The Umbrella Queen
By: Shirin Yim Bridges
Illustrated by: Taeeun Yoo
Published by: Greenwillow Books
Picture Books
The Umbrella Queen
The Umbrella Queen is an excellent book because it tells a story that has not already been told. It is something different. Every year in Thailand there is an actual umbrella festival where thousands of umbrellas and lanterns line the streets. This book tells the story of this festival at a smaller scale where the winner of the best umbrella becomes the "Umbrella Queen".
I do not recognize the author or illustrator of this book, however they wrote a beautiful story and created beautiful, yet simple illustrations. The illustration were created on linoleum prints with pencil. The colors are only variations of blacks, greys, whites, yellows, blues, greens, and oranges. The covers of this book have umbrellas all over them with elephants on them. This does foreshadow the ending of the story.
The pictures really do make the story more enjoyable and meaningful. It is difficult to live in the United States and picture, authentically, what a Thailand Umbrella Festival would look like. The illustrations help create the imagery. I would love to have this book in my classroom, however, there is nothing that stood out to me that made me think it would help build reading skills.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The Yellow Balloon
The Yellow Balloon
By: Charlotte Dematons
Published by: Lemniscaat b.v. Rotterdam
Picture Books
The Yellow Balloon
The Yellow Balloon is a wordless picture book that takes the reader on a journey. As the reader you are taken to various time periods, places, and legends around the world. I do not recognize the author but it is obvious that the illustrations are done in some kind of painting.
The illustrations are very small and detailed. To be honest, I think that too much is going on in each page. For example on one page there is a highway, a Native American community, farm fields, horse ranch, and a castle. Personally I wish the author would have stuck with one place in different periods or one period in different places for each page. What is cool about the illustrations is that the view is from an Arial perspective. It makes you feel as if you are the yellow balloon that is flying in the sky.
I would not say that this book builds reading skills, however, I would like to have it in my library. I think that students like to look at pictures and would have fun trying to find the reappearing blue car, yellow balloon, flying carpet, and prisoner in the pages. I also think that there is a lot for them to look at, since there is so much detail in each page. It may even prompt interest in learning about one of the time periods or places they find in the book.
By: Charlotte Dematons
Published by: Lemniscaat b.v. Rotterdam
Picture Books
The Yellow Balloon
The Yellow Balloon is a wordless picture book that takes the reader on a journey. As the reader you are taken to various time periods, places, and legends around the world. I do not recognize the author but it is obvious that the illustrations are done in some kind of painting.
The illustrations are very small and detailed. To be honest, I think that too much is going on in each page. For example on one page there is a highway, a Native American community, farm fields, horse ranch, and a castle. Personally I wish the author would have stuck with one place in different periods or one period in different places for each page. What is cool about the illustrations is that the view is from an Arial perspective. It makes you feel as if you are the yellow balloon that is flying in the sky.
I would not say that this book builds reading skills, however, I would like to have it in my library. I think that students like to look at pictures and would have fun trying to find the reappearing blue car, yellow balloon, flying carpet, and prisoner in the pages. I also think that there is a lot for them to look at, since there is so much detail in each page. It may even prompt interest in learning about one of the time periods or places they find in the book.
Balloons Over Broadway
Balloons Over Broadway
By: Melissa Sweet
Published by: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Picture Books
Balloons Over Broadway
This book caught my attention because Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year and I always watch the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade. The book did, in fact, live up to my expectations. I really liked that it gave a lot of information that was very new to me.
I did not recognize this author/illustrator but I was very impressed how well this book was done. Not only was the book/information excellent, but the illustrations were very creative and captivating. I loved that they were a mix of collages and pencil drawings. This helped keep my attention. The collages captivated me into Tony Sarg's (the creator of the Macy's Parade) creativity with his balloons and marionette dolls.
Balloons Over Broadway is a book that I would definitely like to have in my library. It would help build reading skills because the more challenging and important words are written in a different text. For example, some are in larger font size and some are italicize. I also think that if I was interested in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as a child, others may be as well. I think it would be cool to read this story to the students before they go on Thanksgiving break. Then when they watch the parade they will know some facts about it.
