**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1)
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
DiTerlizzi, Tony & Black, Holly. 2003. THE FIELD GUIDE (THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, BOOK ONE). New York: Simon and Schuster.
ISBN: 0689859368
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The Field Guide is the first book of five written about the Grace children, Mallory, Jared, and Simon and the Spiderwick Manor. The children have moved with their mother from New York City to their great-aunt Lucinda’s old Victorian home after their parents divorce. Strange and spooky occurrences begin in the home shortly upon their arrival. Jared hears a noise that sounds that make him think there might be a creature of sorts living inside the walls of the dilapidated home. The children are curious to find out more about where the sound is coming from.
Mallory cracks a hole in the wall and they discover evidence that some kind of animal or being is really living there. Jarod stumbles into a mysterious study that contains a trunk with a field guide inside which detailing the existence of fairies and other creatures at the Spiderwick manor. Strange things start happening in the Grace home as Jarod takes the blame for the unexplainable destruction. Book one ends abruptly with the appearance of a creature who tells the children to dispose of the book warning that harm may come to them. Readers will have to tune into book two to find out what happens to the Grace children.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
DiTerlizzi and Black have created short and engaging work of fantasy that brings readers into a world of excitement and curiosity. The inclusion of boys and girls as the main characters in the story will make this book appealing to both genders. Mallory, Simon, and Jarod are all characters that students can relate to. They are playful, mischievous, and interested in finding out the unknown.
The plot of the story is outlined at the beginning of the book, and moves in a logical progression that young readers can follow. The style of writing in this book will hold the interest of readers with the anticipation that builds as Jarod ultimately discovers The Field Guide to the Spiderwick Manor and begins reading about creatures such as pixies, nixies, and boggarts.
The setting is well-detailed allowing readers to visualize the details of the home and it’s surroundings. The house was is described as looking as if, “… a dozen shacks had been piled on top of one another. There were several chimneys, and the whole things was topped off by a strop of iron fence sitting on the roof like a particularly garish hat,”
The language of the book includes vivid details of the home. When Mallory looks into the contents found inside of the wall the description is as follows, “Straight pins poked into the wooden beams on either side, making a strange upward-snaking line. A Doll’s head lolled in one corner. Dead cockroaches were strung up like garlands.” The drawings done by DiTerlizzi offer a form of visual appeal that also helps establish and enrich the setting and plot of the story.
The end of the book comes suddenly when the children receive a warning about the dangers that come with reading the book from a "mannikin the size of a pencil" who appears to them in manor library. He warns, “All who have kept it have come to harm.” The authors leave a lot of wondering up to the imagination of readers, which will surely be an appeal and a hook factor for students to explore the next book in the series.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Publishers Weekly: “Appealing characters, well-measured suspense and an inviting package will lure readers on to The Seeing Stone.”
School Library Journal: “The fast, movie-like pace will grab young readers.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*Students can discuss and write their own ending to the story and then compare their story with other classmates.
*Students can begin to predict what might happen to the Grace children in the second book.
*The second book in the series can be read following the first book to continue interest in the series.
AWARDS:
North Dakota Flicker Tale Award in the Intermediate Book Category
Colorado Children’s Choice Book Award
Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Award
Web Resources:
http://www.spiderwick.com/
Friday, July 25, 2008
Looking for Alaska
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: Looking for Alaska
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Green, John. 2005. LOOKING FOR ALASKA. New York: Dutton Books.
ISBN: 0525475060
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Sixteen-year-old Miles Halter leaves the comfort of his Florida home and “boring” high school to attend the private school Culver Creek in Birmingham, Alabama. He is looking for adventure and the mystery of the “Great Perhaps”* that he hopes awaits him at his new school.
Miles makes friends quickly at Culver Creek. His roommate Chip “the Colonial”, and young female student Alaska become the friends her trusts most. A tragic event and loss of a close friend force Miles and his friends to deal with grief like they have never experienced in their lives. Miles and his friends begin to search for answers surrounding their friends death, and in the process learn more about life and loss then they ever realized was possible.
*Famous last words of French writer Francois Rabelais
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This debut novel by John Green is one that will leave a lasting impression in the minds of readers. Green has developed very sophisticated and complex characters in this novel. Green does not shy away from bringing real and relevant topics and themes such as sex, smoking, drugs and alcohol, and suicide to readers in spite of any controversy the discussion may arouse. His style of writing is sharp and witty with dialogue that reveals the internal and emotional challenges that the characters face as they deal with the “real” pressures that related teen life.
Green writes through Miles’s narration after the loss of his friend, “… I have lost something important, and I cannot find it, and I need it. It is fear like if someone lost his glasses and went to the glasses store and they told him that the world had run out of glasses and he would just have to do without.”
The story is set at a private school in southern Alabama. The setting is important to the story because of the inclusion of the outdoor places characters frequent as a get-away place from the pressures of their school.
The relationships between the characters in the book develop and grow in many of these private areas set outdoors. Areas such as the “smoking hole” and the surrounding areas around Culver Creek provide comfort and solace for the characters. The tragic event that defines this book occurs on the I-65 interstate which is the main highway going in and out of Culver Creek.
Green writes, “And lying there, amid the tall, still grass and beneath the star-drunk sky, listening to the just-this-side-of-inaudible sound of her rhythmic breathing and the noisy silence of the bullfrogs, the grasshoppers, and the distant cars rushing endlessly on I-65.”
The plot development is defined in two parts around the central tragedy in the book, before and after. The strength and the individual growth seen in the characters in the story builds throughout, and comes to a head in the “after” section of the story. Readers will feel like they are right there experiencing the lives of the characters in this novel and they turn the pages of this book. An author's note is included at the end of the book where Green shares his intent for writing the story. He also includes references related to the literary works quoted in the book.
Green has written a well-developed and contemporary work of fiction that will engage readers and allow them to connect with the characters in this story on many different emotional levels. Readers will surely be looking to his next novel for another dose of exciting and adventurous writing.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Publisher’s Weekly: “Readers will only hope that this is not the last word from this promising new author.”
Kirkus Reviews: “What sings and soars in this gorgeously told tale is Green's mastery of language and the sweet, rough edges of Pudge's voice. Girls will cry and boys will find love, lust, loss and longing in Alaska's vanilla-and-cigarettes scent.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*Teachers can use this novel to talk to teens about peer-pressure as their lives relate to the characters in this book.
AWARDS:
Winner of the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award
Book Review: Looking for Alaska
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Green, John. 2005. LOOKING FOR ALASKA. New York: Dutton Books.
ISBN: 0525475060
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Sixteen-year-old Miles Halter leaves the comfort of his Florida home and “boring” high school to attend the private school Culver Creek in Birmingham, Alabama. He is looking for adventure and the mystery of the “Great Perhaps”* that he hopes awaits him at his new school.
Miles makes friends quickly at Culver Creek. His roommate Chip “the Colonial”, and young female student Alaska become the friends her trusts most. A tragic event and loss of a close friend force Miles and his friends to deal with grief like they have never experienced in their lives. Miles and his friends begin to search for answers surrounding their friends death, and in the process learn more about life and loss then they ever realized was possible.
*Famous last words of French writer Francois Rabelais
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This debut novel by John Green is one that will leave a lasting impression in the minds of readers. Green has developed very sophisticated and complex characters in this novel. Green does not shy away from bringing real and relevant topics and themes such as sex, smoking, drugs and alcohol, and suicide to readers in spite of any controversy the discussion may arouse. His style of writing is sharp and witty with dialogue that reveals the internal and emotional challenges that the characters face as they deal with the “real” pressures that related teen life.
Green writes through Miles’s narration after the loss of his friend, “… I have lost something important, and I cannot find it, and I need it. It is fear like if someone lost his glasses and went to the glasses store and they told him that the world had run out of glasses and he would just have to do without.”
The story is set at a private school in southern Alabama. The setting is important to the story because of the inclusion of the outdoor places characters frequent as a get-away place from the pressures of their school.
The relationships between the characters in the book develop and grow in many of these private areas set outdoors. Areas such as the “smoking hole” and the surrounding areas around Culver Creek provide comfort and solace for the characters. The tragic event that defines this book occurs on the I-65 interstate which is the main highway going in and out of Culver Creek.
Green writes, “And lying there, amid the tall, still grass and beneath the star-drunk sky, listening to the just-this-side-of-inaudible sound of her rhythmic breathing and the noisy silence of the bullfrogs, the grasshoppers, and the distant cars rushing endlessly on I-65.”
The plot development is defined in two parts around the central tragedy in the book, before and after. The strength and the individual growth seen in the characters in the story builds throughout, and comes to a head in the “after” section of the story. Readers will feel like they are right there experiencing the lives of the characters in this novel and they turn the pages of this book. An author's note is included at the end of the book where Green shares his intent for writing the story. He also includes references related to the literary works quoted in the book.
Green has written a well-developed and contemporary work of fiction that will engage readers and allow them to connect with the characters in this story on many different emotional levels. Readers will surely be looking to his next novel for another dose of exciting and adventurous writing.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Publisher’s Weekly: “Readers will only hope that this is not the last word from this promising new author.”
Kirkus Reviews: “What sings and soars in this gorgeously told tale is Green's mastery of language and the sweet, rough edges of Pudge's voice. Girls will cry and boys will find love, lust, loss and longing in Alaska's vanilla-and-cigarettes scent.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*Teachers can use this novel to talk to teens about peer-pressure as their lives relate to the characters in this book.
AWARDS:
Winner of the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Rules
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: Rules
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lord, Cynthia. 2006. RULES. New York: Scholastic.
ISBN: 9780545036405
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Rules is a delightful and heartwarming book about a twelve-year-old girl named Catherine and her relationship with her younger brother David. David is autistic and his sometimes odd and repetitive behaviors embarrass her at times, especially in front of her peers.
The chapter titles in the book are named after a list of rules Catherine created for David to follow that include topics such as chewing with your mouth closed, knocking before opening the bathroom door, and saying “excuse me” after you burp. Catherine is the narrator of the story giving readers insight into the personal struggles she faces as a sibling of a child with a disability. She wishes at times that her parents would pay as much attention to her as they do David. She is terrified of losing friends because of her brother.
Catherine’s life and point of view about her brother take a positive turn when she meets Jason, a patient who receives therapy at the clinic where her brother attends. Jason helps Catherine gain a new perspective on the way she views her family, and realizes that people are more accepting then she thought allowing her to begin accepting her brother for who he is.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Cynthia Lord has excited readers with the debut of her contemporary fiction novel Rules. Lord has created a candid coming of age story in which readers meet Catherine, a twelve-year-old girl who’s younger brother David is autistic. Through Catherine, readers come to an understanding of the emotional ups and downs that come with living with a sibling who has a disability.
Lord has created believable characters that readers can identify with relate to. Catherine’s emotions come through in her thoughts as well as her words. She says of her brother David,
“Sometimes I just wish I someone would invent a pill so David’d wake up one morning without autism.”
Strong themes surrounding acceptance and understanding people who are different then yourself run throughout the story. Family issues related to wanting a sense of belonging and attention from parents are themes that readers may relate well to. Catherine longs for the attention of her parents, and resents that so much of their time goes to her brother David. She creates a set of rules for David out of the embarrassment and frustration that her brothers behavior has caused for her.
Catherine says, “I keep all the rules I’m teaching David so if my someday-he’ll-wake-up-a-regular-brother wish doesn’t ever come true, at least he’ll know how the world works, and I won’t have to keep explaining things.”
Catherine is keenly sensitive to the social pressures that come with having a brother with a disability. She lives in fear of her new neighbor Kristi rejecting her as a friend because of David. Catherine learns to face her fears through a relationship that she develops with Jason, a boy who is not able to speak at her brother’s therapy sessions. The relationship between Jason and Catherine is ultimately what leads Catherine to the point of acceptance and sensitivity to her brother’s needs.
Readers will gain their own understanding about autism and acceptance of people who are different then themselves through the experiences of each character in the story. Lord has created a work of fiction that is very current and relevant to lives of its readers.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Library School Journal: “A lovely, warm read, and a great discussion starter.”
Booklist: “The details of autistic behavior are handled well, as are depictions of relationships.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*After reading this novel, teachers can lead a discussion about autism asking students what they know about autism from their own lives and how this book has changed or shifted their perception about people with disabilities.
*Students can use the rules in this book as a starter for writing their own set of rules they would want to create for certain situations in their lives or classrooms.
*Teachers can ask students to do a character analysis of Catherine and discuss how her feelings change over time in the story.
AWARDS:
Newbery Honor Book, 2007
Schneider Family Book Award, 2007
ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2007
Web Resources:
www.cynthialord.com
Book Review: Rules
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lord, Cynthia. 2006. RULES. New York: Scholastic.
ISBN: 9780545036405
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Rules is a delightful and heartwarming book about a twelve-year-old girl named Catherine and her relationship with her younger brother David. David is autistic and his sometimes odd and repetitive behaviors embarrass her at times, especially in front of her peers.
