"The Lorax"

Seuss, Dr. (1999). The Lorax. New York: Random House.

I enjoyed this story. I think it presents a compelling message that resonates even today, and it is done in such a way that children readily understand the point he is trying to make. It is didactic in the sense that it is intended to teach children what happens when greed overpowers good sense and people use all of the natural resources without thought to the future. I think there are didactic books today. Books, especially fiction books, are a wonderful way to teach children lessons in a fun way, so that they do not realize they are learning. A few examples are:

Hoobler, Dorothy and Tom. (2002). Earthsong. Brookfield, Conn.: The Millbrook Press.

Child, Lauren. (2001). What planet are you from, Clarice Bean? Cambridge, MASS.: Candlewick Press.

Cherry, Lynne. (1990). The great kapok tree. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace & Company.

Cherry, Lynne. (1992). A river ran wild. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers.

These are just a few examples of children's books that could be considered didactic. Admittedly they may be as subtle as the Lorax, but they are good books with wonderful messages.

Picture copied from Amazon.com.

"The Cat in the Hat"

Seus, Dr. (1957). The cat in the hat. New York: Random House.

I always enjoy this book, every time I read it. I never noticed the language or the tension between doing the right thing and playing. Re-reading it as an adult it is easier to pick up on these things. I think the book does apeal to children today. Children are always tempted to disobey their parents, especially on rainy days when they are cooped up in the house. I cannot think if a single book, either from recent years or from the time of The Cat in the Hat, that could compare to it in any way.

Picture copied from Amazon.com.

"The Lion, the whitch, and Wardrobe"

Lewis, C. S. (1950). The lion, the whitch, and the wardrobe. New York:HaperCollins Children's Books.

I really enjoyed this book. The story is about four children, Susan, Peter, Lucy, and Edmund. During World War II they are sent into the country for safety. While there they discover a magic wardrobe that leads them to the hidden realm of Narnia. After many adventures they becomes Kings and Queens of Narnia. I had actually read it before the movie came out, so I knew what to expect going in. I actually kind of dreaded watching the movie, as I was afraid the movie people would butcher it as they do so many adaptations. However, the movie was extremely close to the book. There were only one or two differences and the were very minor and unimportant. I think the movies was an excellent adaptation of the book, and they go really well together.

Picture copied from Amazon.com.

"Hoot"

Hiaasen, Carl. (2002). Hoot. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

I loved this book. Once I picked it up I could not sit it down for anything. This book is about a boy who moves all over the US with his parents. Finally they settle in Florida. There he makes few friends, until he sees a “barefoot kid” running by the bus. He follows him a few times and is eventually able to befriend him. The kid tells him of the plight of these tiny owls that burrow into the ground. In the process of trying to save the owls from death due to construction of the area, he befriends the boy and his sister. They manage to save the owls in the end.

Picture copied from Amazon.com

Caldecott vs. Newberry

What is the difference between the Caldecott Award and the Newberry Award? Is one better than the other? These are very important questions to consider as a Library Media Specialist. According the the text, Essentials of Children's Literature, the Caldecott Medal is awarded to the "most distinguished picture book for children published in the previous year" (Lynch-Brown & Tomlinson, p14). The Newberry Medal is awarded to the "most distinguished contribution to children's literature published in the previous year" (Lynch-Brown & Tomlinson, p14). In other words the Caldecott is given to outstanding picture books while the Newberry award is given to, presumably, chapter books.
I don't think that one is more important than another, as they are awarded for different things, and in different categories. That would be like saying that chapter books are more important than chapter books or visa-verse.

Lynch-Brown, Carol & Tomlinson, Carl M. (2005). Essentials of children's literature. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

"Surviving the Applewhites"

Tolan, Stephanie S. (2002). Surviving the Applewhites. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

I loved this book. It is not often that I am unable to put down a children's book, but this was one of them. The story focuses on a teenage boy whose parents are in prison and after exhausting the foster homes in his home town, he ends up with his grandfather in Traybridge. After getting expelled from the middle school he had run out of option. His only choice, besides juvenile detention is to join the Applewhites academy, a home school program of independence. In the course of his education he is finally able to discover who he really is, and where his talents lie.

I think this is a wonderful story about a boys discovery of himself and who he is. It is very well told with kid freindly language. I would recomend this book to both children and adults.

