Lord, Cynthia. 2006. RULES. Scholastic Press: New York.
CHARACTERS
There are many characters in the book. The main character is Catherine along with her little brother David. David has autism. Catherine also befriends a young man, Jason, who only communicates with words in a notebook and is in a wheelchair. The characters are portrayed in such a way that you are drawn into their situations.
PLOT
Catherine is trying to grow up and be independent while dealing with her brother, David. David has to be watched all of the time because he is autistic. This causes Catherine much distress. She tries to help him by creating “rules” for him to live by. She writes them down just in case he may need them some day. She has a very special relationship with her brother even though at times she is frustrated by his actions. A new neighbor moves in next door and has a daughter, Kristi, the same age as Catherine. Catherine very much wants to be good friends with Kristi and struggles with her new friendship with Jason as well. In the end Catherine stands up for herself and begins to grow up.
SETTING
The story takes place in various places: Catherine’s home, friend’s homes, the therapy center, the community center and the pond. In each of these places Catherine desperately wants her brother to be normal even though he is not.
STYLE
The author lays out the story in such a way that the book is difficult to lay down. It is very believable and anyone who has dealt with an autistic child will relate to the story immediately. Middle school students will relate to the situations in the story dealing with friends and parents. Catherine is at a time where she is trying to grow up and is in a challenging environment.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Newbery Honor Book
Schneider Family Book Award
Mitten Award
Great Lakes Great Books Award
Maine Student Book Award
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award
Kentucky Bluegrass Award
Great Stone Face Award
Buckeye Children’s Book Award
New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
KidPost Book of the Week, Washington Post
Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts
Book of the Weeks, Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Editors; Pick, HW Wilson Standard Catalog
ALA Notable Children’s Book
Positive Reviews
Children’s Literature
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
Publisher’s Weekly
Booklist
A student’s Review
(written by a 10 year old)
I think it was very interesting because there were many adventures in the story. I was always wanting to see what came up on the next page. It was very clear as to what the characters were feeling in the story. It was very heart-warming.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
GENRE 6 - DIARY OF A WIMPY KID
Kinney, Jeff. 2007. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: GREG HEFFLEY’S JOURNAL. Amulet Books: New York.
CHARACTERS
The main character in the story is Greg Heffley. The supporting characters are his best friend, Rowley, his brother, Rodrick, and his parents and little brother, Manny. Greg is an easy character for student’s to relate to in trying to grow up and express one’s ideas. Greg deals with situations of a tricky older brother and a little brother who always seems to be in the way. Greg kind of has an off again on again relationship with his friend, Rowley.
PLOT
Greg is your typical middle school student dealing with changes in his life due to family, school and friends. Greg has notions about how things should work in his life and most of the time they do not pan out. He thinks his ideas are the best and is dumbfounded when they do not work as planned. Greg is basically trying to survive middle school and grow up at the same time.
SETTING
The story takes place in today’s time and various from school, home and friend’s houses. Rowley’s house is interesting because of the rules of his parents and Greg tries to sneak around them constantly.
STYLE
The book seems to target middle school readers. They will relate well to Greg’s journey through the Diary. The story is written in such a way that one would really believe that someone may try some of Greg’s schemes. I think that older students or adults would not enjoy the book as much as the target audience.
AWARDS & RECOGINITIONS
Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2007
Borders Original Voices Winner
#1 New York Times Bestseller
Positive Reviews
Publisher’s Weekly
VOYA
CHARACTERS
The main character in the story is Greg Heffley. The supporting characters are his best friend, Rowley, his brother, Rodrick, and his parents and little brother, Manny. Greg is an easy character for student’s to relate to in trying to grow up and express one’s ideas. Greg deals with situations of a tricky older brother and a little brother who always seems to be in the way. Greg kind of has an off again on again relationship with his friend, Rowley.
PLOT
Greg is your typical middle school student dealing with changes in his life due to family, school and friends. Greg has notions about how things should work in his life and most of the time they do not pan out. He thinks his ideas are the best and is dumbfounded when they do not work as planned. Greg is basically trying to survive middle school and grow up at the same time.
SETTING
The story takes place in today’s time and various from school, home and friend’s houses. Rowley’s house is interesting because of the rules of his parents and Greg tries to sneak around them constantly.
STYLE
The book seems to target middle school readers. They will relate well to Greg’s journey through the Diary. The story is written in such a way that one would really believe that someone may try some of Greg’s schemes. I think that older students or adults would not enjoy the book as much as the target audience.
AWARDS & RECOGINITIONS
Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2007
Borders Original Voices Winner
#1 New York Times Bestseller
Positive Reviews
Publisher’s Weekly
VOYA
GENRE 6 - JELLICOE ROAD
Marchetta, Melina. 2006. JELLICOE ROAD. Harper Teen: New York.
CHARACTERS
The main character is Taylor Markham, a young teenage girl. There are many supporting characters in the story: Hannah – an older single woman, Jonas – a young Cadet, the Brigadier – a mysterious man, and other school age friends. The lives of the characters are intertwined but you do not find out how until well after half of the novel. Young adults will be able to relate with Taylor and her struggles with growing up.
PLOT
The story jumps back and forth between past events and present events. These are noted with a change in type style. Taylor lives in Australia at a boarding school away from large cities. She has strange dreams which do not make any sense to her and she has complicated relationships with her school mates. Her mother left her at a gas station where a Hannah finds her and takes her to the school. Hannah seems to watch over Taylor from a distance but then suddenly disappears. Taylor has a strange relationship with Jonah, a cadet, whom she met several years earlier when she tried to run off and find her mother. The plot thickens with the battle between the school mates, city kids and the cadet’s explodes. Taylor journeys through the novel discovering things from her past while coping with the present. The ending is full of surprises for everyone.
SETTING
The novel takes place in rural Australia. The town is several hours drive from Sydney, major metropolitan city. Taylor lives at a boarding school and is head of her house, which contains about fifty students. The students do go into town and also the bush, or forest area, surrounding the school.
STYLE
The novel was very challenging at the beginning with the time jumps back and forth. Taylor was a difficult character to follow until about half way through the book. Once you reached that point many of the instances in the beginning of the book began to make sense. Taylor has many different events happen in her life that young adults can relate with either for themselves or others. This novel is best suited for older young adults due to the subject matter.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
Michael L. Printz Award 2009
W.A. Young Readers Book Award 2008
Cybils Award
Old Premier’s Literary Award
Australian Books Sellers & Publishers Award
Positive Reviews
VOYA
School Library Journal
Kirkus – The Best Young Adult Books of 2008
KLIATT
Horn Book Review
Who Weekly, Book of the Week
BCCB Starred Review
CHARACTERS
The main character is Taylor Markham, a young teenage girl. There are many supporting characters in the story: Hannah – an older single woman, Jonas – a young Cadet, the Brigadier – a mysterious man, and other school age friends. The lives of the characters are intertwined but you do not find out how until well after half of the novel. Young adults will be able to relate with Taylor and her struggles with growing up.
PLOT
The story jumps back and forth between past events and present events. These are noted with a change in type style. Taylor lives in Australia at a boarding school away from large cities. She has strange dreams which do not make any sense to her and she has complicated relationships with her school mates. Her mother left her at a gas station where a Hannah finds her and takes her to the school. Hannah seems to watch over Taylor from a distance but then suddenly disappears. Taylor has a strange relationship with Jonah, a cadet, whom she met several years earlier when she tried to run off and find her mother. The plot thickens with the battle between the school mates, city kids and the cadet’s explodes. Taylor journeys through the novel discovering things from her past while coping with the present. The ending is full of surprises for everyone.
SETTING
The novel takes place in rural Australia. The town is several hours drive from Sydney, major metropolitan city. Taylor lives at a boarding school and is head of her house, which contains about fifty students. The students do go into town and also the bush, or forest area, surrounding the school.
