The Musings of a Mid-Life Librarian

Advanced Children's Literature: Fantasy

2008-12-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

Diterlizzi, Tony. THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES. New York: Listening Library, 2003. Narrated by Holly Black and Mark Hamill.

It is easy to understand the huge popularity of this series. Simon, who loves tadpoles, frogs, and all animals. Mallory Grace, the eldest, who enjoys fencing and outdoor and athletic pursuits. Jared is the bookworm and the child who happens upon the dumb waiter and a legendary bogart, a mystery creature who is a "brownie" or "fairy" type creature from the Celtic Lands. There has been a divorce and the mother of the children moves into a crumbling old Victorian homeplace with her family. Soon thereafter Jared discovers a skeleton and a notebook with his great grandfather's last name, Spiderwick. The children's mother blames Jared for all the mischief that is caused by the bogart, but Jared cleverly leaves flour out to have evidence of his footprints. The bogart puts Simon's tadpoles in the freezer and causes Mallory much grief including leaving a threatening note and tying her hair to the headboard of her new bed. Soon, as Jared begins to unravel the mystery the flabbergasted children track down the bogart and come into his presence. An adventurous story that will be equally enjoyed by boys and girls. It is the beginning of a series. Very good narration and appealing to grades 1-6. Topnotch writing which reminds me just a bit of A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS. Excellent character development and the right amount of action and mysterious fantasy.

Advanced Children's Literature: Fantasy

2008-12-15T08:54:00.000-08:00

Alexander, Lloyd. THE BLACK CAULDRON. Random House, 2004. Read by James Langston.

The production is elegant, engaging and authentic. I speak a bit of Welsh and can attest to the fact that no British or Irish brogue or accent slips into Langston's performance. Once in a while a bit of a Scottish sound, but an A+ production. This is book 2 in the Prydian Cahronicles but Alexander says he wanted it to be well able to stand on it's own and indeed it does. Being a Newbery winner in print is in no way a surprise. Alexander himself begins the narration and says though the names, setting, a bit of the tale is from the ancient Welsh legends (the Mabinogion, however he doesn't use the term) that it is mainly a work of his imagination. Certainly it is a fictionalized account but with Gwydion, Arawn, Taran, the cauldron, or black crock as the enchantress' refer to it, the 3 drops of knowledge that come from the kettle, it is indeed familiar. Alexander's chosen country is Caer Dallben where peace reigns at the beginning of our story and then a quest and much conflict ensue. Getting back to the superlative job of the language on the audion version, Langston authentically accents the 2nd syllable of each Welsh name and word. In Ireland, Aidan is AID-n. In Welsh it is pronounced, a-DAY-n. A beautiful adaptation. I can hardly wait for book 3. Could hardly be any higher recommendation on the part of this reviewer.

Advanced Children's Literature: Historical Fiction

2008-12-13T00:04:00.000-08:00

Lester, Julius. DAY OF TEARS. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 2005.

There's never been a Julius Lester novel that I didn't enjoy and take much from, but DAY OF TEARS is a different type of slave narrative. With a subtitle of "a novel in dialog" it is marvelous listening, with many male and female narrators, but one can understand the point of the read-along after becoming familiar with this title. The book, like poetry, is made to be spoken. It is more a play than a novel, with a prinicipal characters list just like a playbill in the front of the book, but still and also (to use adolescent language) there are some things that may be more affecting and emotionally draining to see in print. The list of slaves at auction with their selling prices typed besides their names makes it all too real for me. The book drives home the point that must always be the main focal point with regard to slavery. It doesn't matter how well you are treated, slavery and freedom are two opposite ends of the spectrum. Pierce Butler treats his slaves like family until his "weak" wife leaves and the years of this youth become the gambling debts of his middle years. Daughter Frances is loved by Pierce much more than Sarah because she has a business head rather than a soft heart. Will and Mattie can't hide their grief or their disdain for Master Butler when he sells their daughter Emma. Never could anyone have convinced them that Emma being sold away was even a remote possibility. Will and Master grew up together, played in the dirt together, were treated like equals when they were young. Why do others not understand what Lester knows instinctively in his bones, that there is no good ending when slavery is involved. The emotional involvement with the reader is high for Lester and one wonders if retelling these painful tales is a burden or catharsis for him. The fact that the story is multigenerational adds richness and surprise. The interludes and flashbacks added to the drama, the suspense. I'm just a silly white girl but I so wish I could freeze time and let fictious Paris, of Nikki Grimes fame, and Emma shake the hand of Barack Obama, look into his kindly and learned face, gaze on his beautiful dark and self-sufficient wife and know the fact that in the end good almost always does defeat evil, but it is always a long, hard, lonely struggle. How can I praise Lester other than to say he has the skills of a time traveler, a fly on the wall. Even someone half human could not help being affected by this primal tale of love and hate, fear and deception, lucre versus love. There are not enough superlatives for this book, there truly are not. It would be an impossible choice between "Tears" and "The Old African" and I'm glad I don't have to make it. Pinkney's artwork is a plus, but the relationships in "Tears" are somehow unique. The time period is a bit different but the moral, the heartwrenching is not. The book will leave you breathless.

Advanced Children's Literature: Fantasy

2008-12-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

Baum, L. Frank. THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1987.

This is a title in the "Books of Wonder" series. The edition is a "lavishly produced facsimile of the rare first edition" which includes the 24 color plates by W.W. Denslow. Beautiful to look at but harder to read when some of the print is atop the illustrations. The quintessential fantasy of childhood and the secret favorite movie of many adults, it is embarrasing how few adults have actually read it if my library co-workers are a good sampling. Having only read THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ in my childhood I cannot be smug. The differences between the book and movie are not great but they are noticeable. I see now why people say you should always read the book first. The first truly American fairy tale got it's reputation honestly, by flat out being the best! The yellow brick road, the Munchkins, Dorothy with silver shoes, the ever present Toto, and the big tough lion that could hurt someone if he only knew how big and tough he truly was. This fantasy is practically the definition of fantasy. It makes you forget that any world besides Oz exists. Baum's first name is Llyman and he didn't realize he had talent at writing "fantastic tales" until he hit 40. Now that is inspirational to teacher as well as student. I truly don't know what to say about such a classic of all classics. In my mind nothing other than King Arthur can truly touch Oz! Soldiers with green whiskers and eyelashes, a scarecrow that can twist the neck of 40 crows so his companions can continue their journey. Bruno Bettleheim would certainly classify this as a "true" fairy tale. There is no evil stepmother, but isn't the wicked witch even better, and she too is conquered by a typical child. I enjoyed the magic helmet and the flying monkeys that I never thought would make it, but the real hero here is not Dorothy, but the narrative style of Baum's prose that literaly makes us feel as if we had taken winged flight on an unbelievable journey to another world. "You will remember there was no road--not even a pathway--between the castle of the Wicked Witch and the Emerald City." "On and on they walked, and it seemed that the great carpet of deadly flowers that surrounded them would never end. They followed the bend of the river, and at last came upon their friend the Lion, lying fast asleep among the poppies. The flowers had been too strong for the huge beast and he had given up, at last, and fallen only a short distance from the end of the poppybed, where the sweet grass spread in beautiful green fields before them." What I notice most about the above selections is it seems like Baum is truly talking only to me, like he's sitting beside me and whispering this all in my ear, such is the natural flow of the language and the sensory appeal of the images. The illustrations are good, but they don't in my estimation compare to the text in quality. Without this flowing yarn there would never have been a cult movie. I honestly hope that anyone who has died without knowing this story on earth will have someone read it aloud to them in heaven or in the Summerlands. This may well be the best read aloud after lunch, a chapter at a time book that was ever created. Yes, better than SOCKS by Beverly Cleary or ZUCCHINI by Barbara Dana. I thought making ferrets out of zucchini squash with gumdrops, marshmallows, and toothpicks was the ultimate read-aloud and craft tie-in. Would that my teachers or me as a teacher had discovered the art and philosophy that could be taught with this most American of all fantasies. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and his name, honest to God, is L. Frank Baum!

Advanced Children's Literature: Non-fiction/Magazines

2008-12-12T22:22:00.000-08:00

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED FOR KIDS. December 2008. Published by Time Magazine.

This month is a "Year-end Double Issue" with the "Gotta Get It Guide Goes Green" for finding out what to ask for should you celebrate the winter holidays. The Gotta get it guide is more than a gimme guide. It has cool athletic shoes, basketballs, and hoodies but many are made from recycled materials. Steve Nash gives his tips for preserving the planet: 1. Go paperless when you can. 2. Set an example around the house. 3. Remember image isn't everything (GOOD ONE.) 4. Get some fresh air! Now that's an excellent tie in with sports and good health. The "traditional" one sided format features the 2008 "Sports Kid of the Year." Derek Andrews plays 4 sports but more importantly he has a big heart and loves to raise money for less fortunate children and volunteer. Derek has of late had many medical tests to try and discover what muscle ailment is afflicting him with fatigue and requiring as many physical therapy sessions as games each week. This gave the town of Buffalo just one more reason to rally behind their native little son. Derek will be a good role model for persevering despite hardship, because he still comes across as a smiling typical American boy. This periodical has more commercial aspects than National Geographic Kids but that is to be expected. There are also some very thought provoking pieces to go along with the videogame trading cards. "Playing for Peaces: Our reporter traveled to Israel to see how soccer is slowly bringing together a country in conflict." There are facts about basketball, both professional and collegiate. It's popularity is not surprising!

Advanced Children's Literature: Nonfiction/Magazines

2008-12-12T22:03:00.000-08:00

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS. August 2008. Washington, D.C. National Geographic Society.

I didn't ride the short bus but let me tell you I learned dozens and dozens of fun facts and had trouble putting this magazine down. This was a "Special Awesome Animals Issue!" "Dolphins in Disguise" is the cover story but "20 Cool Things About Butterflies" is given an equal number of pages inside. Who would not want to read about two 2 tiger cubs rejected by their mother who ended up being "temporarily adopted" by 2 abandoned orangutans after taking the zoo keeper's lead? How cool is that, orangutans and tigers hugging, cuddling, and grooming each other. As expected, the photographs are incredible. The oversized butterfly pics are the most unique. But not only is the magazine educational, warm, and fuzzy, there are regular features such as "Video game Central," "The Green List" and "All About You." Trading cards are favorite childhood treasures and these 6 feature sand cats and a giraffe-necked weevil. There is a back to nature "funny fill-in" which works like a madlib. Kids wrote in to ask the "Pet Vet" how lost dogs find their way home and why ferrets steal things from their owners. First rate and fun filled!

Advanced Children's Literature: Fantasy

2008-12-12T17:13:00.000-08:00

Barron, T.A. THE MIRROR OF MERLIN. Random House, 1999. Read by Kevin Isola.

Book four in the series, "The Lost Years of Merlin," Barron does for Merlin that which T.H. White did for Arthur, take him back to his boyhood to help us understand him better as an adult, to see how life forged the fire of inspiration into his soul. In growing up and learning more about others Merlin begins to turn inward and learn more about himself than he cared to. Barron's verbal introduction not only "channels" Merlin, the depth of his passion filled voice makes one wonder if he isn't going all the way back to Taliesin, the Bard of Wales. Just as full of adventure as mysticism Barron's tale knows how to entertain but he is really doing so much more than that. Young people will be unknowingly drawn into the web of our cultural heritage, our identity as Westerners. The sage of Arthur was once a little boy washed up on the shore who grew and became fond of Hallia, the deer woman as he began to age. Barron sends young Merlin into the swamps and forests of the magical island of Fincayra to grow up and find the strength to save his homeland from disaster. Merlin discovers that altering fate is not a thing to take lightly. The magical mirror helps teach him the art of prediction and as we all know the legend contains many moments where Merlin would have rather not foreseen tragedy that was yet to come. Isola handles the female voices as well as the male. A very engaging tale, an unforgettable series.

Advanced Children's Literature: Historical Fiction

2008-12-11T21:34:00.001-08:00

Fleischman, Sid. THE WHIPPING BOY. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1986.

Fleischman's Newbery medal story is high adventure and will be especially beloved by boys. The illustrations by Peter Sis cannot go without mention, as they are almost as essential to the text as is the case in a traditional picture storybook. Jemmey is the whipping boy and Prince Brat is, well you know who. Tired of the confines of castle life Prince Brat sneaks out into the forest and brings Jemmey along. How could they have known that right away they would run into two fierce and legendary highwaymen, Cutwater and Hold Your Nose Billy? Neither Jemmey nor Prince Brat have respect for each other before their sojourn in the deep recesses of the forest but they become loyal companions in the end. The tables are turned when Jemmey pretends to be the Prince and is admired for his intelligence, skills with letters, pen, and ink and Brat proves that he can learn to work hard, catch rats in the sewers, and practice bravery. Though not a true cautionary tale, it is worth noting that all the education Prince Brat has shunned are lessons that Jemmey having learned and learned well uses to save the day. Prince Brat could not even pretend to write a ransom note for the bandits. Jemmey does so deftly. The titles of the chapters are clever such as,"Of assorted events in which the plot thickens thicker," or "Wherein the prince neither bawls nor bellows." Fleischman's end note is both humorous and educational, "Some royal households of past centuries did keep whipping boys to suffer the punishments due a misbehaving prince. History is alive with lunacies and injustices. As Jemmey would say, "Gaw!" Bloody good show.

Advanced Children's Literature: Traditional Tales

2008-12-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

Conover, Sarah and Freda Crane. AYAT JAMILAH: BEAUTIFUL SIGNS, A TREASURY OF ISLAMIC WISDOM FOR CHILDREN AND PARENTS. Spokane, Washington: Eastern Washington University Press, 2004.

Conover and Crane make a very effective team. Both are degreed educators and collectors of stories of Islam for Young Adults. Conover presents the secular side of these tales and Dr. Crane, a Muslim, focuses more on the religious side of the coin. Kan ya ma kan: there was and there was not. Other beginnings that are similar to our "Once upon a time" include once there was and twice there was not. There are stories from traditional Middle Eastern countries such as Iran and Syria but also tales from Indonesia, China, Azerbaijan, West Africa and others. There are stories from the Qur'an, folk tales, animal stories, stories of Abraham (Ibrahim), Jesus (Isa), and Mary (Mariam.) There are tales of wise and foolish men and women. The book will go a long way towards highlighting how much peoples of the world have in common rather than their different. Conover stresses that part of her purpose in the book is to reach young people and teach tolerance because we live in such a time where many believe and act in fundamentally intolerant ways. Famous quotations are framed in what looks like an outline of a quilt, and sometimes appear to be written on a tapestry or quilt making the book just as visually unique as is the content. A very effective contribution to the dearth of Muslim tale collections published in the West.

Professional Book

2008-12-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

Vardell, Sylvia M. POETRY ALOUD HERE!: SHARING POETRY WITH CHILREN IN THE LIBRARY. Chicago: American Library Association, 2006.

Vardell is a librarian’s librarian. Her poetry textbook is a thorough and detailed treatise for the library professional working with children aged 5-12. But hold on, from your first glance at the cover you can tell you are going to have FUN! It’s open mike night at the library and our young lady on stage is about to start a slam.

Inspecting the table of contents Vardell’s mission can be summed up in four words: Why? Which ones? How? Even though the question of why is answered philosophically and succinctly in Chapter one we realize Vardell could write an entire tome on “Why Poetry?” Can you think of a teacher, musician, actor, singer, writer, principal, lead teacher, radio dj, media specialist, mime, commercial artist, lyricist, or Hallmark employee who would disagree with her about the importance of poetry? Even more important it would be a rare child or parent that would disagree had they had just one enthusiastic experience with poetry in their youth. Poetry is literally everywhere in the written and especially in the spoken word. Vardell believes it is a natural link to developing language skills, hearts, and minds. She also makes a very strong case that poetry, more than any other literary genre, has no strict age level constraints and is usually absent of bias. Increasing cognition and comprehension are positive “side effects” of a library, a school, a classroom full of poetry.

We are given criteria for selecting poems and volumes of poetry to use with students. Choosing poems that have a definite beat, rhythm, or cadence will appeal to many according to Vardell. She also suggests we look for verses that interpret everyday childhood and life experiences in fresh and imaginative ways. Does the poem evoke emotions, is it descriptive and does it sound pleasing to the ears? For volumes and anthologies of poetry one needs to evaluate the way the poems are grouped or organized, note whether an index of first lines and a table of contents is included and if the work is by poets who are current and familiar or no. Is the artwork appealing and does it help carry off the theme of the book or poem? In poetry picture books as in other types of picture books the marriage of text and illustration is critical and defines this subgroup of poetry volumes.

Above all POETRY ALOUD is a pragmatic guide. For librarians and media specialists Vardell suggests they examine their poetry shelves to be certain they are physically attractive and visually inviting. Can young ones reach the books and the displays? Are they eye catching? She pleads for poetry volumes to be marketed and displayed as carefully as bestsellers are put on end caps. For professionals with little experience and those with much she reminds us that award winners are a good place to start and that just as you would have multiple copies of Harry Potter, Junie B. Jones, Curious George, and The Wizard of Oz, so too must you have multiple copies of many volumes of poetry.

Vardell manages to concoct a first rate guide that would benefit all and intimidate none. Her biggest rule is there are no real rules for doing it right. She writes that familiar authors and poems are good and unknown ones are great as well. Librarians as well as teachers always want to help us discover new friends and remind us of old ones. She encourages professionals who are treading on unfamiliar terrain to simply add one little item to their normal routine. Teachers and librarians have such sway over children and sometimes we forget it; the power to do good. Sylvia Vardell reminds and encourages us constantly with this approach. She suggests simply reading one short poem during each class visit to the library and to watch your circulation statistics of poetry increase by leaps and bounds. Begin with a poem or poet of the month and you will probably end up with a poem or poet of the week and then make it a daily routine. Again and again Vardell goes back to the basic concept that poetry is made to be heard. It becomes alive when it is read aloud.

Fun and practical ideas for activities and lesson plans abound in this volume. How about making a POET-TREE. Create a tree on a bulletin board and distribute green construction paper leaves and have students write their favorite poem on a leaf and then attach to the tree. This is emblematic of Vardell’s hands on approach. She pleads the case for investing in a small sound system and microphone. Students can read their own poetic creations aloud, they can read their favorite published poem, and they can speak the words of poetry with music in the background. The ease of adding poetry to a school or library’s culture may be surprising to many, but again and again Vardell mentions creative and painless ways to involve staff members, students, teachers, and parents. She asks us not to forget to include a poem on a school bulletin board, on a library website, to include poetry volumes in our summer reading lists and other booklists. For the adventurous there are excellent suggestions too such as a poetry scavenger hunt, and detailed directions on setting up a beatnik poetry coffeehouse complete with wearing black, having pillows on the floor and serving young ones hot cocoa rather than coffee.

Lending extra clout to her practical ideas are the “Practitioner Perspectives.” Media Specialists, teachers, and reading specialists all highlight their successes and strategies for encouraging poetry. The “Practitioner Perspectives” are a very important addition to the book as is the inclusion of a list of famous poet birthdays and an exhaustive but approachable bibliography of poetry volumes and a list of recommended and noteworthy poets for children to discover. Including poetry authorities Carole Bauer and Charlotte Huck lend credence to her research. What will surprise some is her insight about using poetry across the curriculum. Vardell mentions many tie-ins for math, science, history, and geography and gives detailed ideas about incorporating them as an essential way of teaching a subject other than English.

Is there a bad place to post a poem? Vardell says in essence, “absolutely not.” Don’t forget the water cooler, the pencil sharpener, the hallways of corporate America and the bulletin boards in Senior Centers. Poetry Aloud Here is an exquisite book that will NOT sit on the shelf collecting dust but will have dog eared pages and scribbles in the margins very soon after adding it to the classroom collection of any elementary or middle school teacher. Librarians and Media Specialists will have a hard time keeping a copy for themselves because it will constantly circulate.

Advanced Children's Literature: Historical Fiction

2008-12-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

Yep, Laurence, with Dr. Kathleen Yep. THE DRAGON'S CHILD: A STORY OF ANGEL ISLAND. New York: Harper Collins, 2008.

Laurence Yep at his finest and we all know that is saying quite alot! Laurence and his niece, Kathleen have researched their family saga and located written records and photos of Laurence's father, grandfather, and uncles as they immigrated back and forth from China to America numerous times. The novel is a fusion of fact and fiction, all profoundly enlightening. Students will be unfamiliar with concepts such as in the late 1800's often Chinese gentlemen of means left their wives and young children at home and traveled to America and left them for many years at a time. Despite the fact that much money was mailed back home to the family, sometimes children would not see their fathers or older brothers for 8 years or so and not remember them when they returned. The Yeps write of honor, of the main character being punished by his uncle and teacher for doing what came naturally, writing with his left hand, of thinking he should be able to stop stuttering just because he father tells him to. The scary journey to a new country is very realistic and the stuttering of the main character will personalize this young man for some. Trying to win our parental approval will resonate with all and the young boy's practice and nervousness about his interview with the crossing officials will be familiar to anyone who is or was ever new to public speaking. The photo of a handsome young boy in a black beret, red suit, and black tie is acknowledged on the back jacket as being from the Yep family. An exceptional book in many ways. Recommended for 2nd-7th grades, truly for all ages. A powerful and moving family saga that would resonate with new immigrants from any culture.

Advanced Chldren's Literature: Poetry

2008-12-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

Paschen, Elise, editor. POETRY SPEAKS TO CHILDREN. Illustrators, Judy Love, et. al.
Sourcebooks MediaFusion, 2005.

