue Lipstick is a book of concrete poems written by John Grandits, and is a 2008 A.L.A. Notable Children's Book.

This is one of my most favorite poetry books ever!  I read it every time I see it in the library, and I even read some of them aloud for a reading camp wearing blue lipstick.  They are funny, and the young girl, Jessie, who has created them truly has the mind of a pre-teen girl.  The words and pictures created from them remind me so much of my daughters as pre-teens and some of the more sarcastic elements are phrases that I have also echoed aloud.  It is a fun read and a great book for concrete poetry examples, although a few of the poems are likely to result in quite a few giggles. 

Grandits, J. (2007). Blue lipstick: concrete poems. New York: Clarion Books.

The Uglified Ducky

The Uglified Ducky is written by Willy Claflin and illustrated by James Stimson.  It is the 2011 Bluebonnet Award winner.

This super-fun story is a great one to read out loud or with the CD that comes along with it.  It is a classic re-telling of Anderson's the Ugly Duckling with a bit of a twist that makes it comical and entertaining.  Listening to the audio and reading the story brought me back to a time when my two daughters were beginning to put their own ideas into words, and they would say things that sounded just right and made perfect sense to them.  Of course, we still laugh about the phrases today, and some of the words used in the story are very close to the ones they used many years ago.  When I read parts of it out loud to my seventeen year old, she said that it reminded her of the stories I would tell her about phrases they used. Of course, I love the lesson that it teaches and even older elementary kids could get an entertaining kick out of hearing this valuable lesson again.  The glossary and warning at the beginning of the book were a lot of fun to read through as well.  It would be a fun way to start a traditional literature unit!

Claflin, W., Stimson, J., & Andersen, H. C. (2008). The uglified ducky . Atlanta, Ga.: August House LittleFolk.

How Rocket Learned to Read

How Rocket Learned to Read is written and illustrated by Tad Hills and is a New York Times bestselling picture book.

This book was such fun to read and had a fabulous use of vocabulary, particularly the adjectives.  Reading the story reminded me of a few things in my life that I could make a connection to the text.  The yellow bird that outwits the dog was a reminder of sometimes how a teacher must first attract a student, especially a reluctant one, to a given topic before it can be taught.  The way Rocket went around spelling things was another connection I could make.  It reminded me of the time I was learning how to read.  I would walk around speling things the same way Rocket did, and I can remember loving the way the word "something" sounded when it was spelled.  S-O-M-E-T-H-I-N-G was a word that I would practice all the time, and I even made a song out of it.  Its underlying message really spoke to me.  In learning something new, you definitely have to walk before you can run.

Hills, T. (2010). How Rocket learned to read . New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.

Martin's Big Words

Martin's Big Words was written by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Bryan Collier.  It is a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, a Caldecott Honor Book, an A.L.A. Notable Children's Book Award winner, and an Orbus Pictus Award winner.

     This is a beautifully written biographical book about the life and times of Martin Luther King Jr.  It chronicles events from his life where he learned that working toward a goal, no matter how difficult, can be done in a positive way.  Inspired by quotes from King, the story flows through major events in the historical struggle for equal rights for everyone no matter their skin color.  The illustrations are a combination of watercolor pictures and collage that lend themselves perfectly to the symbolism the illustrator had intended.  His metaphor of stained glass windows weaves a perfect story throghout the book.

Rappaport, D., & Collier, B. (2001). Martin's big words: the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale is written by Carmen Agra Deedy and illustrated by Michael Austin.  It is a 2008 Pura Belpre Honor Award winner for illustrations.

Exposition:  Martina and her grandmother are the main characters along with a host of other animals who are living in Havana, Cuba.

Conflict:  Martina is 21 dyas old and ready to search for a husband, but none seem to live up to her grandmother's standards or her test.

Rising Action:  Martina lets the word get out that the beautiful cockroach is on the lookout for suitors who will be her future husband, but she is worried when her grandmother tells her she must give them a test that will show their true colors.  Animal after animal comes calling, and none of them can pass her grandmother's test.