STYLE
The novel was very challenging at the beginning with the time jumps back and forth. Taylor was a difficult character to follow until about half way through the book. Once you reached that point many of the instances in the beginning of the book began to make sense. Taylor has many different events happen in her life that young adults can relate with either for themselves or others. This novel is best suited for older young adults due to the subject matter.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
Michael L. Printz Award 2009
W.A. Young Readers Book Award 2008
Cybils Award
Old Premier’s Literary Award
Australian Books Sellers & Publishers Award
Positive Reviews
VOYA
School Library Journal
Kirkus – The Best Young Adult Books of 2008
KLIATT
Horn Book Review
Who Weekly, Book of the Week
BCCB Starred Review
Saturday, November 7, 2009
GENRE 5 - THE GREEN GLASS SEA
Klages, Ellen. 2006. THE GREEN GLASS SEA. Viking, Penguin Young Reader’s Group: New York.
CHARACTERS
The main character in the novel is Dewey, a young teenage girl. Her father and the other scientists as well as her classmates round out the characters in the book. The characters are very believable and the clothing mentioned fits the time period. There are a few characters mentioned that are real and were involved in the events described in the book.
PLOT
Dewey, the daughter of an intelligent mathematician, tries to find her way in life while her father is working on a top secret military project. She is not like the other children and has to wear a special shoe due to an accident when she was young. She loves to build and tinker with machines that the other children do not understand. Dewey’s life seems to be even more complicated by the way people close to her seem to always leave.
SETTING
Most of the story takes place in Los Alamos in 1943. It is a secret military installation where they are working on a nuclear device to end the war. The quarters for the civilians as well as the rest of the base are described with just the right amount of detail. Near the end of the novel you discover a clue to the title of the book.
THEME
The scientists in the book are all working to create a bomb that will end the war. However, once they are successful some of them begin to wonder what they have done and how will it affect humanity. We still struggle with that same issue of searching for a better way or more knowledge and then contemplating what to do now that they know. The children in the story have the same scraps and verbal exchanges that exist today.
STYLE
The book captures you with the text to a point where you do not want to put it down and continue reading about the characters. You feel as though you are there in the story as it unfolds. You connect with Dewey and as the story unfolds you hope there is a twist at the end for her sake. The historical events in the book interwoven with ease.
ADDITIONAL CRITERIA
There is an Author’s Note at the end of the book which states the characters that are real. It also has a listing of sources for more information about the setting and time period.
AWARDS & RECOGINITIONS
Publisher’s Weekly
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
VOYA
Children’s Literature
Horned Book Magazine – Starred Review
Scott O’Dell Award – 2007
New Mexico Book Award – 2007
Judy Lopez Award – 2007
CHARACTERS
The main character in the novel is Dewey, a young teenage girl. Her father and the other scientists as well as her classmates round out the characters in the book. The characters are very believable and the clothing mentioned fits the time period. There are a few characters mentioned that are real and were involved in the events described in the book.
PLOT
Dewey, the daughter of an intelligent mathematician, tries to find her way in life while her father is working on a top secret military project. She is not like the other children and has to wear a special shoe due to an accident when she was young. She loves to build and tinker with machines that the other children do not understand. Dewey’s life seems to be even more complicated by the way people close to her seem to always leave.
SETTING
Most of the story takes place in Los Alamos in 1943. It is a secret military installation where they are working on a nuclear device to end the war. The quarters for the civilians as well as the rest of the base are described with just the right amount of detail. Near the end of the novel you discover a clue to the title of the book.
THEME
The scientists in the book are all working to create a bomb that will end the war. However, once they are successful some of them begin to wonder what they have done and how will it affect humanity. We still struggle with that same issue of searching for a better way or more knowledge and then contemplating what to do now that they know. The children in the story have the same scraps and verbal exchanges that exist today.
STYLE
The book captures you with the text to a point where you do not want to put it down and continue reading about the characters. You feel as though you are there in the story as it unfolds. You connect with Dewey and as the story unfolds you hope there is a twist at the end for her sake. The historical events in the book interwoven with ease.
ADDITIONAL CRITERIA
There is an Author’s Note at the end of the book which states the characters that are real. It also has a listing of sources for more information about the setting and time period.
AWARDS & RECOGINITIONS
Publisher’s Weekly
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
VOYA
Children’s Literature
Horned Book Magazine – Starred Review
Scott O’Dell Award – 2007
New Mexico Book Award – 2007
Judy Lopez Award – 2007
GENRE 5 - THE BALLAD OF LUCY WHIPPLE
Cushman, Karen. 1996. THE BALLAD OF LUCY WHIPPLE. Clarion Books: New York.
CHARACTERS
The main character is California Whipple, aka Lucy, along with her family and the gold miners in Lucky Diggins. They are very believable and are true to their time period as far as clothing, verbiage and actions.
PLOT
The story is about Lucy and her family and their trek from New England to California and the gold rush. The main body of the story takes place in Lucky Diggings, a gold mining town that is all tents when they arrive and when they leave California. It surrounds Lucy and her struggle to find her place in the world.
SETTING
The setting changes from New England through the journey to California and finally settling in Lucky Diggins. The story takes place during the gold rush in California. The weather, living conditions, clothing, food situation and terrain are all vividly described.
THEME
The story encompasses the struggle to settle the West without all of the conviences of the East. No running water and many times having to wait on supplies brought on difficult living conditions. It reflects our time since we still have those adventuring people who go off to live in areas that are not yet graced with civilization.
STYLE
The author captures the mannerisms and speech of the time period. There are many nights where they tell stories around the table and then they may even pull out a fiddle and have some dancing. The way the story is written it grabs you and pulls you into the time period. It is difficult to put down.
ADDITIONAL CRITERIA
There is an Author’s note at the end of the book with more historical detail of the gold rush in California. There is also a cited listing of reference books the author used in the writing of the book.
AWARDS & CITATIONS
Positive Reviews
Children’s Literature
Publisher’s Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
Booklist – Editor’s Choice
School Library Journal – Best Books of the Year
Booklinks Lasting Connections Selection
Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts
IRA Teachers’ Choice
American Bookseller “Pick of the Lists”
Texas Lone Star Reading List Selection
John and Patricia Beatty AwardABC Children’s Booksellers Choice Award
CHARACTERS
The main character is California Whipple, aka Lucy, along with her family and the gold miners in Lucky Diggins. They are very believable and are true to their time period as far as clothing, verbiage and actions.
PLOT
The story is about Lucy and her family and their trek from New England to California and the gold rush. The main body of the story takes place in Lucky Diggings, a gold mining town that is all tents when they arrive and when they leave California. It surrounds Lucy and her struggle to find her place in the world.
SETTING
The setting changes from New England through the journey to California and finally settling in Lucky Diggins. The story takes place during the gold rush in California. The weather, living conditions, clothing, food situation and terrain are all vividly described.
THEME
The story encompasses the struggle to settle the West without all of the conviences of the East. No running water and many times having to wait on supplies brought on difficult living conditions. It reflects our time since we still have those adventuring people who go off to live in areas that are not yet graced with civilization.
STYLE
The author captures the mannerisms and speech of the time period. There are many nights where they tell stories around the table and then they may even pull out a fiddle and have some dancing. The way the story is written it grabs you and pulls you into the time period. It is difficult to put down.
ADDITIONAL CRITERIA
There is an Author’s note at the end of the book with more historical detail of the gold rush in California. There is also a cited listing of reference books the author used in the writing of the book.
AWARDS & CITATIONS
Positive Reviews
Children’s Literature
Publisher’s Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
Booklist – Editor’s Choice
School Library Journal – Best Books of the Year
Booklinks Lasting Connections Selection
Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts
IRA Teachers’ Choice
American Bookseller “Pick of the Lists”
Texas Lone Star Reading List Selection
John and Patricia Beatty AwardABC Children’s Booksellers Choice Award
GENRE 5 - NIGHTJOHN
Paulsen, Gary. 1993. NIGHTJOHN. Delacorte Press: New York.
CHARACTERS
The characters in the story vary from a young child to adults. The main characters are a young girl, Sarney, and a man, John. They are very believable in their mannerisms, actions and voice for the time period. They are so real that the reader may experience a roller coaster of emotions as they progress through the book.
PLOT
The story is about slavery in the Southern part of the United States. John wants to teach the slaves to read and write because he believes that is the only way for the black person to break free of slavery. He says that the black people need to be educated to make decisions. Of course, at this point in history the slave masters do not want the slaves to be educated.
SETTING
The setting is a southern plantation in the United States. The main house, slave quarters, and breeding shack are described. The spring house is described as well as the chains that held the slaves for their whippings.