I've never read a better anthology for young children. The audio and book are both stronge enough to stand alone but it is a very rich multisensory experience for children when both are used. The most compelling tracks on the CD were those read by the authors, especially authors that have passed away long ago. I guess my favorite was "Wolf" by Billy Collins, a poet hitherto unknown by me and his presentation was marvelous. Gwendolyn Brooks, "The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves, or, What You Are You Are." was my absolute favorite, the delivery perfection. I had not heard or read this since my childhood so it was an absolute delight, it made me laugh and scream with joy! I listened to the CD separately from reading the book and missed identifying the narrations by Sandburg and Tolkein. James Berry's "Okay, Brown Girl, Okay" was a very moving illustration and the performance stellar as well. Langston Hughes, a favorite poet friend to many children has one of his signature poesm, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" included in the collection. This is not one of Hughes best oral deliveries but it is pure Americana with its talk of the Midwest, the Mississippi River, and Abe Lincoln. Included is a multifaceted delivery of "The Dentist and the Crocodile" by Roald Dahl who is both droll and animated simultanesouly. Ogden Nash is another very much suited to the oral tradition and his selection may introduce his humorous essence to children for the first time. The inclusion of American icon, Robert Frost reading "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is one of the crown jewels of the collection. Frost is the voice of a forgotten America, an America of daily interaction between neighbors, where working with one's hands and working the land were standard daily fare. The Frost recitation is a very teachable moment. I would recommend teachers, librarians, and parents showing photos of the poet at the JFK inauguration. With the current political season they may be inspired to watch the inauguration of our 44th President. After teaching a unit of poetry, teachers of all aged children could speculate and have the children themselves guess which poet Barack Obama might select for his inauguration. The illustrations, some full color, some black and white are overall inspired. The idea of putting every word in the title in a different color is effective and will draw in a child's eye. Using a standard type for the author's name and multiple fonts for the titles proved very successful, a thoughtful concept that added to the volume. I like the fact that every poem was not on the audio. Some poems and books are better read silently, other better read aloud, still others listened to. First rate editing by Paschen in that decision and many others. Exemplary!

Advanced Children's Literature: Poetry

2008-12-08T11:26:00.001-08:00

Prelutsky, Jack. THE BEAUTY OF THE BEAST: POEMS FROM THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. Illustrated by Meilo So. New York: Knopf, 1997.

An unusual collection of poetry that will be very appealing to many children. An exceptional bridge to extend or even begin poetry in Science class rather than relegating it only to the Language Arts curriculum. The book is very well organized with an Index of Authors and Titles. On first glance it appears that illustration is the most unique component of the book, but upon the reading one can see the writing is equally broad. There is of course, Seamus Heaney, Robert Frost, Ogden Nash, Eve Merriam, Jane Yolen and Carl Sandburg, but there is also Ted Hughes (rather than Langston), D.H. Lawrence, and John Milton. An intriguing collection of animal poems. Meilo So illustrates the book with movement throughout. Special favorites are drawings of mixed media of a trout leaping from a lake, a sloth haning from a tree, Zolotow's Raccoon digging in the trashcan finding a green bottle that once contained alcohol, wasps and bees flying from apple and pear trees, gold fish and koi. The table of contents says it best with chapters entitled, "In Trillions we Thrive," "Jubilant We Swim," "Wrapped in Coats of Fur," "Dragons in Minature," and "Hollow-Bones Singers." Unique and of the highest quality, the book will prove to be utilitarian rather than esoteric. Job well done!

Advanced Children's Literature: Realistic Fiction

2008-12-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

Grimes, Nikki. THE ROAD TO PARIS. New York: Putnam, 2006.

No, Paris, you are not unique, Dicey Tillerman's grandmother didn't want to take in her grandchildren either! Paris and Malcolm are abandoned by their twice divorced mother, separated and put into foster home after foster home. Paris is a really tough sell, a hard cookie but kind yet no-nonsense Mrs. Lincoln finally wins her trust. A coming of age during hard times in the city story, in the end Paris must choose between Mom Lincoln's love and guidance and living with her own mother again. The suburbs have been fun but Paris decides she can't risk the chance of loosing her brother for good or never really getting to know her mother. Mom Lincoln has taught her one of the most important lessons in life, "judge each person by his own actions." This helps Paris put racial epithets and her birth mother's new husbands in proper perspective. A rich and believable page turner that reads like a diary that has been found hidden. I wanted Paris to stay with the Lincoln's where love and safety were assured but blood is thicker than water and Paris cannot live wondering about the "what might have beens." In depth characterization, true to life dialog, Grimes has an ear for language and the hearts and minds of middle school children. The surprise would be if there were not a gold medal on the cover!

Advanced Children's Literature: Traditional Tales

2008-12-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

Ragan, Kathleen, editor. OUTFOXING FEAR: FOLKTALES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. New York: W. W. Norton, 2006.

Recent Aesop Prize winner Kathleen Ragan is compared in Jack Zipe's introduction to Scheherazade from "Thousand and One Knights" as she seeks to end the fear that has gripped the world since 9/11. Zipe notes that the last chapter is not written in this book, there is no final fairy tale ending, that we must write it ourselves. Ragan's frame tale is best personified to me by a short tale from Persia about a third of the way through the volume, "The Frightened Fox." Ragan seeks to recisitate and challenge us with old tales from a myriad of cultures to be more introspective and cautious before acting, not fearful, but careful. The tales are heavy on Celtic tradition but feature many from Native American Culture, Asia, Australia, Ukraine, Africa, New Zealand, and others. "The Maiden Who Lived with the Wolves" is a personal favorite. Because the wolves cared for and fed the Maiden who was mistakenly left behind, the Sioux People of North America learned the lesson of the wolves and began hunting not only for themselves but also for widows, children, and elders who were unable to hunt for themselves. Marty Blake's cover art of the most ominious looking fox in memory standing atop a high leaping flames of fire under a full moon sets the tone for the book. A noble project and affecting book similar in purpose to "Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs." Useful for humans of all ages and persuasions.

Advanced Children's Literature: Informational

2008-12-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. BLACK POTATOES: THE STORY OF THE GREAT IRISH FAMINE, 1845-1850. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.

From the award winning author who brought us GROWING UP IN COAL COUNTRY and KIDS ON STRIKE this is an affecting volume to say the least. The tale is full of emotions, both raw and powerful and first person accounts that one would not find in a textbook. The Census Bureau tells us that 36 million Americans claim Irish heritage which is 9 times the current population of Mother Eireland. Some sources say there are more Irish Americans than any other subgroup in the country. Others say German ancestry is a bit more common or that the 2 countries are very similar in percentage of the U.S. population. Even without that being said there is a real case to be made that the volume should be required reading for students of all ages. One sincerely hesitates to use the word loosely but the Potato Famine is in many ways the Holocaust of the Irish. There was forced labor every hour of daylight, beatings, families separated, and more than anything else starving people everywhere while there was plenty of food available in the land. The book goes a long way in describing the enmity of the Irish and the English and the root causes. In our current economic times the book makes an especially powerful statement. The English thought it was their right to make a profit no matter the consequences and their laissez faire government didn’t believe in intervention. Some of the wealthy Irish landowners seem to have concerred. Bartoletti uses numerous primary sources and traveled to Ireland to do her own research. Almost every double page contains pen/pencil and ink drawings, most taken from the Illustrated London News. Bartoletti is careful to be objective about the causes and consequences of the famine as exidenced in the following quote: “No matter how historians interpret the facts, this truth remains: while people were starving, ships filled with Irish grain and livestock headed to England and other markets.” Bartoletti uses a traditional Irish ballad or blessing to introduce each chapter. Two large and simple dated maps will be useful to school children, teachers, and students of genealogy. The cover by Lisa Diercks is striking. It should come as no surprise that this volume received the Robert F. Siebert medal.

Advanced Children's Literature: Poetry

2008-12-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

Sidman, Joyce. MEOW RUFF. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.

A very unusual volume that had to have face to face or computer to computer collaboration, unlike the many picture books whose author and illustrator have never met and may not even be familiar with eat others style. The majority of the illustrations by Michelle Berg are created from the words of the poem. A bit like an e.e. cummings poem in color and on steroids. The illustrations that aren’t created from words are brightly colored and employ basic shapes. My pages contain a large green circle full of words. One of the best trees: “EACH LEAF RIPPLING AND QUIVERING EACH TWIG NODDING AND SHIVERING EACH BRANCH FEELING THE WIND’S WHISPER...” A picnic table gives a horizontal definition: PLATFORM FOR PICNICS AND ANTS AND CROWS. The poem tells the story of a new puppy who escapes from his new home and explores the neighborhood and runs into a possible new friend. Kitty says MEOW? Dog says RUFF. Not appealing to this writer but shouldn’t be discarded either. With books and music there is no right or wrong, just individual taste. Poems are too important not to be approached in a variety of ways. If this is what it takes to get a child to fall in love with poetry this writer is 100% for it.

Advanced Children's Literature: Poetry

2008-12-05T16:44:00.001-08:00

Greenfield, Eloise. IN THE LAND OF WORDS. New York: HarperCollins, 2004.

This is an upbeat volume of 21 “new and selected poems” by Greenfield. A good book for aspiring young writers, Greenfield mentions in her opening author’s note that she is often asked by children where she gets her ideas and she says there is no easy answer. Sometimes she tells us they come from dreams, other times memories, but she says often they just fill her head like a surprise and she has no idea where they have come from. Many poems are prefaced with a short commentary by Greenfield. One of the truly unique things about the book are the illustrations by Jan Spivey Gilchrist. Gilchrist uses felt for the artwork on the cover and each page. She uses scissors to cut the felt and big and small stitches to make collages. One of the most elaborate pages features beautiful satin stitch embroidery and french knot stitches with fancy ribbon for thread. This illustration accompanies the poem, “Flowers” and the idea for this poem is truly a collaboration. Gilchrist sent Greenfield a drawing she’d made of her husband & daughter and asked her to write a poem about stepfathers. Greenfield comments, “I could see and feel the love and care of a father, and the words came.” One of the poems that will be especially appealing to children is “Nathaniel’s Rap.” “It’s Nathaniel talking and Nathaniel’s me I’m talking about my philosophy About the things I do And the people I see All told in the words Of Nathaniel B. Free That’s me And I can rap I can rap I can rap rap rap” Here Gilchrist draws on the felt to show Nathaniel dancing around as he raps. Both author and illustrator have previously won the Coretta Scott King award.

Advanced Children's Literature: Poetry

2008-12-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

!PIO PEEP!: TRADITIONAL SPANISH NURSERY RHYMES. Selected by Alma Flor Ada & F. Isabel Campoy. English Adaptations by Alice Schertle. Illustrated by Vivi Escriva. New York: HarperCollins, 2003.

This volume is a perfect companion to Jane Yolen’s THIS LITTLE PIGGY which is Anglo-European/American in focus. Thirty poems from the folklore tradition are featured in this bilingual text. It is a multicultural poetry collection with talented and famous contributors. Ada has won dozens of awards and collaborated with the celebrated Spanish artist, illustrator, and marionette maker from Madrid, Vivi Escriva on many volumes. Many will recognize the name Alice Schertle, as an author and poet with over 30 children’s books to her credit. Campoy brings a variety of experiences to play as co-editor of this delightful book. She is a playwright, researcher of Hispanic culture, renowned poet and storyteller. The care and passion woven into the book is obvious after only a page or two is turned. The authors offer a seminal introduction that is more of a plea than a justification for the uses of poetry, folklore, song, and play both in the home and in the classroom. The detailed “About the Authors” page is equally well written and impassioned. Ada states, “The words of nursery rhymes give both wings and roots to my soul.” And that she says is the reason she continually looks for ways to share them with children. Campoy is no less passionate when she proclaims, “The word, when sung, conveys the pleasure of rhythm, just like a beating heart!” The all agree that folklore is often a child’s first experience with literature and be a precursor to learning to read. The poem, “The Little Boat” seems to naturally follow the tune of “Miss Mary Mack” featured in THIS LITTLE PIGGY. The text notes tell us that “Sea Serpent” is played just like “London Bridge.” The book is populated with dolls, angels, tortillas, animals, and cinnamon. It is truly a challenge to choose a favorite verse but I must say that “Now Softy the Roses” and “Sleep Now, My Baby” are noteworthy additions to the collection. As in THIS LITTLE PIGGY finger plays, games, lullabies, and traditional rhymes are included. A wonderful addition to any personal, educational or professional collection.

Advanced Children's Literature: Poetry

2008-12-02T18:20:00.001-08:00

HERE’S A LITTLE POEM: A VERY FIRST BOOK OF POETRY. Collected by Jane Yolen & Andrew Fusek Peters. Illustrated by Polly Dunbar. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2007.

Excellent Read-aloud with verse from familiar childhood poets Langston Hughes, Eve Merriam, Mary Ann Hoberman, Michael J. Rosen, Margaret Wise Brown, Jack Prelutsky, Nikki Grimes, Paul Janeczko, Rosemary Wells, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Delightful and imaginative colored drawings, some bright, some muted, large type and plenty of “white space” although this space is actually colored. Many times an 8 line poem will take up a double page spread. This volume proves a perfect book for any young person or anyone who loves a young person. This writer found some favorites both familiar and new; “Piggy Back,” “Cat Kisses,” and Gertrude Stein’s “I Am Rose.” Amazing, who knew, you feminist poet you! Both beautiful and fun to read, look at, and hold. As one would suspect most poems include traditional rhyme and meter as opposed to free verse. The book is a very good collection for participation, repetition, and memorization. Recommended for all libraries, homes, and classrooms!

Advanced Children's Literature: Poetry

2008-12-02T17:52:00.000-08:00

THIS LITTLE PIGGY: Lap songs, Finger plays, Clapping Games, and Pantomime rhymes. Jane Yolen, editor. Will Hillenbrand, illustrator and musical arrangements by Adam Stemple. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2005.

This volume is without an equal! It should be required reading and purchase by all new parents. Thank goodness for little ones that preschool teachers, elementary school media specialists, music teachers and children’s librarians will find this an indispensable guide to teach these rhymes and play these games with children if their parents forget. The book includes brightly colored mixed media illustrations, poetry and rhymes, instructions for playing and often a musical score. Also included is an audio CD but the book is perfectly capable of standing on its own as proven by the fact that the local library circulates the volume even if the CD gets lost or stolen which has happened to the copy checked out by this reviewer. Many children today are growing up without a link to the cultural heritage that a few generations ago we all knew, taught our children, and practically took for granted. The ditties are predominately Anglo and from Great Britain but a few are pure Americana. Variety is also a highlight of the book. We have Pease Porridge Hot, Pease Porridge in America, Pease Porridge in the City. One ditty has a versions from New York City, Australia, and Worcest, England. Miss Mary Mack is shown in a Pennsylvania verse from 1888, a Boston version from 1865, and a 1895 version from St. Louis as well as the non-dated and probably original version from Shropshire, England. Patty-Cake Around the World includes the version commonly used in Spain, Germany, and Italy. Extensively researched with a bibliography of 12 titles and accessibility is insured by an Index of First Lines. Jane Yolen uses the classic baby game “peek-a-boo” in her introduction and assures adults that none included in the volume are difficult to teach or perform. But, she goes on to say, “the unite us across borders, across ages, and across abilities. Even before a child can talk, can walk, can name the parts of the body, play time is essential. The lap is a kind of schoolroom. What a child learns there is learned forever.” The governor of the State of Georgia distributed several CDs of classical music to each new baby before they left home from the hospital. The next time there are funds available, this educator suggests this purchase would be equally useful for cognitive development and would also encourage bonding, emotional development, and a sense of cultural history, a sense of belonging. If your favorite lapsit storyteller does not have access to a copy consider this for holiday gift giving!

Advanced Children's Literature: Fantasy/Graphic Novel

2008-12-02T17:09:00.000-08:00

Charise, Mericle Harper. FASHION KITTY New York: Hyperion, 2005.

Fashion Kitty is an adorable series and this written by a reviewer that ordinarily has a distinct distaste for graphic novels even though she thinks they are perfectly acceptable for children to read. Kiki Kitty lives with her 4 year old sister Lana and their parents. There are a few abnormalities about Kiki’s family. They are vegetarians with a cat named Mousie, they all prefer striped underwear and Kiki’s Mom lets the girls totally pick out their own clothes without regard to which colors or patterns they mix. This is the seed that gives birth to Fashion Kitty. Having a sister with the very opposite of good taste in clothing is also a contributing factor. Kiki becomes Fashion Kitty after she is hit on the head with a stack of fashion magazines and the sequence of events that follow. Fashion Kitty has unique super-cat qualities, such as a brain that can mix and match hundreds of outfits in a split second, supersonic feet that help her bounce, bounce really high before she takes off in flight to solve a fashion crisis that her ears always seem to pick up from near or far. Fashion Kitty is a younger Stacey London from “What not to Wear.” The message of being yourself, that different means different, not better or worse is a very positive one that will be picked up unknowingly by Fashion Kitty’s bevy of young female readers. The pink, white, and grey illustrations are truly unique and the multicolored cover replete with glitter and a curlyque font will draw in young female readers by the hundreds. One of the things that will be especially enticing about the book is that in the center of volume 1 there are full color full page drawings of Fashion Kitty. Readers are instructed to cut on the dotted line and abracadabra we have a flip book full of dozens of fashion combinations. There are three sections on each page, the hair and face, the mid section with blouse or jacket and the bottom with assorted shoes, skirts, and jeans. There are phrases on the back of each third of the page which changes as the wardrobe is flipped back and forth such as “super cute outfit” and “look at that swanky ensemble.” The book will be an instant hit with girls aged 6-11. A girl may complain about being required to read “Little House” or “Little Women” but complaining about Fashion Kitty is pos

Advanced Children's Literature: Realistic Fiction

2008-12-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

McDonald, Megan. JUDY MOODY. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2000.

JUDY MOODY is the first in a series about a mischievous 3rd grader, her brother Stink, best friend Rocky, parents, and her cat named “Mouse.” Judy is in a very bad mood. She wishes summer hadn’t ended and she didn’t have to face the first day of school without a t-shirt with writing on the front, a t-shirt from an amusement park or tourist attraction. Judy seems to have a reputation and guesses correctly that her new teacher will put her on the very front row. That Judy had to vacation at her Grandmother’s house and stay in state makes this tale especially realistic in the current recession with its high gas prices and budget restrictions that most public school children will come to be familiar with. The titles are published by a firm known for their beautiful picture books and fairy tale renditions and the illustrations though black and white pencil and charcoal drawings are amusing and add much to the appeal of the books. It is said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. I must admit both that I thoroughly enjoyed reading the title and it reminded an awfully lot of JUNIE B. JONES. The publication date indicates that Barbara Park’s series was published first. I prefer the more square size of Judy Moody and the fact that it has a table of contents that is illustrated. The title contains substantially more pages than a “JUNIE B.” book and more illustrations as well. I predict a great probability that it will be popular with the 1st-4th grade crowd. The fact that it has more pages than Barbara Parks series may be good for the ego and or book report rules of 3rd and 4th graders. The writing is engaging and students will enjoy reading about Judy’s new pet, a Venus fly trap and the little brother Stink who insists on going everywhere Judy goes. It’s refreshing to see a girl whose best friend is a boy and entertaining to see how much she despises Frank Pearl (compare to “Meanie Jim”), who has a crush on Judy. McDonald does an admirable job of making her characters less than homogenous with an African-American teacher and pet store employee. Wholesome and just plain fun, this series will make a good addition to the beginning chapter book collection in your public library or media center. They would also be excellent to have in a classroom reading collection and as they are available in paperback that is a realistic proposition.

Advanced Children's Literature: Traditional Tales

2008-12-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

Pinkney, Jerry. THE LITTLE RED HEN. New York: Dial/Penguin, 2006.

Even for my favorite Mr. Pinkney, it is no hyperbole to say this is one of his truly remarkable efforts. The text is sparse but perfectly suited for reading aloud or repetitive responses. It is written in a manner so as to be obviously true to the oral tradition with the text full of dialog. Who will help the little red hen? No, not the short brown dog, the tall black goat, or the round pink pig! And our heroine does not enable their lazy behavior. A perfect choice to read to Pre-Kindergarten through first grade children for practice in predicting outcomes. A stellar example of a traditional tale that will seem fresh and new to students who may never heard the tale and adults who have heard it dozens, perhaps hundreds of times. Especially delightful are the bright and detailed illustrations of the little red hen and her chicks that are full page spreads. A perfect blending of art and letters and an undoubtably welcome addition to any library or personal collection.

Advanced Children's Literature: Informational/ Biography

2008-11-28T16:37:00.000-08:00

Adler, David A. DR.MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Illustrated by Colin Bootman. New York: Holiday House, 2001.

This book is a Holiday House Reader, Level 2 book. I very much prefer Adler’s Picture Book Biography Series, but because of the current popularity of leveled readers and the essential and perennially appealing subjects of Dr. King, the holiday named in his honor, Black History Month, and the study of Civil Rights the book will certainly find an audience. The writing and illustrations are dull and unimaginative. This may be an unfair criticism such as wanting a “Rookie Reader” to be a book that a child will automatically reach for. The book is adequate but does not do justice to the man or the movement. It appears to be written for profit, with an agenda possibly of being used with a "fill in the blank" type of school report ditto. With books like Marzollo & Pinkney's HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARTIN LUTHER KING, Rappaport & Collier's multiple award winning MARTIN'S BIG WORDS, Christine King Farris' MY BROTHER MARTIN or MARCH ON! I believe it would truly be a rare teacher, parent, or child that would prefer Adler's version. I am surprised and disappointed by the lack of quality in this work. I would not purchase it for a public library and only if a teacher made a specific request would I purchase it for a media center. I would first attempt to talk the educator into one of the above titles. If the demand is high for a leveled book about MLK, Robin Hill School's MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY, in the Ready-to-Read series, level by McNamara is a remarkable improvement over this Adler volume.

Advanced Children's Literature: Traditional Tales

2008-11-28T16:31:00.001-08:00

Pinkney, Jerry. NOAH’S ARK. New York: SeaStar Books, 2002.