Climax:  Just when Martina is ready to give up, her grandmother shows her another suitor, Perez,  who has been around all along but has never been noticed.  Martina gets ready to give her the test, and he performs the same test on her instead.

Falling Action:  Martina passes the test and learns that his grandmother taught him about the test as well.

Resolution:  Martina's grandmother and Perez's grandmothers both watch as the two begin a courtshio that will surely lead to a happy marriage.

This adorable tale has amazing acrylic painted illustrations that lend themselves beautifully to the setting of the story.  The little details in the pictures like furniture and household items made from ordinary things like cans, combs, and stamps are created so that they blend in with the life of an insect, but also stand out with their Latin flare and writing.  It was a fun book to read and also can be used to teach figurative language with the way it plays with words. 

Deedy, C. A., & Austin, M. (2007). Martina, the beautiful cockroach: a Cuban folktale. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is written by Suzanne Collins.

Exposition:  Katniss, a sixteen year-old girl, who is the sole provider for her family is the main character and her sister Prim, best friend Gale, and her mother are secondary characters.  District 12 is one of the districts in Panem where the story is set.  Peeta is the boy chosen from District 12 to compete with and against Katniss.

Conflict:  All of the 12-18 year olds in each district have to attend a ceremony called the reaping.  At the reaping, one boy's name and one girl's name is called to be tribute to the Hunger Games.  At first, Prim's name is called but Katniss immediately volunteers to take her place.  The boy chosen was Peeta Mallark, and only one of them can survive all of Panem's Hunger Games. 

Rising Action:  Katniss and Peeta go to the Justice Building to say goodbye to their friends and families then take a train to the Capitol.  At the Capitol, all of the tributes are treated basically like celebrities and given a mentor, who is a previous winner, trained, and prepped for the Hunger Games.  At the start of the games, the tributes take advantage of killings at the Cornucopia which is filled with supplies until the Careers, tributes who have trained for the games, take the supplies for themselves.  Katniss and Peeta find themselves in many battles and just when it seems like Peeta has joined forces with the Careers, he helps Katniss escape being killed.  A  rule change in the game provides a twist where there can now be two winners from a district, so Katniss and Peeta end up helping each other in and out of many tight spots.  When the tributes number only three, they find they must outlive only one other to put an end to the games.  Katniss finally kills the other tribute and they think the games are over.

Climax:  Just when Katniss and Peeta think they have won,  they hear an announcement that now states there can only be one winner.  Torn between winning and making a statement, both competitors decide to kill themselves to put an end to such a controlling game.  As they take poisonous berries, the announcer states there are in fact two winners so the Capitol can maintain some control and keep the districts entertained.

Falling Action:  Katniss and Peeta return to the Capitol and get treatment for their injuries that were sustained.  A ceremony is planned for the winners' announcement and Peeta and Katniss have been seperated until the ceremony.  At the ceremony and following events, they must pretend they were taking the berries because they were in love and could not be apart, but Peeta has developed real feelings for Katniss.     

Resolution:  Katniss and Peeta return to District 12 and find that their romance facade might be real for more than just a presentation of the Hunger Games.

Literary elements that could be used with this novel are symbolism, flashback, and irony among many others.  What a fun read!

 

Collins, S. (2008). The hunger games . New York: Scholastic Press.

Twilight

Twilight was written by Stephenie Meyer.

Exposition:  This story takes place in Phoenix, Arizona and the dreary climate of a small town called Forks in Washington.  Bella and Edward are the main characters in the novel with their families and Jacob being secondary characters.

Conflict: Bella, a 17 year old girl makes a difficult choice to leave her home in Phoenix with her mother and moves to a place that is at odds with her own desire.  Shortly after her move she meets and falls in love with a vampire named Edward and must again make a choice to live the life she has always pictured for herself or cast all hopes of normalcy to be with the vampire she now loves. Making this choice creates a deep conflict between Bella and Jacob, her best friend who is a descendant of an ancient Indian tribe that has a historical struggle with the “cold ones”.