THEME
The topic of slavery is one that evokes various emotions in the reader depending on their background. The description of the treatment of the slaves and how they lived during this time is gut wrenching. It is a good reminder that we need to know history so it does not repeat itself.
STYLE
The story flows well as you read through the characters lives. The author captures the broken speech of the slaves as well as the owner’s words dripping with malice. The story brings forth many questions as to how slavery could have existed in the United States.
ADDITIONAL CRITERIA
There is no documentation as far as cited material. The only note is before the story begins,” Except for variations in time and character identification and placement, the events written in this story are true and actually happened.”.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Positive Reviews
Publisher’s Weekly - Starred
Children’s Literature
School Library Journal – Starred
The Horn Book – Starred
ALA Best book for Young Adults
ALA Notable Children’s Book
IRA-CBC Children’s Choice
American Bookseller Pick of the Lists
CHARACTERS
The characters in the story vary from a young child to adults. The main characters are a young girl, Sarney, and a man, John. They are very believable in their mannerisms, actions and voice for the time period. They are so real that the reader may experience a roller coaster of emotions as they progress through the book.
PLOT
The story is about slavery in the Southern part of the United States. John wants to teach the slaves to read and write because he believes that is the only way for the black person to break free of slavery. He says that the black people need to be educated to make decisions. Of course, at this point in history the slave masters do not want the slaves to be educated.
SETTING
The setting is a southern plantation in the United States. The main house, slave quarters, and breeding shack are described. The spring house is described as well as the chains that held the slaves for their whippings.
THEME
The topic of slavery is one that evokes various emotions in the reader depending on their background. The description of the treatment of the slaves and how they lived during this time is gut wrenching. It is a good reminder that we need to know history so it does not repeat itself.
STYLE
The story flows well as you read through the characters lives. The author captures the broken speech of the slaves as well as the owner’s words dripping with malice. The story brings forth many questions as to how slavery could have existed in the United States.
ADDITIONAL CRITERIA
There is no documentation as far as cited material. The only note is before the story begins,” Except for variations in time and character identification and placement, the events written in this story are true and actually happened.”.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Positive Reviews
Publisher’s Weekly - Starred
Children’s Literature
School Library Journal – Starred
The Horn Book – Starred
ALA Best book for Young Adults
ALA Notable Children’s Book
IRA-CBC Children’s Choice
American Bookseller Pick of the Lists
Monday, October 26, 2009
LS 5603- Genre 4 - THE BOY ON FAIRFIELD STREET
Krull, Kathleen and Johnson, Steve and Fancher, Lou. 2004. THE BOY ON FAIRFIELD STREET: HOW TED GEISEL GREW UP TO BECOME DR. SEUSS. Random House: New York.
ACCURACY
The author has written several biographies including some of the “Lives of . . .” series.
The biographies contain mostly drawn or painted illustrations. Her website is: http://www.kathleenkrull.com/. On page forty-three there are a few works listed for further reading as well as some websites. This work is a picture book biography. It introduces is early life mostly and then touches on his adult years. The majority of the book reads as a story and at the end are a few pages of mostly facts and details with dates and titles of the books.
ORGANIZATION
The book is organized sequentially from his birth until twenty-two. Then the last few pages give more detail of his adult life but it is not written in story format. There is an index of all the written works by Dr. Seuss.
DESIGN
The design of the book is appealing. Even the cover illustration tends to draw you to open the book. The illustrations are appropriate and flow with the text.
STYLE
The story holds your attention. The author is clearly motivated to share Ted Geisel’s life with the reader. The story provides just enough information to entice you to find more resources on the subject to gain more knowledge. There is just enough information provided so a young person can understand the message and not be complicated reading.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Positive review Kirkus
Texas Bluebonnet Award
Utah Beehive Award
New York State Reading Association’s Charlotte Award
North Carolina Children’s Book Award
New Jersey Garden State Book Award
New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award
CONNECTIONS
This would be an excellent book to read on March 2nd, Ted Geisel’s birthday, on Read Across America Day. You could provide cross-curricular activities in math, spelling, reading, art, science and social studies all surrounding his books. You can even cook up some green eggs and ham!
ACCURACY
The author has written several biographies including some of the “Lives of . . .” series.
The biographies contain mostly drawn or painted illustrations. Her website is: http://www.kathleenkrull.com/. On page forty-three there are a few works listed for further reading as well as some websites. This work is a picture book biography. It introduces is early life mostly and then touches on his adult years. The majority of the book reads as a story and at the end are a few pages of mostly facts and details with dates and titles of the books.
ORGANIZATION
The book is organized sequentially from his birth until twenty-two. Then the last few pages give more detail of his adult life but it is not written in story format. There is an index of all the written works by Dr. Seuss.
DESIGN
The design of the book is appealing. Even the cover illustration tends to draw you to open the book. The illustrations are appropriate and flow with the text.
STYLE
The story holds your attention. The author is clearly motivated to share Ted Geisel’s life with the reader. The story provides just enough information to entice you to find more resources on the subject to gain more knowledge. There is just enough information provided so a young person can understand the message and not be complicated reading.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Positive review Kirkus
Texas Bluebonnet Award
Utah Beehive Award
New York State Reading Association’s Charlotte Award
North Carolina Children’s Book Award
New Jersey Garden State Book Award
New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award
CONNECTIONS
This would be an excellent book to read on March 2nd, Ted Geisel’s birthday, on Read Across America Day. You could provide cross-curricular activities in math, spelling, reading, art, science and social studies all surrounding his books. You can even cook up some green eggs and ham!
LS 5603 - Genre 4- BONES
Simon, Seymour. 1998. BONES. Morrow Junior Books. New York.
ACCURACY
Seymour Simon is the author of over 250 science related books. He has an excellent reputation and has received a lifetime achievement award for his work. The illustrations and text are accurate.
ORGANIZATION
The book starts discussing generally about bones and then moves onto specific bones and their purpose. There is mention of how the bones work with the tendons and muscles. There is not a table of contents or index but there are captions for the illustrations.
DESIGN
The graphics are a combination of: photographs, x-rays, magnified images, models and drawings. They are placed with supporting text. The design is appropriate to the text.
STYLE
The text is very informative. It is not written to “speak” above the reader bur it focused to fourth graders and above. There is just enough information to encourage the reader to discover more interesting facts about the human body or a more intensive look at bones. The author clearly enjoys and has a passion for science and wants to share that passion with his readers.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children ( NSTA/CBC)
Positive Reviews
Children’s Literature
Asimov’s Science Fiction
School Library Journal
ALA Booklist
CONNECTIONS
I would use this book along with the others in the series in a unit about the body. The design lends itself easily to open discussion. This in turn could lead into a discussion of how to keep our bodies healthy which could include the school nurse, the cafeteria manager and the physical education teacher.
ACCURACY
Seymour Simon is the author of over 250 science related books. He has an excellent reputation and has received a lifetime achievement award for his work. The illustrations and text are accurate.
ORGANIZATION
The book starts discussing generally about bones and then moves onto specific bones and their purpose. There is mention of how the bones work with the tendons and muscles. There is not a table of contents or index but there are captions for the illustrations.
DESIGN
The graphics are a combination of: photographs, x-rays, magnified images, models and drawings. They are placed with supporting text. The design is appropriate to the text.
STYLE
The text is very informative. It is not written to “speak” above the reader bur it focused to fourth graders and above. There is just enough information to encourage the reader to discover more interesting facts about the human body or a more intensive look at bones. The author clearly enjoys and has a passion for science and wants to share that passion with his readers.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children ( NSTA/CBC)
Positive Reviews
Children’s Literature
Asimov’s Science Fiction
School Library Journal
ALA Booklist
CONNECTIONS
I would use this book along with the others in the series in a unit about the body. The design lends itself easily to open discussion. This in turn could lead into a discussion of how to keep our bodies healthy which could include the school nurse, the cafeteria manager and the physical education teacher.
LS 5603 - Genre 4 - AN AMERICAN PLAGUE
Murphy, Jim. 2003. AN AMERICAN PLAGUE: THE TRUE AND TERRIFYING STORY OF THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC OF 1793. Clarion Books: New York.
