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.

Rosa

Rosa by Nikki Giovanni was the Coretta Scott King illustrator award winner for 2006. It was illustrated by Bryan Collier. It was also a Caldecott Honor book. This book is the story of Rosa Parks. It is written in an easy to read way and would be a great read aloud book for a class.

          The pictures in this book were amazing. They were done in painting, as well as, collage format. The pictures really added to the story. Rosa Parks has an amazing story all on her own, but the pictures made this book truly moving.

          One thing that I learned from this book was that a story does not have to be fictional for children to enjoy it. This was a true story of an amazing woman, but it was written and illustrated in a way that was fun and easy for children. I truly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it for the classroom.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

I have recently begun reading the Harry Potter series to my son. Although most people have probably read this book and seen this movie before me I felt like I wanted to share my feelings about it.

All Harry wants to do is return to Hogwarts for his second year, but a few days before he is scheduled to leave a house elf appears and warns him not to return. He tells Harry that terrible things are about to happen at Hogwarts and he must not go back. However, Harry does return and disaster strikes when someone opens the chamber of secrets. When the culprit kidnaps Ron’s sister Harry, Ron and Hermione are determined to find out who it is. Harry soon finds himself in the chamber facing some of his worst fears. However, Harry is able to overcome his fears and once again save the day.

We learn through the author’s description of Harry that he is smart, talented, caring, and determined to do the right thing. Even though he sometimes breaks the rules he always has his friends and Hogwarts best interest at heart. This was an excellent book. It is the second in the Harry Potter series and is well written and holds the readers interest. It is easy to read, but is still entertaining for older readers.

I really found Harry’s determination to do what is right very moving. Even in the face of danger he still did what he knew was right. However, even more touching than that he was able to overcome his self doubt in order to do what was right. That is sometimes much harder than overcoming outside forces. When Harry thought that he might be the heir of Slytherin he did not let this overcome him. I found his determination to be very touching.

The movie was also well done. It is not often that you find a movie that follows a book so closely. Of course it seems that books usually have more detail, but nothing major was left out of the film. I am sure that most people have already read all seven books but if you have not I would definitely recommend them. I enjoyed the first book and movie as well.

Princess Academy

Princess Academy was written by Shannon Hale. It was a Newberry Honor book in 2006. Miri is a small girl who lives on Mount Eskel. Her community is small and she wants to contribute to it so much, but she is not allowed to work in the quarry like everyone else in her village. One day a message came to the village that the prince’s bride would be chosen from Mount Eskel and that an academy would be set up to train the girls. During their long stay at the academy the girls encountered many struggles and set backs, but Miri was strong despite her size and she was able to help the girls through all of the hard times.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was unlike other princess books that I have read. It was unique, had heart-warming characters, and an interesting plot. Although it had some elements of fantasy the characters and the story were still very real and you were able to see some of your own human behavior in the behavior of the characters. I would recommend this book to young adults and adults alike. It was very good. 

What reached me the most was Miri’s determination. There were several times when she felt down and useless, but she was able to pick herself up and accomplish great things for her village. She never gave up hope and she continued to push forward even when things got rough. She was a very strong female character.

Al Capone Does My Shirts

Al Capone does my shirts was written by Gennifer Choldenko. It was a Newberry honor book in 2005. Moose and his family move to Alcatraz Island in 1935 so his dad can be a guard. However, Moose’s sister Natalie has a condition (modern day autism) and with his parents working all the time Moose is left with the responsibility of taking care of Natalie. He tries his best to take good care of Natalie, but with the warden’s mischievous daughter around trouble always seems to find Moose.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked that it dealt with some really serious issues and themes, but it was also humorous. There were a lot of funny incidents throughout the book that really added to the story. I also liked the style that it was written in. The journal entry format was easy to read and really gave a lot of insight into the character of Moose and what he was thinking.

The relationship between Moose and his sister is what touched me the most. His love and devotion to her, even though sometimes it got in the way of his social life, just astounded me. To me this relationship is what made this book so great.

The Knee-High Man and Other Tales

The Knee-High Man and Other Tales is a collection of stories written by Julius Lester. The book was first published in 1972. Julius Lester was born in St. Louis in 1939 to a Methodist minister. He is the father of five children and currently lives in Massachusetts. His father was a storyteller and Lester grew up with a love for stories. In college he really began to look into stories and their meanings.

The book The Knee-High Man and Other Tales is a collection of six African American folktales. The stories included in the book are “What is Trouble?,” “Why Dogs Hate Cats,” “Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Bear,” Why the Waves Have Whitecaps,” “The Farmer and the Snake,” and “The Knee-High Man.” Each story has a lesson that it teaches or explains why something is the way that it is. The Mr. Rabbit character has its roots in the slave/ master experience.

This was not a book that I personally enjoyed. Many of the lessons were hard lessons to learn. They were not the kind of stories that turned out good in the end. Most of the characters were very dark and the good characters seemed to be brought down by the bad ones. However, despite my personal views I can appreciate the value that this book holds. It could be a great teaching resource when talking about African American culture.