The Senior Mr. Pinkney does not disappoint with this Biblical retelling. His signature style of blended and flowing earth tones is very much apparent but with a tiny and positive addition. Almost every page has a small spot of strikingly vivid color that jumps right off the page and in most every instance that color is lipstick red. From poppies to tomatoes, the butterfly wings on the cover, apples, Noah’s belted sash, the nose of the baboons, a pomegranate, a lobster or a woman’s shawl the technique draws the eye in and causes it to linger. Though the illustrations of all the animals are uncommonly beautiful the numerous close ups and details of the humpback whales and doves approach legendary to this writer. The inside front cover may prompt some very interesting discussions as a wooly mammoth and brachiosaurus are pictured near the top of the spread in much smaller scale than the various other animals that are represented. Pinkney does a superlative job of showing children the enormous amount of work that went into the making of the ark by showing the beams, frame, scaffolding, and towers used to complete the project. The picture in the center of the book is an imaginative likeness of the ark with little else on the spread except sea and sky. The technique is especially effective in illustrating the incredibly long horizontal façade of the ark that Pinkney sees in his mind’s eye. Many pages show details such as board by board, plank by plank pictures and items that would be of special interest to children such as the stalls of the zebra and the giraffe, how the bottom of the ark appeared to the creatures of the deep looking up from below. The use of quotations from Genesis are very effective at the beginning and end of the book when God gives Noah instructions about making the ark, who and what to bring aboard, and the promise that a similar flood will not happen in the future. Pinkney’s text flows smoothly and seamlessly whether one is reading the a paraphrase or a quote. A section of text that is sure to delight children is “The zebras munched their hay. The geese gobbled up the grain. The monkeys nibbled on sweet grapes and climbed to the roof where the sparrows perched and sang.” Pinkney is such a master his words would conjure up beautiful pictures even if one could listen alone and not caress the pictures with ones eyes. Pinkney’s volume is a noteworthy addition to an oft written story.

Advanced Children's Literature: Informational/Biography

2008-11-28T14:25:00.000-08:00

Winter, Jonah. DIZZY. New York: Recorded Books, 2007. Narrator: Kevin R. Free. Print Edition illustrated by Sean Qualls, Scholastic, 2006.

After spending time with both the print and audio edition in a read-along set it is hard to ponder which one this writer would select if forced to make a choice. This book is written to be read aloud and Free does the best children’s narration I’ve heard in many a year. Quall’s illustrations, however, beg to be enjoyed as well. The bound volume is reminiscent of the layout, font style, and rather sparse use of muted colors that Lane Smith employs when he teams up with Jon Scieska in THE STINKY CHEESEMAN. The stylized drawings are integral to the text and “speak” especially of the emotions of Mr. Dizzy Gillespie from birth until his ascent into “Jazz Heaven” in the sky. Emotions that could in no way have been conveyed by reading the text alone. The story of this class clown born into abject poverty in the rural South that overcame child abuse, Jim Crow and successfully bucked the status quo of swing to create an entirely new form of jazz, bebop may encourage students in difficult situations that persistence is a vital component of success. From being picked on because of his small stature as a child, children will find someone who understands what it’s like to be bullied, to be different. One can imagine it would speak to the whole realm of children from slower learners to gifted students. In fact my supposition is that it would speak especially strongly to children on the edges of the classroom more than the mythical “average” children. This volume could certainly plant a seed that will help students realize it’s much more than okay to be different, it is preferable. A very effective ending reminding students that the very things that got Dizzy in trouble when he was younger; breaking all the rules, trying hard to stand out from the crowd, challenging authority, were the very things that made him successful in the end. A distinguished contribution to children’s literature; DIZZY has that all-important characteristic of being thoroughly approachable. The Author’s Note does an outstanding job of fleshing out jazz history as it relates to Gillespie by mentioning Cab Calloway, Charlie Parker, and Thelonius Monk. It also makes a teachable moment of the fact that Dizzy was different in many positive ways relating to his personal life by staying married to the same woman and eschewing drugs all his life.

Advanced Children's Literature: Realistic Fiction

2008-11-28T14:19:00.000-08:00

Codell, Esme Raji. SAHARA SPECIAL. New York: Listening Library, 2003. Narrator: Phylicia Rashad. (Print edition by Hyperion, 2003.)

SAHARA SPECIAL is truly an inspiring, uplifting tale about an only child being raised by a single mom in downtown Chicago. Sahara is an imaginative child who spends each Saturday in the neighborhood public library reading, writing her life story, which she hides in the 900 biography section, and dreaming of becoming a writer. She, however, never does her class work during either the hours she is mainstreamed or in self-contained Special Education. In Special Ed. each day she writes letters to her father who abandoned she and her mother on Sahara’s birthday. These letters are put in Sahara’s file to document her “special needs.” Sahara’s mother is concerned about the methods of instruction and the behavior of her peers in the Special Needs program so in 5th grade she refuses Special Education support for her daughter. Though terrified of spending all day in the “regular” classroom Sahara has a new and different teacher, Ms. Porte’, who tells the students they may call her “Miss Pointy.” Miss Pointy refuses to have preconceived ideas about her students or read their permanent records. They journal daily, read silently and hear stories told by Miss Pointy. With an unorthodox teacher that plays to her strengths Sahara’s confidence begins to grow and she slowly makes friends and is invited by female classmates to join their “club.” Sahara really turns a corner when she finally gets a rainbow star sticker in her journal and is coaxed to read her family story aloud in front of the class. Her classmates are astounded at her vocabulary and writing talent and their support coupled with Porte’s helps her begin to branch out and try her hand at writing fiction. She and her mother become closer in part because Sahara stops hiding her stories from her mother and because of a meeting with Porte’. Mrs. Jones has always loved and been fiercely proud of Sahara, she just never understood the not completing her assignments situation. Sahara realizes she is special but her classmates no longer call her “Sahara Special.” Not only does Ms. Porte’ draw Sahara out of her shell but also another Special Ed. student named Daryl who has often been a teacher’s least favorite student because of his sullen attitude and disrespect for authority. In fact Ms. Porte’ fabricates a story to the Special Ed. teacher in front of her students stating that Daryl’s mom has refused services for her son but the note must have become lost. Ms. Porte’ knows she will have more success with Daryl and in the end she does, much to his surprise. Recommended for students in grades 3-7 the story exemplifies the lasting difference one teacher can have in the life of a child and the intrinsic value of belonging, reading, writing, books and stories. Codell has a real ear for the cadence of childrens’ speech which will quickly draw in many students. SAHARA SPECIAL is at once a unique and authentic tale. The narration by Phylicia Rashad is exemplary!

Advanced Children's Literature: Historical Fiction

2008-11-26T15:22:00.000-08:00

Speare, Elizabeth George. THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1958.

"Witch" is the story of wealthy Kit Tyler, who leaves Barbados in the late 1600's after the death of her Grandfather and ends up sailing to be with her only known relatives, her aunt, uncle, and cousins from her mother's side of the family in the then colony of Connecticut. Speare's modern classic is as fresh as ever. The characterization of her cousins, Mercy, Judith, her Aunt Rachel and Uncle William are detailed and lively. Kit learns to knit, spin, cook, make candles deftly and without complaining. For a free spirited girl treated akin to royalty from the Carribean this is no easy task! The gentlemen in the story are fleshed out as well, the suitors of the girls, the militia men, the ministers, and the shipmen. The central focus of "Witch" is that Kit keeps her uniqueness and mind of her own and in the end is accepted in part by the Puritan village. Into this world of Puritans there exists one outsider such as Kit, Hannah Tupper an elderly widow-woman who is a Quaker and lives on the other side of the settlement on Blackbird Pond. Hannah is an outcast and perceived to be a witch because she is different than her neighbors. Kit visits and becomes friends with Hannah who understands her and becomes a Grandmother figure to her. Kit's mettle is tested when she must warn and help rescue Hannah from the frenzied crowd as troubles are wrongly blamed on Hannah. Prison, the stocks, going to meeting in frigid weather, all these things Kit learns to bear. The central focus of the story is that Kit keeps her uniqueness and mind of her own and in the end is accepted in part by the Puritan village. Being more educated than the rest of the townspeople, knowing how to swim rather than sinking in the water, her expensive and regal dresses, teaching children to "act out" Scriptures when they tire of reading them all make the townspeople have misgivings about Kit. To earn the respect and approval of her Uncle is perhaps her hardest task. Kit's spirit is tested but never broken. She learns to follow her own conscience rather than the dictates of others as she befriends and teaches a young girl who is abused by her harsh parents and is not allowed to attend school where Kit and Judith serve as teachers. Speare's writing comes alive with a richly detailed setting, potent emotions, and a coming of age story where all three young girls find their mate in a believable fashion. It is easy to understand why this title won the Newbery Medal and almost 50 years later is still in print, on summer reading and Accelerated Reader lists.

Advanced Children's Literature: Realistic Fiction

2008-11-12T17:28:00.000-08:00

Birdsall, Jeanne. THE PENDERWICKS. New York: Yearling, 2005.

I believe Birdsall's first adventure in writing will become a modern children's classic. The Penderwicks relates the story of 4 spirited girls, Rosalind, Jane, Skye, and Batty, and their father the botanist who often speaks in Latin. The family lost their mother when Batty was an infant and she spends her days with fairy wings on her back, and a protective dog named Hound, in the style of Nana in PETER PAN. Rosalind the oldest serves as the matriarch of the brood in many ways. The family is enjoying a 3 week summer vacation on the grounds of an estate not too far from their home in Massachusetts. The story is one of constant adventure and a fast moving plot as the girls become friends with the upper crust maiden's lonely son, an only child, and the housekeeper of the estate and her son. The girls are loyal and supportive of each other but have very unique personalities that Birdsall has fleshed out with great care and detail. Their activities and behaviors are spot on, burning the cookies, sneaking out of the house at night to ramble in the garden and think pre-pubescent romantic thoughts, playing soccer, making new friends, enjoying pets, sharing well most of the time, but not always, bonding with their new friends in an us against the adults type of manner. Particularly satisfying is how the girls encourage Jeffrey to learn to communicate with his mother and stand up for himself. He dreams of going to the Boston Conservatory of Music but his mother and her boyfriend atempt to push him into going to the military academy that his grandfather attended when the boy has no desire or aptitude for that type of study or career. The conclusion satisfyingly ties up the loose ends but leave the possiblity of more books. Young readers and their parents will be glad to learn this wholesome, but totally appealing title has spurned a series. THE PENDERWICKS is reminicent of LITTLE WOMEN but set in modern society and for a younger audience. A must buy title for all elementary collections!

Advanced Literature for Children: Realistic Fiction

2008-11-12T13:34:00.000-08:00

Park, Barbara. JUNIE B., FIRST GRADER: BOSS OF LUNCH. New York: Random House, 2002.

Junie B. Jones is finally a first grader! Park hits another one out of the park by crawling into the skin of a 6 year old who appears to this writer to have a very pronounced case of ADHD. Park is at once authentic in Junie's antics, tone, and language. The book proves equally effective and enjoyable as a beginning chapter book read silently by a student or aloud by an adult. Junie B. is ecstatic when she discovers Mrs. Gladys Gutzman, her favorite lunchroom lady, is back this school year. Junie B's kindergarten teacher, Mrs., has been replaced by Mr. Scary, who along with Mrs. Gutzman finally agree that if Junie B. learns to obey a few school rules she can be a lunchroom helper the next day. Behind the scenes the next day Junie is surprised to learn the kitchen smells like "stinkle" and keeping in character Junie shares her feelings with Mrs. Gutzman. Junie meets with mixed success at her new job as lunchroom helper but is redeemed when Mrs. Gutzman, who is surprisingly as fond of Junie B. as Junie is of her, makes an exception and brings sugar cookies to the 1st graders even though they are no longer kindergartners. Junie B. gets to put on her "real and professional" plastic mitts and pass out cookies to her classmates. A welcome addition to the series that will be enjoyed by students both new to and familar with the other books in the series. Most of the parents and teachers who might be concerned with Junie's manners, grammar, or respect for authority will undoubtly come onboard when observing children devour these titles and automatically want more despite the many distractions of childhood in the technological age. While written for a 1st-3rd grade audience they have wide appeal to K-5th year students.

Advanced Literature for Children

2008-02-09T21:06:00.000-08:00

Sis, Peter. THE WALL: GROWING UP BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.

Prolific juvenile author Peter Sis gives us a most strange but beautiful autobiographical account of being young and living under a totalitarian regime. Sis writes of his life in Czechoslovakia under the shadow of Soviet Communist rule. Overall the writing is more sparse than the pictures but the combination is powerful and moving. The majority of the illustrations appear to be gray and black graphite and pink and red ink, but there are a few pages that are wildly multicolored. In chronological order Sis tells us of the ever more oppressive life in Prague. Using the words COMPULSORY, PROHIBITED, DISCOURAGED in caps and bold lettering is an effective technique. He writes of being forced to wear a red scarf, the symbol of the Young Pioneers Communist Youth Movement, being forced to learn Russian in school and the danger of practicing religion. Pink-red ink drawings have Stalin, Lenin, Krushchev and Brezhnev taking up the majority of the page. He entitles that as the “Time of Brainwashing” Peter’s tale is to him the story of his art because that is the one constant in his life, that he was always drawing………lines, shapes, people, then tank, then war. Drawing whatever he likes at home is the polar opposite to his school work where he draws what he is told. Forced to choose a Russian pen pal the letters are read and graded to reflect allegiance to the party. Particularly moving are excerpts from his journals, 1954-1963. He talks vividly of bits of the West filtering down into society. He wants blue jeans. He secretly tapes recordings of The Beatles. Then more journal entries are included from 1965-1968 when Sis leaves for England. In the center page ones sees a wild utopian kaleidoscope. The work looks like Peter Max! Sis draws the Western influences he is so grateful for, The Beatles and their Yellow Submarine, The Harlem Globetrotters, Jerry Garcia, Allen Ginsburg’s poetry. The journals have small multicolored pictures around the perimeter of the pages. Moving and factual this is a picture book best suited for grades 4 through adult. Information yes, but still a picture book.

Advanced Children's Literature

2008-02-09T17:58:00.000-08:00

Muth, Jon J. ZEN TIES. New York: Scholastic, 2008.

Muth’s second book of Zen ideas peopled by Stillwater the Panda and Michael, Addy, and Karl should come off better both to children and adults. There are bright colored balloons, more contrasting colors and this time Stillwater wears a red gentlemen’s tie. Much of the focus of the book is helping the children realize that the grumpy old woman on their street is really not just grumpy but a retired school teacher who lives alone, is in poor health and feels useless. We find out that “Miss Whitaker” is a retired English teacher and she is delighted to help Michael practice for the spelling bee that he has been very nervous about. The book is populated with many beautiful haiku that will be understood by young children. Muth is often full of word play. His nephew is named Koo. “Uncle Stillwater! summer! I have arrived! seeing you brings smiles.” “Hi, Koo!” says Stillwater. His Author’s Notes in the back are detailed but approachable. He fondly mentions that his father-in-law loved wordplay and he dedicated the “Hi, Koo.” idiom to him. This title would be a great read-aloud and a wonderful book that expresses both the wisdom, fun, and respect, that three generations can share. Much more whimsical and child centered than ZEN SHORTS, this books is a winner! This book tells a smooth and fluid story of finally breaking through Miss Whitaker’s crustiness to find a wonderful neighbor and encourager to the young children in the story.

Advanced Children's Literature

2008-02-09T17:40:00.000-08:00

Muth, Jon J. ZEN SHORTS. New York: Scholastic, 2005.

Muth writes a most unusual story about a Panda named Stillwater who comes to visit a family of children named Michael, Addy, and Karl. Stillwater tells the children that the wind blew his umbrella all the way from his backyard to theirs and he wanted to “retrieve it before it became a nuisance.” Muth continues, “He spoke with a slight Panda accent.” ZEN is a charming picture storybook that is approachable if unconventional. Stillwater wears shorts and plays in the pool with the children, climbs to the top of the highest tree in the neighborhood and introduces two “Zen shorts” based on short traditional tales. The Zen shorts are a traditional tale about the moon and another about luck and a farmer. They break up the multicolored pages and are in a single shade with black and white primitive drawings. Stillwater receives a birthday present from his Uncle Ry because it was Ry’s birthday. Addy brings Stillwater a white cake with a bamboo shoot in the center rather than a candle and he inquires if Addy’s birthday is the occasion for her to present the gift of the cake to him. Stillwater drinks tea with the children and does traditional painting with Addy using a calligraphy brush. The Author’s Note at the end of the book is needed and very appropriate explaining that Zen is a word from the Japanese and means meditation. He mentions Buddha and explains that “Zen shorts” are short meditations to puzzle over that help develop intuition. He relates that of the two traditional tales incorporated in the story one is based on a Japanese artist and another on a famous poet. He mentions that the second story has roots in Taoism and he explains that means it is several thousand years old. I think it would be a better one on one read so the inevitable questions and perspective do not steal the natural pattern and rhythm of the base story. Whimsical drawings with muted colors appear throughout. The most beautiful artwork may well be on the inside book cover and end papers. A shaded purple umbrella and white cherry blossoms are in the front and become a graduated French blue design at the close of the book.

Advanced Children's Literature

2008-02-09T16:24:00.000-08:00

Chodos-Irvine, Margaret. BEST BEST FRIENDS. New York: Harcourt, 2006.

Chodos-Irvine has done an equally splendid job on the flowing dialog and the bright, sophisticated colors that flood the pages. Rather than using primary colors deep, bright multi-colored hues are used. There is never just green, there is teal, emerald green, turquoise, and an almost lime green. There is never simply pink but fuchsia, light pink, rose and salmon and this helps give the book a feeling of 3-D texture, swirls and lines. Picking a true to life subject that any preschool child, preschool or kindergarten teacher, or parent of a young girl will recognize right away makes this book a hit, especially for reading aloud. Clare and Mary are best friends but Mary’s birthday is a bit tough for Clare as Mary is the line leader, the wearer of the golden birthday crown at snack time, and the first to get a pink cupcake with pink sprinkles. Clare angrily tells Mary that if it had been HER birthday the cupcakes and sprinkles would have been prettier because they would have been yellow. The most realistic and one of the most delightful pages is when Mary looks at her “pink dress, pink socks, pink shoes.” As we turn the page Mary is also looking at her pink underpants and we see her belly button and tummy exposed. After the outburst they play with other children during center time but have kissed and made up before the day is over. Cultural markers are gently and matter of factly portrayed. The Pre-K teacher is of Asian descent as are several students. We also see an African American and a Latino child. Chodos-Irvine has a special talent for drawing hair. Mary has wavy brown hair, Clare has dark brown curly hair, and as we look at the playroom floor we see an Asian American child with hair behind her right ear and an African American girl with a purple headband and gorgeous corkscrew curls. Young ones will laugh whether read at home with a family member or during circle/storytime. Who has not heard a pre-school girl yell to her best playmate, when things are not going her way, “Well you can’t come to my birthday party!”

Advanced Children's Literature

2008-02-09T15:44:00.001-08:00

Beaumont, Karen. BABY DANCED THE POLKA. Illustrated by Jennifer Plecas. New York: Dial, 2004.

Baby Danced the Polka is an engineered book with flaps for little hands to open on every other right hand page. The book is not the typical 32 page picture story book but is substantially shorter. From the cover and throughout, the illustrations captivate with the illusion of motion. Baby dances the polka with the polka-dotted pig, the boogie woogie with the frisky little goat, the cha-cha with a brown cow. “Baby shooby-doobied with the shaggy little sheep!” Children will probably not care one iota but the book is set in Arkansas. “Papa shaved his whiskers, And Mama washed her wig.” “Papa hauled the water, And Mama fixed the chow.” Dad wears “long johns” and says he’s tuckered out by the end of the story. On more than half the pages the illusion of movement is assisted by an old fashioned “rag rug” that looks like a cinnamon roll of multi, repeating colors. It could have been homemade or ordered from Sears and Roebuck but it is a very important device in creating the illusion of circular dancing that populates the story. When Dad gets his fiddle and Mom her dancing shoes even their gray tabby cat spins around with a smile. A country cabin, a patchwork quilt palate for baby to lie on, lend authenticity to the setting. The colors are predominately lime green, purple, and blue. The story could have occurred anywhere but the Arkansas family is depicted without prejudice or stereotype, as happy, smiling, hardworking parents, who dote on their only child. Simply put, the book is delightful!

Advanced Literature for Children

2008-01-26T22:26:00.000-08:00

Review of LYLE AT THE OFFICE

Waber, Bernard. Lyle at the Office. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994.

Rather than the better known IRA SLEEPS OVER or the first book in the Lyle series, LYLE, LYLE, CROCODILE I decided to read LYLE AT THE OFFICE.

No human child or adult is as happy or popular as Lyle, the bright green alligator with the goofy smile. He and his mother, Felicity live in a multi-storied brownstone with Mr. and Mrs. Primm and their children Joshua and Miranda. Lyle is an integral part of the family and one of baby Miranda’s first words is Lyle. One day when Lyle accompanies Mr. Primm to work life as they know it is changed! Lyle often accompanied the family to the park, to the grocery store, but never before to work. Mr. Primm is an ad man and having trouble coming up with a slogan and campaign for a new cereal modeled after Rice Krispie’s Snap Crackle Pop. The client decides that the only thing that will do is to have a photo of Lyle’s giant smile as he crunches cereal on the box cover. The Primm’s have already declined to have Lyle’s photo on a toothpaste ad and they are adamant that he is happy with his life just as it is and they want no part of him working. Lyle wants to work, after all his mom, Felicity is a nurse. Lyle’s feelings are ignored by the Primms and Mr. Bigg, Mr. Primm’s boss fires him. In the end Lyle and the family happen upon Mr. Bigg hanging from a chandelier in an old house he is restoring. Mr. Bigg implores Primm to return to work and agrees not to use Lyle in an ad campaign. Lyle is happy to be able to visit and make himself useful around the office now and again by sharpening pencils But the real winners are the children in the company day care center that had missed Lyle very much. Bright colors of city life are portrayed in a stylized and almost childish simplicity. The silly smile on Lyle’s face, the goofy expressions of the day care children and the scribbly drawings will attract attention to the artwork that goes hand and hand with the text to tell the story and to give it deeper meaning. City life is portrayed sometimes more realistic and other times more comical. The high rises on the cover are mocha and yellow. Inside the book the brownstones of East 88th Street are often pink, orange, and lime green. Just like OLD MACDONALD HAD AN APARTMENT this is a positive portrayal of city life. The theme of the art of the deal and the art of compromise are well portrayed but more than anything else this is a warm and funny book and a good addition to the Lyle, Lyle Crocodile series.