ACCURACY
The book is referred to as “meticulously researched”. The author has written over thirty books on American History. The book contains extensive sources broken down by type. There are also acknowledgements, notes about the illustrations and an index. The facts surrounding the events in 1793 are clearly explained. The illustrations and the text are correct.
ORGANIZATION
The text is laid out sequentially by time. There is a clear progression of events that occurred on the various dates. There is a table of contents and captions by the illustrations. There are some specific characters mentioned in the book as well as generalizations.
DESIGN
The illustrations are interesting since they are: newspaper clippings from the time period, drawings from various historical societies or museums, death notices, advertisements, hand written communications and maps of the area. They are very clear and appear with supporting text. The illustrations help to convey the attitude of the time.
STYLE
The author clearly enjoys writing historical accounts. You can tell as you read that the story becomes personal to the characters. The text is written so that you want to continue reading to see what comes next in the story. The last chapter encourages the reader to know the facts since the Yellow Fever never had a true cure.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Newbery Honor Book
The Robert F. Sibert Medal
National Book Award Finalist
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
ALA Notable Children’s Book
YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
SLJ Best Book of the Year
Blue Ribbon, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Positive Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews – Editor’s Choice
School Library Journal – Starred review
Alan Review
Children’s Literature
Publisher’s Weekly
The Washington Post
VOYA
CONNECTIONS
This would be an excellent book to compare with other world wide loss of life due to illness. The Black plague of Europe would be a good start for a comparison.
ACCURACY
The book is referred to as “meticulously researched”. The author has written over thirty books on American History. The book contains extensive sources broken down by type. There are also acknowledgements, notes about the illustrations and an index. The facts surrounding the events in 1793 are clearly explained. The illustrations and the text are correct.
ORGANIZATION
The text is laid out sequentially by time. There is a clear progression of events that occurred on the various dates. There is a table of contents and captions by the illustrations. There are some specific characters mentioned in the book as well as generalizations.
DESIGN
The illustrations are interesting since they are: newspaper clippings from the time period, drawings from various historical societies or museums, death notices, advertisements, hand written communications and maps of the area. They are very clear and appear with supporting text. The illustrations help to convey the attitude of the time.
STYLE
The author clearly enjoys writing historical accounts. You can tell as you read that the story becomes personal to the characters. The text is written so that you want to continue reading to see what comes next in the story. The last chapter encourages the reader to know the facts since the Yellow Fever never had a true cure.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Newbery Honor Book
The Robert F. Sibert Medal
National Book Award Finalist
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
ALA Notable Children’s Book
YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
SLJ Best Book of the Year
Blue Ribbon, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Positive Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews – Editor’s Choice
School Library Journal – Starred review
Alan Review
Children’s Literature
Publisher’s Weekly
The Washington Post
VOYA
CONNECTIONS
This would be an excellent book to compare with other world wide loss of life due to illness. The Black plague of Europe would be a good start for a comparison.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
LS 5603 - Genre 3 - DIAMOND WILLOW
Frost. Helen. 2008. DIAMOND WILLOW. Frances Foster Books Farrar, Straus and Giroux: New York.
Rhythm
The majority of the book text is printed in a diamond shape on the page. Within these diamonds there are words in bolded print that emphasize a statement. However, these bolded words are not all on one line you simply read them on their own. The remainder of the text is printed in a normal layout. The rhythm of the text is not very noticeable. It reads like a verse novel.
Rhyme
There is no definitive rhyme as far as matching sounds for the last word in the line of text to another line of text.
Sound
There is no representation of alliteration, assonance, consonance or onomatopoeia. The text does not show a reliance on certain vowel or consonant sounds.
Language
The personification of the animals as the characters ancestors was striking. The animals were following the characters to watch over them. However, the characters did not know who they were and in a few instances were concerned by the animals. The Maternal Grandmother in the story uses riddles with the other characters to see if they are being observant. The main character, Diamond Willow, also has many lines of text of her speaking to herself in her head. This provides an insight to her actions in the book.
Imagery
The descriptive use of text makes it easy for the reader to visualize the setting and actually begin to feel as if they are in the story themselves. The reader could “see” the twists in the trails and “feel” the snow on their face as they were reading the text.
Emotions
In the moments of distress I found myself willing the characters to do certain things or putting myself in their place. The emotions the reader feels while going through the story are very real. They come naturally to you as you progress through the book. The major events in the book really pull you in emotionally. The reader will notice their body responding to the text.
Awards and recognitions
Positive reviews
VOYA
Alan Review
Children’s Literature
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
Rhythm
The majority of the book text is printed in a diamond shape on the page. Within these diamonds there are words in bolded print that emphasize a statement. However, these bolded words are not all on one line you simply read them on their own. The remainder of the text is printed in a normal layout. The rhythm of the text is not very noticeable. It reads like a verse novel.
Rhyme
There is no definitive rhyme as far as matching sounds for the last word in the line of text to another line of text.
Sound
There is no representation of alliteration, assonance, consonance or onomatopoeia. The text does not show a reliance on certain vowel or consonant sounds.
Language
The personification of the animals as the characters ancestors was striking. The animals were following the characters to watch over them. However, the characters did not know who they were and in a few instances were concerned by the animals. The Maternal Grandmother in the story uses riddles with the other characters to see if they are being observant. The main character, Diamond Willow, also has many lines of text of her speaking to herself in her head. This provides an insight to her actions in the book.
Imagery
The descriptive use of text makes it easy for the reader to visualize the setting and actually begin to feel as if they are in the story themselves. The reader could “see” the twists in the trails and “feel” the snow on their face as they were reading the text.
Emotions
In the moments of distress I found myself willing the characters to do certain things or putting myself in their place. The emotions the reader feels while going through the story are very real. They come naturally to you as you progress through the book. The major events in the book really pull you in emotionally. The reader will notice their body responding to the text.
Awards and recognitions
Positive reviews
VOYA
Alan Review
Children’s Literature
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
LS 5603 - Genre 3 - PLEASE BURY ME IN THE LIBRARY
Lewis, J. Patrick and Stone, Kyle M.2005. PLEASE BURY ME IN THE LIBRARY. Gulliver Books Harcourt, Inc.: Orlando.
Rhythm
The poems do have tempo when read aloud. Most of the poems are arranged in line groupings. There are only a few poems that have continuous text on the page. In certain poems there are italicized text, extra space within words and the titles of the poems are in a different color and larger.
Rhyme
All of the poems do not contain lines that rhyme. When present the rhyme does not sound forced and the text makes sense in the poem.
Sound
The text read aloud had a good flow. The reader can “feel” where they need to pause while reading aloud. There are a few poems that have the same first word for each line.
Language
There are a few play-on-words within the poems. Some of the poems require the reader/listener to push their thinking outside of the normal realm of literature to the abstract. The poems are not direct in their line of thinking and could be difficult to follow.
Imagery
The eyes of the characters were very important to the illustrator. They are very expressive and convey feeling. Some of the images for the poems are unexpected, some are whimsical. They mostly contain real objects in the background, most of the characters are real and some of the animal characters take on human characteristics.
Emotions
All of the poems deal with books and/or reading. If the reader enjoys reading and books then they will feel a connection with the poems. If the reader does not enjoy reading they may have a difficult time with this book.
Poetry Books
The book is a collection of fifteen of the author’s poems with a table of contents and an acknowledgements page at the end. There is an illustration for each poem. There are some brief statements about the author and illustrator on the back edge of the book jacket. This book would be best suited for second grade and higher students. I do not know how well it will be received due to the abstract nature of some of the poems.
Awards and Recognitions
Positive Reviews
Publisher’s Weekly
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
Children’s Literature
Rhythm
The poems do have tempo when read aloud. Most of the poems are arranged in line groupings. There are only a few poems that have continuous text on the page. In certain poems there are italicized text, extra space within words and the titles of the poems are in a different color and larger.
Rhyme
All of the poems do not contain lines that rhyme. When present the rhyme does not sound forced and the text makes sense in the poem.
Sound
The text read aloud had a good flow. The reader can “feel” where they need to pause while reading aloud. There are a few poems that have the same first word for each line.