The chapter titles in the book are named after a list of rules Catherine created for David to follow that include topics such as chewing with your mouth closed, knocking before opening the bathroom door, and saying “excuse me” after you burp. Catherine is the narrator of the story giving readers insight into the personal struggles she faces as a sibling of a child with a disability. She wishes at times that her parents would pay as much attention to her as they do David. She is terrified of losing friends because of her brother.
Catherine’s life and point of view about her brother take a positive turn when she meets Jason, a patient who receives therapy at the clinic where her brother attends. Jason helps Catherine gain a new perspective on the way she views her family, and realizes that people are more accepting then she thought allowing her to begin accepting her brother for who he is.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Cynthia Lord has excited readers with the debut of her contemporary fiction novel Rules. Lord has created a candid coming of age story in which readers meet Catherine, a twelve-year-old girl who’s younger brother David is autistic. Through Catherine, readers come to an understanding of the emotional ups and downs that come with living with a sibling who has a disability.
Lord has created believable characters that readers can identify with relate to. Catherine’s emotions come through in her thoughts as well as her words. She says of her brother David,
“Sometimes I just wish I someone would invent a pill so David’d wake up one morning without autism.”
Strong themes surrounding acceptance and understanding people who are different then yourself run throughout the story. Family issues related to wanting a sense of belonging and attention from parents are themes that readers may relate well to. Catherine longs for the attention of her parents, and resents that so much of their time goes to her brother David. She creates a set of rules for David out of the embarrassment and frustration that her brothers behavior has caused for her.
Catherine says, “I keep all the rules I’m teaching David so if my someday-he’ll-wake-up-a-regular-brother wish doesn’t ever come true, at least he’ll know how the world works, and I won’t have to keep explaining things.”
Catherine is keenly sensitive to the social pressures that come with having a brother with a disability. She lives in fear of her new neighbor Kristi rejecting her as a friend because of David. Catherine learns to face her fears through a relationship that she develops with Jason, a boy who is not able to speak at her brother’s therapy sessions. The relationship between Jason and Catherine is ultimately what leads Catherine to the point of acceptance and sensitivity to her brother’s needs.
Readers will gain their own understanding about autism and acceptance of people who are different then themselves through the experiences of each character in the story. Lord has created a work of fiction that is very current and relevant to lives of its readers.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Library School Journal: “A lovely, warm read, and a great discussion starter.”
Booklist: “The details of autistic behavior are handled well, as are depictions of relationships.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*After reading this novel, teachers can lead a discussion about autism asking students what they know about autism from their own lives and how this book has changed or shifted their perception about people with disabilities.
*Students can use the rules in this book as a starter for writing their own set of rules they would want to create for certain situations in their lives or classrooms.
*Teachers can ask students to do a character analysis of Catherine and discuss how her feelings change over time in the story.
AWARDS:
Newbery Honor Book, 2007
Schneider Family Book Award, 2007
ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2007
Web Resources:
www.cynthialord.com
Monday, July 21, 2008
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Schlitz, Laura. 2007. GOOD MASTERS! SWEET LADIES! VOICES FROM A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE. Cambridge: Candlewick Press.
ISBN: 9780763615780
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The doctor’s son, the tanner's apprentice, and the glassblower’s daughters are all characters readers will meet in Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village. This stunning collection of plays contains twenty-two monologues and dialogues written about life in England during the year 1255. The author wrote these plays to be read or to be performed. The plays included in this collection are written in prose and verse. Background information is included for topics that will help the reader with historical information and context during the Middle
Ages.
Topics included in this collection include ways of life in a medieval village and towns, a structured social caste system, farming techniques, medieval pilgrimages, the crusades, and falconry. The characters included in this collection breathe life and witty dialogue into a fascinating time period of history.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This Newberry Award winning book provides readers an opportunity to interact with the figures and voices from of a medieval village in a dramatic fashion. Schlitz describes her purpose for writing the book in an engaging forward, where she describes the students whom she wrote the plays for. Her intent was to give them engaging dialogue to perform to supplement their excitement and passion for their study of medieval history.
The topics that Schlitz offers readers about the Medieval Ages are historically accurate and well researched. She includes an extensive bibliography at the end of the text allowing students to do more research about this time period if they please. The plays themselves cover a wide range of medieval life offering readers a glimpse into life inside a medieval village through the eyes of different individuals within medieval society. She includes footnotes throughout her writing giving readers “on the spot” background information as they read. These notes deepen the comprehension of the text and offer details that help enrich the reading experience. The collection also features background notes at several points in the book giving readers factual information about topics such as the three-field farming system, medieval pilgrimages, and falconry.
Each play in the collection has it’s own unique plot, characters, setting, and theme. Some characters appear more then once in the collection showing up in several plays. Schlitz uses a combination of dialogue, prose, and verse throughout the plays giving readers a different experience with each story. Her writing reflects the written and spoken language of the Middle Ages.
One play, Alice, the Shepherdess, offers a song with notes and lyrics at the end of the monologue where the words are changed to reflect a young shepherdess’s prayers for her ailing sheep, “God restore thee, thou heavenly sheep, hark to my music and heal in thy sleep. Do not forsake me, my sister, my sheep, slumber ye gently and heal in thy sleep.”
Another play, Otho, The Miller’s Son is written in verse with a repeated chorus throughout,
“Oh, God makes the water, and the water makes the river,
And the river turn the mill wheel
And the wheel goes on forever.
Every man’s a cheater, and so every man is fed,
For we feed upon each other,
when we seek our daily bread.”
The illustrations that accompany this collection of plays adds depth and drama to the pages including a detailed map of village that shows careful attention to the setting and the characters included in the book.
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village is a well crafted collection of plays that will delight readers and those who may witness the performances of students who choose to dramatize stories included in the book.
5. CONNECTIONS:
*Teachers and librarians can use this book as an engaging tool to read and share with students prior to or in conjunction with a social studies unit on the Middle Ages.
*Students can perform the monologues and dialogues as intended by the author.
*Teachers and students can use the extensive bibliography in this book extend their study of this time period in history.
AWARDS:
Newberry Medal, 2008
WEB RESOURCES:
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/medieval/
Book Review: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Schlitz, Laura. 2007. GOOD MASTERS! SWEET LADIES! VOICES FROM A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE. Cambridge: Candlewick Press.
ISBN: 9780763615780
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The doctor’s son, the tanner's apprentice, and the glassblower’s daughters are all characters readers will meet in Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village. This stunning collection of plays contains twenty-two monologues and dialogues written about life in England during the year 1255. The author wrote these plays to be read or to be performed. The plays included in this collection are written in prose and verse. Background information is included for topics that will help the reader with historical information and context during the Middle
Ages.
Topics included in this collection include ways of life in a medieval village and towns, a structured social caste system, farming techniques, medieval pilgrimages, the crusades, and falconry. The characters included in this collection breathe life and witty dialogue into a fascinating time period of history.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This Newberry Award winning book provides readers an opportunity to interact with the figures and voices from of a medieval village in a dramatic fashion. Schlitz describes her purpose for writing the book in an engaging forward, where she describes the students whom she wrote the plays for. Her intent was to give them engaging dialogue to perform to supplement their excitement and passion for their study of medieval history.
The topics that Schlitz offers readers about the Medieval Ages are historically accurate and well researched. She includes an extensive bibliography at the end of the text allowing students to do more research about this time period if they please. The plays themselves cover a wide range of medieval life offering readers a glimpse into life inside a medieval village through the eyes of different individuals within medieval society. She includes footnotes throughout her writing giving readers “on the spot” background information as they read. These notes deepen the comprehension of the text and offer details that help enrich the reading experience. The collection also features background notes at several points in the book giving readers factual information about topics such as the three-field farming system, medieval pilgrimages, and falconry.
Each play in the collection has it’s own unique plot, characters, setting, and theme. Some characters appear more then once in the collection showing up in several plays. Schlitz uses a combination of dialogue, prose, and verse throughout the plays giving readers a different experience with each story. Her writing reflects the written and spoken language of the Middle Ages.
One play, Alice, the Shepherdess, offers a song with notes and lyrics at the end of the monologue where the words are changed to reflect a young shepherdess’s prayers for her ailing sheep, “God restore thee, thou heavenly sheep, hark to my music and heal in thy sleep. Do not forsake me, my sister, my sheep, slumber ye gently and heal in thy sleep.”
Another play, Otho, The Miller’s Son is written in verse with a repeated chorus throughout,
“Oh, God makes the water, and the water makes the river,
And the river turn the mill wheel
And the wheel goes on forever.
Every man’s a cheater, and so every man is fed,
For we feed upon each other,
when we seek our daily bread.”
The illustrations that accompany this collection of plays adds depth and drama to the pages including a detailed map of village that shows careful attention to the setting and the characters included in the book.
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village is a well crafted collection of plays that will delight readers and those who may witness the performances of students who choose to dramatize stories included in the book.
5. CONNECTIONS:
*Teachers and librarians can use this book as an engaging tool to read and share with students prior to or in conjunction with a social studies unit on the Middle Ages.
*Students can perform the monologues and dialogues as intended by the author.
*Teachers and students can use the extensive bibliography in this book extend their study of this time period in history.
AWARDS:
Newberry Medal, 2008
WEB RESOURCES:
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/medieval/
Friday, July 18, 2008
The River Between Us
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: The River Between Us
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Peck, Richard. 2003. THE RIVER BETWEEN US. New York: Puffin Books.
ISBN: 0142403105
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The small southern Illinois town of Grand Tower serves as the backdrop for Richard Peck’s award winning historical fiction novel The River Between Us. The story begins in 1916 with a young boy taking a trip to Grand Tower with his father and brothers in a Model T Ford. Young Howard Hutchings meets four older family members in Grand Tower who helped raise his father. The story unfolds as Howard wonders what these individuals’ lives were like in the time of his Father’s childhood.
The novel backtracks to the year 1861 with the arrival of two young ladies who arrive in Grand Tower via the Mississippi River from New Orleans. The women were destined for St. Louis, but with the start of the war the trip is considered too dangerous. Delphine is a stunningly beautiful and impeccably dressed. She is accompanied by a woman thought to be her slave or servant. Both women need a place to stay, and Ma Pruitt comes forward offering her home that she shares with her three children, Tilly, Noah, and Cass.
Young Tilly Pruitt narrates the story. Tilly, her younger sister Cass, and twin brother Noah become entwined in the lives of Delphine and Calinda. Delphine is a sophisticated woman who speaks French and tells stories about the grand events in her life back in “Nouvelle Orleans”. She is a larger then life woman who is very passionate about her southern home. Calinda is a quiet woman who walks behind Delphine.
The beginning of the Civil War brings each of the main characters in the story to a state of worry and fear. Ma worries about Noah going off to war, Cass sees visions of soldiers dying, and Tilly works hard to keep the family together during this time of uncertainty. Townspeople in Grand Tower begin to start rumors that Dephine and Calinda are spies for the south.
When Noah leaves for war the Pruitt family is torn apart. Fear tears apart Ma who desperately worries about her son’s safety. Tilly and Delphine travel to Cairo, Illinois to find Noah and the events that transpire reveal not only the harsh realities of life during the Civil War, but the strength and determination of the human spirit.
The novel ends with a return to the events in the first chapter in 1916. Readers will encounter many of the main characters of the story in their latter years as secrets about the Pruitt family are revealed that will startle readers leaving them wanting to know more about the lives of Tilly, Noah, Delphine, and Calinda.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Peck tells an emotional and moving story about a small Mississippi River town and it’s inhabitants during the beginning of the Civil War. He successfully achieves a balance of providing readers with factual elements of the places and happenings of the Civil War while blending elements of storytelling as well. Peck pays close attention to historical accuracy carefully citing his research and the historical events and locations of the novel in a note section at the end of the story. The various settings in the novel are real places that were researched by Peck. Events that were portrayed in the novel such as the Battle of Belmont were actual events of the Civil War.
The characters in The River Between Us are real and believable. Peck’s descriptive writing will have readers visualizing the details of the dresses that adorn Delphine, and the atrocities of war through vivid battlefield descriptions. The characters and the townspeople of Grand Tower show a very human side of war as social issues such as racism and classism are revealed through their beliefs and actions. Peck demonstrates how individuals and families were impacted by the war through the eyes of the characters in this story through his writing.
The style of writing and dialogue in the novel reflects the language of the time period and the geographical areas represented in the story. Mama responds to the townspeople who want her to send Delphine and Calinda on their way, “Well, I don’t see how I can send them home. The boats isn’t running.” Calinda shouts, “PRAWLEEENS, NEW ORLEANS STYLE” from the foot of the gangplank as she sells to boats stopping in Grand Tower, and Delphine speaks often of her “Maman and Papa” back in New Orleans in a French dialect.
The plot of the story thickens when Delphine and Tilly take off to find Noah in Cairo, Illinois. The vivid descriptions of their experiences when they first walked into Camp Defiance paint a vivid picture for readers, “The smell hit me, and nearly sent me sideways.” The condition of the soldiers also evokes powerful images. This was written about a soldier who turned out to be Noah when Tilly and Delphine find him at camp, “One sat at the end of his cot with a bucket and a dipper at his feet. He was badly wasted, and his cheeks were sunk to where he looked like a death’s-head.”