By: Melissa Sweet
Published by: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Picture Books
Balloons Over Broadway
This book caught my attention because Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year and I always watch the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade. The book did, in fact, live up to my expectations. I really liked that it gave a lot of information that was very new to me.
I did not recognize this author/illustrator but I was very impressed how well this book was done. Not only was the book/information excellent, but the illustrations were very creative and captivating. I loved that they were a mix of collages and pencil drawings. This helped keep my attention. The collages captivated me into Tony Sarg's (the creator of the Macy's Parade) creativity with his balloons and marionette dolls.
Balloons Over Broadway is a book that I would definitely like to have in my library. It would help build reading skills because the more challenging and important words are written in a different text. For example, some are in larger font size and some are italicize. I also think that if I was interested in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as a child, others may be as well. I think it would be cool to read this story to the students before they go on Thanksgiving break. Then when they watch the parade they will know some facts about it.
Falling For Rapunzel
Falling for Rapunzel
By: Leah Wilcox
Illustrated by: Lydia Monks
Published by: G.P. Putnam Sons
Picture Books
Falling for Rapunzel
Falling for Rapunzel is such a cute book because the story it not what you expect when you hear "Rapunzel". In fact it has a completely different ending than the Rapunzel fairytale. It was a laugh out loud story because of the miscommunication between Rapunzel and the prince.
I did not recognize neither the author or the illustrator. As stated before, I am not an expert in art, but my best guess is that the illustration are of water color paintings. It was interesting because the colors used in this book are bright and happy. It very much enhanced the text because it demonstrated and emphasized the silliness of the miscommunication. For example, seeing the maid thrown out the window and landing on the prince made the idea more funny. The beginning and ending pages of the book foreshadow what is going to be thrown out of the window. It motivates the reader to continue reading because of the color it uses. I think that it is interesting that these pages colors are blue and pink. It almost seems as though they did it on purpose to cover the "typical" colors of boys and girls. This way boy would be more likely to read a book with the name Rapunzel in it.
I would absolutely love to have this in my library because it was a funny story with a twist from the original. It would also definitely help build reading skills because it uses words that sound alike. For example "lock" and "sock" they sound the same but are obviously very different.
By: Leah Wilcox
Illustrated by: Lydia Monks
Published by: G.P. Putnam Sons
Picture Books
Falling for Rapunzel
Falling for Rapunzel is such a cute book because the story it not what you expect when you hear "Rapunzel". In fact it has a completely different ending than the Rapunzel fairytale. It was a laugh out loud story because of the miscommunication between Rapunzel and the prince.
I did not recognize neither the author or the illustrator. As stated before, I am not an expert in art, but my best guess is that the illustration are of water color paintings. It was interesting because the colors used in this book are bright and happy. It very much enhanced the text because it demonstrated and emphasized the silliness of the miscommunication. For example, seeing the maid thrown out the window and landing on the prince made the idea more funny. The beginning and ending pages of the book foreshadow what is going to be thrown out of the window. It motivates the reader to continue reading because of the color it uses. I think that it is interesting that these pages colors are blue and pink. It almost seems as though they did it on purpose to cover the "typical" colors of boys and girls. This way boy would be more likely to read a book with the name Rapunzel in it.
I would absolutely love to have this in my library because it was a funny story with a twist from the original. It would also definitely help build reading skills because it uses words that sound alike. For example "lock" and "sock" they sound the same but are obviously very different.
Big Kicks
Big Kicks
By: Bob Kolar
Published By: Candlewick Press
Picture Books
Big Kicks
This is not the best picture book I have ever read, however I did find the illustrations to be the best part of the book. The story is about a big bear that was asked to play on the soccer team, even though he had never played before. It turns out that by accident Biggie, the big bear, scores the winning goal for the team.