Language
There are a few play-on-words within the poems. Some of the poems require the reader/listener to push their thinking outside of the normal realm of literature to the abstract. The poems are not direct in their line of thinking and could be difficult to follow.
Imagery
The eyes of the characters were very important to the illustrator. They are very expressive and convey feeling. Some of the images for the poems are unexpected, some are whimsical. They mostly contain real objects in the background, most of the characters are real and some of the animal characters take on human characteristics.
Emotions
All of the poems deal with books and/or reading. If the reader enjoys reading and books then they will feel a connection with the poems. If the reader does not enjoy reading they may have a difficult time with this book.
Poetry Books
The book is a collection of fifteen of the author’s poems with a table of contents and an acknowledgements page at the end. There is an illustration for each poem. There are some brief statements about the author and illustrator on the back edge of the book jacket. This book would be best suited for second grade and higher students. I do not know how well it will be received due to the abstract nature of some of the poems.
Awards and Recognitions
Positive Reviews
Publisher’s Weekly
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
Children’s Literature
LS 5603- Genre 3 - MONSTER MUSEUM
Singer, Marilyn and Grimly, Gris. 2001. MONSTER MUSEUM. Hyperion Books for Children: New York.
Rhythm
The text is arranged in a way that when read aloud you hear a beat or can keep a tempo. The words make sense as you read the poem and does not lose tempo. The text itself is written in short sentences that do not span from one margin to the other. They are almost centered on the page for some poems and then others have two sets of text side by side.
Rhyme
The poems range from five lines to thirty-one lines. The poems do have some lines that the last word will rhyme with the last word of a line below the first line. The rhyming words chosen for the text do not detract from the meaning.
Sound
Within the book there are several poems where a grouping of text will begin with the same word for the first line or the same word for all of the lines in the group. In a few poems there is repeating text.
Language
The language used within the text is refreshing. The subject is a Monster Museum so there are several different types of monsters in the book. There is a “Glos-Scary” with definitions for all of the monsters listed in the poems. This will be helpful to readers who are unfamiliar with the verbiage. The text used will enrich the vocabulary of the reader. For example, the word “vocation” is used along with the word “job”.
Imagery
The illustrations for the poems are creepy but not scary. The monsters are drawn with some cartoonish qualities along with the backgrounds and props. The children visiting the museum are “taken” by a monster as you read through the book. The ending of the book explains why this happens to the children. This is not explained in the text until the end.
Emotions
This poem book is for pure enjoyment. I can see the reader laughing in some parts and cringing at others. This would make a good read aloud in October.
Poetry Books
The book is arranged with twenty-one poems and the “Glos-scary”. The book is appropriate for first grade and above. This book of poems would appeal to children. The poems are in the order that the children, in the story, take a tour of the Monster Museum.
Awards and Recognitions
Positive reviews
Publisher’s Weekly
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
Connections
This would be an excellent book to read to the class is students are having discussions of Monsters in October. The illustrations are non-threatening and many are humorous. I would also pair this with Maurice Sendak’s WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. You can extend this farther by including monster writing and a monster art activity. The monster art activity can be extended by using recyclable materials.
Rhythm
The text is arranged in a way that when read aloud you hear a beat or can keep a tempo. The words make sense as you read the poem and does not lose tempo. The text itself is written in short sentences that do not span from one margin to the other. They are almost centered on the page for some poems and then others have two sets of text side by side.
Rhyme
The poems range from five lines to thirty-one lines. The poems do have some lines that the last word will rhyme with the last word of a line below the first line. The rhyming words chosen for the text do not detract from the meaning.
Sound
Within the book there are several poems where a grouping of text will begin with the same word for the first line or the same word for all of the lines in the group. In a few poems there is repeating text.
Language
The language used within the text is refreshing. The subject is a Monster Museum so there are several different types of monsters in the book. There is a “Glos-Scary” with definitions for all of the monsters listed in the poems. This will be helpful to readers who are unfamiliar with the verbiage. The text used will enrich the vocabulary of the reader. For example, the word “vocation” is used along with the word “job”.
Imagery
The illustrations for the poems are creepy but not scary. The monsters are drawn with some cartoonish qualities along with the backgrounds and props. The children visiting the museum are “taken” by a monster as you read through the book. The ending of the book explains why this happens to the children. This is not explained in the text until the end.
Emotions
This poem book is for pure enjoyment. I can see the reader laughing in some parts and cringing at others. This would make a good read aloud in October.
Poetry Books
The book is arranged with twenty-one poems and the “Glos-scary”. The book is appropriate for first grade and above. This book of poems would appeal to children. The poems are in the order that the children, in the story, take a tour of the Monster Museum.
Awards and Recognitions
Positive reviews
Publisher’s Weekly
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
Connections
This would be an excellent book to read to the class is students are having discussions of Monsters in October. The illustrations are non-threatening and many are humorous. I would also pair this with Maurice Sendak’s WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. You can extend this farther by including monster writing and a monster art activity. The monster art activity can be extended by using recyclable materials.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
LS 5603- Genre 2 - CINDERELLA
Grimm, Brothers and Hogrogian, Nonny. 1981. Cinderella. Greenwillow Books: New York.
Characters
The characters in the story are: Nobleman, his wife, their daughter (Cinderella), stepmother, two stepsisters and the prince. The stepmother and stepsisters treat Cinderella very badly. The nobleman does not pass away in the story but his wife is only living on the first page. The prince enters in story in the last part of the book.
Plot
The nobleman’s wife is very ill and calls their daughter to tell her that she will always be watching over her. After his wife passes the nobleman remarries. The stepmother brings with her two daughters that are older than the nobleman’s daughter. The stepmother and stepsisters began to force her to complete chores and sleep on the hearth. Hence they call her Cinderella from the cinders and the ash. Cinderella asks her father to bring her a hazel twig that she plants at her mother’s grave. There was a white dove that rested in the tree. If Cinderella made a wish while at the tree it would come true. It came time for the Prince’s ball. Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters did not want her to attend so they gave her impossible tasks that somehow were always completed. Cinderella went to the hazel tree and suddenly she was transformed. This happened for three nights. On the final night she lost a slipper. The Prince went to find the owner of the slipper. The stepmother forced her two daughters to cut off parts of their feet to make the slipper fit. The Prince noticed the deception and asked the nobleman if he had any other daughters. The nobleman said it couldn’t be Cinderella and the stepmother refused to bring her out. The prince insisted and realized that Cinderella was the one he sought. On the way to the castle the white dove rested on Cinderella’s shoulder. The two stepsisters were stricken blind for their deeds.
Setting
The setting is long ago in the time of kings, princes, and noblemen. There are a few references to seasons passing and some time had passed within the text. The time period helps the reader to understand the extent of the chores that her stepmother and stepsisters heaped upon Cinderella.
Theme
The story of Cinderella is about how even though the current situation may be difficult if you don’t let the situation overtake your life things can improve. The Brothers Grimm version does have gruesome twists for the stepsisters. Cinderella is a showcase of perseverance. She does not give up in even seemingly hopeless situations.
Style
The Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella contains a hazel tree and white dove that grant Cinderella’s wishes. The story does not elaborate on wishes granted before the ball. There are a few references to language that we do not currently use frequently. This version does not show a rhyme reflected in the writing.
Illustrations
All of the illustrations appear to be framed. They reflect the clothing for the time period as well as hairstyles. Most of the illustrations of people are side profiles showing a limited facial expression.
Cultural Markers
The illustrations help the reader to place themselves in the time period of the text. The text furthers the readers experience by bringing in the emotional side of the story. The culture would be European due to the references of a monarchy and nobles.
Anthologies
This book contains just the story of Cinderella. This storyline is familiar to children due to movies as well as different versions and variants. There is no background available in the text. The Brothers Grimm versions of fairy tales tend to contain graphic text. I would caution for the reader to preview the text before reading this version aloud. Children who have knowledge of other versions or variants will be better equipped to rationalize the gruesome details of the Brothers Grimm version.
Connections
I would use this version with older students in a fairy tale study. I would pull in varying texts for compare and contrast activities. Here are a few other versions or variants of Cinderella:
CINDERELLA – by Random House Disney
Ensor, Barbara. 2006. CINDERELLA:AS IF YOU DIDN’T ALREADY KNOW THE STORY. Random House Books: New York.