The combination of unforgettable characters, intelligent discussions about race and culture, and lyrical storytelling in this novel offers readers a glimpse into a period of U.S. history through a emotional and thought provoking story. The characters and events in this story are memorable and will stick with readers long after the have finished reading the book.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Publishers Weekly: "The author crafts his characters impeccably and threads together their fates in surprising ways that shed light on the complicated events of the Civil War."
Kirkus Reviews: “Peck writes beautifully, bringing history alive through Tilly's marvelous voice and deftly handling themes of family, race, war, and history. A rich tale full of magic, mystery, and surprise.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*This novel can be paired with a social studies unit on the Civil War to bring a new perspective to this period of history.
*Students can create a map and timeline of the events in this novel and of the war in Mississippi River region to deepen their understanding of the events and places in this story.
*Students can research and learn more about the battles and the main figures of the Civil War mentioned in this novel such as: President Lincoln, General Grant, and Jefferson Davis.
AWARDS:
Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 2003
National Book Award Finalist
Web Resources:
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/civilwar.htm
http://users.stlcc.edu/jangert/grndtwr/grndtwr.html
Book Review: The River Between Us
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Peck, Richard. 2003. THE RIVER BETWEEN US. New York: Puffin Books.
ISBN: 0142403105
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The small southern Illinois town of Grand Tower serves as the backdrop for Richard Peck’s award winning historical fiction novel The River Between Us. The story begins in 1916 with a young boy taking a trip to Grand Tower with his father and brothers in a Model T Ford. Young Howard Hutchings meets four older family members in Grand Tower who helped raise his father. The story unfolds as Howard wonders what these individuals’ lives were like in the time of his Father’s childhood.
The novel backtracks to the year 1861 with the arrival of two young ladies who arrive in Grand Tower via the Mississippi River from New Orleans. The women were destined for St. Louis, but with the start of the war the trip is considered too dangerous. Delphine is a stunningly beautiful and impeccably dressed. She is accompanied by a woman thought to be her slave or servant. Both women need a place to stay, and Ma Pruitt comes forward offering her home that she shares with her three children, Tilly, Noah, and Cass.
Young Tilly Pruitt narrates the story. Tilly, her younger sister Cass, and twin brother Noah become entwined in the lives of Delphine and Calinda. Delphine is a sophisticated woman who speaks French and tells stories about the grand events in her life back in “Nouvelle Orleans”. She is a larger then life woman who is very passionate about her southern home. Calinda is a quiet woman who walks behind Delphine.
The beginning of the Civil War brings each of the main characters in the story to a state of worry and fear. Ma worries about Noah going off to war, Cass sees visions of soldiers dying, and Tilly works hard to keep the family together during this time of uncertainty. Townspeople in Grand Tower begin to start rumors that Dephine and Calinda are spies for the south.
When Noah leaves for war the Pruitt family is torn apart. Fear tears apart Ma who desperately worries about her son’s safety. Tilly and Delphine travel to Cairo, Illinois to find Noah and the events that transpire reveal not only the harsh realities of life during the Civil War, but the strength and determination of the human spirit.
The novel ends with a return to the events in the first chapter in 1916. Readers will encounter many of the main characters of the story in their latter years as secrets about the Pruitt family are revealed that will startle readers leaving them wanting to know more about the lives of Tilly, Noah, Delphine, and Calinda.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Peck tells an emotional and moving story about a small Mississippi River town and it’s inhabitants during the beginning of the Civil War. He successfully achieves a balance of providing readers with factual elements of the places and happenings of the Civil War while blending elements of storytelling as well. Peck pays close attention to historical accuracy carefully citing his research and the historical events and locations of the novel in a note section at the end of the story. The various settings in the novel are real places that were researched by Peck. Events that were portrayed in the novel such as the Battle of Belmont were actual events of the Civil War.
The characters in The River Between Us are real and believable. Peck’s descriptive writing will have readers visualizing the details of the dresses that adorn Delphine, and the atrocities of war through vivid battlefield descriptions. The characters and the townspeople of Grand Tower show a very human side of war as social issues such as racism and classism are revealed through their beliefs and actions. Peck demonstrates how individuals and families were impacted by the war through the eyes of the characters in this story through his writing.
The style of writing and dialogue in the novel reflects the language of the time period and the geographical areas represented in the story. Mama responds to the townspeople who want her to send Delphine and Calinda on their way, “Well, I don’t see how I can send them home. The boats isn’t running.” Calinda shouts, “PRAWLEEENS, NEW ORLEANS STYLE” from the foot of the gangplank as she sells to boats stopping in Grand Tower, and Delphine speaks often of her “Maman and Papa” back in New Orleans in a French dialect.
The plot of the story thickens when Delphine and Tilly take off to find Noah in Cairo, Illinois. The vivid descriptions of their experiences when they first walked into Camp Defiance paint a vivid picture for readers, “The smell hit me, and nearly sent me sideways.” The condition of the soldiers also evokes powerful images. This was written about a soldier who turned out to be Noah when Tilly and Delphine find him at camp, “One sat at the end of his cot with a bucket and a dipper at his feet. He was badly wasted, and his cheeks were sunk to where he looked like a death’s-head.”
The combination of unforgettable characters, intelligent discussions about race and culture, and lyrical storytelling in this novel offers readers a glimpse into a period of U.S. history through a emotional and thought provoking story. The characters and events in this story are memorable and will stick with readers long after the have finished reading the book.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Publishers Weekly: "The author crafts his characters impeccably and threads together their fates in surprising ways that shed light on the complicated events of the Civil War."
Kirkus Reviews: “Peck writes beautifully, bringing history alive through Tilly's marvelous voice and deftly handling themes of family, race, war, and history. A rich tale full of magic, mystery, and surprise.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*This novel can be paired with a social studies unit on the Civil War to bring a new perspective to this period of history.
*Students can create a map and timeline of the events in this novel and of the war in Mississippi River region to deepen their understanding of the events and places in this story.
*Students can research and learn more about the battles and the main figures of the Civil War mentioned in this novel such as: President Lincoln, General Grant, and Jefferson Davis.
AWARDS:
Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 2003
National Book Award Finalist
Web Resources:
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/civilwar.htm
http://users.stlcc.edu/jangert/grndtwr/grndtwr.html
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Nightjohn
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: Nightjohn
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Paulsen, Gary. 1993. NIGHTJOHN. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
ISBN: 0440219361
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Hardship, struggle, abuse marked the lives of slaves working on plantations in the 1850’s. Award winning author Gary Paulson breathes life into this dark period in American History in his book Nightjohn through Sarny, a twelve-year old slave girl struggling to find her way on a southern plantation. Sarny’s life changes for the better in ways she never dreamt were possible when she meets Nightjohn, a new slave on the plantation.
During the dark of night, veiled in secrecy, Nightjohn teachers Sarny to read and write. Slaves during this time could read or write, and furthermore those who taught other slaves to read and write faced severe consequences for their actions including physical abuse, and sometimes death. Nightjohn proceed with nightly teachings in spite of the danger until the day Mr. Waller finds out Sarny’s secret.
The punishment inflicted on Nightjohn by plantation owner Mr. Waller terrifies Sarny, but she does not let her fear of punishment derail her passion for learning to read and write. Paulson’s heart-warming story reveals the strength and determination that Sarny and Nightjohn possessed, and shines a light of happiness and hope to a very dark period of American History.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Award winning author Gary Paulson combines a true story adapted in parts about the horrific realities of slavery with emotion that reveals a very human side to the life of protagonist Sarny and those who are close to her. Nightjohn is narrated by Sarny, which allows readers to get her perspective on the life of a slave girl during the 1850’s. Both characters are strong and prolific figures that will stick in the minds of readers long after they have finished reading the book.
Paulson’s style of writing and dialogue included reflects the dialect and language of the time in which the novel takes place. The plot and setting of Nightjohn reflect careful consideration to the historical accuracy of plantation life with descriptions about slavery that reflect the harsh conditions in which slaves lived, the disparaging actions of slave owners, and the fear that existed in the daily lives of slaves. Paulson does not list his sources for Nightjohn but does write in the beginning of the novel, “Except for variations in time and character identification and placement, the events written in this story are true and actually happened.” Perhaps more creditability for historical accuracy could have been gained if Paulson had cited his sources.
Paulson does not try to water down the details of slave life. The descriptions he gives about slavery include harsh and difficult to read details at times because of the raw emotion that the words evoke. Paulson writes the following about a slave who attempted to run away, “The master set the dogs on him and they tore and ripped what they could reach until there wasn’t any meat on Jim’s legs or bottom. The dogs ripped it all off to hang in shreds.” He includes background detail that helps the reader understand the desires and actions of the characters. Sarny asks Nightjohn, “"Why they be cutting our thumbs off if we learn to read--if that's all there is?" Nightjohn replies, “'Cause to know things, for us to know things, is bad for them. We get to wanting and when we get to wanting it's bad for them. They thinks we want what they got."
Readers will experience a wide range of emotions ranging from anger to hope upon finishing this piece of historical fiction, and will more then likely want to know more about what followed for Sarny and Nightjohn.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Publishers Weekly starred review - "Among the most powerful of Paulsen's works, this impeccable researched novel sheds light on cruel truths in American history as it traces the experiences of a 12-year-old slave girl in the 1850s."
School Library Journal starred review - "Nightjohn should be required reading (and discussing) for all middle grade and high school students."
5. CONNECTIONS:
*After reading Nightjohn, teachers can read the first chapter of the companion book, Sarny: A Life Remembered for readers interested in how her life turns out.
*This book can be used in conjunction with social studies lessons and units related to slavery and the Civil War.
*Students can talk about and discuss what it would be like to want to learn to read and write and not be allowed to.
AWARDS:
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An ALA Notable Children’s Book
An IRA-CBC Children’s Choice
Book Review: Nightjohn
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Paulsen, Gary. 1993. NIGHTJOHN. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
ISBN: 0440219361
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Hardship, struggle, abuse marked the lives of slaves working on plantations in the 1850’s. Award winning author Gary Paulson breathes life into this dark period in American History in his book Nightjohn through Sarny, a twelve-year old slave girl struggling to find her way on a southern plantation. Sarny’s life changes for the better in ways she never dreamt were possible when she meets Nightjohn, a new slave on the plantation.
During the dark of night, veiled in secrecy, Nightjohn teachers Sarny to read and write. Slaves during this time could read or write, and furthermore those who taught other slaves to read and write faced severe consequences for their actions including physical abuse, and sometimes death. Nightjohn proceed with nightly teachings in spite of the danger until the day Mr. Waller finds out Sarny’s secret.
The punishment inflicted on Nightjohn by plantation owner Mr. Waller terrifies Sarny, but she does not let her fear of punishment derail her passion for learning to read and write. Paulson’s heart-warming story reveals the strength and determination that Sarny and Nightjohn possessed, and shines a light of happiness and hope to a very dark period of American History.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Award winning author Gary Paulson combines a true story adapted in parts about the horrific realities of slavery with emotion that reveals a very human side to the life of protagonist Sarny and those who are close to her. Nightjohn is narrated by Sarny, which allows readers to get her perspective on the life of a slave girl during the 1850’s. Both characters are strong and prolific figures that will stick in the minds of readers long after they have finished reading the book.
Paulson’s style of writing and dialogue included reflects the dialect and language of the time in which the novel takes place. The plot and setting of Nightjohn reflect careful consideration to the historical accuracy of plantation life with descriptions about slavery that reflect the harsh conditions in which slaves lived, the disparaging actions of slave owners, and the fear that existed in the daily lives of slaves. Paulson does not list his sources for Nightjohn but does write in the beginning of the novel, “Except for variations in time and character identification and placement, the events written in this story are true and actually happened.” Perhaps more creditability for historical accuracy could have been gained if Paulson had cited his sources.
Paulson does not try to water down the details of slave life. The descriptions he gives about slavery include harsh and difficult to read details at times because of the raw emotion that the words evoke. Paulson writes the following about a slave who attempted to run away, “The master set the dogs on him and they tore and ripped what they could reach until there wasn’t any meat on Jim’s legs or bottom. The dogs ripped it all off to hang in shreds.” He includes background detail that helps the reader understand the desires and actions of the characters. Sarny asks Nightjohn, “"Why they be cutting our thumbs off if we learn to read--if that's all there is?" Nightjohn replies, “'Cause to know things, for us to know things, is bad for them. We get to wanting and when we get to wanting it's bad for them. They thinks we want what they got."
Readers will experience a wide range of emotions ranging from anger to hope upon finishing this piece of historical fiction, and will more then likely want to know more about what followed for Sarny and Nightjohn.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Publishers Weekly starred review - "Among the most powerful of Paulsen's works, this impeccable researched novel sheds light on cruel truths in American history as it traces the experiences of a 12-year-old slave girl in the 1850s."
School Library Journal starred review - "Nightjohn should be required reading (and discussing) for all middle grade and high school students."
5. CONNECTIONS:
*After reading Nightjohn, teachers can read the first chapter of the companion book, Sarny: A Life Remembered for readers interested in how her life turns out.