I did not recognize this author, but I think it is really cool that he is also the illustrator. I am not an expert in identifying types of artwork, but I know that Kolar's illustrations are some kind of paintings. They are interesting to me because their simplicity is eye catching with lots of colors. The illustrations are fairly large and easy to make out. The illustrations make the story seem so positive, even when Biggie is upset because he is not the greatest soccer player.
The inside of the book cover and back cover introduce the characters and themes of the story. For example Biggie plays the saxophone and eats sandwiches, so they are on the covers with the characters. This book can be used to build reading skills because it provides a lot of context clues for readers who may not understand what certain words are or mean. The pictures are included as context clues.
I personally did not enjoy this book so much. I thought the story line was not too creative and nothing made it stand out to me, therefore, I would not want it in my library.
By: Bob Kolar
Published By: Candlewick Press
Picture Books
Big Kicks
This is not the best picture book I have ever read, however I did find the illustrations to be the best part of the book. The story is about a big bear that was asked to play on the soccer team, even though he had never played before. It turns out that by accident Biggie, the big bear, scores the winning goal for the team.
I did not recognize this author, but I think it is really cool that he is also the illustrator. I am not an expert in identifying types of artwork, but I know that Kolar's illustrations are some kind of paintings. They are interesting to me because their simplicity is eye catching with lots of colors. The illustrations are fairly large and easy to make out. The illustrations make the story seem so positive, even when Biggie is upset because he is not the greatest soccer player.
The inside of the book cover and back cover introduce the characters and themes of the story. For example Biggie plays the saxophone and eats sandwiches, so they are on the covers with the characters. This book can be used to build reading skills because it provides a lot of context clues for readers who may not understand what certain words are or mean. The pictures are included as context clues.
I personally did not enjoy this book so much. I thought the story line was not too creative and nothing made it stand out to me, therefore, I would not want it in my library.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Leon's Story
Leon’s Story
By: Leon Walter
Tillage
Collage Art by:
Susan L. Roth
Sunburst Books
Leon's Story
This book has, without a doubt, been my favorite African
American book I have read in my life so far. It is a fast read; however the
emotion it stirred in me is long lasting. What I really liked most about this
book is that it is an autobiography about growing up in the 1930s through the 1950s
as an African American boy. Reading about slavery has always been hard for me
to connect with because it seems so long ago.
Hearing
what segregation was like from someone who has lived through it really makes a
difference. Leon Tillage makes the story sound so personal as he begins talking
about his family and childhood memories. Some of his memories I can even relate
too. For example, I like to go to the movies for fun and I also like the days
before and after Christmas best. These memories make me feel like I could be
Leon’s friend.
After
hearing the pleasant memories, Leon comes in with the deep and emotional
stories. I got very emotional hearing about his father and literally had my jaw
open the entire time I read about the dog attack. Hearing stories like these,
from the words of someone who experienced it first hand, made segregation more
realistic to me. I will absolutely never forget this book. It is one that I
will read to my older students when discussing segregation. Hopefully they will
feel the connection and emotion I experienced during the reading.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Where the Sidewalk Ends
By: Shel Silverstein
Harper Collins Publishers
pp. 166
Poem Genre
Where the Sidewalk Ends
This book is a collection of rhymes and other poems that will literally made you laugh out loud. Where the Sidewalk Ends has drawing for each poem that make the poem even funnier. An example of this is on page 107. It is a one sentence poem written on the neck of a giraffe, about the neck of a giraffe. The poems are creative and unrealistic. For example "My Beard" is a short rhyme about a man whose beard is so long he does not need to wear clothes. Silverstein also provides a picture of this, making it another laugh out loud poem.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to people of all ages. The poems are quick, fun, and easy to read because of the humor and creativity. They are silly poems that will make you feel youthful. If I were to read this book to my class, I would not read it from beginning to end. I think it would be fun to read some of the poetry selected at the end of the day, based on topics discussed, funny things that happened, and the mood of the class. This is a great book to prove that rhymes can be enjoyed at any age and to get students of all ages into poetry.