Some other books that have been written by Julius Lester include To Be A Slave, Search for the New Land, Two Love Stories, The Tales of Uncle Remus:The Adventures of Brer Rabbit, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Black Cowboy, Wild Horses: A True Story, The Autobiography of God, Cupid: A Novel, and The Hungry Ghosts. These are just a few of the books that Lester has written. He has written many more books many based on African American traditions and customs.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat was written and illustrated by Simms Taback. This book was the Caldecott medal winner in the year 2000. It is the story of Joseph and he has an overcoat that is worn out. He takes the overcoat and makes a jacket and when the jacket is worn out he makes a vest. As each item wears out he turns it into a new item until he has had a coat, jacket, vest, tie, handkerchief, and button. When he loses the button he writes a book about the ordeal proving that you can always make something out of nothing.

This book could create a real teachable moment. It is a good lesson on not being wasteful. Just because something does not look like brand new anymore does not mean that it should be discarded. It is also a tale of encouragement. Even when it seems as though you have nothing you can take your circumstances and turn them into something good.

This is also a great book to be used when discussing other cultures. This story is based on a Yiddish folk song. This would be wonderful to use if you were studying Jewish culture. The author adapted the song because it was one of his favorites growing up and he illustrated the character of Joseph to resemble himself.

The pictures in this book are beautiful. They are brightly colored and appear to be a collage type picture. There are cutouts on one page that become the item on the next which is fun for children. The pictures also show Jewish life by illustrating a wedding, home life, a men’s chorus and a fair. This is a very neat book that could be used in many ways in the classroom.  

When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry...

When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry… is a book written by Molly Bang. This book was a Caldecott medal honor book in 2000. It also won the Charlotte Zolotow award. It is a story about a little girl named Sophie who gets mad at her sister. When she is angry she deals with it by running and climbing a tree. She sits in the tree and enjoys nature until she isn’t angry anymore.

I love this book. It is a very easy book to relate to because everyone has been angry at one time or another. The story talks about how Sophie feels like she is going to explode. I think that is a feeling that all children and adults can relate to. It is also a wonderful teaching tool. We all get angry and we all handle anger in different ways. This is a great book to use when talking to your students about anger. Sophie was mad but she did not hit her sister or call her a bad name. Sophie left her sister alone and dealt with her anger. Once she had calmed down she came back and everything was fine. This is a good illustration of the proper way to handle anger and also to talk about forgiveness and not holding grudges.

The pictures in the book are wonderful. Colors are used to illustrate the emotions that Sophie is feeling. Warm colors are used in the illustrations where she is angry. Warm and cool colors begin to mix as Sophie begins to calm down and then the cool colors take over as Sophie is at peace. This is a wonderful book and teaching tool.

Kitten's First Full Moon

Kitten’s First Full Moon was the Caldecott medal winner for 2005. It was written by Kevin Henkes. It is the story of a kitten that sees the moon and believes that it is a bowl of milk. She does everything that she can to get to it, but despite all of her efforts she can’t seem to make it. She has bad luck trying to get to the “bowl of milk” and when she finally gives up and goes home she finds a bowl of milk waiting for her. She realizes she is a lucky kitten.

I love this book. It is such a sweet story and the illustrations are amazing. They are all black and white and beautifully drawn. Children love this story because the kitten goes on an adventure to get to the moon. It is entertaining and a well loved story. Kevin Henkes has written many wonderful books for children. He is one of my favorite children’s authors.

The Hello, Goodbye Window

The Hello, Goodbye Window was written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Chris Raschka. It was the winner of the Caldecott medal in 2006. The Hello, Goodbye Window is the story of a little girl who visits her grandparents. They have a special window in their kitchen and they are always there to greet their granddaughter or to tell her goodbye when it is time to go. The little girl has a wonderful relationship with her grandparents and loves to visit their house. She states at the end of the book that she wants her own hello, goodbye window someday when she has a home.

                I really related to this book. I have a wonderful relationship with my grandparents. They have a huge bay window in their living room where I would always sit to wave goodbye to my mom after she dropped me off. We would also watch the birds and the rain from that window. The first time I read this book I had such a reaction because it reminded me so much of my grandparents.

                The pictures in this book are colorful and would appeal to children. It is also a good book to talk about diversity because the family represented is a multicultural family. All in all this was an excellent book. I will be reading it to my students next year on Grandparent’s Day.

My Friend Rabbit

           My Friend Rabbit is an excellent picture book by Eric Rohmann. It is the Caldecott winner from 2003. The illustrations are so important in this book because they tell the majority of the story. There are just a few words and the pictures are used to depict the rest of the events. The pictures in the story are colorful and detailed and very appealing for children.

            I really enjoyed this story. Rabbit is a good friend and tries to do the right thing, but trouble always seems to follow him wherever he goes. I have had friends like this before and I have students who are like this now. They are good kids but they still always seem to be in trouble. I think that this is an excellent book for these students and the friends of these students. It allows them to see that they are not alone and that it is important to accept your friends for who they are.

            Through reading this book I realized that the words are not always the most important part of a story. This is a great story for beginning readers that they may not get frustrated with. It is also a great way to encourage using your imagination. Overall, I would definitely recommend the book My Friend Rabbit.