Rising Action: Though a constant struggle, Bella and Edward seem to be making their relationship work until a small group of nomadic vampires cross their path.  This creates an intense situation due to Bella becoming the immediate target of James, the leader of this nomadic group.

Climax: James tracks Bella and leads Edward and his vampire family through a deadly game of hide and seek working his way back to Phoenix where he intends to kill Bella.  Bella makes a decision to meet James alone at a ballet studio.

Falling Action: Edward and his family arrive in time to prevent Bella’s death and kill James in the process of protecting her. Though he was able to save Bella, Edward wants to keep her from more attacks in the future by removing himself from her life, but realizes that would be to hard on her.

Resolution: Bella and Edward return to Forks.  They attend her high school prom because he does not want her to miss out on any of her human experiences even though she seems to embrace the idea of becoming a vampire at his will.

Two literary elements that would be easy to teach with this novel are mood and the way the setting plays into it and character development as we see the characters grow and change with one another in the novel.

Meyer, S. (2005). Twilight . New York: Little, Brown and Co.

Bridge to Terabithia

Bridge to Terabithia was written by Katherine Paterson and illustrated by Donna Diamond.  It is a 1978 Newbery Award winner and is on the 100 Challenged Books List.

Exposition:  The story takes place in a small town near Washington during the 1970's.  Jessie Aarons and Leslie Burkes are the main characters, and their families and kids form school are the secondary characters.

Conflict:  Jess and Leslie both struggle to fit in and find their places in the world of 5th grade where the unwritten rules of their school society lead them to create a sanctuary from the outside world.

Rising Action:  Leslie is new in town and does not seem to fit in with the other kids in school.  Jessie befriends her and together they face bullies, their families' expectations, and the culture of the way things have always been in school.  Each of them comes from a different family background which opens their eyes up to how to appreciate another's differences.  Both of them are creative in their own right and escape their troubles in a made up land called Terabithia where they are the rulers and can be themselves without worrying about what anyone else thinks. 

Climax:  One day, Jessie is invited to see some sights in Washington D.C. with a favorite teacher of his and is remiss in not inviting Leslie to come along.  When he returns from what seems like a perfect day, as he feels like  he can be himself with his teacher, he walks into his own nightmare.  Leslie has drowned as a result of an accident while trying to get to Terabithia in Jessie's absence. 

Falling Action:  Jessie must deal with loss for the first time and struggles with his feelings and what people msut be thinking of him.  He wants things to get back to normal as soon as possible, but does not really embrace his normal existence either.

Resolution:  While Jessie will always have the memories of his and Leslie's time together, he has also found that her legacy is what she has left behind for him; a place to escape and a way to cope with all of the pressures in his life.  He makes his way through the stages of grief and finds that he is able to share their world with others as a way of honoring Leslie.

This is a wonderful story that uses figurative language richly.  Similes are one way the author chooses to be descriptive.  The main characters; lives are so vastly different from one another that it leads to a great compare and contrast activity in which students could get to know each other better.

Paterson, K., & Diamond, D. (1977). Bridge to Terabithia . New York: Crowell.

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball was written and illustraded by Kadir Nelson.  It is the winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for writing in 2009, and it also received the illustrating honor for the award in the same year.

  The history of the Negro Baseball League is told from the perspective of players in the league in this vivid recounting of the trials and struggles of a group of men who were not willing to give up on the game they loved.  From racism and prejudice to rugged travel conditions this retrospective told in the first person gives a detailed account of the players who loved the game and their experiences with all of the ins and outs and good and bad of playing in the league.  As a part of America's past, this book could serve as a historical presentation of the events and people that shaped a very big part of the sport of basesball.

 

Teaching literary elements with this book would be more of a challenge, but point of view and symbolism are two that could be easily done.  The illustrations in the book are beautiful oil paintings and add so much to the setting and characters and bring them to life.

 

Nelson, K. (2008). We are the ship: the story of Negro League baseball. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children.