Advanced Literature for Children

2008-01-26T21:53:00.000-08:00

Review of LIBRARY LIL

Williams, Suzanne. Library Lil. Steven Kellogg, illustrator. New York: Dial, 1997.

Just as much as LIBRARY LION portrayed a typical librarian, LIBRARY LIL portrays a super, duper, tall tale of a figure in LIBRARY LIL. She has super human strength and she wears contemporary clothing. The brightly colored detailed art work is Steven Kellogg at his best. Our story begins, “I bet you think all librarians are mousy little old ladies. Hair rolled up in a bun. Beady eyes peering out at you over the tops of those funny half-glasses. An index finger permanently attached to lips mouthing “Shhh.” Bet you never heard about Library Lil. Lil develops her super human strength as a child for after reading all the children’s books in the library she starts in on the encyclopedia’s carrying an entire set in one hand. When our Lil grows up to be a librarian no one is surprised. Lil undergoes a personality change however when no one shows up for her storytimes. Lil is concerned that the people of the neighborhood prefer to watch television than read. She crowns the TV the “Devil’s Invention,” because it kept her customers away from good books. During a severe storm power is lost in the town and Library Lil and her old bookmobile visit each neighborhood bringing each home candles and books. One day a motorcycle gang descends on the town and settles in. They and their leader, “Bust-‘em up Bill” spend their time hustling at the neighborhood pool hall. The problem comes when Tuesday night rolls around and Bill can’t locate a TV to watch his favorite program, professional wrestling on. Our super human Lil wins a strength challenge and Bill agrees to read a book. Soon he and the entire gang are reading up a storm. They have a fight over who gets to check out THE MOUSE AND THE MOTORCYCLE first! By the end of the book the library has gotten so busy that LiL hires an Assistant who soon becomes known as “ Bookworm Bill.”

A wholly satisfying story whose artwork uses intense but still natural looking color that seems to seep off the page. Movement seems to be effortlessly portrayed by the illustrator as the storm passes through town breaking trees and knocking down power lines and motorcycles speed. People of all sizes, shapes, dress and colors appear in the story. Lil and Bill becomes a pair and she even learns to watch wrestling with him on Tuesday nights. The back cover of the book has one of the most vivid and beautiful illustrations of a 3 tiered wedding cake. On top, surrounded by a gazebo arch of flowers stand Bill and Lil holding up a book equal to half their size entitled LIL hearts B.B. The back cover of the book is painted with the words “and they lived happily ever after.” The book will appeal to boys and girls equally and would make an exciting read aloud. Highly recommended!

Advanced Literature for Children

2008-01-26T21:22:00.000-08:00

Review of THE LIBRARY DRAGON:

Deedy, Carmen Agra. The Library Dragon. Michael P. White, illustrator. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, 1994.

Even for a picture book “Library Dragon” is oversized. I would be hard pressed to find another picture book with superior illustrations. The new librarian in town is a horribly old fashioned librarian who is so set in her ways she becomes a dragon, Miss Lotta Scales. She believes books are to be looked at but never touched, that a good child is a silent one. Teachers and principals are afraid of her rather than the opposite but a plucky red head student named Molly Brickmeyer with the help of Miss Lemon finally get through to “the library dragon” that is transformed by listening to Molly read aloud to her classmates during a library visit. The library dragon takes Molly into her lap and begins to read to the children and her large scales of green, yellow, and purple begin to fall one after the other and she transforms into Miss Lotty, a most pleasant and trendy librarian. An overt message about the transforming power of reading aloud it will be loved by adults, teachers, librarians, kids, and media specialists alike. The illustrations of lime green, bold yellow, bright orange, aqua and fuchsia dominate the pages. Not to be missed is the center picture of the Library Dragon in deep lime green skin and a combination of fuchsia and red eyes behind her aqua cat eyes and jeweled glasses on a chain. Library Dragons paws and talons reach over the book shelf to make sure that her wall sign of “Do not touch the books! For display only” is obeyed. The front and end papers feature hand print sized library scales in shades a touch more subdued than on the inside pages.

In an unusual twist the author and illustrator know each other well and have collaborated on other books. They are both from Atlanta. Deedy is also known for her adult books such as GROWING UP CUBAN IN DECATUR GEORGIA and her presentations on National Public Radio. Illustrator Michael White gives drawing lessons to students on visits and leaves an original work of art with each teacher. He is very reasonably priced as a speaker, or at least he was in the past.

Advanced Literature for Children

2008-01-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

Review of OLD MACDONALD HAD AN APARTMENT HOUSE

Barrett, Judi. Old MacDonald had an Apartment House. Ron Barrett, illustrator. New York: Atheneum, 1969,

Rather than reread and review one of my favorite picture books and a favorite of my students I decided to read another title by the famous team that brought us CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS.

It takes a very special book to carry it’s own against a childhood classic but “Old MacDonald” is a fine book. The cover shows Mr. and Mrs. MacDonald in the pose of American Gothic but instead of a pitchfork, Mr. MacDonald is holding a broom and Mrs. MacDonald’s hair is in a modern updo that resembles a beanie cap. In the background is no pastoral landscape but a large brownstone apartment building. Mr. MacDonald is the Super of the complex and our story begins when the Mrs. has a sad, droopy tomato plant that can’t grow in a healthy manner because of the shrubbery outside their window that keeps the sun out. Mr. MacDonald destroys the shrubs and the focus of our story is begins as the tomato plant becomes healthy and is transplanted to grow outside the window. Mr. MacDonald continues to remove shrubbery and plant vegetables in their wake. A Romanesque statue holding a Grecian urn becomes a self watering pea patch. One family becomes empty nesters and moves out of their 4 room apartment and Old MacDonald moves in soil and proceeds to redecorate in “Late Vegetarian style.” Carrots grow through a tenant’s roof and sweet potato vines grow through the bathroom sink. Tenants get upset and leave but Mr. MacDonald soon begins to see that they are much less trouble than human tenants. Finally a field of clover is planted in one floor and a cow is added. Next comes a chicken. “Fat Mr. Wrental” becomes upset because he is receiving no rent money but he comes up with a compromise business, “Wrental and MacDonald’s Fruits and Vegetables: Fresh Milk and Eggs Hourly.” Even in the winter “when the earth outside was frozen and covered with snow, things were still growing on the steam-heated farm.”

It is hard to say which is more important, the text or the illustrations. They present a unified front and a striking marriage. The graphite line drawings are black and white throughout except for the vegetables that are shaded in with bright colors: peach colored cantaloupes, maroon radishes, green cabbages, orange carrots and tomatoes and red apples, Ron Barrett seems to effortlessly create movement in his drawings and portrays the city in a realistic fashion, full of eclectically dressed people of different nationalities. There is great attention to detail and realism in the artwork with an oval covered walkway and a doorman in uniform, the landlord puffing on a large cigar, people with all types of hats. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS is a hard act to follow but Old MacDonald is a well done and enjoyable undertaking.

Advanced Literature for Children

2008-01-26T19:53:00.000-08:00

Review of LIBRARY LION:

Knudsen, Michelle. Library Lion. Kevin Hawkes, illustrator. New York: Candlewick Press, 2006.

How can a nostalgic, sepia toned book full of sexual stereotypes, a card catalog rather than a computer, librarians who shush and yell things like, "no running" be one of my favorite books of 2006? You just have to read it yourself to believe it. With a Library Director that is male, a female head librarian that wears glasses, SAS shoes, and a bun, and a "story lady" how can we as librarians applaud this book? Because the story and pictures work together seamlessly to show that there is nothing so important in the life of a child as listening to a story, that creatures of all ages should be allowed to enjoy books being read aloud and that everyone is welcome if they obey one simple rule of being relatively quiet.

Miss Merriweather, the Head Librarian makes and follows the rules and when a lovely large lion wonders in for storytime and continues to roar he must leave but he is welcome to come back tomorrow because there is no rule against lions attending storytime. The lion proves that no place else pleases him so much as the neibhborhood library because he always arrives hours before for storytime. Miss Merriweather who looks like a librarian of 1950s Americana realizes the lion isn't going to leave so she puts him to work licking envelopes and dusting books. The library lion gets banned from the library again as he runs to find Mr. McBee at Miss Merriweather's urging as she has fallen and is hurt after reaching a little too far to get a book off the top shelf. The Library Lion's behavior is reminiscent of the television dog Lassie. Mr. McBee is happy to make the lion leave. After all he is making noise. McBee runs to find Miss Merriweather happily mumbling that the lion has broken the rules, broken the rules! After looking high and low around town Mr. McBee finds our lion and brings him back to the library because Miss Merriweather and the children are pining for him. Mr. McBee learns that even in libraries, sometimes rules have to be broken. The faces and hair in the illustration contain all colors. Some men have goatees and longer hair, some look more traditional. We see an Asian mother and her daughter and an African American child. The picture of the lion asleep with his proud handsome head lying in the middle of a denim beanbag chair in the library is pretty enough to frame. The plot and storyline are strong. There is a conflict and it is resolved in a positive way, the lion is found and returns to the library he loves full of humans that love him.

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-12-06T00:45:00.000-08:00

Review of MONSTER

A. Myers, Walter Dean. MONSTER. New York: HarperCollins, 1999

B. PLOT SUMMARY: 16 year old Steve Harmon is studious and his favorite class is media and film making at his Harlem high school. He is articulate and bright and it seems also that he is at exactly the wrong place at exactly the wrong time. There is a robbery at a convenience store. Two young men are designated to rob and or shoot. Someone is to go in and case the joint first and another young man is delegated to keep people outside from coming in to apprehend the suspects. Whether Steve cased the joint ahead of time we are not quite sure. His time in jail is unbearable to him. As he tries to go to bed at night he hears other inmates being beaten, being sexually abused and crying. During the incarceration and the trial Steve keeps a journal. He decides the best way for him to deal with the stress of a possible death sentence or 25 to life is to write a screenplay of his life in jail and his time in the court room. His journal entries are more than poignant and they may well serve the current generation like the documentary “Scared Straight” served my generation.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

I have been a Walter Dean Myers fan for a very long time. I loved MOTOWN AND DEE DEE years ago and have never found a Myers book that I didn’t think was a substantial contribution to YA literature. MONSTER is a particularly moving novel of good and bad and how they too often overlap and become confused especially for young adults living in unsafe urban areas. Myers wrote urban fiction before that was a catch phrase. MONSTER is almost impossible not to read in one sitting.

I can’t imagine MONSTER not appealing to young adults. It is young adult realistic fiction at its finest! MONSTER looks to be printed in Steve’s handwriting and the movie script and commentary appear to be typed which is a very novel looking script for today’s young people. From movie script to journal entries and back again the dialog and narrative flow like a bestseller but there is more depth here than many adult novels currently on the New York Times bestseller list! Steve has never been known to be a violent or tempestuous young man. Neither has he been considered a coward.

I am not usually a bleeding heart regarding crime but I cannot understand how a young man who doesn’t shoot, rob, or kill a man during a burglary could possibly get the death penalty. His attorney is concerned as the trial goes on that Steve begins to look more and more like the young African American witnesses who have done jail time for numerous offenses and are testifying in the trial. Criminals are turning state’s evidence to help their own case which is a common occurrence and problem in our criminal justice system.

I realize that MONSTER is an eight year old but it seems to me just the book that our young African American males need to read today. Males we are loosing to the criminal justice system day after day. This is a book that famous African American men from different parts of the spectrum would applaud in my estimation. Yes, there may be things that Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Bill Cosby could agree upon.

Myers deftly builds up and fleshes out his characters. Steve and his attorney, a white female named O’Brien are written about with an eye for detail and nuance. Steve becomes very real after a few short pages. We root for him. We are scared for him. We want to cry for him and I believe many young people can relate to him. His age will appeal to young readers and the mugshot cover will as well.

Following are some of my favorite excerpts from the novel. All of these come from Steve’s diary. “They take away your shoelaces and your belt so you can’t kill yourself no matter how bad it is. I guess making you live is part of the punishment.” (Myers, page 18)

“Miss O’Brien—I didn’t see her looking at me but I knew she was. She wanted to know who I was. Who was Steve Harmon? I wanted to open my shirt and tell her to look into my heart to see who I really was, who the real Steve Harmon was.” (Myers, page 92.)

“That’s what I was thinking about, what was in and what that made me. I’m just not a bad person. I know that in my heart I am NOT a bad person.” (Myers, page 93.)

Steve is having stomach problems quite often. He just can’t get use to using the bathroom in from of everyone.

“I’ve never seen my father cry before. He wasn’t crying like I thought a man would cry. Everything was just pouring out of him and I hated to see his face. What did I do? WHAT DID I DO? Anybody can walk into a drug store and look around. Is that what I’m on trial for? I didn’t do nothing but everybody’s just messed up with the pain. I didn’t fight with Mr. Nesbitt. I didn’t take any money from him.”

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Horn Book praises MONSTER: “Taylor-made for readers' theater, this book is a natural to get teens reading—and talking.

School Library Journal says, “

From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-Steve Harmon, 16, is accused of serving as a lookout for a robbery of a Harlem drugstore. The owner was shot and killed, and now Steve is in prison awaiting trial for murder. From there, he tells about his case and his incarceration. Many elements of this story are familiar, but Myers keeps it fresh and alive by telling it from an unusual perspective. Steve, an amateur filmmaker, recounts his experiences in the form of a movie screenplay. His striking scene-by-scene narrative of how his life has dramatically changed is riveting. Interspersed within the script are diary entries in which the teen vividly describes the nightmarish conditions of his confinement. Myers expertly presents the many facets of his protagonist's character and readers will find themselves feeling both sympathy and repugnance for him. Steve searches deep within his soul to prove to himself that he is not the "monster" the prosecutor presented him as to the jury. Ultimately, he reconnects with his humanity and regains a moral awareness that he had lost

REVIEWS ACCESSED FROM:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780439272001&itm=2

and

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Walter-Dean-Myers/dp/0064407314/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196930323&sr=1-2

CONNECTIONS:
If students have not read other Walter Dean Myers books I would certainly encourage them to do that. I have a feeling SCORPIONS would be a good mix as Myers’ next book for YAs to read. Victoria Hamilton has many noteworthy books and characters who happen to be African American. I would like to see a field trip to a jail for any child that is grade 4 or above

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-12-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

Review of THE GIVER

A. Lowry, Lois. THE GIVER. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.

B. Plot: The main character, Jonas, grows up in a quasi utopia where no one can think for themselves and “the rules” must always be followed. There is no crime, no love or sex between spouses, no variations in weather, no hills, no mountains. But there are good manners because everyone in the community is subservient to “The Elders” While no disease, no wars, no hurricanes may sound good what the citizens of this new world order give up are emotions, trust among family members, friends, and neighbors. Everyone wears identical clothing and has identical bikes to travel the community in. “The Receiver” is the most important member of the community. The only person who retains any memories of the former world, a world like you and I inhabit now. Jonas during the “Ceremony of 12s” learns he has been chosen to be the new “Receiver” which made the current “Receiver” become the giver. In the end Jonas and a young child escape and have a chance, at least, to find their way back into the real world.

C. Critical analysis:
THE GIVER is a very readable, approachable tale of science fiction. Lowry always tells a good tale and this title is no exception. She takes us into this “safe” and unchallenging life to make us think about what life would be like if everything were grey or white in color and you never even knew that colors existed. Lowry portrays a life where euthanasia for the old and the unhealthy or troublesome young is an everyday occurrence and members of the community think being “released” is a most wonderful thing. The characters are very well developed, especially those of Jonas and The Giver. Their relationship grows in a realistic way at a realistic pace. The two of them are the only citizens allowed privacy (the intercom can be turned off in the Giver’s compound.) permission to lie, and permission to be rude. They also have total access of all community and personal information about each citizen. Most important events like group ceremonies or releases are videotaped.

The book has a very nice flow about it. We are so pleased that Jonas and the Giver have a warm and mutually rewarding relationship that is first centered around their place in society but in the end is centered around creativity over neatness, love that is deep enough to be tough and realistic and at the same time sentimental. Jonas and the giver come to master that most human of all emotions, trust, reasoned, logical trust, based on experience and emotions.

There are many reasons that children will like the adventure of THE GIVER. Jonas, the protagonist is of middle school age and futuristic fiction is often popular among young people. In my experience girls don’t care much if the main character is male or female, but after Junie B. Jones in the kindergarten and 1st grade classroom, boys want to read about boys in the leading role. This would be an excellent volume to discuss with students as you read aloud. I can see the suspense building to a tremendous level if one or two chapters were read aloud after lunch each day. I expect many would try to check it out of the library media center so they wouldn’t have to wait until the next day to see what would happen.

One of the most wonderful parts of the book is when the Receiver tells of his love for his daughter who was to be the replacement Receiver, the post that Jonas holds now. Because of her father’s love for her he could not release all the painful memories to her as soon as he should have. But even the memories and experiences he shares with her make her beg for her “release.” She gives herself the injection of death and her name, Rosemary is never to spoken in this idyllicd world ever again. The dual systems of reality in the book that most people live and know as to the “truth” the Receivers, new, and old know and understand add depth. THE GIVER is a quick and provocative read. I would recommend to 3rd-4th graders through mature adults.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Amazon espouses, “In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy…Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price.

Publisher’s Weekly pronounces, “
In the "ideal" world into which Jonas was born, everybody has sensibly agreed that well-matched married couples will raise exactly two offspring, one boy and one girl. These children's adolescent sexual impulses will be stifled with specially prescribed drugs; at age 12 they will receive an appropriate career assignment, sensibly chosen by the community's Elders. This is a world in which the old live in group homes and are "released"--to great celebration--at the proper time; the few infants who do not develop according to schedule are also "released," but with no fanfare. Lowry's development of this civilization is so deft that her readers, like the community's citizens, will be easily seduced by the chimera of this ordered, pain-free society. Until the time that Jonah begins training for his job assignment--the rigorous and prestigious position of Receiver of Memory--he, too, is a complacent model citizen. But as his near-mystical training progresses, and he is weighed down and enriched with society's collective memories of a world as stimulating as it was flawed, Jonas grows increasingly aware of the hypocrisy that rules his world. With a storyline that hints at Christian allegory and an eerie futuristic setting, this intriguing novel calls to mind John Christopher's Tripods trilogy and Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl. Lowry is once again in top form--raising many questions while answering few, and unwinding a tale fit for the most adventurous readers.

E. REVIEWS ACCESSED FROM:
http://www.amazon.com/Giver-Lois-Lowry/dp/0440237688/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196833437&sr=1-1

F. CONNECTIONS: BRAVE NEW WORLD and ANIMAL FARM come instantly to mind. For younger children and looking from a different vantage point I am thinking about the relationship with Jonas and his little sister, The age and characteristics of the family make it similar in age with the hero of ZUCCINIHI by Barbara Delaney and her shy brother. Crescent Dragonwagon also has a great book about a brother and sister entitled, I HATE MY BROTHER HARRY.

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-11-30T21:29:00.000-08:00

Gantos, Jack. JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL. New York: Farrar, Straus and Girous, 2000.

A.

PLOT SUMMARY: It has been a very long time since Joey has spent time with his father or his paternal grandmother. Finally Joey’s mom gives permission for Joey to spend a good deal of time with him one summer when Joey is middle school aged. Joey wants to please his father but knows his mother really does know best. Joey watches his father, Carter, begin to slip into his old habit of beginning breakfast with a beer. Joey’s grandmother is not quiet with her mutterings and objections to Carter’s behavior.

Still there is much humor in the book and self knowledge that Joey has learned with the help of his mom and his meds. One of the funniest moments is when Joey’s grandmother decides she wants to practice her golfing skills in the park. Putt putt golf is the only thing besides smoking that she seems to enjoy. She has a grocery store buggy and she brings a stepladder to get into the cart and Joey helps her settle in. She wears an oxygen mask at all times, unless she takes a break to smoke. Grandmother has come up with an elaborate scheme to put the oxygen tubing under her dress, through the arm holes, inside her purse and she takes the portable oxygen and holds it in her lap. Getting out of the buggy she trips over the tubing and bloodies her nose. It is funny because she laughs at herself. That makes it better for Joey who sees what’s going to happen before it does but he can’t get there in time to prevent her from falling. Next time Joey offers to take her to the park in the grocery cart Grandma decides that since she “almost lost” her nose right off her face that she better just stick to smoking and watching TV as her hobbies. She decides she is too old for golf practice.

The relationship between Joey and his father is the cornerstone of the book and the way each has learned or not learned as the case may be how to live in a complicated world when ADHD and hypomania cause physiological and behavioral symptoms every day of their lives. Through baseball pitching and bungee jumping Joey wants to be close to his father and he wants his father to be correct that he is becoming a “real man” and has no need whatsoever for the daily patch that Joey’s mom, Joey’s doctor, and Joey himself have learned improves his quality of life day in and day out.

B. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Gantos has told a compelling story that keeps the reader’s attention with uses of both humor and realism. I think it is critical that Gantos has shown that Joey has learned how to take care of his medical needs. He realizes that taking his meds helps him with family relations, school work, getting along with his peers.

The reader can not help but be engaged with the antics in the story. Middle schoolers are the target audience. All people, all children need to read about people like themselves in literature. For ADHD adults but especially for the statistically most prominent of ADHD suffers are boys in grade school.

The story works because it engages the reader. The plot line is believable and the story is realistic and true to life. Joey’s father, mother, and grandmother are portrayed honestly, all having good sides and human failings. The most poignant part is that Joey is more mature than his father in many ways and has to be the adult in many circumstances. A young person could see that divorce is not all bad, that Joey and his mom have done better in their day to day life with Joey’s father Carter.