*This book can be used in conjunction with social studies lessons and units related to slavery and the Civil War.
*Students can talk about and discuss what it would be like to want to learn to read and write and not be allowed to.
AWARDS:
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An ALA Notable Children’s Book
An IRA-CBC Children’s Choice
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Krull, Kathleen. 2003. HARVESTING HOPE: THE STORY OF CESAR CHAVEZ. New York: Scholastic.
ISBN: 0439691087
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Harvesting Hope is a biography written by Kathleen Krull about the life of Cesar Chavez. The story begins with a glimpse into Cesar’s happy childhood growing up on a ranch with his family in Arizona. At the age of ten Cesar and his family is forced to move from their Arizona ranch to the green valleys of California when a drought hits the area. Cesar and his family become migrant workers living and working in the harsh conditions that existed at that time.
Cesar begins to speak out against the hardships migrant workers and their families were forced to endure with low wages, long hours, and horrific living conditions. At first, Cesar had a hard time getting people to pay attention to his cause for change, but with time and effort he was able to gather supporters and come up with a plan of action for change. Cesar organized the National Farm Workers Association, and organized a strike in the San Joaquin valley in 1965. The owners of the vineyards began to suffer financial losses because of the strike. La Causa (The Cause) was officially beginning to make an impact on the lives of the migrant workers.
Chavez and La Causa gained momentum during the march from the San Joaquin valley to the state capitol in Sacramento. Supporters came out in droves during the march and began lending their voices to the plight of migrant workers. The wealthy ranch owners and agricultural companies came to Chavez after losing millions of dollars in crop money after the strike and offered workers a contract guaranteeing fair wages and living conditions for migrant workers. The contract was the first ever for farmworkers in American History.
Cesar Chavez continued to push for change and fair labor laws until his death in 1993.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Award winning author Kathleen Krull brings the story of Cesar Chavez to life in Harvesting Hope. Krull’s descriptive and lyrical writing with the inclusion of personal anecdotes and stories about Chavez’s life will give readers who may not be familiar with Chavez’s story a solid understanding of his leadership, bravery, and dedication to the cause of improving life for migrant workers.
Although Krull does not cite her sources or include documentable dialogue, it is evident that careful consideration was paid to historical accuracy with the inclusion of timelines and an author’s note at the end detailing historical, political, and social events that defined the life of Cesar Chavez.
Krull’s biography is organized nicely for readers beginning with Chavez’s childhood and moving sequentially through his life, struggles, and victories. Krull features the most important events that shaped the life of Cesar Chavez and personalizes the story allowing the reader to really know who Chavez was and why he believed what he did. “Despite his shyness, Cesar showed a knack for solving problems. People trusted him. With workers he was endlessly patient and compassionate. With landowners he was stubborn, demanding, and single-minded. He was learning to be a fighter.”
Krull captures Chavez’s commitment to non-violent resistance including statements that demonstrate his strong views about the topic, “In a fight for justice, he told everyone, truth was a better weapon then violence. Nonviolence, he said, Takes more guts.
The design of the book pairs Krull’s writing with vivid and colorful illustrations that bring Cesar Chavez and the events that shaped his life into a clear and engaging focus. Krull’s passionate writing style will leave readers feeling inspired wanting to read more about the life of Cesar Chavez and the history of the migrant workers he championed for.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library Journal: “The dramatic story of Chavez's 340-mile march to protest the working conditions of migrant farmworkers in California is the centerpiece of this well-told biography.”
Kirkus Reviews: “She portrays Chavez as a quiet, patient, strong-willed man who believed implicitly in his "causa" and worked tirelessly for his people.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*This book can be used as a companion to a study of American History during the time of Chavez’s life.
*Students can pair this biography of Chavez with narrative texts written about the life of migrant workers in California such as Esparanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan and A Day’s Work by Eve Bunting
*Students can read this biography and the biography of other historic figures that worked for non-violent social change during their lives such as Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King.
AWARDS:
ALA Pura Belpre Honor Book
ALA Notable Children's Book
Web Resources:
http://www.kathleenkrull.com/
www.yuyimorales.com/guide.pdf
Book Review: Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Krull, Kathleen. 2003. HARVESTING HOPE: THE STORY OF CESAR CHAVEZ. New York: Scholastic.
ISBN: 0439691087
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Harvesting Hope is a biography written by Kathleen Krull about the life of Cesar Chavez. The story begins with a glimpse into Cesar’s happy childhood growing up on a ranch with his family in Arizona. At the age of ten Cesar and his family is forced to move from their Arizona ranch to the green valleys of California when a drought hits the area. Cesar and his family become migrant workers living and working in the harsh conditions that existed at that time.
Cesar begins to speak out against the hardships migrant workers and their families were forced to endure with low wages, long hours, and horrific living conditions. At first, Cesar had a hard time getting people to pay attention to his cause for change, but with time and effort he was able to gather supporters and come up with a plan of action for change. Cesar organized the National Farm Workers Association, and organized a strike in the San Joaquin valley in 1965. The owners of the vineyards began to suffer financial losses because of the strike. La Causa (The Cause) was officially beginning to make an impact on the lives of the migrant workers.
Chavez and La Causa gained momentum during the march from the San Joaquin valley to the state capitol in Sacramento. Supporters came out in droves during the march and began lending their voices to the plight of migrant workers. The wealthy ranch owners and agricultural companies came to Chavez after losing millions of dollars in crop money after the strike and offered workers a contract guaranteeing fair wages and living conditions for migrant workers. The contract was the first ever for farmworkers in American History.
Cesar Chavez continued to push for change and fair labor laws until his death in 1993.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Award winning author Kathleen Krull brings the story of Cesar Chavez to life in Harvesting Hope. Krull’s descriptive and lyrical writing with the inclusion of personal anecdotes and stories about Chavez’s life will give readers who may not be familiar with Chavez’s story a solid understanding of his leadership, bravery, and dedication to the cause of improving life for migrant workers.
Although Krull does not cite her sources or include documentable dialogue, it is evident that careful consideration was paid to historical accuracy with the inclusion of timelines and an author’s note at the end detailing historical, political, and social events that defined the life of Cesar Chavez.
Krull’s biography is organized nicely for readers beginning with Chavez’s childhood and moving sequentially through his life, struggles, and victories. Krull features the most important events that shaped the life of Cesar Chavez and personalizes the story allowing the reader to really know who Chavez was and why he believed what he did. “Despite his shyness, Cesar showed a knack for solving problems. People trusted him. With workers he was endlessly patient and compassionate. With landowners he was stubborn, demanding, and single-minded. He was learning to be a fighter.”
Krull captures Chavez’s commitment to non-violent resistance including statements that demonstrate his strong views about the topic, “In a fight for justice, he told everyone, truth was a better weapon then violence. Nonviolence, he said, Takes more guts.
The design of the book pairs Krull’s writing with vivid and colorful illustrations that bring Cesar Chavez and the events that shaped his life into a clear and engaging focus. Krull’s passionate writing style will leave readers feeling inspired wanting to read more about the life of Cesar Chavez and the history of the migrant workers he championed for.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library Journal: “The dramatic story of Chavez's 340-mile march to protest the working conditions of migrant farmworkers in California is the centerpiece of this well-told biography.”
Kirkus Reviews: “She portrays Chavez as a quiet, patient, strong-willed man who believed implicitly in his "causa" and worked tirelessly for his people.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*This book can be used as a companion to a study of American History during the time of Chavez’s life.
*Students can pair this biography of Chavez with narrative texts written about the life of migrant workers in California such as Esparanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan and A Day’s Work by Eve Bunting
*Students can read this biography and the biography of other historic figures that worked for non-violent social change during their lives such as Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King.
AWARDS:
ALA Pura Belpre Honor Book
ALA Notable Children's Book
Web Resources:
http://www.kathleenkrull.com/
www.yuyimorales.com/guide.pdf
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Animals Nobody Loves
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: Animals Nobody Loves
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simon, Seymour. 2001. ANIMALS NOBODY LOVES. New York: SeaStar Books.
ISBN: 1587170809
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Most people cringe at the thought and sight of cobras, vultures, rats, cockroach, fire ants, and piranhas. Seymour Simon’s book Animals Nobody Loves informs readers about these misunderstood creatures and helps to dispel common myths that exist about these animals. Simon gives readers insight into the pesky, dangerous, and often feared animals offering readers factual scientific information about these creatures and their behaviors.
Simon devotes a two-page spread for each of the twenty animals featured in the book with one side containing informational text, and the other a remarkable glossy photograph that captures the brawn and beauty of these animals.
He uses this book as a way to inform readers and warn them of the dangers that can come from interacting with these animals. Simon writes about the wasp, “They usually will not sting unless they are bothered.” He goes on to warn about the Gila monster, “Few people are bitten by Gila monsters – only those foolish enough to try to handle one.”
The informational text featured in Simon’s work also includes facts about the geographic location of the animals, varying species of the animal, and the danger that can come from human contact with these creatures. Readers will have a new perspective on the twenty animals featured in this book thanks to Simon’s descriptive writing and the inclusion of remarkable photography.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book is one that will engage readers right from the start beginning with a dramatic and detailed photograph of an intimidating spider on the cover. High quality photographs are included throughout the book with a “wow” factor that will have students talking and sharing aloud about what they look inside this book.
Young and reluctant readers will find the book appealing due to the layout and organization of material in Simon’s work and large print type. The pages are well defined and sectioned with two-page spread that include bold headings. Colorful pages with bright contrasting colored font varying with each featured animal. The introduction is concise and explains his purpose for writing the book.
Simon writes, “Some animals just have bad reputations that are not based on fact. Animals are not bad or evil. They do what they must in order to survive.”
Vivid and detailed descriptions of animal behavior will engage readers pulling them into the remarkable strength and voracious appetites some of these creatures display. Simon writes this about the great white shark, “Its large, saw-edged teeth can rip through wood and even metal. The great white shark has a huge appetite and will eat any animal or person that it finds in its path” The piranha, “Piranhas can strip the flesh from a large animal in just minutes.”
Descriptions also show the timid side of some of these animals including this written about the octopus, “Some people think of an octopus as a terrible monster that attacks any diver swimming near its cave. But the octopus is really shy and harmless.”
Simon does not include an index or sources for readers, so students will need to locate additional sources for in depth information about these animals. Simon concludes the book by posting a question to readers asking if they feel differently about any of the animals in the book after reading the text. He encourages students to make a list of animals they don’t “love” thinking about why they put them on the list. The interactive nature Simon’s text paired with the high interest photography will provide readers with a bold and dramatic literary experience as they explore animals that nobody likes or loves.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist: “The photos (and even the text) won't do much to change the reputation of animals such as the vulture and the rat, but there's no denying they'll draw a crowd and a chorus of "Gross."
Kirkus Reviews: "You may never love a rattlesnake, a cockroach, or an octopus-but this book may help you begin to understand and respect them for what they are."
5. CONNECTIONS:
Students can connect this book to studies in science about animals using this text beginning point of gathering scientific information about animals.
Students can evaluate their prior knowledge of the animals in a compare and contrast format using a KWL chart to analyze how what they learned was different from what they knew before reading the text.
Book Review: Animals Nobody Loves
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simon, Seymour. 2001. ANIMALS NOBODY LOVES. New York: SeaStar Books.
ISBN: 1587170809
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Most people cringe at the thought and sight of cobras, vultures, rats, cockroach, fire ants, and piranhas. Seymour Simon’s book Animals Nobody Loves informs readers about these misunderstood creatures and helps to dispel common myths that exist about these animals. Simon gives readers insight into the pesky, dangerous, and often feared animals offering readers factual scientific information about these creatures and their behaviors.
Simon devotes a two-page spread for each of the twenty animals featured in the book with one side containing informational text, and the other a remarkable glossy photograph that captures the brawn and beauty of these animals.
He uses this book as a way to inform readers and warn them of the dangers that can come from interacting with these animals. Simon writes about the wasp, “They usually will not sting unless they are bothered.” He goes on to warn about the Gila monster, “Few people are bitten by Gila monsters – only those foolish enough to try to handle one.”
The informational text featured in Simon’s work also includes facts about the geographic location of the animals, varying species of the animal, and the danger that can come from human contact with these creatures. Readers will have a new perspective on the twenty animals featured in this book thanks to Simon’s descriptive writing and the inclusion of remarkable photography.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book is one that will engage readers right from the start beginning with a dramatic and detailed photograph of an intimidating spider on the cover. High quality photographs are included throughout the book with a “wow” factor that will have students talking and sharing aloud about what they look inside this book.
Young and reluctant readers will find the book appealing due to the layout and organization of material in Simon’s work and large print type. The pages are well defined and sectioned with two-page spread that include bold headings. Colorful pages with bright contrasting colored font varying with each featured animal. The introduction is concise and explains his purpose for writing the book.
Simon writes, “Some animals just have bad reputations that are not based on fact. Animals are not bad or evil. They do what they must in order to survive.”