Dave the Potter

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave was written by Laban Carrick Hill and Illustrated by Bryan Collier.  It is the Coretta Scott King award winner for illustrations in 2011 as well as a Caldecott Honor book form 2011.

    This book is a biographical story book about the life of Dave, a potter, slave, and poet who lived in South Carolina int he early 1800's.  The story is a small part of his life which centers on the pottery itself, and it chronicles how a pot was made from finding the clay, to throwing a pot on the wheel, drying it, ash glazing it and making his mark to let you know who made the pot.  It is very descriptive and the wonderful illustrations add so much to the character and the setting as well.

   Illustrated in watercolor and collage, the pictures tell a story all their own about the life of slaves on a plantation in South Carolina.  The use of real photographic images mixed with watercolor on paper in the collage brings the images to life in a way that will make you take more than one look at the book.  The research the illustrator put into his work about the life of Dave is obviously one of admiration as is obvious in the viewing of the pages.

Hill, L. C., & Collier, B. (2010). Dave the potter: artist, poet, slave. New York: Little, Brown.

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is a 1968 Newbery Medal winning novel that was written by E.L. Konigsburg.

Exposition:  The story takes place in Greenwich, Conneticut at first where the main characters, Claudia and Jamie Kincaid live with their family.  The story continues in New York City at the Metroplitan Museum, and eventually ends back up in Conneticut where they meet Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Conflict:  Claudia is feeling a bit taken advantage of by her family being that she is the oldest of four and the only daughter.  She decides to run away from home and brings one of her brothers along where they meet up with a mystery about a statue in the museum which may or may not have been sculpted my Michaelangelo.  Their new adventure is to solve the mystery.

Rising Action:  Claudia makes a detailed plan and brings Jamie along with her to runaway and live in the NYC Metropolitan Museum.  They work out and carry out the details which leads them to the museum and live there for several days before the statue of an angel is presented at the museum.  Intrigued by what they read about it in the paper, they begin their own search as to the discovery of its creator; after finding what seems to be clear evidence, they are left feeling rejected after sharing their findings and decide to go to the source of the statue, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Climax:  The kids encounter with Mrs. Frankweiler leads them to a cryptic search in her home for the answer to the statue mystery which is both compelling and relieving to them.

Falling Action:  The kids decide to keep the information they learn a secret in a deal they make with Mrs. Frankweiler.  They tell her every detail about their runaway adventure in exchange for a treasure they will gain in the future if they can keep her secret.

Resolution:  The kids return home to their parents having learned a few lessons and changing their perspective, which Claudia had been looking for in her whole idea to run away.  Their relationship with Mrs. Frankweiler is one that they will continue, and they will eventually be surprised to learn that their own grandfather is her lawyer and will oversee their gaining of the secret they have learned.

I read this book many years ago, so reading it again was fun.  I learned that there are many lessons that could go along with the book historically speaking, but foreshadowing and personification would be great when reading this story as well.  I can also see using Claudia's grammar corrections as mini-lessons in class about prepositions, double negatives, and subject-verb agreement. 

Konigsburg, E. L., & Konigsburg, E. L. (1967). From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, ([1st ed.). New York: Atheneum.

Goal!

Goal! was written by Mina Javaherbin and illustrated by A.G. Ford and is a Bluebonnet Nominee for 2011-2012.

Exposition:  The story takes place in a township of South Arfrica in a street lined with shanty style housing.  The characters are Ajani, Jamal, Hassan, Magubani, Keto, and Badu; a group of young boys whose heroes are their country's futbol team.

Conflict:  The group of boys wants so badly to be able to relax and play soccer, which brings them extreme joy, but must be on the lookout for bullies and other distractions who want to take their joy from them.

Rising Action:  Ajani must retreive water for his family in the evening, but he wants to take some time out to celebrate his reading success with his friends by playing soccer with the federation quality ball he has earned.  The streets are not always a safe place for them due to bullies, so they must be on constant watch for them by taking turns standing on rooftops as a guard.