One of the most common symptoms of ADHD is portrayed realistically, almost overplayed and that is the fact that Joey’s father talks non-stop and rarely listens. He talks over his child and even their first day of being reunited Joey is explaining to his father that to get to know each other they have to talk, think, then listen. Joey’s father at the nursery land park stops beside each display. He keeps trying to treat Joey like an adult. He tells him over and over things like Humpty Dumpty caused him to do a lot of thinking, a lot of thinking about how he needed to make amends to Joey as a parent who had had very little contact with his son because dad’s life was out of control. Carter constantly makes comments like, “Now listen to me son, listen to your old dad. Goldilocks really got me to thinking you know, really helped me get my life together for me and for you. When I need a pep talk I come to see old Goldie and put my life back into focus. You understand boy? Do you know what your old man is saying. When I come to Nursery Land park I remember who I’m suppose to be and how I want to act and cut out my bad habits and treat you right this time. Are you listening to me, son?” (All loosely paraphrased)

The story is believable and deals with topics young children often face today in America. Divorce, illness, not getting to see the custodial parent or their family very often, getting along in school, and learning to control your impulses are all shown realistically. But the plot line moves well, the characters are developed and it is just an interesting story to tell, very readable. Having a young character with ADHD makes the story more relevant to young readers. If Gantos had simply focused on Carter’s illness this would not have been a very big draw or palatable to the average middle schooler.

The most gut wrenching part was listening to Joey’s dad tell Joey that he needs to act like a real man, solve his own problem, and live his life anyway he sees fit. He tells Joey that his Rx patch is unnecessary and simply a crutch in life. He constantly tells Joey not to tell his mother about the drinking, the girlfriend (who is a positive role model), the bungee jumping, the crazy talks late at night, and the problems with temper and impatience that plague his father’s life. When Joey’s dad flushed all the patches Joey brought with him down the toilet despite Joey is very scared but he hopes his father is right about not needing the patch, but he knows better. He remembers life without the patch and Joey wants to take care of his health.

The book does so many things right on so many levels, and not the least of which is to catch the reader, hook the reader early on by having a hero the age of the intended reading audience. It is very clear why this title was chosen as a Newbery Honor book.

Another motif that will appeal to young adults is the struggle to love and accept your parents even when they do bad things. It is good to see that parents are not perfect and that helps kids learn that it is okay if they do not reach perfection. It is typical for a child of divorce to have torn loyalties and fantasize or worry that the parents will get back together. The family, especially his father’s appeared to be blue collar adults in the everyday world.

Joey doesn’t really remember his father well at all and doesn’t know what he will say or do. He is realistically anxious about the reunion with his dad and grandmother and fluctuates between happiness and fear about how they will all get along. Joey’s mom had told Joey that he reminded her of his father. Joey quickly learns why. Gantos writes, “He was wired. No doubt about it………..Now I knew what mom meant when she said he was like me, only bigger.”

C. REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Most of the professional reviews I found were for the book before this one. JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY. It was also highly acclaimed. I am going to go back and read it over the holidays. JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL received a 4.5 out of 5 stars on amazon.com where 126 customers have penned a review. That number of reviewers is very uncommon, even among popular adult books.

Publishers Weekly comments, “
First introduced in Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Gantos's hyperactive hero Joey Pigza has not lost any of his liveliness, but after undergoing therapy and a stint in special ed., he now can exercise a reasonable amount of self-controlDprovided he takes his meds. His mother has reluctantly agreed to let him spend the summer three hours from home with his father, an alcoholic who, so he claims, has taken steps to turn his life around. Readers will sight trouble ahead long before Joey's optimistic perception of his father grows blurry.

REVIEWS ACCESSED AT :

http://www.amazon.com/Joey-Pigza-Loses-Control/dp/0374399891/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product

D. CONNECTIONS:

Though not absolutely necessary I would suggestion children read these books in order, leaving this one for the sequel. There are also “new” Joey books: I AM NOT JOEY PIGZA and WHAT WOULD JOEY DO?

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-11-09T22:02:00.000-08:00

Review of TROUBLE DON’T LAST

A. Pearsall, Shelly. TROUBLE DON’T LAST. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.

B. BOOK SUMMARY: A tale of the Underground Railroad where a young slave named Samuel is forced to escape plantation life with an elderly slave named Harrison. Samuel wasn’t content in his old life, yet he was. It was all he had ever known and he is a character that would prefer the devil he knows to the devil he is unfamiliar with.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

No one seems to be able to say anything bad about Shelley Pearsall’s debut novel and there is good reason. She has an ear for dialect and the constant dialog uses vivid language which will appeal to young and old readers alike. I would recommend the volume for grades 3-9 but many high schoolers would appreciate it as well. Pearsall never talks down to her readers and gives each character an authentic voice. Throughout the story but especially in the beginning Sam tries and tries to figure what set off Old Harrison to suddenly want his freedom so desperately, after all he is 70 years old. Samuel is prone to trouble and often impulsive and lacking self control. Today he would likely be diagnosed, and probably correctly with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The hiding in the woods with little and no food, the howls of the slave hunter’s dogs, the daily risking of life and limb finally begin to make sense to Samuel as he unwillingly grows close to and fond of Old Harrison. Finally, with their escape into Canada they can begin a new chapter in their lives and learn how free men, both black and white live and the new customs that it affords them.

The historical references are not sugar coated here and the patterns of daily living are examined. The use of a young main character will draw in students. The details are authentic but not so numerous that the story is drowned out. Pearsall never talks down to her audience and strives with much success to have believable characters that children and young adults can empathize with and root for as they struggle to find a new life. It is very obvious why this story earned The Scott O’Dell award. It is just great literature, good plot line, dialog, and characterization. A fresh look at a not uncommon topic of historical fiction.

D, Kirkus Reviews praises the volume, “At fellow slave Harrison's insistence, young Samuel is catapulted into an escape attempt from a Kentucky plantation that has been his whole world. Troublesome Sam has been in the care of elderly Lilly and Harrison since the sale of his mother long ago. Life has been so circumscribed by his condition of slavery that it is hard for him to understand the stakes or even want to succeed. Samuel's naivete is realistic but almost irritatingly persistent as danger mounts. Old man Harrison, whose creative ethics and gritty determination guide them on their way, is increasingly revealed as a complex man, and Samuel gradually gains an understanding of himself and the world around him. The vile nature of slavery is not underplayed as the notion of owning a person clearly creates both horrendous hubris and evil in the owner as well as tremendous pain and suffering of the owned. One of the best underground railroad narratives in recent years, Pearsall's portrayal of both helping and helped are more rounded and complex than the more simplistic view often espoused. Greed, hypocrisy, and sanctimonious paternalism are clearly perceived by the fugitives dependent on these strangers who hold lives in their hands. This succeeds as a suspenseful historical adventure with survival at stake and makes clear that to succeed Harrison and Samuel, as well as others, must never give up even while combating manhunters, bloodhounds, mental illness, disease, hunger, cold, and their own despair.

School Library Journal glows,
“Strong characters and an inventive, suspenseful plot distinguish Pearsall's first novel, a story of the Underground Railroad in 1859. Samuel, the 11-year-old slave who narrates the story, is awakened by 70-year-old Harrison, who has decided to flee their tyrannical Kentucky master. Pearsall's extensive research is deftly woven into each scene, providing insight into plantation life, 19th-century social mores, religious and cultural norms, and the political turmoil in the years preceding the Civil War. Samuel's narrative preserves the dialect, the innocence, the hope, and even the superstitions of slaves like Harrison and himself, whose path to freedom is filled with kindness and compassion as well as humiliation and scorn. This is a compelling story that will expand young readers' understanding of the Underground Railroad and the individual acts of courage it embraced.”

D. REVIEWS ACCESSED FROM: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780440418115&tabname=custreview&itm=1

E. CONNECTIONS: My favorite author of historical fiction of slave narratives is Julius Lester. Patricia McKissack has also written and illustrated many such stories with her husband.

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-11-09T21:23:00.000-08:00

Review of MATILDA BONE

A. Cushman, Karen. MATILDA BONE. New York: Clarian, 2000.

B. BOOK SUMMARY:
Orphan Matilda Bone, raised and indulged by Father Leufredus at the priory is forced to stay with Peg (the Red) bonesetter in a scrappy neighborhood without any of the amenities that she is use to or the holy ways. Matilda sought the life of a mystic, spoke in Latin more often than English, and was exceptionally learned for a young girl during the Middle Ages. She expects Father Leufredus to return for her after completing his travels in London. He however never returns and Matilda must adjust to being a servant girl to a bonesetter in an unsavory part of town, learning a trade that she had no desire to learn serving a mistress she first learns to tolerate and later to love as she grows up into a wiser young girl with more street smarts and compassion than she had before.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
The book is a pleasure, really a joy to read. There is much dialog. This would be a great volume for Reader’s Theater with its large sprinkling of humor and internal and external character monologues.

The language is rich but not overwhelming. A volume that is authentic and historically accurate, Cushman does not make the mistake of too much minutiae of the past but concentrates on characterization and dialog. The absolutely best part of the book is the detailed characterization of Matilda, Red Peg, their patients and the people of the village. Matilda springs to life from page one and readers in grades 3-9 will fall in love with her………..over and over again. She is both saucy in her outlook on life but trained for higher learning, keeping the books, studying scripture, praying, and reading about and calling on the Saints each day. This leaves her unexposed to the temporal world she has come to join as a servant girl to a bonesetting female physician with sensuous tastes, words, and habits.

Students will enjoy learning about childhood during the Middle Ages and many will be inspired by the intelligent young girl who unwillingly leaves the life of the cloisters for an earthy existence as a physician’s servant.

Cushman does a praiseworthy job of showing Matilda learning the vernacular of her new surroundings without loosing her spirit. Her lust of the spiritual life becomes lust for life in general and her troubles in the early days of her new life prepare her well to be an independent and educated young woman tolerant of the differences among people, social classes, and philosophies and life’s work. Do not expect preachiness or didacticism. Cushman is way too talented and subtle to do that to her young readers.

One of my favorite passages comes from the introduction of Matilda to Peg. Peg laments Matilda’s thinness and Matilda laments that fact that Red Peg the Bonesetter has no idea that her thinness comes from fasting and having so much to eat one can become particular about what to eat.

“Great gallstones,” Peg said, “God would never have created plump and meaty if He wanted us scrawny. Here, fatten up on some of these goose-liver sausages. Best that can be bought in the market, special for your coming.” As Peg eagerly sliced up the sausages, her hair popped from beneath the kerchief and frizzled about her face, but a bit of sausage grease served to hold it down once again. She licked her sticky fingers and handed a slice os sausage to Matilda. Hungry as she was, Matilda backed away, “I cannot eat sausages.” “Whyever not?” Peg asked. “Father Leufredus says sausages are where the butcher hides his mistakes.”

A passage that describes Matilda’s comparison of her old life with her new follows. The detailed descriptions will help students understand and empathize with Matilda and the counting of the demons may make a few howl with laughter during a read-aloud.
“She treats me like a kitchen maid, though Matilda, As if I am fit for nothing but measuring and brewing. Why, I know Latin and French and some Greek, as well as reading and writing and figuring. I can name the three wise men, the seven deadly sins, and a great many of the 133,306,668 devils of Hell: Abaddon, Abduscius, Abigor……”

“Peg continued to talk, describing Blood and Bone Alley, where ordinary people came to be bled, dosed, and bandaged, with it’s barber-surgeons down this way and leeches down that.”

D. Review Excerpts:

VOYA proclaims,” No one has a better grasp of the flavor of the Middle Ages than Cushman, author of The Midwife's Apprentice (Clarion, 1995/VOYA August 1995). The sights, sounds, and smells of her fourteenth-century town of Chipping Bagthorpe creep into pores and hone senses. The plight of thirteen-year-old Matilda will capture readers' imaginations and hearts…. Slowly, Matilda begins to see that her former sheltered life was lacking the vitality and love that she now has all around her and comes to appreciate that she truly has found a home. Students studying the Middle Ages will find this novel a delightful way to learn about fourteenth-century English town life, and those who enjoy historical fiction will treasure the independent spirit of young Matilda Bone.”

Alan Review states, “Set in a 14th century English medical community, Matilda Bone is a Cushman's latest novel about a young woman finding her way in a harsh world. Matilda is left at Peg the Bonesetter's by Father Leufredus, the priest who has raised her. She is disgusted and horrified by the unholy attitudes and actions of the unlearned practitioners with whom she now lives. Determined to seek higher things, Matilda concentrates on the lives of the saints and both neglects her work and looks down on the warm, cheerful women who have taken her in. Matilda Bone is an interesting glimpse into a world seldom seen. The reader learns as much about the 14th Century medicine as notions of piety and the Catholic church—none of which fare too positively. This book, with its delightfully gory descriptions of "prescriptions," leeches, medical treatments and beliefs, would make a wonderful choice to read aloud to a class.”

E. REVIEWS ACCESSED FROM:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780440418221&tabname=custreview&itm=1

F. CONNECTIONS:

Cushman is well known for her previous works, CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY and THE MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE. By all means recommend these to your students or patrons if they have not read and enjoyed these before.

Another award winning book set in a similar place and time is CRISPIN: THE CROSS OF LEAD and its sequel, CRISPIN: AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD. Crispin’s unexpected and unwanted change of life following the minstrel and huckster Bear is a bit similar to Matilda’s unexpected change to a physician’s servant girl to Peg the Bonesetter.

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-11-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

Review of CONFUCIUS: THE GOLDEN RULE

A. Freedman, Russell. CONFUCIOUS: THE GOLDEN RULE. Frederic Clement, Illustrator. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, 2002.

B. BOOK SUMMARY:
Freedman shines with some of his very best work in a complete birth to death biography for 4th through 8th grades of the iconic figure of Confucius. He writes of the early years of Confucius and aims to separate the myth from the mortal man of ancient China. There is coverage of his famous sayings, a great depth of knowledge of his students including his least and most favorite. An excellent profile of the well known but little understood Chinese hero, Freedman gives us a highly readable and engaging text containing poignant information about the scattering of his pupils after Confucius’ death and a thorough and modern compilation of his famous sayings.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
The book is very readable. It has all the elements that make a literary work standout. The writing flow is fluid and thoughtful and the facts are very detailed. The book does a good job of telling the monumental things that Confucius did and said that he is remembered for. It also mentions his human frailty.

Near the beginning of the story we encounter a passage that illustrates a human foible: “He (Confucius) was no saint, however. Once, a character name Ru Bei sent a messenger to Confucius’s home, asking for a meeting. Confucius disapproved of Ru Bei and wanted him to know it. He declined the meeting on the ground that he was ill. Then, as the messenger was going out the door, the wily philosopher took up his lute and began to sing loudly, making sure that he was heard.” The author relates another incidence of Confucius being all too human. A young person was being disrespectful and Confucius “blessed him out” as we say in the Southeastern United States. The young man is believed to have ignored Confucius’ requests for him to behave. He final got the pupil’s attention by cracking the student’s shins with his walking stick.

Another unflattering quality that is well documented is Confucius’ physical characteristics. Freedman relates that he was physically very strong and a large sized gentleman. He goes on to say that Confucius has been portrayed as a “homely giant with warts on his nose, two long front teeth that protruded over his lower lip, and a wispy beard.” Clement’s illustrations are reason enough to pick up this volume. The cover indeed pictures Confucius with the long teeth just over his bottom lip. Not buck teeth, but flat straight teeth that appear longer than is normal with a considerable space between the two front teeth. Clement uses mixed media to illustrate the 14 book plates. Each illustration looks as if it is made on a golden papyrus or flattened tree bark. Many multiple lines frame each illustrated page and a bit of realia are laid across the outer edges of the work of art such as flower petals, seeds, beans, stones, red and orange peppers, small circles of jade. I am not a fan of Asian art but each panel, each page is a museum quality work of art which works seamlessly with the story. Each picture has a sentence under the work of art that is a line from the adjoining page which is ice for adults but absolutely a great thing for a young student to have an important point reiterated and drawn physically from what they have just read.

Freedman is careful to let the reader know that parts of the story can not be verified completely and he separates the conjecture from the facts. He laments the fact that like Jesus, Buddha, and Socrates, Confucius left us no verifiable written records, but “taught by means of dialogue and example.” As the great prophets and philosophers mentioned above, Confucius’ words were compiled by his disciples after his death. The writings today know as the “Analects” or “Sayings of Confucius” were written by his disciples and the disciples of the disciples. Freedman says that there is research to suggest that the writing and editing process may have been a work in progress for 2 to 3 centuries.

One story that is heard over and over again in the Orient and written in a large number of accounts is the presence of a unicorn associated with the homely philosopher. It is said that his father was a seventy year old former soldier and his mother a young peasant girl. Coming home from laboring in the fields, the legend has it that his mother saw a unicorn come from the woods and approach their home. She immediately identified the visit as a positive and powerful omen went up to the unicorn and tied a bright ribbon around its horn. Two days later it is believed she went atop a nearby mountain to ask the spirits for a son. On her way home she went into labor with Confucius and stopped in a cave to give birth to the baby boy that looked just like his father.

At the end of Confucius’ years of happiness and good health a creature was killed in his home province of Lu and no one could identify the animal. The dead creature was transported to Confucius for identification and counsel. The happy round philosopher instantly identified it as a unicorn. One thing made his identification absolute in his mind, a small bit of tattered ribbon that he believed his mother had tied on the horn of the creature. The great master was overcome with feelings of dread and a few hours later he lapsed into unconsciousness. Confucius did recover and regain much of his vigor. He taught once again and attracted more pupils than ever before.

Not long after the visit of the dead unicorn Confucius, it is told, walked around his courtyard and proclaimed, “I wish to speak no more.” Then he went into his bedroom, lay down upon the couch and stayed there until dying on the 7th day of his self imposed exile to his bedroom. His students had kept a vigil and dressed in mourning clothes and as he lay silent they had lit aromatic leaves near him in the belief that this would dispel any evil spirits that were nearby. Freedman goes on to say, “His disciples buried him on the river bank, just north of Qufu, in a grave that has since been visited by countless emperors, officials, and ordinary citizens, and is still attracting visitors today.”

The author relates several well agreed on actual sayings of Confucius. As a teenager he realized he had the makings of a scholar and says, “At fifteen, I set my heart on learning.” He is often quoted as saying “Study as if you’ll never know enough, as if you’re afraid of losing what you’ve already gained.”

The author’s zeal for the Chinese philosopher is evident throughout the book. His notes are 7 pages long and include a 3 page spread entitled, “In Search of Confusius: A Note on Sources and Suggestions for Further Reading.” Showing his intense love of accuracy and detail Freedman sources each quotation to the numerical chapter and verse of “The Analects of Confucius.”

Freedman documents his extensive research and might inspire others to travel to the places he visited for his studies. Every year on the 28th of September the birth of Confucius is celebrated in his birthplace of Qufu. Freedman and a friend that spoke Mandarin attended such a celebration on the 2,551st birthday of the great philosopher. To say the author’s notes are extremely detailed and inspiring to readers of all ages is an understatement.

This supposedly well read and studied librarian is embarrassed to recollect that in her mind Confucius and Buddha were somehow cleft together and confused. We are fortunate today to know much of Eastern cultures but this is in part a relatively new bit of knowledge to the Western world. I knew of the Golden Rule authorship but not this important fact. Confucius was appalled that during his early lifetime ministers and government officials were selected solely on their pedigree whether they were intellectually inclined or dull. Confucius spent much of his life trying to change that and he did! The ruling class became much more inclusive as the first civil service exams in written history were begun to place governing officials based on their intelligence and scholarly achievements. This is of course still practiced today centuries later from across the globe.

D. Review Excerpts:

Publishers Weekly announces, “Newbery Medal winner Freedman (Lincoln: A Photobiography) delves deep into Chinese history in his intelligent, comprehensive biography of the 5th-century B.C. philosopher Confucius, whose teachings have influenced the development of modern government and education in both China and the West.

School Library Journal comments, “Gr 4-8-In writing this biography, Freedman faced two obstacles: a distorted popular idea of Confucius, and a paucity of data about the real man. He directly addresses the first, and his engaging book beautifully compensates for the second. He sets his subject in the context of strife-torn China, since Confucius was a radical reformer whose ideas had political applications. Politics, education, spirituality: the philosopher has something to say in all these areas, and Freedman compellingly conveys the profundity of his thoughts.”

E. REVIEWS ACCESSED FROM:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780439139571&tabname=custreview&itm=1#TABS

F. CONNECTIONS:

Freedman himself recommends, CONFUCIUS LIVES NEXT DOOR: WHAT LIVING IN THE EAST TEACHES US ABOUT LIVING IN THE WEST by T.R. Reid and CONFUCIUS SPEAKS: WORDS TO LIVE BY. Adapted by the Chinese cartoonist Tsai Chili Chung and told in the form of a cartoon strip.

I feel that I would be remiss in not recommending the obvious…….Freedman’s numerous award winning biographies of great Americans. LINCOLN: A PHOTOBIOGRAPHY should certainly be read by all Americans and perhaps by all students of Western civilization.

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-10-26T20:31:00.000-07:00

A. Montgomery, Sy. THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST. Photographs by Nic Bishop. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004.

B. SUMMARY: Montgomery chronicles the study and travel of scientist Sam Marshall and his love of the many types of tarantulas and their environs.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
80 Pages of WOW! TARANTUAL SCIENTIST is one of those kinds of books. The kind of book that you might find a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grader fighting for the last copy on the shelf. And the fight would be over who could get their hands on the book first for a pleasure read. Though a great aid for a school report on spiders, tarantulas, French Guiana, rain forests, or modern scientists this book will circulate mainly for its extraordinary high definition colors and details in photo and in text. Nic Bishop has outdone himself with these photographs!