Picture copied from Amazon.com

"pictures of hollis woods"

Giff, Paticia Reily. (2002). Pictures of hollis woods. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

I really loved this book. It was a total surprise and very unpredictable. I loved the back and forth between the past and the present, and being left wondering what had happened and what was going to happen. This book is told in a non-linear fashion. It is about a young girl who is abandoned in Hollis Woods, so that becomes her name. After several foster homes that leave her emotionally scared, she ends up with a wonderful family who seem like they may be the last. However, after a horrible accident, she is driven to run away out of guilt.

I had not seen a children's book that was organized in this fashion before. I would have thought that it would be difficult for children to understand it, but everyone I talked to loved this book.

Picture copied from Amazon.com

"From Slave Ship to Freedom Road"

Lester, Julius. (1998). From slave ship to freedom road. New York: Dial Books.

This book, by Julius Lester, was written to accompany paintings by Rod Brown, exhibited under the title, “From Slavery to freedom.” The book is a combination of facts and narrative where the author addresses the reader. I cannot say that I was entertained; it was too serious a subject for that. I did enjoy the book though, and I think it showed me a great deal of slavery. I think I learned more about the feelings of slavery from this book than from any other. The artwork that is shown with the book is very powerful. Julius Lester wrote an introduction for the book and I think one line from it gives a better description of the paintings than I ever could: “His work was a visceral response to slavery that eschewed photographic realism for a raw power that gave flesh to soul.” After looking at the painting in the book, I would have to agree with this description. They are very powerful and evocative. They seem to pull the emotions from you before you have time to process what is happening in the painting. This would be a great book to use in the classroom to teach about slavery. It does not just focus on the perspective of the slave, but disuses many view points.



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"In the Time of the Drums"

Siegelson, Kim L. (1999). In the time of the drums. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Coretta Scott King Award Winner
This book tells the story of an oral legend passed down through generations at the Orkney Islands. It tells the story of an old slave woman who was born in Africa and passes down all of her knowledge to a boy she cared for as her own who was born in slavery. It tales of a group of slaves who refuse to come off the boat and so sing a song that will take them home to Africa. The old woman joins in and they all enter the water and disappear. Some say that the people drowned and remained there, and some say that they walked along the ocean floor all the way back to Africa. The boy is left to remember all that he had been taught and pass it on to his own children.
I really enjoyed this book. It is told with wonderful language and intriguing style. The artwork is very different from what I am used to, and I think it is all the more powerful for that. The drawings are very evocative and powerful. The story and artwork combine to bring to life the time of slavery and the struggle to retain one’s culture in adverse circumstances. It think this is a very powerful story and very disserving of the Coretta Scott King award.

Image copied from Amazon.com.

"The Ugly Duckling"

Pinkney, Jerry. (1999). The ugly duckling. New York: Morrow Junior Books.

Caldecott Honor Book
This is the classic story of the “ugly duckling” by Hans Christian Anderson, adapted and illustrated by Jerry Pinckney. I don’t believe I have ever read the original version of this story, but I really do love this version. I think the artwork id a beautiful accompaniment to a wonderful story. The drawings are so clever and detailed, I have to pause at each page to be sure that I catch everything there, and they are all worth the extra few minutes. I can see why this book was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book.



Image copied from Amazon.com.

"The Man Who Walked Between the Towers"

Gerstein, Mordicai, (2003). The man who walked between the towers. Brookfield, CN: Roaring Brook Press.

Caldecott Medal Book
This book tells the story of the young Frenchmen, Philippe, who walked on a wire between the Twin Towers in New York when they were still under construction. The author uses beautifully poetic language to tell this story, and beautiful artwork partners the words wonderfully. I think in this book the story and artwork work together and neither would be nearly so powerful alone as they are together.
I loved how this book was so informative and true, but also very entertaining. It was very poignant for me, as the towers were destroyed while I was in college. I think this book may help children who were not born or too you to remember what the towers were like, and give them a sense of loss over the towers.

Image copied from Amazon.com.

"The Three Pigs"

Wiesner, David. (2001). The three pigs. New York: Clarion Books

Caldecott Medal Book
I loved this book. It was fun and entertaining, and new. It begins as the traditional story of the “three little pigs,” but about midway through, the pigs leave the story. We still see the pages with the story for a while, then they leave it completely and enter other stories, collecting companions as they go. I just really liked this book. It was so engaging and entertaining. I laughed more than I thought I could with a children’s book. At first I did not understand why it had been given the Caldecott medal, the pictures to start were very one-dimensional and bland. However, once the pigs and other characters left the book, they became more vivid and lifelike. I just really found this book really fun and engaging.

Image copied from Amazon.com.

"What do You do with a Tail Like This?"