Vivid and detailed descriptions of animal behavior will engage readers pulling them into the remarkable strength and voracious appetites some of these creatures display. Simon writes this about the great white shark, “Its large, saw-edged teeth can rip through wood and even metal. The great white shark has a huge appetite and will eat any animal or person that it finds in its path” The piranha, “Piranhas can strip the flesh from a large animal in just minutes.”
Descriptions also show the timid side of some of these animals including this written about the octopus, “Some people think of an octopus as a terrible monster that attacks any diver swimming near its cave. But the octopus is really shy and harmless.”
Simon does not include an index or sources for readers, so students will need to locate additional sources for in depth information about these animals. Simon concludes the book by posting a question to readers asking if they feel differently about any of the animals in the book after reading the text. He encourages students to make a list of animals they don’t “love” thinking about why they put them on the list. The interactive nature Simon’s text paired with the high interest photography will provide readers with a bold and dramatic literary experience as they explore animals that nobody likes or loves.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist: “The photos (and even the text) won't do much to change the reputation of animals such as the vulture and the rat, but there's no denying they'll draw a crowd and a chorus of "Gross."
Kirkus Reviews: "You may never love a rattlesnake, a cockroach, or an octopus-but this book may help you begin to understand and respect them for what they are."
5. CONNECTIONS:
Students can connect this book to studies in science about animals using this text beginning point of gathering scientific information about animals.
Students can evaluate their prior knowledge of the animals in a compare and contrast format using a KWL chart to analyze how what they learned was different from what they knew before reading the text.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jurmain, Suzanne. 2005. THE FORBIDDEN SCHOOLHOUSE: THE TRUE AND DRAMATIC STORY OF PRUDENCE CRANDALL AND HER STUDENTS. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
ISBN: 0618473025
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The Canterbury Connecticut Female Boarding School owned and run by Prudence Crandall officially opened in October of 1831. Crandall’s school quickly gained a reputation as one of the best boarding schools for girls with its pupils coming from prominent and wealthy families until the day an African American girl named Sarah approaches Prudence asking if she can attend classes. Prudence knows that teaching an African-American student in her all white school would be a highly controversial move. She is willing to teach Sarah, but fears how supporters of her school and community members will react to this radical change to her school.
Jurmain writes, “Prudence wanted to help black people. She believed education was important. There were lots of good emotional reasons to say yes to Sarah. There were also a lot of sensible reasons to say no. First, admitting a black student was almost certain to cause an uproar. Although free blacks lived in the North, they weren’t welcome.”
Prudence chooses emotion over sensibility deciding she will teach Sarah in spite of the fears she has about the wrath that may follow when the townspeople find out the news. What follows is a story about a woman who perseveres in the face of adverse racism, attacks on her school, and angry townspeople who are determined to do everything possible to ruin and destroy her school.
Crandall enlists the help of several prominent abolitionists including William Lloyd Garrison (publisher of the Liberator), Samuel May, and Arthur Tappan to help fight the legal system that proposed the Connecticut Black Law making it illegal for Crandall to allow students of color from out of state to attend school. Prudence is arrested and her team of supporters helps her fight the charges against her that are eventually dropped. When the charges were dropped, the team of townspeople that vigorously prosecuted Crandall for her school continued to torment Prudence and her students vandalizing her school beyond the point of repair.
It is with a heavy heart that Prudence closes down the school in 1835 just two years after it’s opening moving to upstate New York with her family. Prudence continued to teach working in prairie schools in Illinois and Kansas later in life, and also worked actively in the abolition movement.
Fifty years after the closing of her school in Connecticut at the age of eighty-four after Prudence Crandall received a formal apology from the Connecticut State Legislature, which included financial compensation for her losses and suffering. Prudence Crandall died in 1890 at the age of eighty-six. Her brave and fighting spirit lives on through history and The Forbidden Schoolhouse is just one way her memory is kept alive.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Forbidden School House is an attractive and inviting book that will pull readers into the historical and social forces that impacted Prudence Crandall’s life living in Connecticut during the 1830’s. Jurmain uses descriptive and emotional language to help readers understand the depth of adversity Crandall faced. She includes harsh elements of racism that existed as Crandall attempted to educate young African American girls at a time when most people felt threatened by blacks becoming educated. Readers can sense the social tension and fear that Crandall felt as she bravely accepted African American students into her school.
“To many northerners, African Americans were no better than animals or criminals. Some viewed free blacks as a “curse and a contagion.” Prudence didn’t believe that blacks and whites ought to be treated differently. But what if the parents of her white students did?”
It is evident from the emotional elements of Jurmain’s writing that she was passionate about researching and sharing Prudence Crandall’s life story. Her clear and descriptive writing is supported by photographs that give readers the ability to see inside Crandall’s school in addition to photographs of people who were important to her story.
Jurmain’s goes to great lengths to provide a historically accurate account of Prudence Crandall’s life and the adversity she faced when she opened her boarding school to African American female students. She sites her sources throughout the book and includes a section for notes at the end of the book, which is carefully organized by chapters. A thorough bibliography, index, photo credits section, and appendix is included detailing the lives of the students who attended the school as well as “friends and enemies” who were crucial to Prudence Crandall’s story.
Readers will find themselves wanting to read more about this period of time in history after reading Jurmain’s work. This book is a historical treasure that should be included in the study of African American history during the 19th century. Prudence Crandall’s story will leave a memorable imprint in the heart of readers.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist *starred review*: “Jurmain has plucked an almost forgotten incident from history and has shaped a compelling, highly readable book around it.
School Library Journal: “This book offers a fresh look at the climate of education for African Americans and women in the early 1800s. Report writers and recreational readers alike will find it informative.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*This book would be a great companion to use for students studying slavery, black history, and the abolitionist movement.
*Students can read other social history informational books about black history from more recent times and discuss if and how historical and social contexts changed from one story to another.
*Students can study and read about women who showed great courage like Prudence Crandall during the 19th and 20th centuries during the Woman’s Suffrage Movement or Civil Rights Movement.
AWARDS:
Orbis Pictus Honor Book 2006,
National Council of Teachers of English, 2006
Book Review: The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jurmain, Suzanne. 2005. THE FORBIDDEN SCHOOLHOUSE: THE TRUE AND DRAMATIC STORY OF PRUDENCE CRANDALL AND HER STUDENTS. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
ISBN: 0618473025
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The Canterbury Connecticut Female Boarding School owned and run by Prudence Crandall officially opened in October of 1831. Crandall’s school quickly gained a reputation as one of the best boarding schools for girls with its pupils coming from prominent and wealthy families until the day an African American girl named Sarah approaches Prudence asking if she can attend classes. Prudence knows that teaching an African-American student in her all white school would be a highly controversial move. She is willing to teach Sarah, but fears how supporters of her school and community members will react to this radical change to her school.
Jurmain writes, “Prudence wanted to help black people. She believed education was important. There were lots of good emotional reasons to say yes to Sarah. There were also a lot of sensible reasons to say no. First, admitting a black student was almost certain to cause an uproar. Although free blacks lived in the North, they weren’t welcome.”
Prudence chooses emotion over sensibility deciding she will teach Sarah in spite of the fears she has about the wrath that may follow when the townspeople find out the news. What follows is a story about a woman who perseveres in the face of adverse racism, attacks on her school, and angry townspeople who are determined to do everything possible to ruin and destroy her school.
Crandall enlists the help of several prominent abolitionists including William Lloyd Garrison (publisher of the Liberator), Samuel May, and Arthur Tappan to help fight the legal system that proposed the Connecticut Black Law making it illegal for Crandall to allow students of color from out of state to attend school. Prudence is arrested and her team of supporters helps her fight the charges against her that are eventually dropped. When the charges were dropped, the team of townspeople that vigorously prosecuted Crandall for her school continued to torment Prudence and her students vandalizing her school beyond the point of repair.
It is with a heavy heart that Prudence closes down the school in 1835 just two years after it’s opening moving to upstate New York with her family. Prudence continued to teach working in prairie schools in Illinois and Kansas later in life, and also worked actively in the abolition movement.
Fifty years after the closing of her school in Connecticut at the age of eighty-four after Prudence Crandall received a formal apology from the Connecticut State Legislature, which included financial compensation for her losses and suffering. Prudence Crandall died in 1890 at the age of eighty-six. Her brave and fighting spirit lives on through history and The Forbidden Schoolhouse is just one way her memory is kept alive.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Forbidden School House is an attractive and inviting book that will pull readers into the historical and social forces that impacted Prudence Crandall’s life living in Connecticut during the 1830’s. Jurmain uses descriptive and emotional language to help readers understand the depth of adversity Crandall faced. She includes harsh elements of racism that existed as Crandall attempted to educate young African American girls at a time when most people felt threatened by blacks becoming educated. Readers can sense the social tension and fear that Crandall felt as she bravely accepted African American students into her school.
“To many northerners, African Americans were no better than animals or criminals. Some viewed free blacks as a “curse and a contagion.” Prudence didn’t believe that blacks and whites ought to be treated differently. But what if the parents of her white students did?”
It is evident from the emotional elements of Jurmain’s writing that she was passionate about researching and sharing Prudence Crandall’s life story. Her clear and descriptive writing is supported by photographs that give readers the ability to see inside Crandall’s school in addition to photographs of people who were important to her story.
Jurmain’s goes to great lengths to provide a historically accurate account of Prudence Crandall’s life and the adversity she faced when she opened her boarding school to African American female students. She sites her sources throughout the book and includes a section for notes at the end of the book, which is carefully organized by chapters. A thorough bibliography, index, photo credits section, and appendix is included detailing the lives of the students who attended the school as well as “friends and enemies” who were crucial to Prudence Crandall’s story.
Readers will find themselves wanting to read more about this period of time in history after reading Jurmain’s work. This book is a historical treasure that should be included in the study of African American history during the 19th century. Prudence Crandall’s story will leave a memorable imprint in the heart of readers.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist *starred review*: “Jurmain has plucked an almost forgotten incident from history and has shaped a compelling, highly readable book around it.
School Library Journal: “This book offers a fresh look at the climate of education for African Americans and women in the early 1800s. Report writers and recreational readers alike will find it informative.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*This book would be a great companion to use for students studying slavery, black history, and the abolitionist movement.
*Students can read other social history informational books about black history from more recent times and discuss if and how historical and social contexts changed from one story to another.
*Students can study and read about women who showed great courage like Prudence Crandall during the 19th and 20th centuries during the Woman’s Suffrage Movement or Civil Rights Movement.
AWARDS:
Orbis Pictus Honor Book 2006,
National Council of Teachers of English, 2006
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sones, Sonya. 2004. ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES. New York: Simon and Schuster.
ISBN: 9781416907886
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Fifteen-year old Ruby Milliken is forced to move from Boston to Los Angeles to live with her father she has never met after losing her mother. She is forced to abandon her best friend Lizzie and boyfriend Ray to live with Whip (Ruby’s father) who is a “big time” Hollywood star in everyone’s eyes except Ruby.
Ruby unwillingly jumps into her new life in LA with her father. Cameron Diaz is her new neighbor. Her father insists on driving her to school each day where she attends “dream interpretation” classes with children of famous parents. While she is adjusting to live in LA things begin to change at home with her best friend and Ray and the events that transpire shake Ruby’s fifteen-year old world upside down.
Just when Ruby thinks she can’t take another word of bad news, Ruby’s father comes through for her in a big way. Ruby must decide if she can trust Whip, grappling with emotions such as fear, grief, and a strong desire to forgive. This coming of age story will warm the hearts of readers as they experience first hand the intensity and depth of Ruby’s character.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This novel told in first person and written in free verse is a story that young adult readers will relate to and adult readers will enjoy. Sones’s writing hooks the reader in right from the start with powerful writing that reveals Ruby as a person who has experienced a great deal of turmoil and suffering for someone her age. Honesty, sensitivity, and emotion spill off the pages as Ruby begins to tell her story,
“I love to read but my life better not turn out to be like one of those hideous books where the mother dies and so the girl has to go live with her absentee father and he turns out to be an alcoholic heroin addict who brutally beats her … I love to read, but I can’t stand books like that.”
Sones’s writing shows the complexity and emotional elements of Ruby’s character allowing readers to develop a keen understanding of the anger, grief, and uncertainty she experiences in during the progression of the novel. As the story builds, the reader shares in Ruby’s struggles and victories as her character grows and develops eventually finding love and friendship in her new life.
This book is anything but hideous, and will entertain and warm the hearts of readers who connect with Ruby’s grief, wit, humor, and heart felt emotion.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist – a starred review, “A satisfying, moving novel that will be a winner for both eager and reluctant readers.”
Kirkus Reviews – “Short stream-of-consciousness free-verse poems make up most of the narrative, by turns bathing readers in Ruby’s emotions and treating them to very sharp, very funny observations.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*Students unfamiliar with novels written in verse can explore books written by Sones and other successful authors.
*Students can try their own hand at writing in verse using this novel and other examples of free verse as examples.
AWARDS:
2006 - International Reading Association (IRA) Young Adults Choice
2005 -American Library Association (ALA) Best Book for Young Adults
2005 - American Library Association (ALA) Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
Other Titles by Author:
Sixteen
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy
What My Mother Doesn’t Know
What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know
Web Resources:
www.sonyasones.com
Book Review: One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sones, Sonya. 2004. ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES. New York: Simon and Schuster.