The format of the book is unique and is very well organized. My only complaint is that there is no table of contents in a book of many chapters. The book begins with a double page spread of Central America with a focus on locating French Guiana. From there we have intriguing writing in each cleverly named chapter: Queen of the Jungle, When is a Tarantula a Tarantula?, Science and Spiders, Secrets of the Burrow, Arachnids All Around, Expedition to Les Grottes, Got Silk?, Hairy Mats and Hissing Fits, Tarantula Frontiers, Elle Est Belle, le Monstre.

Many things work together to make this volume special. Sometimes little things really mean a lot and that is certainly the case here. So many little things go together to make a very good book an extraordinary one. Dark rust orange is used as the background for each titled section. White letters are used over the orange color. Each picture description uses the same dark rust orange lettering. It would have been so easy to use black but the book producers wanted the photo captions to stand out from the normal text.

The text is written in a fluid narrative. It teaches more than a textbook could and the language skills of the author prove that writing is truly an art form. Montgomery helps us understand things we may never see; taste, or touch, maybe even things we never knew existed such as the pet spider of Dr. Sam Marshall, Clarabelle. Montgomery’s luminous style is showcased will on page 42, “Meet Clarabelle. She’s a black haired beauty who looks as if she’s just had a French pedicure. At the ends of her long legs her toes are tipped in pink…………one of the very first tarantulas (pinktoes) described by Western scientists. The gentle pinktoes were originally tree dwelling forest tarantulas, but these days they’re happy to build their silky retreats in the eves of houses, in shrubs, and in the tube-like curves of pineapple leaves on plantations, too. Clarabelle lives in the curled leaves of a potted plant that sits on the veranda.”
An other worldly picture of Scientist Sam in the middle of the rain forest looking upwards in contemplation is truly worth a thousand words. Simply the act of teaching a student how much one man loves his job is worth everything, whatever the job. The caption Montgomery writes to the Sam in the rain forest picture, “The diversity of life in the rainforest gives Sam pause to wonder. A huge and ancient tree like the one he is resting on may harbor more types of ants, beetles, spiders, and other small creatures than the whole 260 acres of forest at the Barrow Field Station that Sam looks after in Ohio.”

The writing is certainly clear and lively and Montgomery never talks down to his audience but treats them with respect. From a page full of molted tarantula skins to the selenocosmia tarantula using silk to make a waterproof, tough case for her new eggs to the Avicularia. “When a tree-dwelling Avicularia tarantula molts, it fist opens a large silken hammock, suspended inside its retreat. Then it lies back in comfort to shed its old skin. The spider’s fangs are as white as walrus tusks after molting, but they soon darken like those on the old skin.”

It is easy to see why this title was a Robert F. Siebert honor book. I’m going to look up the winner!

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:

School Library Journal suggests:

“Grade 5-10-Superb color photos abound in this spectacular series addition. Readers follow the career of Sam Marshall, tarantula scientist extraordinaire, from his "Spider Lab" at Hiram College in Ohio to the rain forests of French Guiana as he hunts for, finds, and studies the creatures he loves so well. The conversational text contains as much spider lore as scientific investigation and provides a cheerful look at a dedicated scientist. (The fact that he did not do well in school may encourage those late bloomers who have not yet found their passion in life or believe it to be far beyond their academic grasp.) Informative, yes, but even more important, this is a vivid look at an enthusiastic scientist energetically and happily at work, both in the field and in the lab, questioning, examining, testing, and making connections. A treat, even for arachnophobes.”

Booklist opines,
“Gr. 4-7. Montgomery and Bishop, who worked together on Snake Scientist (1999), team up once again to deliver another fascinating slice of the natural world. This time they venture to the French Guiana rain forest, where they follow arachnologist Sam Marshall on his quest for his favorite quarry: tarantulas. Enthusiasm for the subject and respect for both Marshall and his eight-legged subjects come through on every page of the clear, informative, and even occasionally humorous text. Bishop's full-color photos, which concentrate on detail, not scale, are amazing--Marshall coaxing an elusive tarantula into the open or bringing readers literally face-to-face with a hairy spider. The section on students' research seems tacked on, but it adds an interesting sidelight to the book, which is longer and richer in both text and illustrations than others in the Scientists in the Field series. Readers will come away armed with facts about spiders in general and tarantulas in particular, but even more important, they'll have a clear understanding of how the answers derived from research become the roots of new, intriguing questions.”

Reviews taken from:

http://www.amazon.com/TARANTULA-SCIENTIST-Scientists-Field/dp/061891577X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193460175&sr=1-1

E. CONNECTIONS:
The most obvious choice would be to read the next Montgomery and Bishop duet in the SCIENTIST IN THE FIELD SERIES entitled THE SNAKE SCIENTIST. Donna M. Jackson has written a similar book called THE BUG SCIENTIST.

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-10-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

REVIEW OF CATS

A. Simon, Seymour. CATS. New York: HarperCollins, 2004.

B. SUMMARY: Simon gives us another high caliber Informational Picture Book. Included are 36 show stopping photographs one of which is Simon’s own house cat, Mittens, one of two feral cats he has adopted and lovingly spoiled. The volume is not a how to book for pet care but a story of cats. While the focus is on pet cats a short history of cats is included as well.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

As a lover of cats and cat picture books for as long as I can remember I have never seen one with more intriguing photographs or better text for elementary school children. Many middle school children would enjoy this as well.

Simon begins with the compare and contrast technique by talking about cats and feline behavior and contrasting that with the family dog. A bit of cat history from Egypt to Siam, to Europe in the Middle Ages and the introduction of cats in the New World by American colonists in the 1600s.

The writing style is crisp and approachable. The design of the book is eye catching and the pictures play an equal part to the text. A full spread page is devoted to cat jumping, climbing, landing on all fours, and flexibility. One side features a tuxedo cat who literally looks as if she is taking the plunge from a high dive at the pool. The opposite page with text has a clever vertical picture of the same cat in 5 different frames from the first jump, midair, flipping, and landing.

Simon debunks the myth that cats can see as well in the dark as the light and mentions curious facts that youngsters will enjoy such as the function of kitty whiskers, whether dogs or cats are the most finicky eaters. The pages describing the cat’s sensory powers and their uses is very well done.

A book like this can not be complete with out photos about Mama cats and baby cats, of nursing kittens and birth. Three oversized pictures will make this an especially favorite part of the book. The orange tabby nursing 5 kittens of which only one is orange and that orange baby has his arms around a black tabby as he tries to protect his place at the teat. This is a question I will write the author about. I have heard all my life that all orange tabbies are female and I’ve had several orange boys as well as following Garfield. This picture puts stands that myth on it’s head. The classic silver tabby on the following page nursing a brood of solid black kitties is charming. Another photo on that spread shows the Mama cat caring for one the individual kittens at the moment of birth. The text is just as well done as those photos and children will take note of the language, “A kitten is born in a cloudy white sac filled with fluid. The mother licks each newborn kitten, breaks the sac, and removes the fluid from its face. Licking makes the kitten start to breathe.” The story gets a bit more scientific which will delight many children…….”The mother also bites through the umbilicus (the cord that carried food to the fetus and took away its waste while it was inside the mother.) Even a first time mother cat seems to know exactly what to do. Right away, the newborn kittens suckle milk from their mother. She purrs and nuzzles them as they feed.”

This volume would be a good read aloud for storytime in the media center. I would sit children in a circle with teacher or media specialist also on the perimeter of the circle in a rocking chair. When showing pictures to kids to your left, then center then back around to the right be sure to go very slowly for there is much to see, interpret, and enjoy. The shared experience would lend itself to a discussion afterwards of which part of the book they enjoyed the best, what one new fact did they learn from the reading, which breed of cat had they heard of previously, etc.

The language of the book is age appropriate and the style of writing is smoothly flowing and engaging.

The facts in the book are accurate and can easily be checked in similar books in the 636 section of the library or media center. Mr. Simon does a good job of showing the similarities and differences of wild and pet cats.

The pet cat coverage is made more comprehensive as Simon discusses many different breeds such as: British Shorthair, Siamese, Persian, Angora, Balinese, mixed breeds and feral. He again uses the contrast and compare technique quite successfully with purebred and mixed breed cats and also longhaired and shorthaired cats.

D. Review Excerpts:

Booklist critique: “ Gr. 2-3, younger for reading aloud. There are other books about these popular pets, but most are for older children. Here, Simon writes crisply for a young audience, who will eagerly turn the pages to see the next endearing color photograph… Simon's always lucid prose is matched by sharp photos, most of which fill up the pages. An attractive way to introduce children to nonfiction. “

REVIEW TAKEN FROM:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0060289406/ref=dp_proddesc_0/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

E. CONNECTIONS:

Most children will enjoy other books in this Seymour Simon series such as DOGS, HORSES, and WILD BABIES. I also very much enjoyed the WILD BEARS book from the author’s See More Readers series.

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-10-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

REVIEW OF HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW

A. Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW. New York: Scholastic, 2005.

B. PLOT SUMMARY: By intermingling the coming of age stories of twelve young people and ten families with the condition of Germany and the first rumblings of Adolf Hitler in 1926 through the take over by the National Socialist (Nazi) Party in 1933 and the years of the Third Reich through the Holocaust 1935 and liberation in 1945 Bartoletti writes a compelling story that no one from grade 3 to adult should be allowed to miss.

I mention the names of the twelve young people because they are worthy of merit and note and should not be forgotten no matter their role in the now infamous period of history:

Alfons Heck, Helmuth Hubener, Dagabert (Bert) Lewyn, Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, Elisabeth Yetter, Rudolf (Rudi) Wobbe, Melita Maschmann, Henry Metelmann, Herbert Norkus, Inge, Hans, and Sophie Scholl.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND REVIEW: This oversized book could actually be called a photo essay. The pictures and text are inseparable. Informational books are chiefly used to teach and while this is an educational volume the mesmerizing style of writing is more compelling than most volumes of fiction. The subject matter is provocative and the details are highly developed to catch the reader’s interest. If the subject matter and photographs are not enough to catch the rare dullard’s interest the writing style, heavy with personal vignettes of young people will do the trick in a matter of a few pages.

The design is attractive and engaging. The photos of the 12 young people featured in the book are displayed in the front with photos that look the exact size of a school photo that would fill up a yearbook or a wallet. Little details such as these are a special draw to young people because the format is recognizable. As an adult the sense of design is equally compelling. The first photograph that I still find unfathomable is a page sized photo on page 41 of 5, 6, and 7 year old girls in white dresses bordered by their young female teachers in white dresses as they mouth the words “Heil, Hitler” and deliver the Nazi salute in an open cobblestone square. That pure evil could confuse and corrupt children this small, this tender and young is made more believable by the photo. The caption under this surreal photograph details that Hitler asked the youth to “use his name in their prayers.”

The front cover is certainly effective and compelling with a nose down photo of Adolf Hitler with his arm around what appears to be an early middle school student in full dress uniform. The back cover however draws me in more through words than pictures with the quote: “I begin with the young. We older ones are used up….But my magnificent youngsters! Look at these men and boys! What material! With them, I can create a new world.” And he almost did. This must certainly count as one of the most documented cases of exploitation in world history.

The compelling details continue page after page, chapter after chapter. One of the most poignant parts of the story tells of the bravery of the White Rose resistance movement. Started by teens Hans and Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst they are caught, tried, and condemned to die. That the guillotine was still used was an unknown fact to this adult reader. I associated the guillotine with an earlier and more primitive time in history picturing King Louie XVI and the French Revolution.

The personalized accounts add much to the book and the fascinating and rather macabre comparison of the typical German student to the three beheaded students was used most effectively.

The book’s dates and historical occurrences can be corroborated in other books about the same era in history, and from primary sources. The wealth of pictures used in the book were taken from credible sources such as The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The National Archives, the online photographic collection of The Library of Congress and Berlin’s Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz. The author is careful to give a photographer credit for each photograph that can be documented.

I see the book as a hybrid being at once a book of “Journals and Interviews”, “Traditional Chapter Book Format”, and “Informational Picture Books.” Such a superb book can only rarely fit into stereotypical pigeon holes.

The three young adults were beheaded by the guillotine as noted in the following text, “Immediately after the trial, Hans and Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst were led to the execution room in Stadelheim prison and beheaded. The prison warden reported that the three young people bore themselves with marvelous bravery. “They were led off, the girl first,” said the warden. “She want without the flicker of an eyelash. None of us understood how this could be possible. The executioner said he had never seen anyone meet his end as she did,” I immediately began to think of the beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots ordered by Elizabeth the first. Surely Sophie was equally brave.

The text continues, “Just before Hans placed his head on the guillotine block, he shouted out, “Long live freedom!” The words rang throughout the huge prison.” Upon reading this I could only think of William Wallace as portrayed in the movie “Braveheart.” We hear as we finish reading the chapter that less than 2 hours after the “White Rose” beheadings that students from the University of Munich led a pro-Nazi demonstration condemning the students. Sophie had hoped and believed the students would be stirred to action against the Nazis.

Intriguing details appear throughout the text. A fact that was very eye opening to me and I imagine would very much intrigue a young boy is how the very young males were 9/10ths of the Nazi military force. A great example is how a cadre of 14 and 15 year old boys worked day and night to dig a type of ditch or trench around Berlin that was 18 feet wide and 15 feet deep. Their hard work and sleepless nights kept out all enemy tanks and machinery.

D. Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal notes, (Starred Review) Grade 5-8–Hitler's plans for the future of Germany relied significantly on its young people, and this excellent history shows how he attempted to carry out his mission with the establishment of the Hitler Youth, or Hitlerjugend, in 1926. With a focus on the years between 1933 and the end of the war in 1945, Bartoletti explains the roles that millions of boys and girls unwittingly played in the horrors of the Third Reich.

Booklist states,
*Starred Review* Gr. 7-10. “What was it like to be a teenager in Germany under Hitler? Bartoletti draws on oral histories, diaries, letters, and her own extensive interviews with Holocaust survivors, Hitler Youth, resisters, and bystanders to tell the history from the viewpoints of people who were there. Most of the accounts and photos bring close the experiences of those who followed Hitler and fought for the Nazis, revealing why they joined, how Hitler used them, what it was like…..the stirring photos tell more of the story. One particularly moving picture shows young Germans undergoing de-Nazification by watching images of people in the camps. The handsome book design, with black-and-white historical photos on every double-page spread, will draw in readers and help spark deep discussion, which will extend beyond the Holocaust curriculum. The extensive back matter is a part of the gripping narrative. “

Reviews from:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0439353793/ref=dp_proddesc_0/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

Connections:

A book about one of the teens mentioned in the above is SOPHIE SCHOLL AND THE WHITE ROSE RESISTANCE by Jud Newborn and Annette Dumbach.

Another book for young people about Hitler’s Germany is Eleanor Ayer’s PARALLEL JOURNEY.

For a student that likes informational history volumes in general I would heartily recommend the Newbery winner by the same author: BLACK POTATOES: THE STORY OF THE GREAT IRISH FAMINE, 1845-1850.

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-10-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Review of WITNESS:

A. Hesse, Karen. WITNESS. New York: Scholastic, 2001.

B. PLOT SUMMARY: Newbery Award winner Hesse explores small town life in a Vermont village in 1924. The tale is based on a true story and contains old black and white photos of all twelve characters. Hesse explores the day to day and the terrifying. She writes of the bond between an African American girl, Leanora Sutter age 12 and Esther Hirsch, a Jewish girl of 6 who have both lost their mothers early in life. From moonshine to the Ku Klux Klan Hesse does a notable job in bringing this painfully realistic story to life.

C. LITERARY MERIT AND CULTURAL MARKERS:
The story is related through a five act play written in verse. The typesetting is small, sparse and only printed in lower case letters. The poetry is a narrative told back and forth between members of the rural community. Poem pages have one to five verses on each page and resonate like natural speech. The book is the winner of a Christopher Award. The tale is both compelling and sickening but something that adults and children must investigate to help keep similar atrocities from happening again. Hesse’s stepbrother was a parent at my elementary media center so I know she is a Jewish American. She strives to tell the tale, however, in a dispassionate voice without sentimentality or judgement of the situation, leaving the reader to access and follow the situation in their own way. This adds much credibility to the story and illustrates the innate dignity that Hesse believes is everyone’s due in fiction and in real life. The book is a grand accomplishment on a multitude of levels. Many people today, even in the rural south and probably in rural Vermont too have had no first hand experience of burning crosses and the KKK. Told in a low key, droll manner it makes the text even more effective. Very unusual. Very moving. Very insightful peck into human nature with no characters portrayed as 100% good or 100% evil.
This is a book I will read more than once.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:

VOYA weighs in:
Using poetic form with no capitalization allows Hesse to crystallize the voices of her eleven characters. Each speaks from his or her personal experiences of fears and prejudices. This lyric work is another fine achievement from one of young adult literature's best authors. VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P M J (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal

PUBLISHER WEEKLY suggests:
"Hesse weaves together 11 distinct narrative voices to create a moving account of the Ku Klux Klan's encroachment on a small Vermont town in 1924. Told completely in verse, her quietly powerful novel addresses the inevitable loss of innocence that accompanies the fight for social justice." Ages 9-12.

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL comments:
The presentation concludes with a fascinating interview between historian and critic Leonard Marcus and Karen Hesse in which she discusses her work and how she came to write her latest novel in verse

REVIEWS ACCESSED FROM:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780439272001&itm=2

CONNECTIONS:

There has never been a better Karen Hesse book to me than LETTER’S FROM RIVKA which also explorers the theme of being Jewish and becoming a Jewish American citizen. The book is also reminiscent of SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY. Elie Weisel’s historical fiction would be a very good follow up as well as a Mildred Taylor selection.

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-10-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

Review of WHAT IS GOODBYE?

A. Grimes, Nikki. WHAT IS GOODBYE? Illustrated by Raul Colon. New York: Hyperion, 2004.

B. Summary and Impressions. Plot is really not applicable to much poetry but it is the centerpiece of this novella in verse. Each page has one poem and they all have their own title but the volume is totally built around one truth. Jaron is dead and he has left a younger brother and sister and two wounded parents behind. The book takes the reader through the first year of family life without Jaron

C. Literary Merit:
This is a strong and powerful book about people who have become so weak their knees want to buckle. Grimes writes with such insight and detail that one is not surprised to find in her introduction and author’s note that she lost her own father at the tender age of fifteen.

Grimes has done a big service to children who have lost someone in their household at a very early age and also the parents, teachers, counselors and clergymen that aim to help these young and impressionable children to heal and move forward.

The artwork appears surreal and sepia colored. Colon chooses almost exclusively blues, greens, and golds. For a young person the pictures are very helpful and add much. Most of the illustrations show the facial expressions of Jesse and Jerilyn as they pass through many different stages of grief. The book would work as well for adults with or without the pictures in my view. The cover however is extreme in it’s beauty with blue teal and aged tomato red backgrounds and the troubled faces of a young boy and girl the size of three postage stamps in the top middle third of the book. In the right corner of the picture of the children is a black bird faced diagonally forward. Whether the bird is a crow or raven the symbolism of death will be familiar to many with previous exposure to myths, legends of many cultures.

The book can be seen as a poetic version of the groundbreaking ON DEATH AND DYING by Elisabeth Kubler Ross. The stages are laid out and as is common and very realistic the siblings move back and forth between the stages. They dream of Jaron. They don’t know how to make their Dad smile or their Mom stop crying and hold their hands. From disbelief, to anger, and acceptance this volume gives anyone much to think about but would certainly be a superior addition to bibliotherapy tools, especially for younger readers. Middle school and high school students would not protest about the simplicity of the book because it resonates deeply early on. There are both rhyming stanzas and free verse in this moving volume. Should be in every grade school library or media center collection as well as neighborhood public libraries.

One of the more poignant lines in the volume for me is this:

“What is goodbye?
Where is the good in it?
One leaves
and many hearts
are broken.
There must be
a better arithmetic
somewhere.”

The book is certainly worthy of a medal or high honor both for its quality and subject matter.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

BOOKLIST opines: Grimes often chooses rhymed couplets for Jesse's voice, and the singsong sounds and tight rhythm create a young tone that's indicative of Jesse's age but, nonetheless, feels distractingly at odds with the somber subject and raw emotions--feelings that Grimes gets just right. Moving and wise, these are poems that beautifully capture a family's heartache as well as the bewildering questions that death brings, and they reinforce the message in Grimes' warm author's note: "There's no right or wrong way to feel when someone close to you dies." Recommended for Grades 4-8.

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL comments: Grade 3-8–Grimes's novella in verse is a prime example of how poetry and story can be combined to extend one another. When their brother dies, Jerilyn and Jesse cope with the anger, confusion, and the silence that grief brings to their family. Jesse's rhyming verse faces his older sister's free-verse comments on her experiences. When Jesse hits a home run in a league game soon after his brother's death, he glows, "I took off around the field,/legs pumping like lightning!/I slid into home plate clean./Man, I'm so cool,/I'm frightening!/...What am I supposed to do,/spend each minute crying?/I wish I could please you, Mom,/but I'm sick of trying." Jerilyn muses, "It's his right to smile,/isn't it?/To be delirious?/So what if I don't understand?/This ghost town,/draped in shadow,/is desperate for/a few more watts of light." Grimes handles these two voices fluently and lucidly, shaping her characters through her form. Colón's paintings in muted colors combine imagism with realism to create an emotional dreamscape on nearly every page. The clean design combined with the book's short, easy pace and small size give readers a comfortable place from which to listen to the characters as they make their way from "Getting the News" to "Anniversary," and finally to "Ordinary Days." The book closes with a poem in two voices, and Jesse and Jerilyn come together for a new family photograph. "Smile!"–and readers will. Fans of Vera B. Williams's Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart (Greenwillow, 2001) will appreciate this powerful title.–

REVIEWS ACCESSED FROM:
http://www.amazon.com/What-Goodbye-Nikki-Grimes/dp/0786807784/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192246866&sr=8-1

CONNECTIONS:

The book that immediately comes to mind is Charlotte Zolotow’s MY GRANDSON LEW. Not many books could ever top that one for any age as mother and child grieve for the loss of a father and grandfather.