By: Shel Silverstein
Harper Collins Publishers
pp. 166
Poem Genre
Where the Sidewalk Ends
This book is a collection of rhymes and other poems that will literally made you laugh out loud. Where the Sidewalk Ends has drawing for each poem that make the poem even funnier. An example of this is on page 107. It is a one sentence poem written on the neck of a giraffe, about the neck of a giraffe. The poems are creative and unrealistic. For example "My Beard" is a short rhyme about a man whose beard is so long he does not need to wear clothes. Silverstein also provides a picture of this, making it another laugh out loud poem.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to people of all ages. The poems are quick, fun, and easy to read because of the humor and creativity. They are silly poems that will make you feel youthful. If I were to read this book to my class, I would not read it from beginning to end. I think it would be fun to read some of the poetry selected at the end of the day, based on topics discussed, funny things that happened, and the mood of the class. This is a great book to prove that rhymes can be enjoyed at any age and to get students of all ages into poetry.
Missing May
Missing May
By: Cynthia Rylant
Newbery Award
Orchard Books
Copyright 1992
pp. 89
Missing May
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqR7HPQqGEQ
(video blog)
By: Cynthia Rylant
Newbery Award
Orchard Books
Copyright 1992
pp. 89
Missing May
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqR7HPQqGEQ
(video blog)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
My Chinatown
My Chinatown
By: Kam Mak
Harper Collins Publishers
Copyright 2002
Poetry Genre Book
My Chinatown
Kam Mak did amazing illustratons for My Chinatown. When I first looked through illustrations, I thought they were photographs. They are so detailed. Some pictures, like the cover, really describe the importance of intricacy within the Chinese culture and how they continue to celebrate it in America. I love the way this book was written. The poetry is broken down for the entire year, by seasons.
I think this is important because readers, like myself, who are not familiar with the Chinese culture, can identify and imagine more clearly what it must be like to grow up in that culture, especially since America is so ethnically divers. This book is a great way to celebrate ethnic diversity. I would use this book to help celebrate the Chinese New Year, because it describe the life a young, Chinese boy. I live on the international floor of my residence hall and was hoping this book would give me a deeper insight to the Chinese culture. This book does not go deep into the culture. I would not use this book to teach the culture, but it is a great way to introduce a ethnic unit to young students.
By: Kam Mak
Harper Collins Publishers
Copyright 2002
Poetry Genre Book
My Chinatown
Kam Mak did amazing illustratons for My Chinatown. When I first looked through illustrations, I thought they were photographs. They are so detailed. Some pictures, like the cover, really describe the importance of intricacy within the Chinese culture and how they continue to celebrate it in America. I love the way this book was written. The poetry is broken down for the entire year, by seasons.
I think this is important because readers, like myself, who are not familiar with the Chinese culture, can identify and imagine more clearly what it must be like to grow up in that culture, especially since America is so ethnically divers. This book is a great way to celebrate ethnic diversity. I would use this book to help celebrate the Chinese New Year, because it describe the life a young, Chinese boy. I live on the international floor of my residence hall and was hoping this book would give me a deeper insight to the Chinese culture. This book does not go deep into the culture. I would not use this book to teach the culture, but it is a great way to introduce a ethnic unit to young students.
Once I Ate a Pie
Once I Ate a Pie
By: Patricia MacLachlan & Emily MacLachlan Charest
Illustrated by: Katy Schneider
Harper Collins Publishers
Copyright 2006
Poetry Genre Books
Once I Ate a Pie
I love dogs and therefore I really loved this book. It is a great was to show that every dog is unique, just like every child. For this reason, I think this book would be great to read to young children and discuss how every individual, dog or human, is unique.It is written in poetry where each of the 14 dogs describe themselves. The poems are written in a unique way. For example, if the word "tall" is used, the author used a font that made that word tall.
Once I Ate a Pie made me laugh a little, because it is easy to picture the "types" of dogs doing what they talk about doing. One example would be ringing a bell to tell the humans they have to go to the bathroom and waiting to ring it until he knows they are asleep. The illustrations of the dogs describe their personalities. I like that Schneider uses different "types" of dogs because I can picture children reading the book and picking out which ones they think are the cutest.
