Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett has been a favorite book of many children for years. A grandfather is telling his grandchildren the story of the town of Chewandswallow. It is a town where the weather produces food that the whole town enjoys three times a day. However, one day the weather got out of control and the whole town had to evacuate and never return because it was too dangerous.

There has recently been a movie that was based on this book. It was a well done movie although there were several differences between it and the book. In the book there is no explanation for why the weather produces food. In the movie a machine has been created to turn the weather into food. The movie was a very enjoyable one. It is a movie that kids will love and will possible help children to appreciate the classic book even more.

International Literature for Children

It is very important for children to read books that have been written in other countries and could show the cultures for other countries. However, sometimes it is hard to choose quality books from other countries. One way that a person can make sure they are choosing qualities titles is by looking at awards given for international books and awards given for books on international topics. Some of these awards are:
Mildred Batchelder Award
“This award is given to an American publisher for a children’s book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country, and then translated into English and published in the United States. The award is given by the American Library Association.”
Américas Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature
“Given in recognition of works of fiction, poetry, folklore, or selected non-fiction (from picture books to works for young adults) in English or Spanish that authentically and engagingly portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United States. By combining both and linking the Americas, the award reaches beyond geographic borders, as well as multicultural-international boundaries, focusing instead upon cultural heritages within the hemisphere. The award is sponsored by the national Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP).”
One excellent book that was an honor book for the Mildred Batchelder Award is Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary by Ruud van der Rol and Rian Verhoeven. It is a wonderful account of Anne Frank with a great deal of photographs. Any child doing research for a paper or that is interested in the Holocaust would appreciate this book. It was translated from Dutch and was awarded the honor in 1994.

References

K12reader, . (2010, December 5). Book lists. Retrieved from http://www.k12reader.com/book-lists/

Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is a classic of children’s literature that was made into a movie in 2009. It is the story of nine year old Max who runs away and becomes king of the wild things. The book was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1964.        

The book is a short book, but it is wonderfully written. All that needs to be said is said. The illustrations of the wild things are amazing. They look like monsters, but they also look like they may be friendly. The colors in the book are muted which is appropriate since the story is somber.

The movie did a wonderful job recreating the characters in the book. They looked just like the illustrations for the book. The movie has parts that the book did not have because the length of the book was not enough to create a full length film.

The book is one of my favorites of all time. However, I was disappointed in the movie. I found the movie to be depressing and it was not much of a children’s story.  The cinematography was wonderful, but the story itself did not hold my interest much. The book is definitely much better than the movie.

Mia

Mia by Laurence Yep is an American Girl book about a young girl trying to find herself. Mia has always played hockey with her brothers, but now she is wanting to pursue her interest in figure skating. However, she is being torn between who she has been and who she wants to become.

Laurence Yep has written over sixty books in his career. He was recently awarded the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for his contribution to children’s literature. He has enjoyed figure skating since he was a child which helped him in the writing of this book.

Not only is the character of Mia one that young people can relate to but in the back of the book is a section about real girls. It contains letters from real girls about issues that they are having and advice from the people at American Girl.

I really enjoyed this book. I think that the reason why I enjoyed it so much is because I have had a love for American Girl since childhood. I had some of the dolls when I was young and I loved to read the books. It was fun for me to go back and read a more contemporary American Girl book.

I Lost My Tooth in Africa

This is the story of a little girl from Portland, OR and goes to visit her family in Africa. On the plane she realizes she has a lose tooth and her father tells her if she loses it in Africa and places it under a gourd then the African tooth fairy would bring her a chicken. She lost her tooth and got a chicken and a rooster. Before she left to go back to Portland her chicken laid eggs and she got to see them hatch.

This was a true story written by the little girl’s sister and illustrated by her father. Her father grew up in Africa and they returned to visit family often. The illustrations are colorful and done in a traditional African way.

          This is a great book to teach about diversity. It depicts an American girl who has roots in Africa. It also tells a lot about African customs and culture. This would be a great book to use in a unit on other countries. It has a character that the students can relate to, but the events of the story take place in another part of the world.

Newberry and Caldecott Awards

          The Caldecott Medal is an award given each year for the best illustrations in a children’s book.  The Caldecott medal was established in 1937 and was named in honor of Randolph Caldecott. Each year the committee also chooses books, other than the winner, that are considered honor books.

          The Newberry Medal is another award given for children’s literature. The Newberry Award was established in 1922 and was named for John Newberry. It is awarded for the most distinguished children’s book published the previous year.

          They are both very prestigious and important awards. Neither one is better than the other because they serve different purposes. The Newberry Medal is usually given to books for older children. It is given to chapter books. The Caldecott Medal is normally given to children’s picture books which are for younger readers. However, the Caldecott has been given to books for older readers before.

Thank You, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.!

Thank You, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.! was written be Eleanor Tate. It is a wonderful book about loving yourself for who you are and taking pride in your heritage. This book was written on a fourth grade reading level and is great for students in third through fifth grades.

This story is about a young girl named Mary Elouise. Mary Elouise is going to try out for the school play. She does an excellent job at her tryout, but is disappointed to find out that she has received the part of Black History narrator. Mary Elouise is ashamed of being Black but after listening to Big Momma and two guest speakers she begins to take pride in her race and heritage.

Mary Elouise wishes that she had lighter skin and does not want to have anything to do with Black history month or Martin Luther King Jr. She is horrified when she is given the part of Black History narrator in the school production. However, she begins to have a change of heart after talking with her grandmother and hearing what two African guest speakers have to say.

Mary Elouise is able to overcome her embarrassment over her race’s historical background and embrace her heritage.

This was a good book. It was well written and easy to read. The plot was relatively predictable, but there was still an excellent message. This is a book that many people would enjoy despite the fact that it is a very simple book.

The fact that Mary Elouise struggled so deeply with who she really was, but eventually overcame this really touched me. So many young people struggle with who they are in some aspect. It is important for students to read about people with similar struggles and how they overcame them.