Perrault, Charles and Brown, Marcia. 1997. CINDERELLA. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Ketteman, Helen and Warhola, James. 1997. BUBBA THE COWBOY PRINCE: A FRACTURED TEXAS TALE. Scholastic Inc.
Climo, Shirley and Heller, Ruth. 1992. EGYPTIAN CINDERLLA. Harper Collins Publishers.
Characters
The characters in the story are: Nobleman, his wife, their daughter (Cinderella), stepmother, two stepsisters and the prince. The stepmother and stepsisters treat Cinderella very badly. The nobleman does not pass away in the story but his wife is only living on the first page. The prince enters in story in the last part of the book.
Plot
The nobleman’s wife is very ill and calls their daughter to tell her that she will always be watching over her. After his wife passes the nobleman remarries. The stepmother brings with her two daughters that are older than the nobleman’s daughter. The stepmother and stepsisters began to force her to complete chores and sleep on the hearth. Hence they call her Cinderella from the cinders and the ash. Cinderella asks her father to bring her a hazel twig that she plants at her mother’s grave. There was a white dove that rested in the tree. If Cinderella made a wish while at the tree it would come true. It came time for the Prince’s ball. Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters did not want her to attend so they gave her impossible tasks that somehow were always completed. Cinderella went to the hazel tree and suddenly she was transformed. This happened for three nights. On the final night she lost a slipper. The Prince went to find the owner of the slipper. The stepmother forced her two daughters to cut off parts of their feet to make the slipper fit. The Prince noticed the deception and asked the nobleman if he had any other daughters. The nobleman said it couldn’t be Cinderella and the stepmother refused to bring her out. The prince insisted and realized that Cinderella was the one he sought. On the way to the castle the white dove rested on Cinderella’s shoulder. The two stepsisters were stricken blind for their deeds.
Setting
The setting is long ago in the time of kings, princes, and noblemen. There are a few references to seasons passing and some time had passed within the text. The time period helps the reader to understand the extent of the chores that her stepmother and stepsisters heaped upon Cinderella.
Theme
The story of Cinderella is about how even though the current situation may be difficult if you don’t let the situation overtake your life things can improve. The Brothers Grimm version does have gruesome twists for the stepsisters. Cinderella is a showcase of perseverance. She does not give up in even seemingly hopeless situations.
Style
The Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella contains a hazel tree and white dove that grant Cinderella’s wishes. The story does not elaborate on wishes granted before the ball. There are a few references to language that we do not currently use frequently. This version does not show a rhyme reflected in the writing.
Illustrations
All of the illustrations appear to be framed. They reflect the clothing for the time period as well as hairstyles. Most of the illustrations of people are side profiles showing a limited facial expression.
Cultural Markers
The illustrations help the reader to place themselves in the time period of the text. The text furthers the readers experience by bringing in the emotional side of the story. The culture would be European due to the references of a monarchy and nobles.
Anthologies
This book contains just the story of Cinderella. This storyline is familiar to children due to movies as well as different versions and variants. There is no background available in the text. The Brothers Grimm versions of fairy tales tend to contain graphic text. I would caution for the reader to preview the text before reading this version aloud. Children who have knowledge of other versions or variants will be better equipped to rationalize the gruesome details of the Brothers Grimm version.
Connections
I would use this version with older students in a fairy tale study. I would pull in varying texts for compare and contrast activities. Here are a few other versions or variants of Cinderella:
CINDERELLA – by Random House Disney
Ensor, Barbara. 2006. CINDERELLA:AS IF YOU DIDN’T ALREADY KNOW THE STORY. Random House Books: New York.
Perrault, Charles and Brown, Marcia. 1997. CINDERELLA. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Ketteman, Helen and Warhola, James. 1997. BUBBA THE COWBOY PRINCE: A FRACTURED TEXAS TALE. Scholastic Inc.
Climo, Shirley and Heller, Ruth. 1992. EGYPTIAN CINDERLLA. Harper Collins Publishers.
LS 5603- Genre 2 - SCHOOLYARD RHYMES
Sierra, Judy and Sweet, Melissa. 2005. Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids' Own Rhymes for Rope Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun. Alfred A. Knopf: New York
Characters
The characters in the text vary to the rhyme. Some of the rhymes specifically use a name or occupation. Others are generalized to the first person while the remainder are as if they are speaking to the reader. A few of the rhymes include animals or toys.
Plot
The rhymes are simple and in many cases there is more than one on a page. The actions in the rhymes are familiar to children. Many of the rhymes are just for fun and do not contain a message to the reader.
Setting
Since each rhyme is its own entity there is no real setting for the book.
Theme
The rhymes almost always have a line that will provoke a reaction from the reader/listener. This reaction will most likely be laughing, giggling, or an appropriate “EWWW!”
Style
The book has a strong sense of rhythm because it contains rhymes. There may even be several different “rhyming parts” in one specific rhyme. Some of the rhymes also contain physical movements. This will help to engage the kinesthetic learner.
Illustrations
The illustrations for the book change for each rhyme. Many of them are exaggerated with very noticeable facial expressions. The facial expressions add a detail for the reader in case they are unsure of the text.
Cultural Markers
Male and female characters are depicted at varying ages with different skin colorations. There are no discernable cultures in the dress or actions in the book. The endpapers have illustrations that depict typically American playground games.
Anthologies
The book contains forty-six different rhymes. They are listed in an index by the first line of the rhyme. There are eight rhymes that are depicted with jump ropes. Many of the rhymes will be familiar to elementary students.
Positive reviews
Publishers Weekly
Children’s Literature
School Library Journal
Kirks Reviews
Connections
This would be a wonderful resource for collaboration with the physical education teacher. You can clap out the rhymes, do a physical movement when you hear a rhyming word, use the rhymes for “rope skipping, hand clapping, ball bouncing” as the cover has stated. Many students need to move while they learn.
You could also complete a Venn diagram between this text and OH SAY CAN YOU SAY by Dr. Seuss. Both resources contain short rhymes and would be a good way to compare and contrast the books.
Characters
The characters in the text vary to the rhyme. Some of the rhymes specifically use a name or occupation. Others are generalized to the first person while the remainder are as if they are speaking to the reader. A few of the rhymes include animals or toys.
Plot
The rhymes are simple and in many cases there is more than one on a page. The actions in the rhymes are familiar to children. Many of the rhymes are just for fun and do not contain a message to the reader.
Setting
Since each rhyme is its own entity there is no real setting for the book.
Theme
The rhymes almost always have a line that will provoke a reaction from the reader/listener. This reaction will most likely be laughing, giggling, or an appropriate “EWWW!”
Style
The book has a strong sense of rhythm because it contains rhymes. There may even be several different “rhyming parts” in one specific rhyme. Some of the rhymes also contain physical movements. This will help to engage the kinesthetic learner.
Illustrations
The illustrations for the book change for each rhyme. Many of them are exaggerated with very noticeable facial expressions. The facial expressions add a detail for the reader in case they are unsure of the text.
Cultural Markers
Male and female characters are depicted at varying ages with different skin colorations. There are no discernable cultures in the dress or actions in the book. The endpapers have illustrations that depict typically American playground games.
Anthologies
The book contains forty-six different rhymes. They are listed in an index by the first line of the rhyme. There are eight rhymes that are depicted with jump ropes. Many of the rhymes will be familiar to elementary students.
Positive reviews
Publishers Weekly
Children’s Literature
School Library Journal
Kirks Reviews
Connections
This would be a wonderful resource for collaboration with the physical education teacher. You can clap out the rhymes, do a physical movement when you hear a rhyming word, use the rhymes for “rope skipping, hand clapping, ball bouncing” as the cover has stated. Many students need to move while they learn.
You could also complete a Venn diagram between this text and OH SAY CAN YOU SAY by Dr. Seuss. Both resources contain short rhymes and would be a good way to compare and contrast the books.
LS 5603- Genre 2- THE HIRED HAND
San Souci, Robert D. and Pinkney, Jerry. 1997. THE HIRED HAND. Dial Books for Young Readers: New York.