ISBN: 9781416907886
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Fifteen-year old Ruby Milliken is forced to move from Boston to Los Angeles to live with her father she has never met after losing her mother. She is forced to abandon her best friend Lizzie and boyfriend Ray to live with Whip (Ruby’s father) who is a “big time” Hollywood star in everyone’s eyes except Ruby.
Ruby unwillingly jumps into her new life in LA with her father. Cameron Diaz is her new neighbor. Her father insists on driving her to school each day where she attends “dream interpretation” classes with children of famous parents. While she is adjusting to live in LA things begin to change at home with her best friend and Ray and the events that transpire shake Ruby’s fifteen-year old world upside down.
Just when Ruby thinks she can’t take another word of bad news, Ruby’s father comes through for her in a big way. Ruby must decide if she can trust Whip, grappling with emotions such as fear, grief, and a strong desire to forgive. This coming of age story will warm the hearts of readers as they experience first hand the intensity and depth of Ruby’s character.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This novel told in first person and written in free verse is a story that young adult readers will relate to and adult readers will enjoy. Sones’s writing hooks the reader in right from the start with powerful writing that reveals Ruby as a person who has experienced a great deal of turmoil and suffering for someone her age. Honesty, sensitivity, and emotion spill off the pages as Ruby begins to tell her story,
“I love to read but my life better not turn out to be like one of those hideous books where the mother dies and so the girl has to go live with her absentee father and he turns out to be an alcoholic heroin addict who brutally beats her … I love to read, but I can’t stand books like that.”
Sones’s writing shows the complexity and emotional elements of Ruby’s character allowing readers to develop a keen understanding of the anger, grief, and uncertainty she experiences in during the progression of the novel. As the story builds, the reader shares in Ruby’s struggles and victories as her character grows and develops eventually finding love and friendship in her new life.
This book is anything but hideous, and will entertain and warm the hearts of readers who connect with Ruby’s grief, wit, humor, and heart felt emotion.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist – a starred review, “A satisfying, moving novel that will be a winner for both eager and reluctant readers.”
Kirkus Reviews – “Short stream-of-consciousness free-verse poems make up most of the narrative, by turns bathing readers in Ruby’s emotions and treating them to very sharp, very funny observations.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*Students unfamiliar with novels written in verse can explore books written by Sones and other successful authors.
*Students can try their own hand at writing in verse using this novel and other examples of free verse as examples.
AWARDS:
2006 - International Reading Association (IRA) Young Adults Choice
2005 -American Library Association (ALA) Best Book for Young Adults
2005 - American Library Association (ALA) Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
Other Titles by Author:
Sixteen
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy
What My Mother Doesn’t Know
What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know
Web Resources:
www.sonyasones.com
Monday, June 30, 2008
Please Bury Me in the Library
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: Please Bury Me in the Library
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lewis, Patrick J. 2005. PLEASE BURY ME IN THE LIBRARY. Ill. By Kyle Stone. San Diego: Gulliver Books/Harcourt, Inc.
ISBN: 0152163875
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Please Bury Me in the Library is a collection of sixteen poems which all center around books and the pleasure found in reading. This book’s title comes from the title of one of the poems in this collection.
“Flea-ting Fame” is a poem about Otto the Flea who was writing his “ottobiography”, “Alphabet Soup” discusses how “fun-loving vowels” may need “tiny towels” after taking a swim, and “Reading in the Dark” talks about owls reading “The Field Mouse’s’ Guide to Midnight.”
Patrick Lewis infuses humor and references to classical literature throughout this collection. Readers will delight in the language Lewis uses to describe the joys that come with sitting down and enjoying a good book or poem.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Humor infused with references to classic children’s literature books start this collection off with a poem titled, “What If Books Had Different Names?” including references (with a twist) to, “Alice in Underland”, “Furious George”, and “Goodnight Noon”. This poem will have readers laughing out loud before the second page of this book is turned.
Various poetic forms appear throughout the book including acrostic poems, haiku poems, rhyming poems, and poems written in verse. Poems vary in length and depth, with some making a simple statement about “A Classic” (defined as a book that excites the six year old and the sixty-three year old), and others “Are You a Book Person?” which evokes emotion as it personifies a “good book” as someone who is, “kind” with “a heart and soul”.
The poems in this collection feature vivid characters and discussions about books and poetry that will entertain and hold the reader as they are shared. The illustrations (acrylic paint and mixed media) add depth to the page offering readers a rich visual experience as they read the poems in this collection.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library Journal: “A semi-swell collection of 16 poems celebrating books, reading, language, and libraries.”
Booklist: “This homage to reading salutes all the essential elements: letters, words, books. Lewis' poetry is continually clever, whether pithily summing up children's classics or capturing the thrill of reading in the dark.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*This collection of poetry can be paired with other “silly” poems, or poetry about the love of a good book to offer students more then one medium or author to explore.
*Students can choose a classic book and give it a new name playing on the words like the ones found in, “What if Books Had Different Names.” Students can illustrate their titles, write a short poem if they’d like, and pull their pieces into a larger class collection of poetry that can be read aloud and shared with others.
Web Resources:
www.jpatricklewis.com
Book Review: Please Bury Me in the Library
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lewis, Patrick J. 2005. PLEASE BURY ME IN THE LIBRARY. Ill. By Kyle Stone. San Diego: Gulliver Books/Harcourt, Inc.
ISBN: 0152163875
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Please Bury Me in the Library is a collection of sixteen poems which all center around books and the pleasure found in reading. This book’s title comes from the title of one of the poems in this collection.
“Flea-ting Fame” is a poem about Otto the Flea who was writing his “ottobiography”, “Alphabet Soup” discusses how “fun-loving vowels” may need “tiny towels” after taking a swim, and “Reading in the Dark” talks about owls reading “The Field Mouse’s’ Guide to Midnight.”
Patrick Lewis infuses humor and references to classical literature throughout this collection. Readers will delight in the language Lewis uses to describe the joys that come with sitting down and enjoying a good book or poem.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Humor infused with references to classic children’s literature books start this collection off with a poem titled, “What If Books Had Different Names?” including references (with a twist) to, “Alice in Underland”, “Furious George”, and “Goodnight Noon”. This poem will have readers laughing out loud before the second page of this book is turned.
Various poetic forms appear throughout the book including acrostic poems, haiku poems, rhyming poems, and poems written in verse. Poems vary in length and depth, with some making a simple statement about “A Classic” (defined as a book that excites the six year old and the sixty-three year old), and others “Are You a Book Person?” which evokes emotion as it personifies a “good book” as someone who is, “kind” with “a heart and soul”.
The poems in this collection feature vivid characters and discussions about books and poetry that will entertain and hold the reader as they are shared. The illustrations (acrylic paint and mixed media) add depth to the page offering readers a rich visual experience as they read the poems in this collection.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library Journal: “A semi-swell collection of 16 poems celebrating books, reading, language, and libraries.”
Booklist: “This homage to reading salutes all the essential elements: letters, words, books. Lewis' poetry is continually clever, whether pithily summing up children's classics or capturing the thrill of reading in the dark.”
5. CONNECTIONS:
*This collection of poetry can be paired with other “silly” poems, or poetry about the love of a good book to offer students more then one medium or author to explore.
*Students can choose a classic book and give it a new name playing on the words like the ones found in, “What if Books Had Different Names.” Students can illustrate their titles, write a short poem if they’d like, and pull their pieces into a larger class collection of poetry that can be read aloud and shared with others.
Web Resources:
www.jpatricklewis.com
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
O’Connell George, Kristine. 2001. TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS. Ill. By Kate Kiesler. New York: Clarion Books.
ISBN: 061804597X
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Toasting Marshmallows is a colorful collection of poetry that will take readers on a lyrical journey as they read poems about activities and emotions related to camping and the outdoors. The first poem in this collection pulls readers in with a piece of formed poetry in the shape of a tent discussing how to successfully build one, with subsequent poems discussing the excitement of summer storms, rowing, fishing, forest walks, and more. The thirty poems in this collection give readers a visual and descriptive experience into the art of camping and the great outdoors.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book is a well-crafted collection of camping poems that will delight readers of all ages. The rhythm and the use of imagery that come through in George’s writing take the reader to the outdoors describing the sounds, smells, and noises of camping. Some poems take on the visual form and shape of the topic, while others move around on the page and onto some of the illustrations for a dramatic visual effect. The use of figurative language brings objects like the river, and special places like a dark cave to life with descriptions that evoke emotion and imagery:
“River words run in scallops and scribbles, … River writes, river talks.”
“The cave breathes icy and ancient, measuring time with slow drips that echo as water hits granite somewhere deep in this cavern.”
The illustrations in this collection of poetry give readers a visual image that matches the strength of the writing with the use of oil painting that carefully depicts dark and light, vibrant colors, and a natural setting.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
ALA Booklist, starred: “George’s astute imagery pairs beautifully with Keisler’s rich, warm-toned oil paintings to impart a strong sense of the pleasures of a rural landscape.”
Publishers Weekly, starred:, “… All around, an invitation to experience joy and wonder.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Other poetry collections by the author can be shared with students to compare and contrast other stylistic forms of writing.
*Students can illustrate poems or can create poetry that takes on the form of the subject to display in the classroom.
Selected Titles by Author:
Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems
The Great Frog Race and Other Poems
Book!
Fold Me a Poem
Up!
Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems
Little Dog Poems
Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems
Book Review: Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
O’Connell George, Kristine. 2001. TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS. Ill. By Kate Kiesler. New York: Clarion Books.
ISBN: 061804597X
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Toasting Marshmallows is a colorful collection of poetry that will take readers on a lyrical journey as they read poems about activities and emotions related to camping and the outdoors. The first poem in this collection pulls readers in with a piece of formed poetry in the shape of a tent discussing how to successfully build one, with subsequent poems discussing the excitement of summer storms, rowing, fishing, forest walks, and more. The thirty poems in this collection give readers a visual and descriptive experience into the art of camping and the great outdoors.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book is a well-crafted collection of camping poems that will delight readers of all ages. The rhythm and the use of imagery that come through in George’s writing take the reader to the outdoors describing the sounds, smells, and noises of camping. Some poems take on the visual form and shape of the topic, while others move around on the page and onto some of the illustrations for a dramatic visual effect. The use of figurative language brings objects like the river, and special places like a dark cave to life with descriptions that evoke emotion and imagery:
“River words run in scallops and scribbles, … River writes, river talks.”
“The cave breathes icy and ancient, measuring time with slow drips that echo as water hits granite somewhere deep in this cavern.”
The illustrations in this collection of poetry give readers a visual image that matches the strength of the writing with the use of oil painting that carefully depicts dark and light, vibrant colors, and a natural setting.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
ALA Booklist, starred: “George’s astute imagery pairs beautifully with Keisler’s rich, warm-toned oil paintings to impart a strong sense of the pleasures of a rural landscape.”
Publishers Weekly, starred:, “… All around, an invitation to experience joy and wonder.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Other poetry collections by the author can be shared with students to compare and contrast other stylistic forms of writing.
*Students can illustrate poems or can create poetry that takes on the form of the subject to display in the classroom.
Selected Titles by Author:
Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems
The Great Frog Race and Other Poems
Book!
Fold Me a Poem
Up!
Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems
Little Dog Poems
Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems
Friday, June 20, 2008
Remaking the Earth: A Creation Story from the Great Plains of North America
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: Remaking the Earth: A Creation Story from the Great Plains of North America.
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Goble, Paul. 1996. REMAKING THE EARTH: A CREATION STORY FROM THE GREAT PLAINS OF NORTH AMERICA. Ill. Paul Gobble. New York: Orchard Books.
ISBN: 053109524X
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Remaking the Earth is an adapted creation story which has been passed down through oral and written tradition of the Plains Indians. This circular tale explains how land, animals, and people were brought about to co-exist together according to the Native American spiritual figure "Earth Maker".
Readers will follow the gifts that “Earth Maker” or the Great Spirit gives to her people page by page with a story explaining the reasons for why things were created when they were. The Creator carefully places all animals and people together promising and helps each being sort out it’s right place on the Earth reminding them all that, “only the earth remains forever.”
This story begins with the excitement of the “new world”, and ends with the promise that the Earth Maker will create another world when this one ends.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The blend of mythical and spiritual creation folklore in Goble’s work offers readers a glimpse into the oral tradition and spiritual world of the Native American Plains Indians. The Author’s Note gives readers a historical context to understand the evolution of the creation story. The illustrations resemble those from Native American drawings with detail that adds depth and strength to the written word.
The footnotes at the bottom of the pages offer readers on the spot information about the Native American cultural traditions giving readers significant insight into the content of the text. This book tells a beautiful story with it’s flowing prose and beautifully drawn illustrations.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist: “This is a good choice for students interested in comparing the handling of creation stories from diverse cultural and ethnic groups”
New York Times: “Goble's work is a marriage of authentic design and contemporary artistry…It succeeds beautifully.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Teachers and students can connect this story to others written by Goble reflecting Native American traditions.