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-10-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

Review of AUTUMNBLINGS:

A. Florian, Douglas. AUTUMNBLINGS. New York: Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2003.

B. Summary and Impressions (Plot is really not applicable to poetry)
This wonderful and silly book of poetry for youngsters contains 29 individual poems. There is a table of contents and the poems, although not labeled as such, are in chronological order as the season opens and closes. Apple picking and leaves of changing color come before poems of pumpkins, thanksgiving, and the first frosty freeze of the season.. Florian is as gifted at illustrating as in writing poetry and the book is a balanced and harmonious blend of the two.

C. Literary Merit:
The book is immediately attractive and approachable. The illustrations look very much as if they were made by elementary school children. The artwork is vital to the text and only 1 or the 29 poems is on a blank white page and that is at the very end of the book. The look and feel of the volume is a small, almost square picture story book.

Most children will enjoy this book of poems for several reasons:
1. The meter and rhythm is very predictable.
2. Each poem contains rhyming words
3. Children will enjoy the made up words and the sometimes humorous and un-lifelike pictures.

Only four of the poems display sophisticated illustrations that would be difficult for a child younger than 4th grade to emulate. These 4 illustrations convey texture upon texture and stylized drawings. It is not at all that they do not go along with the rest of the illustrations. These four paintings could stand on their own and the other illustrations look more as if a child was coloring along while the teacher was reading a poem or story and asking them to illustration the story or the feelings the story gave them. I do not find a reason that these more complex drawings are found sequentially from page 18 through 23. The poems with the most depth of illustration are: UP AND DOWN, AUTUMN QUESTIONS, AWE-TUMN, and GEESE PIECE.

I do realize however that for an accomplished painter and illustrator it may be just as hard or harder to paint an apple that is a mixture of purple and maroon pigments, one huge apple on a yellow square with one messy bite taken out of it and one little brown stem. A picture that would be typical of the first graders I taught long ago.

Many of the poems are lined up in typical verse style but a few of them have shapes like the e.e.cummings poems I grew up with. I think the variety of fall topics and diversity of artwork from realistic, to simplistic, and just downright silly will appeal to a large variety of students. I very much liked the simple self portrait of Mr. Florian on the back book flap in the “something about the author” place.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL recommends the volume for grades 2-5 and has this to say:
“The childlike style of the various-sized watercolor and colored-pencil paintings (in fall colors, of course) mirrors the creative style of the age group most inclined to read the poetry. A natural for use in classrooms and library programs, and accessible to newly independent readers, these poems will delight youngsters.”

BOOKLIST recommends the book for a different age group than SLJ. They see it best suited for preschool to grade 2 and make these comments:
“Florian presents a winsome series of poems about fall, with the punning theme of the title carried throughout. Using rhyme, meter, and those puns to good effect, as well as changes in fonts and type, he adds to the sense of movement and joy in the poetry. School, holidays, playtime, and observation all figure here.”

REVIEWS ACCESSED FROM:

http://www.amazon.com/Autumnblings-Douglas-Florian/dp/0060092785/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192244255&sr=1-1

CONNECTIONS:

Florian has done to other seasonal poetry books, WINTER EYES and SUMMERSAULTS. Fans of one book would be expected to enjoy all three.

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-09-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

Review of PORCH LIES: TALES OF SLICKSTERS, TRICKSTERS, AND OTHER WILY CHARACTERS

A. Bibliographic Information:
McKissack, Patricia C. PORCH LIES: TALES OF SLICKSTERS, TRICKSTERS, AND OTHER WILY CHARACTERS

B. Plot Summary:

McKissack introduces her story collection with “Whippoorwills, lightning bugs, and homemade peach ice cream trigger memories of my childhood summers………..Skipping up five steps placed me in my favorite spot—the porch swing. There I could read for hours or listen to someone tell a story about sneaky foxes or things that went bump in the night.”

There are ghost stories, family stories, and lots and lots of neighborhood tall tales. McKissack does an excellent job of giving friends, neighbors, and family members credit for their help with the stories origin and recollection. Most of the stories are set in place and time near the author’s grandparents’ home in Nashville.

C. Critical analysis including cultural markers and standards of literary merit.

I was so excited about reading this book because of the intro of the peach ice cream and porch swing of my grandparents South but I was very disappointed. The type set used in part of the book is reminiscent of old PICA typewriting but students will not know how to place that in a cultural perspective because they don’t even remember typewriters!

The story I liked best was, “By the Weight of a Feather” It talks of a young boy being mentored and unofficially adopted by and older man in the neighborhood who teaches him how to be the quintessentially untrustworthy used car salesman. Aunt Gran and the Outlaws is pretty good as well.

I did like the use of authentic jargon and colloquialisms such as “aine” rather than “ain’t” which is exactly how we spoke in small town West GA.

I am a big fan of McKissacks’ THE DARK THIRTY and Virginia Hamilton’s THE PEOPLE COULD FLY: AMERICAN BLACK FOLKTALES. I did not think this volume was nearly as good as the two mentioned above but 4 customers on Amazon.com all gave it a 5 star review. Even the artwork left me put off because it wasn’t appealing to me and I thought would only be that much more unappealing to a child without a long historical background of experience.

It wasn't a horrible book at all but I found it blase and I had been expecting so much more.

D. Review Excerpts:

School Library Journal comments, “The tales are variously narrated by boys and girls, even though the authors preface seems to set readers up for a single, female narrator in the persona of McKissack herself. They contain the essence of truth but are fiction from beginning to end, an amalgam of old stories, characters, jokes, setups, and motifs. As such, they have no provenance. Still, it would have helped readers unfamiliar with African-American history to have an authors note helping separate the truth of these lies that allude to Depression-era African-American and Southern traditions. That aside, theyre great fun to read aloud and the tricksters, sharpies, slicksters, and outlaws wink knowingly at the child narrators, and at us foolish humans

Booklist opines, “Without using dialect, her intimate folk idiom celebrates the storytelling among friends, neighbors, and family as much as the stories themselves. "Some folk believe the story; some don't. You decide for yourself." Is the weaselly gravedigger going to steal a corpse's jewelry, or does he know the woman is really still alive? Can bespectacled Aunt Gran outwit the notorious outlaw Jesse James? In black and white, Carrilho's full-page illustrations--part cartoon, part portrait in silhouette.”

E. Reviews accessed from:

http://www.amazon.com/Porch-Lies-Slicksters-Tricksters-Characters/dp/0375836195/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191040420&sr=1-1

F. Connections:

As mentioned above I preferred Virginia Hamilton’s THE PEOPLE COULD FLY: AMERICAN BLACK FOLKTALES or McKissack’s DARK THIRTY. McKissack’s own FLOSSIE AND THE FOX is an excellent traditional tale with a great African American main character.

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-09-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

Review of CINDERLILY

A. Bibliographic Information:

Tagg, Christine. CINDERLILY: A FLORAL FAIRY TALE IN THREE ACTS. David Ellwand, illustrator. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press, 2003.

B. Plot Summary
This is almost a typical Cinderella as far as storyline and action. It is presented as a play in three acts. From the billing on the pumpkin orange stage curtain we begin to see how the layout and form are going to be used in this modern edition to the Cinderella International gathering!

Small differences such as rather than a Prince we are told “The Sultan” is giving a dance to find a bride. Cinderlily’s two sisters are made of pansies and cockscomb and sure enough they are the mean and bossy types, “Then she (Cinderlily) hears her sisters calling: “You must help us look our best. Then surely at the Sultan’s Ball, we’ll stand out from the rest.”

Act II opens and we realize that these are really verses with a rhyming meter rather than paragraphs of prose. “Suddenly a light appears—a fairy hovers near. “Cinderlilly don’t despair” she cries, “now that I am here. My magic will transform you-- with the Sultan you shall dance. But mind, be back by MIDNIGHT, or that’s the end of the romance.”

In Act III the missing flower petal matches Cinderlily and sure enough it is happily ever after.

C. Critical analysis including cultural markers and standards of literary merit.

CINDERLILY is an interesting book to look at! The fairy Godmother is a Stargazer Lily and the Sultan is a Dutch Iris flower. The concept was an interesting one and from the very 1st page we see interesting things.

Almost the entire book is illustrated like a play bill. The type style is unusual and someone has placed the word

If I were asked if I would suggest purchasing a copy of this title for a public library or public library media center I would predicate my decision based on how many Cinderella variants you already had in your collection.

The artwork is unusual with flower photos on each page. There is one double page spread that is far better than any other to me. Cinderlily’s coach arrives. It is a homegrown bright orange pumpkin which is rather short and broad. Three windows have been cut out of the pumpkin carriage and a dutch iris of purple and yellow form the curtain. A tiny, tiny, daisy wildflower is put in all 4 corners of each window. The wheels look very oversized for the size of the pumpkin carriage but the wheels are large, voluptuous yellow Gerbera daisies. The adjoining page has moths and butterflies pulling Cinderlily’s coach by string. There is a monarch butterfly, a swallowtail butterfly I believe it is. Three of the strings are being pulled by the most unusual type of butterfly. These three have iridescent shaded aqua blue wings and fuchsia bodies.

Overall I think the strength is the novel artwork but it sacrifices an easy to follow and smooth story for some nice photos. I feel this is a experimental book that will not stand the test of time despite the timeless story.

D. Review Excerpts:

School Library Journal opines, “In this visually intriguing twist on the traditional tale, Ellwand has replaced the human protagonists with flowers. Using Adobe Photoshop, he has arranged lilies, pansies, tulips, roses, and other petals in graceful poses against stark black backgrounds. While the pictures are technically well executed, it is unlikely they will engender other than a passing interest in children. Tagg's text, written in reasonably well-rhymed couplets, is thin on plot, character development, and imagery. In addition, the alterations she makes in the original tale are incongruous. The prince has become a Sultan, but nonetheless the "band strikes up a waltz" at his Royal Autumn Ball. The fonts, which change frequently in an apparent attempt to match the action of the story, are often hard to read, particularly when placed against those black backgrounds.”

Amazon dot com announces, “With singular vision, humor, and a touch of computer magic, David Ellwand directs a delightfully expressive cast of flowers in a breathtaking production sure to enchant lovers of fairy tales - and lovers of flowers, too.

E. Reviews accessed from:

http://www.amazon.com/Cinderlily-Floral-Fairy-David-Ellwand/dp/0763623288/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191039170&sr=1-1

F. Connections:

For a well done story using fruits and vegetables as characters I prefer Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffer's How Are You Peeling? Foods with Moods. A fairy tale whose action and artwork has a bit of the same whimsy as CINDERLILY try PEEPING BEAUTY by Mary Jane Auch.

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

2007-09-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

Review of Days of the Blackbird

A. Bibliographic Information:

dePaola, Tomie. DAYS OF THE BLACKBIRD: A TALE OF NORTHERN
ITALY. New York: Putnam, 1997.

B. Plot Summary: The Duke of Gennaro and his daughter, Gemma, lived alone in a grand home in the center of the town. The Duke was good and kind and always tried to keep the city’s inhabitants in good favor with each other. The favorite pastime of The “Duca” and Gemma was listening to birds sing in their courtyard each afternoon. It was a very special time of day for them. Gemma had finished her schoolwork and is ready to relax with her father at the end of the afternoon. The Duke has settled disputes of neighbors and spread good will holding court in the Great Hall all day and he is ready to relax with his daughter while he listens to the sweet music of the birds. The birds of Gennaro were of all colors, shapes, and sizes, but the bird whose song they loved the most was La Columba who was pure white. After Gemma’s father becomes very ill she opens the windows of his bedroom and parlor so he can hear the birds singing. Gennaro was in the Northern mountainside of Italy and as the cold approached the bird’s flew south. Gemma begs La Columba to stay and help sooth and heal the Duke with its pure sweet songs. La Columba stays until she almost freezes but she is loyal to Gemma and the Duca and keeps her promise. On the night of January 29th Gemma finds the nest of wool Gemma left to keep her warm does not even take the edge off the frigid weather. There was only one way La Columba could stay warm enough and that was to settle into the top of the chimney. That left La Columba’s coat black with soot. Gemma and her father are surprised to hear bright and cheerful singing the next day but they are surprised that it would come from a blackbird and not their beloved La Columba. As the song of La Columba continues the bird’s singing becomes more and more beautiful until father and daughter discern La Columba’s identity. La Columba’s songs are the one thing able to cheer the Duke and bring him back to good health. The legend of the “Days of the Blackbird” states that La Columba never again returned to her coat full of white feathers and that from thenceforth she would be called La Merla, the blackbird. The Duke in thanksgiving for his restoration to health christened the last 3 days of January as Le Giornate della Melra; The Days of the Blackbird which were the coldest days of the year

C. Critical analysis including cultural markers and standards of literary merit.

With a volatile home life with his Italian father and Irish mother Tomie learned the literature of myth, legend, and folly and is able to strike a note of authenticity to the story. This work like most of his other Italian tales fare far better with his illustration and tone than do his stories of Irish folklore.

Drawings are very rich and vivid in true Tomie fashion. Lines are rounded and the detail of the human faces, the multidimensional flowers are beyond beautiful. Especially effective are the closeups of Gemma’s curly hair and scenes where Gemma’s arms are held out to the birds. dePaola manages to make his characters and their gestures look almost 3 dimensional. The bright carefully shaded color of each bird adds much to the effectiveness of the pictures.

In true picture book fashion these illustrations are just as important in the telling of the tale as the text. dePaola, we all know from previous experience is a winner at both the story and illustration of many different types of picture books. I believe the pictures alone could tell much of the story. The health or lack thereof regarding the Duke are apparent without the text and the mood of Gemma as well. Going from solid white to solid black might be the only part that could be missed without the accompanying text. The bird is symbolic of loyalty and commitment both as a white bird and later a black one. Any morals or lessons are stated quietly and unobtrusively and are never didactic. Some of the themes of the story are that love and sacrifice make a difference in the world, that families take turns nurturing and caring for each other and that nature is a gift to be treasured daily.

The artwork is notable because of the bright, rich hues used and the many curved lines. The curving lines of the character’s gowns, the wooden relief on the bench that is a pew, Duke’s broaches and caps are splendid artwork as well as bonnets and headbands of Gemma.

You almost miss artistic symbolism in the story because it is done so subtly. In just one picture we see three pears in different states of wholeness and three candles in the room. There are three apples in a bowl on another page and three apples on the tree. Another page has 3 pots of purple petunias hanging on the outside stucco walls of the main characters’ home. The story is a blended hybrid. Tunnell and James have told us often that the line blurs in much of these childhood tales and certainly it does here. The symbolic use of 3 is the stuff of fairy tales and traditional literature. This story is both legend and folklore. We don’t know who wrote it, it has no single author or known date of when it came into being but seems to be a tale passed down through the generations.

The setting is identified and fully fleshed out with words and pictures. The words and character’s dialog flow smoothly. My only complaint about the illustrations maybe should not even be mentioned. After reading, buying and processing Tomie dePaola’s books for over twenty years they all look almost alike to me at this point. His stylized drawings are so predictable that I wish the artist would do some more exploratory and inventive techniques and designs. I guess that would be asking too much because masters of many different art forms are often predictable as well. Ralph Lauren clothes are always classic and in good taste, nothing frew frew. Versace is always loud and gaudy.

One can always recognize the artwork of Maurice Sendak but it is sometimes in colors muted, sometimes in pencil only, sometimes in pencil and one color on the page, many times the color is yellow. These small things make an audience more attentive. dePaola has been in his comfort zone for a long time and I guess that’s what jumps out at me.

One of the big pluses of the book is the many Italian words it sneaks in slowly, one every page or two. Most of the word meanings can be figured out in context.
For example, “il concerto”, “cara”, “la primavera”, “panettone”, “Epifania”.

The last page of the book, the author’s note is very significant. Just as the Grimm Brothers collected “household” tales so this story is a household one with no known author. dePaola gives credit to the owner of a Northern Italian restaurant near his New Hampshire home for telling him the story of the day of the blackbirds. Tomie documents the village and provence where this branch of the restarauter’s family were located in Italy so a setting is given for historical and pragmatic purposes. Tomie invites his reader’s to travel to Perio’s homeplace with details of the area in Italy and also tells the audience the specific U.S. locale of the restaurant and home of it’s owner.

D. Review Excerpts:

School Library Journal comments, “The moving story is elegantly, yet simply, told. The artist combines his recognizable style with visual elements reminiscent of Italian frescoes. Watercolor background washes create a marbleized effect. Color choices portray the warmth and serenity the story suggests. A successful and satisfying union of narration and illustration.”

Publishers Weekly announces, “DePaola spins the tale with panache, imbuing it with a folktale-like timelessness, and artistically it's clear he was delighted to return once again to his beloved Italy for visual cues. The pages radiate warmth, from the picturesque late medieval setting and the terra cotta or blue-green houses with their tiled roofs, to the jewel-colored birds and flowers of the duke's garden. A sprinkling of Italian words and phrases adds an authentic flavor.”

E. Reviews accessed from:

http://www.amazon.com/Days-Blackbird-Tomie-dePaola/dp/0142402710/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191034087&sr=1-1

F. Connections:

The most similar in theme and nuance would be Aliki’s THE TWO OF THEM another great picture book where the young granddaughter, like the daughter in DAYS OF THE BLACKBIRD cares for an ill and aging parent. Aliki’s offering is much more realistic however and the elderly grandparent does not return to good health. dePaola’s many other Italian folktales featuring Strega Nona, Old Beefana seem an obviously good choice.

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS: Review of ELLINGTON WAS NOT A STREET

2007-09-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

A. Bibliographic Information:

Shange, Ntozake. ELLINGTON WAS NOT A STREET. Kadir Nelson, illustrator.
New York: Simon & Schuster

B. Plot Summary:

A young African American girl reminesces about her childhood with her father who routinely had many male friends visiting their home who became movers and shakers in turn of the century America. The entire narration and diaglog comes from a poem by the author which appears as the last page in the book. The poem entitled, "Mood Indigo" on the most rich oversized sheet of shiny blue indiglo paper you can imagine is a very effective ending to this satisfying picturebook that is in actuality historical fiction.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS with Cultural Markers and Established Standards of Excellence

ELLINGTON WAS NOT A STREET makes me sing more than any children's book I've become acquainted with in a long time and I see, shelve, recommend, and touch picturebooks on a daily basis. Even though caucasian I am a lover and student of "Black" art since I was a young child.

The book to me was like opening a door to The Harlem Renassaince. We meet W.E.B. duBois, Paul Robeson, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Ghana's Prime Minister Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and four other cultural figures of the time period. The book is very subtle about introducing these men to the audience of readers. Nicknames are often used.

The art work is extremely important and well done in this volume. The dark muted yet rich colors of a Victorian home are used. Antique settees, brownstone walkups, men always in hats and with silk ties speak to a bygone era. From the arrangement of magnolias and gardenias in a vase, to the staircase, and Grandfather clock these rich pictures come alive! The purples, the greens, the blues, the pin striped suits, the little girl's young brother in a bowtie. This is a time capsule of love, warmth, and especially dignity.

The words of the poem that has been dissected stanza by stanza on a word and picture double spread has a slow and earnest quality but also a joyous one. The recognition that the girl and her family were important people entertaining important people is done in matter of fact way, never haughtily. The words flow naturally from the lips and slide off the pages effortlessly. One of my favorite stanzas is, "politics as necessary as collards, music even in our dreams." Another page goes on to say, "our doors opened like our daddy's arms held us safe & loved." The look on the father's face and the arms around them, well this picture does speak is thousands of words. The audience is never talked down to, the mood is never too serious or somber. I would love to have a class of students think up a retelling of this story in a post modern setting.....Maya Angelou, Bill Cosby, Barack Obama, Oprah, Eloise Greenfield, Nikki Giovanni, Mildred Taylor, Morgan Freeman. This would be a satisfying project of art and words just like our book.

This little girl in the story grew up to know from early childhood that ideas are important and need to be talked and puzzled out frequently, that African American people are a vital part of the American tableau. At the end of the volume the 9 men are pictured in a postage stamp sized double spread with important information about their life and it's impact. That page is entitled, "More about a few of the men........who changed the world." Happiness, warmth, security were a daily part of the young girls life. What a thing to celebrate, life, comraderie, debates, sharing music, playing cards, singing dancing. The book is many things but understated is an important part of it's charm. The book also begs, in fact, crys out to be read aloud! The illustrations are mind blowing with their depth, detail, and quite seriousness. The cover with our narrator holding a RCA Victor record album is a wonderful introduction to this title.

D. Review Excerpts:

School Library Journal reflects:

Grade 3-8-Nelson illustrates the noted poet's "Mood Indigo," from her collection entitled A Daughter's Geography. The book begins with the opening lines of the poem set against a pale gray page: "it hasn't always been this way/ellington was not a street." Opposite, a full-page painting shows several people walking beneath a green sign that reads Ellington St.......Done in oils, the skillfully rendered portraits emphasize facial expressions, clothing, and physical positioning on the page, and provide unmistakable insight into the persona of each individual. Although presented in picture-book format, the poem is sophisticated, and therefore it may need to be read aloud and explained to younger readers. A biographical sketch of each man appears at the end, along with the poem reprinted on a single page.

Booklist concurs:
Gr. 3-5. The text of this picture book for older children is a paean to Shange's family home and the exciting men who gathered there, everyone from W. E. B. DuBois and Paul Robeson to Dizzy Gillispie and Duke Ellington. Taken from Shange's 1983 poem "Mood Indigo," the words here recall, from a child's perspective, what it was like to listen "in the company of men / politics as necessary as collards / music even in our dreams." The evocative words are more than matched by Nelson's thrilling, oversize oil paintings, a cross between family photo album and stage set, featuring this group of extraordinary men interacting--playing cards, singing, discussing. The girl who is always watching them is, unfortunately, portrayed as very young, perhaps three or four, although she appears somewhat older on the beguiling jacket art. Preschoolers are not the audience for this, and despite the helpful notes that introduce the men mentioned in the poem, even older children will need further explanations (e.g., where are the famous women?). Depicting the narrator as a child closer in age to the target audience would have helped bridge the gap between a poem written for adults and a book for children. Still, with words and pictures that are so enticing, this will be embraced by many.