Characters
The main characters in this folktale are: Old Sam, Young Sam and the New Hand. Old Sam represents the hard working business owner. Young Sam represents the people who do not want to work hard but want money. The New Hand represents the honest hard working laborer.
Young Sam is the character that you would trust the least in the story.
Plot
Old Sam owns a sawmill and his son, Young Sam, works with him. However, Young Sam does not like to work and is lazy. Even the people who live in the area think Young Sam will have a “bad end”. A man, the New Hand, comes to the mill and asks to learn the trade of the sawmill and in turn will work for free for a year. Old Sam was pleased with the arrangement and Young Sam saw a chance to get out of work. The New Hand helps a farmer with some magic and Young Sam sees a chance to get rich quick. When Old Sam leaves for a trip Young Sam drives off the New Hand with his foolishness. Young Sam then gets himself into trouble when he tries to recreate the New Hand’s magic by himself. This ends tragically. Young Sam is found guilty of murder. The New Hand enters the courtroom and asks if Young Sam is sorry. Young Sam says yes and magically the farmer’s wife is alive in back of the courtroom. Young Sam is set free and works hard the rest of his life and the New Hand is never seen again.
Setting
The setting of the story is a town in Virginia. I would place the timeframe after the civil war since Old Sam owns a sawmill and is black. The mode of transportation in the book is horse and wagon. The only verbage used about the passing of time are the words “fall” and “winter”.
Theme
The underlying message in the story is that hard, honest work is the best way to go. When you try to gain wealth quickly and dishonestly it often turns out badly for you. Also, if you are lazy in your life then you might wind up with a “bad end”.
Style
The speaking parts of the story are written with the culture and time period in mind. The words are often shortened and the characters to not always speak in complete grammatically correct sentences. The magical sayings of the New Hand have a rhyme and rhythm. As you read the story aloud you can almost feel as if you are in that time seeing the story unfold before you.
Illustrations
The illustrations add to the magic of the folktale. All of the lines are not crisp and the colors tend to blend into each other where there is not a definitive line. I especially liked the facial expression of Young Sam at the end of the book in the courtroom when he saw the farmer’s wife.
Cultural Markers
The language along with the illustrations paints a picture as to the life of Black Americans in the time period. All of the characters in the story, even in the courtroom, are black. They show varying degrees of status from the New Hand in ragged clothes to the Judge dressed in a suit. The language is what sets the story.
Anthologies
This book is a single folktale and is not included in an anthology. The only background is the name of the state, the main setting of the sawmill, and the introduction of Old Sam and Young Sam. There is mention of Young Sam’s lack of work ethic.
Awards and Recognitions
Positive reviews from:
Publishers Weekly
Children’s Literature
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
Characters
The main characters in this folktale are: Old Sam, Young Sam and the New Hand. Old Sam represents the hard working business owner. Young Sam represents the people who do not want to work hard but want money. The New Hand represents the honest hard working laborer.
Young Sam is the character that you would trust the least in the story.
Plot
Old Sam owns a sawmill and his son, Young Sam, works with him. However, Young Sam does not like to work and is lazy. Even the people who live in the area think Young Sam will have a “bad end”. A man, the New Hand, comes to the mill and asks to learn the trade of the sawmill and in turn will work for free for a year. Old Sam was pleased with the arrangement and Young Sam saw a chance to get out of work. The New Hand helps a farmer with some magic and Young Sam sees a chance to get rich quick. When Old Sam leaves for a trip Young Sam drives off the New Hand with his foolishness. Young Sam then gets himself into trouble when he tries to recreate the New Hand’s magic by himself. This ends tragically. Young Sam is found guilty of murder. The New Hand enters the courtroom and asks if Young Sam is sorry. Young Sam says yes and magically the farmer’s wife is alive in back of the courtroom. Young Sam is set free and works hard the rest of his life and the New Hand is never seen again.
Setting
The setting of the story is a town in Virginia. I would place the timeframe after the civil war since Old Sam owns a sawmill and is black. The mode of transportation in the book is horse and wagon. The only verbage used about the passing of time are the words “fall” and “winter”.
Theme
The underlying message in the story is that hard, honest work is the best way to go. When you try to gain wealth quickly and dishonestly it often turns out badly for you. Also, if you are lazy in your life then you might wind up with a “bad end”.
Style
The speaking parts of the story are written with the culture and time period in mind. The words are often shortened and the characters to not always speak in complete grammatically correct sentences. The magical sayings of the New Hand have a rhyme and rhythm. As you read the story aloud you can almost feel as if you are in that time seeing the story unfold before you.
Illustrations
The illustrations add to the magic of the folktale. All of the lines are not crisp and the colors tend to blend into each other where there is not a definitive line. I especially liked the facial expression of Young Sam at the end of the book in the courtroom when he saw the farmer’s wife.
Cultural Markers
The language along with the illustrations paints a picture as to the life of Black Americans in the time period. All of the characters in the story, even in the courtroom, are black. They show varying degrees of status from the New Hand in ragged clothes to the Judge dressed in a suit. The language is what sets the story.
Anthologies
This book is a single folktale and is not included in an anthology. The only background is the name of the state, the main setting of the sawmill, and the introduction of Old Sam and Young Sam. There is mention of Young Sam’s lack of work ethic.
Awards and Recognitions
Positive reviews from:
Publishers Weekly
Children’s Literature
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
LS5603-Genre 1- TALKING WITH ARTISTS
Bibliography
Cummings, Pat. 1992. TALKING WITH ARTISTS:VOLUME 1. New York, NY: Bradbury Press. ISBN 0027242455
Characters
This book is very interesting in the fact that it is a compilation of 13 illustrators. The illustrators in the book are: Victoria Chess, Pat Cummings, Leo & Diane Dillon, Richard Egielski, Lois Ehlert, Lisa Campbell Ernst, Tom Feelings, Steven Kellogg, Jerry Pinkney, Amy Schwartz, Lane Smith, Chris Van Allsburg, David Wiesner.
Plot
This story is non-fiction writing about each illustrator. The illustrator’s discuss their childhood, what they liked drawing when they were young and they answer questions about illustrating.
Setting
There is not a definitive setting for the story. Each illustrator vignette offers its own location. They will say in their childhood, when they were young or as an adult to very the timeline in the writing.
Theme
This work allows the reader to understand the lives of illustrators. They can glean how art played a large part in their development. Each illustrator had unique experiences to share with the reader. The question and answer section was revealing. They asked the same questions of each illustrator. The reader was then able to make comparisons between the illustrators.
Style
The style of this work is non-fiction with a hint of biography. Each illustrator is only portrayed on a few pages. This provides a glimpse into their lives without being extremely detailed.
Illustrations
The illustrations in the book are mainly comprised of photographs of the illustrators as children and then as an adult. The other artwork is from the works that they have illustrated. They include a copy of one or more illustrations that they completed for a work.
Cultural markers
The cultural references are included within each of the illustrator vignettes. They talk about their life and where they lived as well as their experiences.
Awards and Recognitions
Positive Review – Publisher’s Weekly
Positive Review – Children’s Literature
Positive Review – School Library Journal
Positive Review - Booklist
Cummings, Pat. 1992. TALKING WITH ARTISTS:VOLUME 1. New York, NY: Bradbury Press. ISBN 0027242455
Characters
This book is very interesting in the fact that it is a compilation of 13 illustrators. The illustrators in the book are: Victoria Chess, Pat Cummings, Leo & Diane Dillon, Richard Egielski, Lois Ehlert, Lisa Campbell Ernst, Tom Feelings, Steven Kellogg, Jerry Pinkney, Amy Schwartz, Lane Smith, Chris Van Allsburg, David Wiesner.
Plot
This story is non-fiction writing about each illustrator. The illustrator’s discuss their childhood, what they liked drawing when they were young and they answer questions about illustrating.
Setting
There is not a definitive setting for the story. Each illustrator vignette offers its own location. They will say in their childhood, when they were young or as an adult to very the timeline in the writing.
Theme
This work allows the reader to understand the lives of illustrators. They can glean how art played a large part in their development. Each illustrator had unique experiences to share with the reader. The question and answer section was revealing. They asked the same questions of each illustrator. The reader was then able to make comparisons between the illustrators.
Style
The style of this work is non-fiction with a hint of biography. Each illustrator is only portrayed on a few pages. This provides a glimpse into their lives without being extremely detailed.