Climax:  At the height of the game when a goal is being protested, the guard misses the bullies approach, and the boys are scared they will steal their new treasure, the ball, from them.

Falling Action:  One of the boys is able to hide the ball in Ajani's upside-down water pail just in time for the bullies to not see it.  The bullies make fun of the boys and steal their old, plastic ball so the boys pretend to cry out of saddness for the act.  The bullies think they have successfully crippled the boys game and leave.

Resolution:  The six boys are able to resume their game without fear of the bullies immediate attack, but ever on the lookout for them to return in the future.  While they play, they feel happy and as strong as their heroes.

The illustrations in the book are done in oil and play with the light in such a way that draws your eyes to the brightness of the characters in such a dull atmosphere.  The setting's feeling is echoed not only in the detailed pictures, but also in the use of repetition to get the feeling of just how unsettling the streets and alleys of the town are.

Javaherbin, M., & Ford, A. G. (2010). Goal! . Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

The Duchess of Whimsy

The Duchess of Whimsy written by Randall de Seve and illustrated by Peter de Seve is a Texas Bluebonnet Nominee for 2011-2012.

Exposition: The story takes place in the palace of the Duchess of Whimsy during a time when royals threw extravagant parties with lavish guests.  The Duchess of Whimsy, The Earl of Norm, and the Duchess' father are the main characters.

Conflict:  The main problem in the story is the Duchess' father, the King, needs his kingdom and the Earl of Norm's kingdom to be friendly with one another, and he wants his daughter to get to know him better.  She, however, thinks he is too plain and boring for her.

Rising Action:  The Duchess of Whimsy throws lavish celebrations and does everything a bit "over the top".  Most of her guests join in and celebrate with her, but the Earl of Norm represents everything normal and does not seem to enjoy the parties as much as everyone else.  The Earl tries in vain to get the Duchess' attention and the King reminds his daughter that he needs her to get to know the Earl, bit she is not interested.

Climax:  One evening the Duchess wanted to throw another party, but the cook became ill and the guests decided they wanted to try and cook themselves.  When the Duchess saw that the Earl made a grilled cheese sandwich and milk, she was put off at first.  Then she took a bite!

Falling Action:  After falling in love with the sandwich, she got to know the Earl a little more by talking with him.  They both learned things about one other that night.

Resolution:  In the end, they found out they had much more in common than they ever thought and they spent the rest of their days celebrating together.

The illustrations in this story are so entrancing and each time I look at the pages, it is like I see something new.  The drawings definitely help to establish the setting and define the characters through expressionism.  They are elaborate and add to the story in such a creative way.

The Dreamer

The Dreamer written by Pam Munoz Ryan and illustrated by Peter Sis is the 2011 winner of the Pura Belpre award for Latin works of literature.

   The Dreamer is a fiction story that is based on the life of Nobel Prize winning poet Pablo Neruda.

Exposition: The story is set in the early 1900's in a small town of Temuco, Chile.  Neftali is the main character, along with his family members; Laurita- his sister, Rodalfo- his brother, Orlando- his uncle, his father and stepmother.

Conflict:  Neftali's speech impediment, small frame, shy personality, and daydreaming qualities are some of the features that his overbearing father cannot understand or forgive and tries to change about him using any means possible.

Rising Action:  As the story begins, Neftali is a sickly, young boy who lives in the shadow of fear and disapproval of his demanding father.  He has an imagination, small body, and stutter that his father sees as signs of weakness, and he struggles with them on a daily basis.  Always wanting to gain his father's approval, he lives with the demands and tries to conform to what his father wants despite the way his father's cruel words hurt him and leave a lasting impression.  In this coming of age tale, Neftali finds himself challenged at every turn by his father's expectations when he goes on a day trip with him to work, and even on family vacations.  He turns to his older brother for help and advice, but finds only distance growing there since Rodolfo has also had to endure his father in the same manner and must also hide some part of himself away.  The summer vacation he spends with his family brings a closer bond between he and Laurita as he begins to assert his independence and feels himself growing stronger on the inside.  The strength he feels leads him to his writing where he escapes and his talents are showcased.  His uncle picks up on the talent, much to his father's disapproval and gives him a job at his newspaper, which leads to a tragedy and puts further distance between himself and his father.