By: Patricia MacLachlan & Emily MacLachlan Charest
Illustrated by: Katy Schneider
Harper Collins Publishers
Copyright 2006
Poetry Genre Books
Once I Ate a Pie
I love dogs and therefore I really loved this book. It is a great was to show that every dog is unique, just like every child. For this reason, I think this book would be great to read to young children and discuss how every individual, dog or human, is unique.It is written in poetry where each of the 14 dogs describe themselves. The poems are written in a unique way. For example, if the word "tall" is used, the author used a font that made that word tall.
Once I Ate a Pie made me laugh a little, because it is easy to picture the "types" of dogs doing what they talk about doing. One example would be ringing a bell to tell the humans they have to go to the bathroom and waiting to ring it until he knows they are asleep. The illustrations of the dogs describe their personalities. I like that Schneider uses different "types" of dogs because I can picture children reading the book and picking out which ones they think are the cutest.
A Ball for Daisy
A Ball for Daisy
By: Chris Raschka
Schwartz & Wade Books
Copyright 2011
Caldecott Award
A Ball for Daisy
Every child has a toy or other item that they are very attached to. For me, I would need to bring my blanket everywhere I went. In A Ball for Daisy, Daisy is attached to her red ball. She sleeps, plays, and goes for walks with it. One day, at the park, her and another dog were playing fetch with the red ball. During this time the other dog makes a big mistake that crushes Daisy. A Ball for Daisy has a happy ending and two new friends at the end of the book, the other dog and a blue ball.
A Ball for Daisy is a picture book with simple illustrations. In my opinion, the illustrations are not intricate but they depict the juvenile character of Daisy very well. I would love to use this book in the classroom to discuss manners and how to deal with emotions. When the other dog made Daisy sad, she simply left the situation. The other Dog apologized by trying to make Daisy happy by continuing a friendship and bring her a new blue ball.
By: Chris Raschka
Schwartz & Wade Books
Copyright 2011
Caldecott Award
A Ball for Daisy
Every child has a toy or other item that they are very attached to. For me, I would need to bring my blanket everywhere I went. In A Ball for Daisy, Daisy is attached to her red ball. She sleeps, plays, and goes for walks with it. One day, at the park, her and another dog were playing fetch with the red ball. During this time the other dog makes a big mistake that crushes Daisy. A Ball for Daisy has a happy ending and two new friends at the end of the book, the other dog and a blue ball.
A Ball for Daisy is a picture book with simple illustrations. In my opinion, the illustrations are not intricate but they depict the juvenile character of Daisy very well. I would love to use this book in the classroom to discuss manners and how to deal with emotions. When the other dog made Daisy sad, she simply left the situation. The other Dog apologized by trying to make Daisy happy by continuing a friendship and bring her a new blue ball.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Everett Anderson's Goodbye
Everett Anderson's Goodbye
By: Lucille Clifton
Illustrated by: Ann Grifalconi
Coretta Scott King Award
Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Copyright 1983
Everett Anderson's Goodbye
The passing away of a loved one is an emotional time for those left behind. During this time we experience grief and its five stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Everett Anderson's Goodbye is the story and poem of a young boy's grief after the death of his father. The story is written in the order of the grieving stages. For example Everette's story being with him denying that his father will no longer be at the park with him. It ends with Everette accepting that "love doesn't stop" with death.
I am absolutely in love with this book. As I was reading it all, I could think about was experiencing these same stages when I lost my friend to suicide in the fourth grade. He was the first person I was old enough to remember dying. It was extremely painful to share the same pain when thinking that my friend was no longer going to be able to be at recess with me. This would have been an excellent book for my fourth grade teachers to read to our class. It would have shown us what we can expect while going through the difficult time and helped us to realize everyone is feeling the same way.
Not only was I able to connect with this book, but I was also captivated by the illustrations. Grifalconi did a fascinating job depicting the stages of grief. Just by looking at the Everette's face, in her illustrations, it is easy to identify which stage of grief he is experiencing. I would read this book without hesitation to any child experiencing grief for whatever reason. It's hard to lose something you really care about, but I strongly believe this book would make a positive impact.