Illustrations
The illustrations in the book are mainly comprised of photographs of the illustrators as children and then as an adult. The other artwork is from the works that they have illustrated. They include a copy of one or more illustrations that they completed for a work.
Cultural markers
The cultural references are included within each of the illustrator vignettes. They talk about their life and where they lived as well as their experiences.
Awards and Recognitions
Positive Review – Publisher’s Weekly
Positive Review – Children’s Literature
Positive Review – School Library Journal
Positive Review - Booklist
Thursday, September 10, 2009
LS5603-Genre 1-DON'T LET THE PIGEON STAY UP LATE!
Bibliography
Willems. Mo. DON’T LET THE PIGEON STAY UP LATE!. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786837462
Characters
The main character of the book is a pigeon. The pigeon is an interesting choice since it is not widely used in this role. The supporting character is the man. He normally gives some kind of direction to the reader to engage them in the story.
Plot
The main conflict in the book is that the pigeon wants to stay up late and the man asks the reader to not let the pigeon stay up late. This is a scenario that plays out in most homes in the evening. Children can relate to not wanting to go to bed even though an adult has asked them to lie down. The pigeon eventually tires himself out and starts to yawn and fall asleep. In the end the man thanks the reader for not letting the pigeon stay up late.
Setting
The setting is not explicitly known in the text or illustrations. The man states in the beginning the topic of staying up late so the reader assumes that it is night.
Theme
This book is part of the Pigeon series by Mo Williems. In the story the pigeon reacts and verbalizes as a child might in the same situation. It is comforting for children to see their struggles and situations in literature so they realize that others can experience the same events.
Style
The author uses the text as a series of statements or questions that the pigeon is posing to the reader. It is as if the reader is to respond to the pigeon as the story is being read. The statements are things that you would expect a child to say to an adult in the same situation.
Illustrations
The illustrations are very simple. The background is a solid color, but is not the same on every page. The pigeon is simply drawn with a heavy black outline and one oversize eye. The pigeon also looks as if a child could have drawn the picture. The illustrations are very appropriate to the story and by changing the pigeon’s eye and body placement he is able to convey a variety of emotions.
Cultural Markers
There is not a distinct culture represented in the story. Hot dogs, TV, a megaphone and sleeping with a bunny were the only distinct items.
Awards and Recognitions
Positive Review – Children’s Literature
Positive Review – School Library Journal
Positive Review – Kirkus Reviews
Other
Students in my first grade classroom love to read the “Pigeon” books. They enjoy talking back to the pigeon and interacting with the story. They ask for me to read them again and again.
Willems. Mo. DON’T LET THE PIGEON STAY UP LATE!. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786837462
Characters
The main character of the book is a pigeon. The pigeon is an interesting choice since it is not widely used in this role. The supporting character is the man. He normally gives some kind of direction to the reader to engage them in the story.
Plot
The main conflict in the book is that the pigeon wants to stay up late and the man asks the reader to not let the pigeon stay up late. This is a scenario that plays out in most homes in the evening. Children can relate to not wanting to go to bed even though an adult has asked them to lie down. The pigeon eventually tires himself out and starts to yawn and fall asleep. In the end the man thanks the reader for not letting the pigeon stay up late.
Setting
The setting is not explicitly known in the text or illustrations. The man states in the beginning the topic of staying up late so the reader assumes that it is night.
Theme
This book is part of the Pigeon series by Mo Williems. In the story the pigeon reacts and verbalizes as a child might in the same situation. It is comforting for children to see their struggles and situations in literature so they realize that others can experience the same events.
Style
The author uses the text as a series of statements or questions that the pigeon is posing to the reader. It is as if the reader is to respond to the pigeon as the story is being read. The statements are things that you would expect a child to say to an adult in the same situation.
Illustrations
The illustrations are very simple. The background is a solid color, but is not the same on every page. The pigeon is simply drawn with a heavy black outline and one oversize eye. The pigeon also looks as if a child could have drawn the picture. The illustrations are very appropriate to the story and by changing the pigeon’s eye and body placement he is able to convey a variety of emotions.
Cultural Markers
There is not a distinct culture represented in the story. Hot dogs, TV, a megaphone and sleeping with a bunny were the only distinct items.
Awards and Recognitions
Positive Review – Children’s Literature
Positive Review – School Library Journal
Positive Review – Kirkus Reviews
Other
Students in my first grade classroom love to read the “Pigeon” books. They enjoy talking back to the pigeon and interacting with the story. They ask for me to read them again and again.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
LS 5603- Genre 1 - THE HELLO, GOODBYE WINDOW
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Juster, Norton. 2005. THE HELLO, GOODBYE WINDOW. Ill. By Chris Raschka. New York, NY: Michael Di Capus Books/Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786809140
PLOT SUMMARY
In this picture book, Norton Juster writes about a window in the kitchen of a grandparent’s home. The story is told by the granddaughter. She tells not only of what she sees in the window but also of talks about her and her grandparents doing things together both in and out of the home. The book is filled with mostly positive experiences until the granddaughter has to go home with her parents and is sad. She fondly remembers the window as she leaves.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Juster’s writing uses simple text that children can understand. He also uses events that may have happened in the reader’s lives to connect with them. The story conveys the emotions of happiness, contentment and a little sadness. The ending of the story has the granddaughter state that she wants to have the same experiences for her grandchildren. Juster is relating that those wonderful childhood experiences you have in your life you also want to share with your children and/or grandchildren.
Chris Raschka’s illustrations are not clean drawings but the colors tend to blend into each other and there are few definitive lines. This made the illustrations appear more like a child had drawn them. He presented the grandparents and parents as a bi-racial couple. The text does not support this idea.
This book might bring out questions about race and families.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2005
Positive Review – Publisher’s Weekly
Positive Review – Children’s Literature
Positive Review – School Library Journal
Positive Review – Kirkus Reviews
Winner of the 2006 Caldecott Medal
CONNECTIONS
- This would be a good addition to other books used that discusses family. Students do not all have the same types of families.
- Other books about families:
Penn, Audrey. THE KISSING HAND. ISBN 9781933718002
Hoberman, Mary Ann. FATHERS, MOTHERS, SISTERS, BROTHERS: A COLLECTION OF FAMILY POEMS. ISBN 9780316362511
Juster, Norton. 2005. THE HELLO, GOODBYE WINDOW. Ill. By Chris Raschka. New York, NY: Michael Di Capus Books/Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786809140
PLOT SUMMARY
In this picture book, Norton Juster writes about a window in the kitchen of a grandparent’s home. The story is told by the granddaughter. She tells not only of what she sees in the window but also of talks about her and her grandparents doing things together both in and out of the home. The book is filled with mostly positive experiences until the granddaughter has to go home with her parents and is sad. She fondly remembers the window as she leaves.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Juster’s writing uses simple text that children can understand. He also uses events that may have happened in the reader’s lives to connect with them. The story conveys the emotions of happiness, contentment and a little sadness. The ending of the story has the granddaughter state that she wants to have the same experiences for her grandchildren. Juster is relating that those wonderful childhood experiences you have in your life you also want to share with your children and/or grandchildren.
Chris Raschka’s illustrations are not clean drawings but the colors tend to blend into each other and there are few definitive lines. This made the illustrations appear more like a child had drawn them. He presented the grandparents and parents as a bi-racial couple. The text does not support this idea.
This book might bring out questions about race and families.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2005
Positive Review – Publisher’s Weekly
Positive Review – Children’s Literature
Positive Review – School Library Journal
Positive Review – Kirkus Reviews
Winner of the 2006 Caldecott Medal
CONNECTIONS
- This would be a good addition to other books used that discusses family. Students do not all have the same types of families.
- Other books about families:
Penn, Audrey. THE KISSING HAND. ISBN 9781933718002
Hoberman, Mary Ann. FATHERS, MOTHERS, SISTERS, BROTHERS: A COLLECTION OF FAMILY POEMS. ISBN 9780316362511
LS 5603-20 Literature for Children and Young Adults
For the Fall 2009 semester I will be posting to my blog to satisfy requirements for a TWU Master's level literature class. I will be reviewing literature and posting to this site.
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