Climax: The final straw for his father comes when he discovers that Neftali has written an article for a Santiago University publication that decries what his father's work has provided for him.  Neftali continues his uncle's work of speaking out for those who are unable to do so for themselves, and this brings his father to a boiling point where he destroys all of Neftali's writings and notebooks and demands that he stop and become a businessman in college.

Falling Action:  Neftali knows he can no longer bring disgrace to his father and assumes the name Pablo Neruda in his writings.  He goes to college and becomes a famous writer and poet whose writings touched everyone in all walks of life. He was awarded the Noebl Prize for Literature in 1971, and is considered one of the most well read poets of his time.

Literary Qualities:
1. One of the qualities that is supported by the writing is using figurative language.  The book is chock full of similes, metaphors, and poetic comparisons.

2.  Imagery is also found throughout the story.  From the poetic questions and observations that are present throughout the story to the words that are written to appeal to the sense of hearing, imagery is an ever-present quality.


Ryan, P. M., & Sís, P. (2010). The dreamer . New York: Scholastic Press.

Snowflake Bentley

Snowflake Bentley, written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and illustrated by Mary Azarian, is a Caldecott Award winner from 1999.  It is told as two stories in one as biographical details are told to support the scenes in the story about the life of Wilson Bentley.

Exposition: The story is set on a family farm in Jericho, Vermont beginning in the 1870's and continues through the life of the main character, Wilson Bentley.  Other characters are his parents and older brother Charlie.

Conflict:  The main problem in the story is the Wilson wants to find a way to chronicle the details of a single snowflake  in print despite a lack of technology and the seeming lack of interest by his family and friends. 

Rising Action: Wilson is a young boy who loves nature and wants to capture the beautiful visions that is provides for all to see and appreciate.  His family helps him by offering support and a very expensive camera that could help him despite the naysayers in his community.  He has to endure harsh conditions and many failed attempts to capture images successfully.

Climax:  Despite the working conditions, Wilson was able to capture beautiful images of snoflakes on film so that he could show the world just how special and unique they really were. 

Falling Action:  Wilson shared photographs he had taken with everyone he could.  His love of nature lent itself to photographing the beauty of it during all seasons, and he eventually became published and well known for his works and expertise.  Although he bacame known as the "Snowflake Man", he spent more money on his passion than he eve made. 

Resolution:  At the age of 66, a book of his works was finally published thanks to help from fellow scientists, and he continued to look for more prizes in nature.  He died about a month after his book was published from symptoms of pneumonia that he developed while walking home six miles in a blizzard to take more pictures.

     This book's illustrations had a very antiqueted feel to them as woodcut images graced the pages.  The idea of two stories in one was supported by the fact that biographical information was printed in a different font and placed into bordered sections that were covered with images of snowflakes. The pictures and coloring of the images are both wonderful and lend themselves well to the story of his life. 

Martin, J. B., & Azarian, M. (1998). Snowflake Bentley . Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Flotsam

Flotsam by David Wiesner is a Caldecott Winner from 2007.  Its rich illustrations tell a story without the use of words.

     This story does not follow a traditional plot line as it does not contain words.  Interpretation of the story from the illustrations leads the reader on a journey through the eyes of a boy who is on a beach vacation with his family.  The boy is very curious about his environment on the beach and inspects everything he sees with a magnifying glass.  From the bags of beach treasures he has collected to his microscope that is being kept in a protective plastic baggie, it is obvious that the boy has a penchant for the scientific aspect of his surroundings.  While exploring crabs and other creatures, he is hit with a big wave which washes up a very old waterproof camera.  After checking for an owner, he decides to open the camera, get the film developed, and purchase more film for the camera.  The one hour developing yields more than he can possibly imagine as he sees images of an underwater world that could not possibly exist.  The proof of its existence is in the last photo he sees where a girl is holding a picture in a picture that seems to go on forever.  Inspecting the photo the way a scientist would, using all of his tools, he finds what he must do with the camera to make sure it fulfills its continued destiny for even more children like himself to experience.  This truly imaginitive story is another great tale from David Wiesner.