*Teachers can integrate Goble’s books into social studies units about Native American culture and history.
*Students can compare and contrast Native American folklore with folklore of other cultures around the world.
Awards:
Caldecott Medal, 1978. The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses.
Children’s Book Council, Children’s Choice, 2003. Mystic Horse.
Other Titles:
Tipi: Home of the Nomadic Buffalo Hunters
All Our Relatives: Traditional Native American Thoughts About Nature
Iktomi Loses His Eyes
Iktomi and the Coyote: A Plains Indian Story
The Legend of the White Buffalo Woman
The Return of the Buffaloes: A Plains Indian Story about Famine and Renewal of the Earth
Book Review: Remaking the Earth: A Creation Story from the Great Plains of North America.
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Goble, Paul. 1996. REMAKING THE EARTH: A CREATION STORY FROM THE GREAT PLAINS OF NORTH AMERICA. Ill. Paul Gobble. New York: Orchard Books.
ISBN: 053109524X
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Remaking the Earth is an adapted creation story which has been passed down through oral and written tradition of the Plains Indians. This circular tale explains how land, animals, and people were brought about to co-exist together according to the Native American spiritual figure "Earth Maker".
Readers will follow the gifts that “Earth Maker” or the Great Spirit gives to her people page by page with a story explaining the reasons for why things were created when they were. The Creator carefully places all animals and people together promising and helps each being sort out it’s right place on the Earth reminding them all that, “only the earth remains forever.”
This story begins with the excitement of the “new world”, and ends with the promise that the Earth Maker will create another world when this one ends.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The blend of mythical and spiritual creation folklore in Goble’s work offers readers a glimpse into the oral tradition and spiritual world of the Native American Plains Indians. The Author’s Note gives readers a historical context to understand the evolution of the creation story. The illustrations resemble those from Native American drawings with detail that adds depth and strength to the written word.
The footnotes at the bottom of the pages offer readers on the spot information about the Native American cultural traditions giving readers significant insight into the content of the text. This book tells a beautiful story with it’s flowing prose and beautifully drawn illustrations.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist: “This is a good choice for students interested in comparing the handling of creation stories from diverse cultural and ethnic groups”
New York Times: “Goble's work is a marriage of authentic design and contemporary artistry…It succeeds beautifully.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Teachers and students can connect this story to others written by Goble reflecting Native American traditions.
*Teachers can integrate Goble’s books into social studies units about Native American culture and history.
*Students can compare and contrast Native American folklore with folklore of other cultures around the world.
Awards:
Caldecott Medal, 1978. The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses.
Children’s Book Council, Children’s Choice, 2003. Mystic Horse.
Other Titles:
Tipi: Home of the Nomadic Buffalo Hunters
All Our Relatives: Traditional Native American Thoughts About Nature
Iktomi Loses His Eyes
Iktomi and the Coyote: A Plains Indian Story
The Legend of the White Buffalo Woman
The Return of the Buffaloes: A Plains Indian Story about Famine and Renewal of the Earth
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids Own Rhymes for Rope Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids’ Own Rhymes for Rope Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plan Fun.
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sierra, Judy. 2005. SCHOOLYARD RHYMES: KIDS’ OWN RYHMES FOR ROPE SKIPPING, HAND CLAPPING, BALL BOUNCING, AND JUST PLAIN FUN. Ill. Melissa Sweet. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
ISBN: 0375925163
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Schoolyard Rhymes is a collection of traditional and contemporary children’s playground lore that will delight readers with its’ witty and playful rhymes.
In this collection of rhymes, “Coca-Cola goes to town knocking Diet Pepsi down”, Miss Mary Mack comes back, and Tarzan loses his underwear while flying through the air. This body of playground lore features silly poems and various text forms of poetry many of which are parodies of traditional nursery rhymes and folktales.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Humor and rhyme come together this collection making this book one that lends itself to sharing with students through reading aloud and shared reading experiences.
Rhymes jump off the page with colorful and beautifully drawn illustrations. Text winds up, down, and across the pages taking on forms of the objects they describe. Students will read poems in the shape of jump rope, banana trees, and clothing lines.
Traditional playground folklore blends well with the nonsense rhymes and poems in this collection offering readers a variety of stylistic reading material in one book.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist – “Sweet's comical, mixed-media art adds to the wackiness of the rhymes, with jump ropes commanding a prominent position, whether used by children or pickles or bears.”
School Library Journal – “This is a definite winner, as it will be enormously popular with children.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*After reading selections from this text, students can write their own nonsense poems using a variety of mediums to print and publish their writing.
*Students can take their individual nonsense rhymes and poetry and combine them into a larger class book.
*Teachers can choose and read traditional nursery rhymes and encourage students to write their own ending adding a new twist for a humorous ending.
Book Review: Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids’ Own Rhymes for Rope Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plan Fun.
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sierra, Judy. 2005. SCHOOLYARD RHYMES: KIDS’ OWN RYHMES FOR ROPE SKIPPING, HAND CLAPPING, BALL BOUNCING, AND JUST PLAIN FUN. Ill. Melissa Sweet. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
ISBN: 0375925163
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Schoolyard Rhymes is a collection of traditional and contemporary children’s playground lore that will delight readers with its’ witty and playful rhymes.
In this collection of rhymes, “Coca-Cola goes to town knocking Diet Pepsi down”, Miss Mary Mack comes back, and Tarzan loses his underwear while flying through the air. This body of playground lore features silly poems and various text forms of poetry many of which are parodies of traditional nursery rhymes and folktales.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Humor and rhyme come together this collection making this book one that lends itself to sharing with students through reading aloud and shared reading experiences.
Rhymes jump off the page with colorful and beautifully drawn illustrations. Text winds up, down, and across the pages taking on forms of the objects they describe. Students will read poems in the shape of jump rope, banana trees, and clothing lines.
Traditional playground folklore blends well with the nonsense rhymes and poems in this collection offering readers a variety of stylistic reading material in one book.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist – “Sweet's comical, mixed-media art adds to the wackiness of the rhymes, with jump ropes commanding a prominent position, whether used by children or pickles or bears.”
School Library Journal – “This is a definite winner, as it will be enormously popular with children.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*After reading selections from this text, students can write their own nonsense poems using a variety of mediums to print and publish their writing.
*Students can take their individual nonsense rhymes and poetry and combine them into a larger class book.
*Teachers can choose and read traditional nursery rhymes and encourage students to write their own ending adding a new twist for a humorous ending.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Little Gold Star: A Spanish American Cinderella Tale
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: Little Gold Star: A Spanish American Cinderella Tale
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
San Souci, Robert D. 2000. LITTLE GOLD STAR: A SPANISH AMERICAN CINDERELLA TALE. Ill. By Sergio Martinez. Singapore: Harper Collins Publishers.
ISBN: 068814781X
2. PLOT SUMMARY
This translated Spanish American Cinderella Tale begins when Teresa’s widowed Father Tomas marries a wicked woman with two daughters. Tomas’s new wife and her children are mean and demanding of Teresa as Tomas works in the fields all day. Teresa meets the Blessed Mother Virgin Mary, who becomes her fairy godmother.
Teresa earns a gold star that shines brightly from the Blessed Mother and her sisters become jealous. Inez and Isabel are given chances by the Blessed Mother to do well by helping others (Baby Jesus and Joseph), but instead they treat the baby and Father poorly. Inez and Isabel grow horns and donkey ears much to their Mother’s dismay for their ill intended actions.
Teresa catches the hero’s eye at the fiesta held in honor of the patron saint of the town. Don Miguel meets Teresa and is intrigued by her beauty and gold star. Teresa leaves the ball in a hurry after being criticized by her stepmother, which leads Don Miguel on a search to find his true love.
This story ends happily ever after with Teresa and Don Miguel receiving eternal blessings by the Blessed Mother for their good deeds and service to others.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Strong religious and Christian themes that run throughout this tale, which may or may not be an issue for public school teachers. San Souci’s translated text of the traditional Cinderella Tale offers readers a twist with a glimpse into Spanish American culture and the Catholic faith.
The illustrations add depth to the story and images that help the reader get a feel for the setting, the dress of the characters, cultural customs, and religious traditions.
The redemption of the wicked stepmother and sisters in this tale differs from the traditional Cinderella tale offering readers a new perspective on how characters can be influenced by good deeds of others.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library Journal: “San Souci's telling is smooth and fluid. Martinez's lovely, luminous watercolor illustrations are a perfect match for the text. His accomplished sense of extended line gives all of his figures a romantic, elongated look, and his command of expression is exceptional. A noteworthy addition to an already impressive crop of Southwestern "Cinderella" stories.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Teachers can discuss characteristics of fairy tales andprovide students with exposure to a variety of tales through book study, author study, and reading aloud.
*Multi-cultural versions of Cinderella Tales can be read and paired together for students to examine the similarities and differences between the stories.
*Students can research the region from which the different tales come from discussing cultural and religious traditions of the region.
Web Resources:
http://childrensbooks.about.com/cs/fairytales/a/cinderella.htm
http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00000849.shtml
Book Review: Little Gold Star: A Spanish American Cinderella Tale
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
San Souci, Robert D. 2000. LITTLE GOLD STAR: A SPANISH AMERICAN CINDERELLA TALE. Ill. By Sergio Martinez. Singapore: Harper Collins Publishers.
ISBN: 068814781X
2. PLOT SUMMARY
This translated Spanish American Cinderella Tale begins when Teresa’s widowed Father Tomas marries a wicked woman with two daughters. Tomas’s new wife and her children are mean and demanding of Teresa as Tomas works in the fields all day. Teresa meets the Blessed Mother Virgin Mary, who becomes her fairy godmother.
Teresa earns a gold star that shines brightly from the Blessed Mother and her sisters become jealous. Inez and Isabel are given chances by the Blessed Mother to do well by helping others (Baby Jesus and Joseph), but instead they treat the baby and Father poorly. Inez and Isabel grow horns and donkey ears much to their Mother’s dismay for their ill intended actions.
Teresa catches the hero’s eye at the fiesta held in honor of the patron saint of the town. Don Miguel meets Teresa and is intrigued by her beauty and gold star. Teresa leaves the ball in a hurry after being criticized by her stepmother, which leads Don Miguel on a search to find his true love.
This story ends happily ever after with Teresa and Don Miguel receiving eternal blessings by the Blessed Mother for their good deeds and service to others.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Strong religious and Christian themes that run throughout this tale, which may or may not be an issue for public school teachers. San Souci’s translated text of the traditional Cinderella Tale offers readers a twist with a glimpse into Spanish American culture and the Catholic faith.
The illustrations add depth to the story and images that help the reader get a feel for the setting, the dress of the characters, cultural customs, and religious traditions.
The redemption of the wicked stepmother and sisters in this tale differs from the traditional Cinderella tale offering readers a new perspective on how characters can be influenced by good deeds of others.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library Journal: “San Souci's telling is smooth and fluid. Martinez's lovely, luminous watercolor illustrations are a perfect match for the text. His accomplished sense of extended line gives all of his figures a romantic, elongated look, and his command of expression is exceptional. A noteworthy addition to an already impressive crop of Southwestern "Cinderella" stories.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Teachers can discuss characteristics of fairy tales andprovide students with exposure to a variety of tales through book study, author study, and reading aloud.
*Multi-cultural versions of Cinderella Tales can be read and paired together for students to examine the similarities and differences between the stories.
*Students can research the region from which the different tales come from discussing cultural and religious traditions of the region.
Web Resources:
http://childrensbooks.about.com/cs/fairytales/a/cinderella.htm
http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00000849.shtml
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2006. MOSES: WHEN HARRIET TUBMAN LED HER PEOPLE TO FREEDOM. Ill. By Kadir Nelson. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.
ISBN: 786851751978
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The faith, strong will, and bravery of runaway slave Harriet Tubman comes to live in this fictional account of how she led hundreds of slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Author Carole Boston Weatherford takes the reader through the journey that Harriet Tubman undertook as she fled her master on foot alone, and follows her journey for another ten years as she worked to free her family and other slaves all while carrying a bounty on her life.
Harriet Tubman relies on her faith in God hearing messages from him as she travels from the slave states to the free states. This story takes the reader on a journey through history that shows the strong faith Tubman clung to as she became the “Moses” of her people.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Readers will engage with the lyrical prose and fantastic illustrations that accompany this work. The print almost jumps off the pages in some spots with large font that swirls and flows with the moving story of Tubman’s escape to freedom.
This forward and author’s note sections of this book provides readers with historical background information that will help students increase their understanding slavery and the Underground Railroad. Readers will come away with a deep appreciation for the risks that Tubman and those who helped her free slaves through the Underground Railroad took to bring the comfort of freedom to their lives of those who were enslaved.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Honors and Awards:
Recipient of the Caldecott Medal - 2007
Recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award – 2007
NAACP Image Award
School Library Journal: “The words and pictures create a potent sense of the harsh life of slavery, the fearsome escape, and one woman's unwavering belief in God.”