Jenkins, Steve and Page, Robin. (2003). What do you with a tail like this? Boston, MSS: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Caldecott Honor Book
This is an informative book that tells you about animal parts in a fun and entertaining way. It shows you pictures of a part of different animals then asks a question like “What do you do with a nose like this?” The next page answers the question with rhymes and pictures. I found this book to be very entertaining and informative. The rhymes were very engaging and the pictures were wonderfully done and captivating. I can see why this book was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book.

Image copied from Amazon.com.

"Sector 7"

Wiesner, David. (1999). Sector 7. New York: Clarion Books.

Caldecott Honor Book
This book is a very different kind of book. When I picked it up I was unaware of this difference so was very surprised when there were no words. It is a story told with pictures. It is about a boy on a school field trip to a tower in New York. Once at the top he meets a cloud and they take a ride to the “Sector 7 cloud dispatch station.” Once there the clouds are sad because they are all the same shape. The boy draws them new shapes, like fish and animals and swirls. The directors of the center do not like this so send the boy back, but they clouds take the different shapes once outside. This reminds me of the times, as a child, we would lay outside and make shapes look for shapes in the clouds.
I had no idea that a story could be told so well without words. The drawings were very captivating alone, and they did not need words to tell the story. I can see why this book was a Caldecott Honor Book. The pictures are very telling and powerful.

Image copied from Amazon.com.

"Journey Home"

Uchido, Yoshiko. (1978). Journey Home. Brattleboro, VM: The Book Press.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I was afraid that because of the content it would be a bit depressing, but that was not the case. It is about a Japanese family, and begins near the end of World War II. The story focuses on the daughter, Yuki. It begins right after they move from the concentration camp where they had been imprisoned at the start of the war. There is sort of a dual plot. The most obvious is the journey of the family from te concentration camp back to their hometown in California. The other plot, more subtle and I feel more important, is the personal journey home for each character. While they are able to return physically fairly quickly, mentally it takes a little longer, and a little persuasion to return home mentally.
There was nothing that I disliked about this book. It was very engaging, and I was really able to connect to the characters. I also liked that there was a deeper meaning to the book than just what happened.

"When the Circus Came to Town"

Yep, Laurence. (2002). When the Circus Came to Town. New York: HarperCollins Children's Books.

I really Enjoyed this story. The language and presence of the characters were very powerful. The story is about a little girl named Ursula. She is very friendly and adventurous until a case of small pox destroys her zest for life. Her parents hire a Chinese cook to help with all of the extra work. After Ursulua is better she refuses to leave her room because of the scars on her face. The new cook, Ah Sam, is eventually able to coax her out with a circus that he and his cousins will perform. In order to repay him she ventures out side to convince the town to help Ah Sam and his cousins celebrate Chinese New Year.

This story, while a little slow in parts, is very engaging. Laurence Yep shows a great talent for imagery with simple language. This book reminds me of Because of Winn-Dixie in the messages the convey, which is to not judge others by what they appear to be. I am always surprised when someone is able to create a really powerful and meaningful story with simple language and style that are fit for children.

Image copied from Amazon.com.

"Becaus of Winn-Dixie"

DiCamillo, Kate. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.

I really enjoyed this book. It is about a young girl who just moved to a new town with her preacher father. She has no friends until she finds a stray in the Winn-Dixie grocery store. Everything just seems to snowball from there, with new friends arriving right and left, and they all come along because of Winn-Dixie. If you look below the surface you will see that the heart of the story is about letting people go and not judging others.
This book is so well written and has such an engaging voice that it grabs you and pulls you right into the story. I was surprised at how fast I came to care about the characters. DiCamillo is really able to connect with her audience. This book is truly unique in my experiences.
I felt that I was able to personally connect with Opal, because my father left when I was very young. I am able to empathise with her, though my reunion with my father was a big let down.
I was surprised at the depth and presence of this book, especially given its simple language and accessibility. I had no idea that children's books could convey such powerful messages and be kid friendly at the same time.

This book was recently adapted into a feature film by the same name. I watched the movie before I realized that there was a book. I really enjoyed the movie. I found it to be very moving and sensitive. I loved this movie. I was afraid that once I read the book I would feel differently abou the movie, because they usually leave so much of the book out of the movie. However, I found the book and the movie to be very closely matched. There was nothing major left out, and nothing changed. I was able to retain my feelings for the movie while reading this book.

Picture coppied from Borders.com

Hello All! I will be using this blog as a reading journal for one of my graduate courses. So, if you enjoy learning about children's books then stay posted for entries.