     The illustrations in this book are amazing and truly make the story as there are no words.  Not having words makes the reader inspect every drawing and nuance on the pages.  The up-close and framed shots give details the way a written story would.  From the front cover to the final illustration, the reader can tell there is more than meets the eye.

Wiesner, D. (2006). Flotsam . New York: Clarion Books.

Hey, Al

Hey, Al is a story written by Arthur Yorinks and illustrated by Richard Egielski.  It is a Caldecott Award winner for 1987.

Exposition:  The story is set in a large city on the West Side, and the characters are a janitor named Al and his dog named Eddie.

Conflict:  Eddie and Al live an ordinary life but a meager existence, and they want more than what they have.

Rising Action:  Eddie and Al argue over wanting to have more than what they have.  One morning a large bird frightens Al and tells him if he wants more that he should come with him.  So the next day Al and Eddie leave with the bird and fly up to a utopian island where they have not a care in the world, and they make themselves at home relishing their new life with birds.

Climax:  One day Eddie and Al wake up to find they are turning into birds and struggle to maintain their normal selves, so they try to flee the island and the birds.

Falling Action:  Eddie and Al do not get help from the birds, and decide they need to flee back to the West Side; however in their haste to escape they become seperated and Eddie plunges into the sea, in very much an Icarus fashion, because he did not stay close to Al.  Al returns to his sad apartment lost without Eddie.

Resolution:  Eddie survives and swims his way back to Al where they decide the lesson they have learned is "Paradise lost is sometimes Heaven found".  So they are happy to be in their home.

This book is illustrated in a very interesting way.  It has wonderful drawings and colors that spill over the frames that have been drawn onto the pages.  The illustrations go beyond the borders and that makes the reader look at all of the page not just the main part of the illistrations.

Yorinks, A., Egielski, R., & Egolf, R. L. (1986). Hey, Al . New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Saint George and the Dragon

Saint George and the Dragon is a re-telling of the Faerie Queen legend by Margaret Hodges.  It is a Caldecott Award winner for 1985.

Exposition:  The story takes place in England during a time of dragons, knoghts, and faries; the characters are The Red Cross Knight, Princess Una, the Dragon, and the people of the kingdom in which Una lived.

Conflict: There is a dragon destroying the kingdom and no one can stop it, so Princess Una goes on a search to find help.

Rising Action: Una finds the Red cross Knight and brings him back to her kingdom where everyone is hiding and living in fear of the dragon.  The knight gets distracted and wanders off the path of his quest, but the princess and people he meets along the way remind him of what he must do and his destiny in life.

Climax:  The knight meets up with dragon and battles him on three different days needing to rest and recover in between his battles, until he finally wears the dragon down and slays him.

Falling Action:  The people of the kingdom are thankful and the king offers the knight riches for his deeds, but the knight gives it to the poor.  The king offers the knight a place in his kingdom to live happily and his daughter in marriage, but the knight knows he must keep a promise to the Faerie Queen and cannot stay in the kingdom despite his feelings for the princess.

Resolution:  The knight and princess marry, but the knight keeps his promise to the Faerie Queen and goes off to battle for her when he is called, thereby earning him the name of Saint George of Merry England.

This book is beautifully illustrated and layed out in a panel fashion very reminiscent of a tapestry.  As you look at the pages, one side of each spread has almost another story being told in pictures of flowers and creatures from the area and the legend.  The reader is drawn to the "story within a story" style of the illustrations.

Hodges, M., Hyman, T. S., Egolf, R. L., & Spenser, E. (1984). Saint George and the dragon: a golden legend. Boston: Little, Brown.