By: Lucille Clifton
Illustrated by: Ann Grifalconi
Coretta Scott King Award
Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Copyright 1983
Everett Anderson's Goodbye
The passing away of a loved one is an emotional time for those left behind. During this time we experience grief and its five stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Everett Anderson's Goodbye is the story and poem of a young boy's grief after the death of his father. The story is written in the order of the grieving stages. For example Everette's story being with him denying that his father will no longer be at the park with him. It ends with Everette accepting that "love doesn't stop" with death.
I am absolutely in love with this book. As I was reading it all, I could think about was experiencing these same stages when I lost my friend to suicide in the fourth grade. He was the first person I was old enough to remember dying. It was extremely painful to share the same pain when thinking that my friend was no longer going to be able to be at recess with me. This would have been an excellent book for my fourth grade teachers to read to our class. It would have shown us what we can expect while going through the difficult time and helped us to realize everyone is feeling the same way.
Not only was I able to connect with this book, but I was also captivated by the illustrations. Grifalconi did a fascinating job depicting the stages of grief. Just by looking at the Everette's face, in her illustrations, it is easy to identify which stage of grief he is experiencing. I would read this book without hesitation to any child experiencing grief for whatever reason. It's hard to lose something you really care about, but I strongly believe this book would make a positive impact.
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June
By: Phyllis Naylor
Houghton Mifflin
Copyright 2007
Blue Stem Award Winner
pp. 280
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June
Faith, Hope and Ivy June is about two seventh grade girls, who do an exchange program between their schools. Ivy June Mosley is from Thunder Creek, Kentucky and Catherine Combs is from Lexington, Kentucky. This book tells the stories of their experiences, mostly in the third person. After almost every chapter are entries from Ivy June's and Catherine's journals; therefore telling their own perspectives and making the book seem more personal. During the program the girls experience the very simple and basic living of Thunder Creek. They use outhouses instead of bathrooms and take "showers" once a week in a tub outside while rinsing with a hose. In Lexington, Ivy June attended an all girl private school, learned to ride horses, and went to a show.
I enjoyed reading this book because of the lessons it taught throughout its entire reading. Ivy June and Catherine learned to appreciate what they have in their lives. The book also emphasizes that it is important to never hold any prejudices on anyone, because everyone has something special to offer. Even though the two girls come from different lifestyles, in the end of the book they share a common fear for the safety and health of their family members, making them realize that they are not so different after all. I highly recommend this book mainly for middle school aged girls, mostly because there is never really a perspective from a guy's point of view. It is filled with great lessons and a heartfelt ending.
By: Phyllis Naylor
Houghton Mifflin
Copyright 2007
Blue Stem Award Winner
pp. 280
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June
Faith, Hope and Ivy June is about two seventh grade girls, who do an exchange program between their schools. Ivy June Mosley is from Thunder Creek, Kentucky and Catherine Combs is from Lexington, Kentucky. This book tells the stories of their experiences, mostly in the third person. After almost every chapter are entries from Ivy June's and Catherine's journals; therefore telling their own perspectives and making the book seem more personal. During the program the girls experience the very simple and basic living of Thunder Creek. They use outhouses instead of bathrooms and take "showers" once a week in a tub outside while rinsing with a hose. In Lexington, Ivy June attended an all girl private school, learned to ride horses, and went to a show.
I enjoyed reading this book because of the lessons it taught throughout its entire reading. Ivy June and Catherine learned to appreciate what they have in their lives. The book also emphasizes that it is important to never hold any prejudices on anyone, because everyone has something special to offer. Even though the two girls come from different lifestyles, in the end of the book they share a common fear for the safety and health of their family members, making them realize that they are not so different after all. I highly recommend this book mainly for middle school aged girls, mostly because there is never really a perspective from a guy's point of view. It is filled with great lessons and a heartfelt ending.
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