Publisher’s Review: “Weatherford’s poetic narrative and Kadir Nelson’s magnificent paintings bear witness to an ecstatic event -- the Spirit of God communing with the flesh-and-blood of true humanity. It is one of the most emotional, inspiring reading experiences ever.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*This historical account will lend itself to a variety of connections to American History. Teachers can use the Author’s Note to discuss the geographic locations of the Underground Railroad, and trace the journey that Tubman took from Maryland to Philadelphia.
*Students may want to discuss slavery and the injustices that African-Americans faced who were owned and mistreated by their masters.
*Carole Boston Weatherford has written a variety of books on African-American history and culture. These books can be used to deepen students understanding of the historical events that have shaped American culture.
Selected Books from Carole Boston Weatherford:
Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins. ISBN 9780142408940
I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer. ISBN 9780802796882
Dear Mr. Rosenwald. ISBN 9780439495226
Book Review: Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2006. MOSES: WHEN HARRIET TUBMAN LED HER PEOPLE TO FREEDOM. Ill. By Kadir Nelson. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.
ISBN: 786851751978
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The faith, strong will, and bravery of runaway slave Harriet Tubman comes to live in this fictional account of how she led hundreds of slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Author Carole Boston Weatherford takes the reader through the journey that Harriet Tubman undertook as she fled her master on foot alone, and follows her journey for another ten years as she worked to free her family and other slaves all while carrying a bounty on her life.
Harriet Tubman relies on her faith in God hearing messages from him as she travels from the slave states to the free states. This story takes the reader on a journey through history that shows the strong faith Tubman clung to as she became the “Moses” of her people.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Readers will engage with the lyrical prose and fantastic illustrations that accompany this work. The print almost jumps off the pages in some spots with large font that swirls and flows with the moving story of Tubman’s escape to freedom.
This forward and author’s note sections of this book provides readers with historical background information that will help students increase their understanding slavery and the Underground Railroad. Readers will come away with a deep appreciation for the risks that Tubman and those who helped her free slaves through the Underground Railroad took to bring the comfort of freedom to their lives of those who were enslaved.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Honors and Awards:
Recipient of the Caldecott Medal - 2007
Recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award – 2007
NAACP Image Award
School Library Journal: “The words and pictures create a potent sense of the harsh life of slavery, the fearsome escape, and one woman's unwavering belief in God.”
Publisher’s Review: “Weatherford’s poetic narrative and Kadir Nelson’s magnificent paintings bear witness to an ecstatic event -- the Spirit of God communing with the flesh-and-blood of true humanity. It is one of the most emotional, inspiring reading experiences ever.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*This historical account will lend itself to a variety of connections to American History. Teachers can use the Author’s Note to discuss the geographic locations of the Underground Railroad, and trace the journey that Tubman took from Maryland to Philadelphia.
*Students may want to discuss slavery and the injustices that African-Americans faced who were owned and mistreated by their masters.
*Carole Boston Weatherford has written a variety of books on African-American history and culture. These books can be used to deepen students understanding of the historical events that have shaped American culture.
Selected Books from Carole Boston Weatherford:
Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins. ISBN 9780142408940
I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer. ISBN 9780802796882
Dear Mr. Rosenwald. ISBN 9780439495226
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gerstein, Mordicai. 2003. THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS. Connecticut: Roaring Brook Press.
ISBN 07613286688
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Imagine what it would have felt like to walk a tightrope between the Twin Towers of World Trade Center as it was constructed back in the 1970’s. The Man Who Walked Between Towers is based on a true story of the French aerialist, Philippe Petit who accomplished the feat of walking on a tightrope successfully between the towers on August 7th, 1974.
Philippe Petit attracts the attention of onlookers and the police as he walks between the towers. He is surrounded by police on both sides as he dangles, rests, and enjoys his exhilarating walk. Petit eventually gives himself over to police to be arrested when he has taken in all of the sights of the New York City Harbor and enjoyed his walk. Petit is spared serious punishment for the crime he committed being sentenced to perform in the park for children in New York City by a judge as repayment.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This historical account of Philippe Petit’s successfully tight rope walk across the Word Trade Center Towers in the 1970’s will evoke excitement and wonder in readers who will keep turning the pages as they eagerly follow Petit along his journey.
The illustrations that Gerstein paired with this story beautifully display the New York City skyline and the Twin Towers. Several fold out pages appear which add depth and texture to the magical images that appear below Petit as he walks across his tightrope.
Gerstein’s style of writing and reference to the fall of the Twin Towers at the end of the story will appeal to readers’ emotions, especially those children who remember the fall of the twin towers on September 11th, 2001.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Recipient of the Caldecott Medal - 2004
Publishers Weekly: “Gerstein's dramatic paintings include some perspectives bound to take any reader's breath away. Truly affecting is the book's final painting of the imagined imprint of the towers, now existing "in memory"-linked by Philippe and his high wire.”
School Library Journal: "Gorgeous oil-and-ink paintings capture the aerialist's spirited feat and breathtaking perspectives high above Manhattan harbor.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*This book can be shared to discuss the bravery and passion Petit displayed by attempting his great act.
*Older students may enjoy reading excerpts from Petit’s book To Reach the Clouds, which Gerstein referenced while writing this book. Gerstein’s other famous tightrope walking events are featured in this book.
*Depending on their age, some students may not remember the fall of the World Trade Center Towers on September 11th, 2001 and may have questions about why the towers are no longer there.
Students who are old enough to remember the event may want to discuss how they felt, images from the news, and may still have questions about the event.
2002. To Reach the Clouds. Written and Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. North Point Press. ISBN0865476519
Book Review: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gerstein, Mordicai. 2003. THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS. Connecticut: Roaring Brook Press.
ISBN 07613286688
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Imagine what it would have felt like to walk a tightrope between the Twin Towers of World Trade Center as it was constructed back in the 1970’s. The Man Who Walked Between Towers is based on a true story of the French aerialist, Philippe Petit who accomplished the feat of walking on a tightrope successfully between the towers on August 7th, 1974.
Philippe Petit attracts the attention of onlookers and the police as he walks between the towers. He is surrounded by police on both sides as he dangles, rests, and enjoys his exhilarating walk. Petit eventually gives himself over to police to be arrested when he has taken in all of the sights of the New York City Harbor and enjoyed his walk. Petit is spared serious punishment for the crime he committed being sentenced to perform in the park for children in New York City by a judge as repayment.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This historical account of Philippe Petit’s successfully tight rope walk across the Word Trade Center Towers in the 1970’s will evoke excitement and wonder in readers who will keep turning the pages as they eagerly follow Petit along his journey.
The illustrations that Gerstein paired with this story beautifully display the New York City skyline and the Twin Towers. Several fold out pages appear which add depth and texture to the magical images that appear below Petit as he walks across his tightrope.
Gerstein’s style of writing and reference to the fall of the Twin Towers at the end of the story will appeal to readers’ emotions, especially those children who remember the fall of the twin towers on September 11th, 2001.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Recipient of the Caldecott Medal - 2004
Publishers Weekly: “Gerstein's dramatic paintings include some perspectives bound to take any reader's breath away. Truly affecting is the book's final painting of the imagined imprint of the towers, now existing "in memory"-linked by Philippe and his high wire.”
School Library Journal: "Gorgeous oil-and-ink paintings capture the aerialist's spirited feat and breathtaking perspectives high above Manhattan harbor.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*This book can be shared to discuss the bravery and passion Petit displayed by attempting his great act.
*Older students may enjoy reading excerpts from Petit’s book To Reach the Clouds, which Gerstein referenced while writing this book. Gerstein’s other famous tightrope walking events are featured in this book.
*Depending on their age, some students may not remember the fall of the World Trade Center Towers on September 11th, 2001 and may have questions about why the towers are no longer there.
Students who are old enough to remember the event may want to discuss how they felt, images from the news, and may still have questions about the event.
2002. To Reach the Clouds. Written and Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. North Point Press. ISBN0865476519
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
A Caldecott Celebration
**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**
Book Review: A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Marcus, Leonard S. 1998. A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION: SIX ARTISTS AND THEIR PATHS TO THE CALDECOTT MEDAL. New York: Walker and Company.
ISBN 0802786588
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Author Leonard Marcus chooses six artists who have received the Caldecott Medal for excellence in picture book illustration to feature in this book. Robert McCloskey (Make Way for Ducklings, Marcia Brown (Cinderella), Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are), William Steig (Sylvester and the Magic Pebble), Chris Van Allsburg (Jumanji), and David Weisner (Tuesday).
Marcus interviewed each illustrator/author noting the experiences each one went through while creating their works of art including discussions about how they came to the idea for their book, titles that were discussed, how they worked with their publisher on the book, and their personal connections to the content and themes of their books. Marcus also includes the authors’ reactions to winning a Caldecott award for their work.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Marcus does an excellent job of showing and telling the processes each artist used as they conceived the ideas for their illustrations and then put them onto the page. The snippets of conversation Marcus includes from his interviews with the illustrators reveal a close and intimate profile of the artist and their work. The emotional connections that the artists share with relation to the creation of their award winning books makes them very real and relatable to the reader.
Readers will have a better understanding and appreciation for the process that an award winning illustrators and authors go through as they create their original pieces. The writing process is well detailed through each of the interviews and stories. The historical connections to book making and the publication process prove to be an interesting and informative piece in this book due to the fact that Marcus featured six different artists from six decades beginning with the 1940’s all the way through the 1990’s.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Publishers Weekly: “He fills the volume with the kinds of details children relish.”
Booklist (starred review): "A beautifully made book, this will serve as a fine resource for children interested in illustration and for teachers researching author/ illustrator studies.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*This book can be shared with students who are learning the different stages and steps of the writing process. The six authors share details of the each stage of the writing process as it applied to their work. The authors and illustrators featured in this book can serve as a blueprint for young writers who take their own ideas and experiences and turn them into authentic writing.
*Bring in the book titles featured in this volume (see below) and other Caldecott books and compare and contrast how illustrations have evolved since the advent of the Caldecott award.
*Bring in other copies of books written and illustrated by the featured authors to discuss authors craft and style.
Books featured in A Caldecott Celebration:
1942 – Make Way for Ducklings. Written and Illustrated by Robert McCloskey. Viking.
1955 – Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper. Illustrated and translated from Charles Perrault’s French text by Marcia Brown. Scribner.
1964 – Where the Wild Things Are. Written and Illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Harper.
1970 – Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Written and illustrated by William Steig. Windmill.
1982 – Jumanji. Written and Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. Houghton.
1992 – Tuesday. Written and Illustrated by David Weisner. Clarion.
Book Review: A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Marcus, Leonard S. 1998. A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION: SIX ARTISTS AND THEIR PATHS TO THE CALDECOTT MEDAL. New York: Walker and Company.
ISBN 0802786588
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Author Leonard Marcus chooses six artists who have received the Caldecott Medal for excellence in picture book illustration to feature in this book. Robert McCloskey (Make Way for Ducklings, Marcia Brown (Cinderella), Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are), William Steig (Sylvester and the Magic Pebble), Chris Van Allsburg (Jumanji), and David Weisner (Tuesday).
Marcus interviewed each illustrator/author noting the experiences each one went through while creating their works of art including discussions about how they came to the idea for their book, titles that were discussed, how they worked with their publisher on the book, and their personal connections to the content and themes of their books. Marcus also includes the authors’ reactions to winning a Caldecott award for their work.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Marcus does an excellent job of showing and telling the processes each artist used as they conceived the ideas for their illustrations and then put them onto the page. The snippets of conversation Marcus includes from his interviews with the illustrators reveal a close and intimate profile of the artist and their work. The emotional connections that the artists share with relation to the creation of their award winning books makes them very real and relatable to the reader.
Readers will have a better understanding and appreciation for the process that an award winning illustrators and authors go through as they create their original pieces. The writing process is well detailed through each of the interviews and stories. The historical connections to book making and the publication process prove to be an interesting and informative piece in this book due to the fact that Marcus featured six different artists from six decades beginning with the 1940’s all the way through the 1990’s.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Publishers Weekly: “He fills the volume with the kinds of details children relish.”
Booklist (starred review): "A beautifully made book, this will serve as a fine resource for children interested in illustration and for teachers researching author/ illustrator studies.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*This book can be shared with students who are learning the different stages and steps of the writing process. The six authors share details of the each stage of the writing process as it applied to their work. The authors and illustrators featured in this book can serve as a blueprint for young writers who take their own ideas and experiences and turn them into authentic writing.
*Bring in the book titles featured in this volume (see below) and other Caldecott books and compare and contrast how illustrations have evolved since the advent of the Caldecott award.
*Bring in other copies of books written and illustrated by the featured authors to discuss authors craft and style.
Books featured in A Caldecott Celebration:
1942 – Make Way for Ducklings. Written and Illustrated by Robert McCloskey. Viking.
1955 – Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper. Illustrated and translated from Charles Perrault’s French text by Marcia Brown. Scribner.
1964 – Where the Wild Things Are. Written and Illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Harper.
1970 – Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Written and illustrated by William Steig. Windmill.
1982 – Jumanji. Written and Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. Houghton.
1992 – Tuesday. Written and Illustrated by David Weisner. Clarion.
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