Reviews accessed at:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0689828845/sr=1-1/qid=1189829459/ref=dp_proddesc_0/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1189829459&sr=1-1

E. CONNECTIONS:

Picturebook biographies of these and other famous African American leaders and other African American poets would be an excellent bridge. HARLEM by Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers or LANGSTON HUGHES: AMERICAN POET by Alice Walker would be a great starting point. Langston is one of my loves since early childhood. The picture of Duke Ellington in the back of this book could have just as easily been Lang. I always taught my kindergarteners to memorize the Hughes poem that begins, "Hold fast to dreams........."

LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS: Review of THE HELLO, GOODBYE WINDOW

2007-09-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

A. BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:

Juster, Norton. THE HELLO, GOODBY WINDOW. Chris Raschka, illustrator.
New York: Michael Di Capua Books/Hyperion, 2005.

B. PLOT SUMMARY: This is a story of a little girl who is lucky enough to have her grandparents, Nanna and Poppy as her best friends. She stays with her grandparents while her mom and dad are at work each day. Nanna and Poppy spend most of their time in the kitchen. It truly is the heart and hearth of this home so much so that it reminds me of old Irish cottages where the indwellers believe that Brigid, whether goddess or saint looks over them. In the kitchen are "lots of drawers to take stuff out and play with." The love and acceptance of the grandparents for the unnamed little girl are manifested in the hello, goodbye window as they play peek-a-boo, blow kisses, and play make believe. The child narrator talks about the family looking out the window and seeing their reflections at night. Poppy says, "What are you doing out there? You come right in and have your dinner. And I say, But I'm here with you, Poppy and then he looks at me in his funny way. An engaging story about a happy, happy family that sees each other on a daily basis the way most families use to do. Both grandparents are creative and exuberant as is the little girl.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS with Cultural Markers and Established Standards of Excellence

Besides the bright and always optimistic drawings of Raschka the first thing I noticed was the positive portrayal of an interracial couple. Nanna is clearly a woman of color and Poppy is not. I believe that is a very good portrayal of many modern families. Kids need to see others that look like themselves and this book will let children of two races do just that. Our little pre-school girl looks lighter than Nanna and darker than Poppy. That realism almost goes unnoticed because of the sunshiny drawings and the quick movement from one activity and room of the house or yard to the other. The characters are fleshed out as much as possible I believe in a book of this size and grade level. Both grandparents have a good sense of humor, Poppy is a trickster who sprays little girl with the garden hose and hides bananas and raisins in the little girls hot porridge.

A key factor of a quality picturebook, that the illustrations are as important if not more so than the text is realized in this volume as they meld seamlessly to give the book a nice cadence and flow. What one may take away from the book is the mood of bright enthusiasm even more than the plot line. As mentioned earlier the art style is definitely naive. It looks like a 6 year old has just discovered craypas, oil pastel crayons and has been coloring all day in a smooth yet disjointed fashion. Poppy's big nose, Nanna's hair that is curly like our protagonist. The point of view is definitely is the little girls. The setting is realistic but this little girl most likely sees her grandparent's home as an enchanted castle. The pacing of the book fits well and both the words and pictures appeal to the senses and encourage the imagination of the reader. Many times the little girl and Poppy are pictured in a position that makes them look like they will take off flying at any moment. That keeps with the whimsical and flowing nature of the story in word and graphics. At the end of the story we see that little girl's mom and dad are also a biracial couple. This is handled gently and naturally so as to give the book an imaginative feel and never a didactic one.

The drawings exhibit an intense naive quality. Colors don't stay in the lines of the items portrayed. It looks very like a 5-7 year old colored and painted each page with enthusiasm and without stopping to censor herself but let her imagination run free.

From a strictly personal point of view the story resonated very deeply with me. My grandmother gave me what she called "machine toys" from the sewing machine and kitchen and I enjoyed similar daily interaction with one set of grandparents. The fun loving and kitchen dwelling grandparents reminded me of my parents and the compelling sense of humor of the adults in the book also remind me of family, of home. I very much did not like the style of drawing except for the cover of the book though I can see how it would be positive for a child to see this type and ability of artwork were acceptable and well thought of. Maybe it would inspire a youngster to create a project for the student media festival or PTA reflections contest.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:

As seen in School Library Journal:

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 1–The window in Nanna and Poppy's kitchen is no ordinary window–it is the place where love and magic happens. It's where the girl and her doting grandparents watch stars, play games, and, most importantly, say hello and goodbye. The first-person text is both simple and sophisticated, conjuring a perfectly child-centered world. Sentences such as "When I get tired I come in and take my nap and nothing happens until I get up" typify the girl's happy, imaginative world. While the language is bouncy and fun, it is the visual interpretation of this sweet story that sings. Using a bright rainbow palette of saturated color, Raschka's impressionistic, mixed-media illustrations portray a loving, mixed-race family. The artwork is at once lively and energetic, without crowding the story or the words on the page; the simple lines and squiggles of color suggest a child's own drawings, but this is the art of a masterful hand. Perfect for lap-sharing, this book will find favor with children and adults alike.

Booklist weighs in:

The window imagery is less important than the title would make it seem. More intrinsic is Juster's honest portrayal of a child's perceptions (a striped cat in the yard is a tiger) and emotions (being happy and sad at the same time "just happens that way sometimes"). Raschka's swirling lines, swaths, and dabs of fruity colors seem especially vibrant, particularly in the double-page spreads, which have ample room to capture both the tender moments between members of the interracial family and the exuberance of spending time in the pulsating outdoors, all flowers, grass, and skyFROM:

REVIEWS ACCESSED from:

http://www.amazon.com/Hello-Goodbye-Window-Norton-Juster/dp/0786809140/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189825431&sr=1-1

E. CONNECTIONS:

The joyful interactions of a child with grandparents and lust for life characters remind my of the Vera Williams series that begins with A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER which precedes this title by nearly 25 years. My favorite grandparent book is Aliki Brandenberg's THE TWO OF THEM where the little girl and her Greek grandfather have fun,happy, loving days of adventure but that story ends of a realistic and sad note so it would be recommended only after thoughtful consideration. Both Juster and Raschka have many other popular picturebooks for the reader to choose from.

LS 5603 Literature for Children & Young Adults

2007-09-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

Book Review of PASS IT DOWN: FIVE PICTURE-BOOK FAMILIES MAKE THEIR MARK.

A. Marcus, Leonard S. PASS IT DOWN: FIVE PICTURE-BOOK FAMILIES MAKE THEIR MARK.
New York: Walker & Company, 2007.

B. PLOT SUMMARY: The book is a concise yet rich rendering of biographical information as it pertains to families in the business of writing and or illustrating literature of the children's picture book variety. The five well known picture book families that are portrayed include Walter Dean Myers and his son Christopher Myers, Donald Crews and his wife Ann Jonas and their daughter Nina Crews, Marlow and Anne Rockwell and daughter Lizzy Rockwell, Jerry Pinkney and son Brian Pinkney. Clement and Edith Thacher and their son Thacher Hurd.
The volume traces the phenomena of how families often have many members with the same talents and that often leads to collaboration or choosing the same, similar, or complementary careers of melding art and story together for the creation of childrens picture books.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (With Cultural Markers and Established Standards of Excellence)

The book is visually very appealing from the bright and colorful cover to the brilliant yellow gold of the end papers. The type setting is unusually interesting, the index is exhaustive and the glossary is very helpful. In telling the story of these creative families the author uses many primary sources. Most prevalent are photos from the families themselves. Photos of Nina and Amy Crews painting on easels with their oil cloth aprons help to support the claim that they went in and out of their parent's studio and indeed had one of their own that bordered their parent's workroom. I thought the presentation of the Pinkneys was exceptional. There is a photograph of Brian modeling for his Dad. He is squatting and holding a mailing tube in place of a saxophone. It is uncanny to see the finished art in watercolor and pencil from Jerry Pinkney's book, HALF A MOON AND ONE WHOLE STAR. The painting reflects Brian's stance almost as if it were photocopied. The exact angle of the feet with the left heel not touching the flooring, the exact type of eyeglasses from photo to finished art work and so many other very small details that make the piece rich and as integral and probably more so than the text of the title.

There were many details that even most childrens book lovers will likely not know before reading the book such as that Clement and Edith Thacher were intimates of Margaret Wise Brown, famed author of GOODNIGHT MOON. We learn their nicknames. Clement is Clem, Edith is Posey, and Margaret is Brownie. There is a rare photo of the Thachers with Brownie that shows exquisite detail of clothing, accessories hats, corsages, pocket hankerchiefs, and the style of furniture in the foyer. We see an ink study of Brown's GOODNIGHT MOON. Margaret decided that she would select the name of the Hurd's baby before it was born. She was right in that the baby was a boy. The Hurd's and Margaret were collaborating on a picturebook. When Margaret sent the Hurd's a new version of the manuscript the dedication page read, "For Hiram, when he comes." In the final version of the story published a few months later Clem changes the dedication to: "For John Thacher Hurd. When he comes. (He's here.) There is a picture of Thacher (as he would be called) with his father and the devastation of the couple when Brownie dies unexpectedly and early.

The story or the Crews family is rendered extremely well. Pictures of Donald using an airbrush for his first award winning book; FREIGHT TRAIN which received the Caldecott Honor Book award. There is a photo that shows such joy and wide smiles that it is extremely contagious. Donald and wife Ann have their picture taken on either side of their daughter Nina at the publication party of her first book. Crews looks as I remember him over a decade ago, big beard, bow tie, and a smile that was as wide as train tracks are long. We also learn small things that make us feel as if we actually know these families and not just their books. Ann Jonas wears a patch on her eye in more than one picture taken at different times and locations. This black patch over her left idea would make a child think of a pirate and the exciting details go on and on.

I have read Walter Dean Myers for as long as I can remember but I didn't remember him at all as a picture book author until I saw the award winning cover of HARLEM in the chapter of the Myers. There is a large color photo of a self-portrait that Chrisopher Myers made of himself at 14. There are pictures of father and son autographing books together and a 2 paged letter to Walter from the editor of Holiday House commenting on his work in progress BLUES JOURNEY.

The style of writing flows and the color placards introducing the families look like postcards, the page numbers alternate between blue, purple, green and terra cotta. The book though intended for middle school students would be equally pleasurable to bright students from the 3rd or 4th grade on up. The book is not "dumb downed" in the least and will appeal to teachers, writers and librarians as much or more than to young people.

As in true picturebook form these photos, illustrations, and memorabilia are as important if not more so than the text of the book. On the back of the book in bright red and gold the author appeals to children with the heading: THE NEXT GENERATION PICKS UP THE PEN AND PAINTBRUSH. Details about whether the children wanted to approach art as their parents had or had a more independent feeling for picturebook realization is mentioned using quotes from the children. The characters, who in this book are living authors and illustrators are very fleshed out, the transition from chapter to chapter and family to family flows smoothly and seamlessly.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:

School Library Journal assesses the book:

Grade 4 Up—Marcus presents the events and circumstances that have resulted in five picture-book dynasties. Each chapter includes biographical information about the subjects that zeroes in on the salient pieces that nurtured artistic growth and includes numerous quotes from the authors/illustrators themselves...
Marcus's writing is, as usual, tight but lively, and each chapter is liberally laced with photographs, preliminary sketches, and final art. The book will be of interest to those readers who enjoy getting behind the scenes of the books they love.

Booklist muses:

Marcus quotes extensively from interviews with each living subject and weaves the personal statements into a coherent presentation to show how each person developed creatively. Illustrations include family photos and artwork, beautifully reproduced in color on heavy, glossy pages. This may be of greatest interest to librarians, but young fans will find this a very readable and perceptive book that throws an intriguing light on growing up within a successful family and choosing a career path.

REVIEWS ACCESSED FROM:

http://www.amazon.com/Pass-Down-Picture-Families-Their/dp/0802796001/ref=sr_1_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189824716&sr=1-1

E. CONNECTIONS:

Other books in the series by Leonard Marcus are a logical choice in my estimation and Booklist agrees:
Similar in format to Marcus' previous books on picture-book creators, includingSide by Side: Five Favorite Picture-Book Teams Go to Work (2001), this handsome book looks at five picture-book dynasties

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-08-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

A. Hartinger, Brent. THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB. New York: Harper Tempest, 2003.

B. PLOT SUMMARY:

THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB is a story of a group of teens who are gay, lesbian, and bisexual. Russel is the main character. He is in the closet except for nighttime forays on the internet. While iMing someone his own age that happened to go to his high school they decide to meet. Russ risks the inherent because he is lonely and tired of being misunderstood. The boys are shocked when later that same night Russel and Kevin meet. Kevin being the superstar baseball and all a round sports jock of the school was a happy surprise for Kevin who had tried to keep his eyes diverted when changing in the locker room after a group shower. Russel’s best friends are Gunner and Min. Min turns out to be bisexual and her female partner is also a student at their school. The friends of friends get together, Min, Russel, Kevin, Ike and Terese, Min’s partner. They are all shocked and amazed that they are not the only teen at school with a different sexual orientation. The club officially organizes and selects a teacher who will not really be a faculty adviser or meet with him. Soon he even gives them a key to his room where they conduct meetings. They fill out the necessary paperwork and call their support group “The Geography Club” they chose the name of the group because they thought it sounded so boring and geeky that no one else would attempt to join. (They are not so lucky after a while) I remember high school clubs meeting once a month but this group decides to meet twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They have to start their meeting promptly because Terese is as much a jock or should I say as much of an athlete as Kevin. Russel struggles with being dragged into one double date and then two so his friend Gunner can date the other girl’s friend. Kimberly doesn’t care for Gunner at all. She’s doing this so her friend Trish, who has the hots for Kevin can have some time to go out and some time to be alone with him. Russel has kiss number one from Trish and then kiss number two on the next date as Trish tries to get him to have sex with her as they “borrow” Gunner’s car. The girls are wild and crazy. Trish carries condoms in her purse (so I salute her for being responsible). Russel tells Trish he’s a virgin and always wanted the first time to be special. That is endearing to Trish who is not use to guys like Kevin. Russel is so upset when he gets home from the date. One of Russel’s problems is that he is just too nice so he goes to many places that he doesn’t want to go. Kevin meets Russel at the gazebo and they talk through the date. Russ figures Kevin has been chased by girl after girl because he is very handsome and a sports star. Kevin sympathizes with Russ after the date. For one tiny moment as Trish pursues Russ sexually in the parked car she has the “you’re not gay are you?” chat with him. It didn’t seem like a quick harmless question to Russ so he confides in Kevin.
“Man that really sucks. Trish sounds like a real bitch.” Russ answers in the negative and comments, “She just wanted what everyone wants. I just didn’t want it with her.” Kevin and Russ have their first shy and tender kiss that night and we witness the social and sexual relationship between Min and Terese ebb and flow and what happens to “The Geography Club” when an African American girl with a bright orange shirt and headband and smiley face earrings comes to join a “real” club. Her father is a cartographer and this is an unexpected intrusion to the plans of the other “Geography Club” members.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (WITH CULTURAL MARKERS)
The book has lots going for it even though some of the plot line is a bit too improbable to make you believe it entirely. Author Brent Hartinger is a gay writer from Washington State so he speaks with authority and authenticity.
I like the fact that the characters are first just seen as ordinary high school kids who are in cliques, get bored easily and are full of teenage angst. Their sexuality doesn’t not define them totally, but yet it does. Hartinger does a great job of showing well rounded characters, a relationship with a parent, who has the wheels for adventures and other things any teen would have experience with. Russel, Min, and Gunter have always eaten together in the cafeteria each day. Now the club wants to eat together but they realize that isn’t wise. This is totally realistic that new friends that happen to be gay, that meet and confess their orientation to each other, would be more easily identified if they all hung out only with each other.

I liked Kevin and Terese being athletes. That’s something that so many people in our culture do not realize, that military employees, cops, Olympic athletes, prissy females and even Republicans :o) can be gay. I believe Hartinger is trying to point out in the novel that anyone anywhere might possibly be gay, from the minister to the heartthrob in a soap opera. There was very little focus on the physical attributes of the gay characters except that Russ thought Kevin was cute and Terese worried that she looked a little “butch.”

I thought the book did a very good job of humanizing the characters and making them believable while avoiding stereotypes. It would be a healthy book for a middle or high schooler, gay or straight to read. It is a quick read and a book I really didn’t want to put down. It reads like many realistic young adult fiction, the setting is suburban. A really funny and believable part of the story was Russel getting ready for his first date with Trish. He doesn’t want to go. He’s mad at himself for letting Gunner talk him into this, but still he wants to look nice. He agonizes over his clothes and stares at himself in the mirror to see which angle makes him look coolest in his underwear. First I think of an ancient Tom Cruise move where he slides across the floor in his sock feet looking cool and then I think of listening to Augustan Burroughs narrating his life story in RUNNING WITH SCISSORS and that is a more probable comparison.

I applaud Brent Hartinger for avoiding plastic figures just to make a point. Being gay himself gives him a voice rarely heard in the world of children’s literature. Russel nor Kevin are not smokers, they do not lift their pinkies when they drink and they are noteffeminate. Kevin is into his appearance as much or a bit more than one would expect a high school boy to be. The “bad girls” are a bit stereotyped a bit too hardened, but there are certainly young ladies that are total bitches, looking for a free screw, and love to send food back at restaurants; just anything to get attention. There are many females of all ages who are more interested in sex than their male counterparts.

THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB reads like a typical teen drama that is better than most. The characterization is good and the story rings true. The only part I found a bit unbelievable is that within a few days 5 people at the same high school suddenly “discover” each other. The dialogue sounds extremely natural and not forced. Teenagers don’t want to stand out in a crowd and Hartinger’s characters are no exception to that rule. The reading level has a 4th or 5th grade feel to me and the size of the book and type make this look like it is for preteens. Being a high interest-low vocabulary book might be a possibility here. The volume comes to fill a large niche that has been waiting to be filled. I enjoyed the Geography Club. I am on hold for the sequel. The theme of the book is coming to terms with being gay but it serves as a lesson that we all must learn to accept ourselves no matter what society tells us. As the club “outs” our author has first rate knowledge of forming support groups of tolerance for young people because he formed such an organization in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:

School Library Journal characterizes this as a Grade 10 and up selection. I vehemently disagree with that. My regular young customers at the public library and my former ones in the media center could easily read the volume in elementary and middle school. It has a much lower reading level than Harry Potter for example.

SLJ does agree with me however about the book’s merits, “The club members relish the opportunity to discuss their lives and to relate to one another openly and honestly. Eventually, however, intense peer pressure and insecurity take their toll. Russel's relationship with Kevin ends, but the "Geography Club" becomes the "Goodkind High School Gay-Straight-Bisexual Alliance,"

Booklist sees this as a 7-12 grader novel. Obviously the topic is for older children but the white space and type size betray that fact. Booklist goes on to say, “for a short time, life is blissful. Russel has friends with whom he can be himself, and he also makes love with Kevin. Then things fall apart. Russel refuses to have sex with a girl, and word gets out that he's gay. Kevin can't come out, so he and Russel break up. Things are settled a little too neatly in the end, but there's no sermonizing. With honest talk of love and cruelty, friendship and betrayal, it's Russel's realistic, funny, contemporary narrative that makes this first novel special. The dialogue is right on; so is the high-school cafeteria; so is the prejudice. Booktalk this. (Now wouldn’t that be something!)
Reviews accessed from:

http://www.amazon.com/Geography-Club-Brent-Hartinger/dp/0060012234/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186626980&sr=1-1

E. CONNECTIONS:
The first books that come to mind are from different YA authors who share the last name of Frank.

E.R. Frank’s AMERICA is a poignant, realistic novel that looks at the issues of being different and stereotypes but AMERICA has more depth and for a little bit more mature student.

The other is Hillary Frank’s BETTER THAN RUNNING AT NIGHT which deals with first love, betrayal, growing up. Hillary’s book to is a bit more ripened than Hartinger’s and the main character is a freshman in college.

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-08-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

Review of Habibi

A. Nye, Naomi Shihab. HABIBI. New York: Simon Pulse, 1997.

B. PLOT SUMMARY:

This is the story of Liyana and her brother, Rafik. Their father, Mr. Abboud is an Arab American. He meets his wife and decides to remain in the U.S. unlike he originally planned when he completed medical school. The kids have heard distant rumblings about going to live in Jerusalem since they were very young but they never took it too seriously. As Liyana gets ready to enter high school and her brother to enter middle school, Dr. Abboud sees this a perfect time to return to Palestine. Liyana has just received her first kiss and she does not want to move. We watch the family pack 17 suitcases and sell or leave everything else they own. A family of 4 with 17 suitcases is rather sparse when you think about it and of course they couldn’t bring along a pet. The story is Liyana’s story of how she was content with being a “half Arab” young American girl with a mother’s ancestry that’s not even mentioned it leads me to think it was her character was so “European” or “Caucasian” that it was not discussed except to show the stark differences of the parent’s cultural heritage. Liyana learns to relax with the new customs that people smell, bath, and live in different circumstances than she is used to. She attends an Armenian school and embraces learning their language and customs. Finally Liyana learns to spend time with her grandmother Sitti. Sitti teaches Liyana how to make flatbread, how she carries water on her head. When visiting a spice shop of an acquaintance a Jewish man stops in the shop because he believes by her appearance that Liyana is Jewish and he tells her she should associate and shop with her own kind. In the end Liyana comes up with the ultimate test for her family, her friends, and her safety. She falls in love with a Jewish boy that lives on “the other side” of Jerusalem.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

I believe the author did an excellent job of writing a page turner no matter the subject of the story. The subject though is very interesting and thought provoking. What would it be like for an American family whose children are 50% Arab to live in Jerusalem near a very large extended family? Liyana is so very “Americanized” being born and raised into an upper middle class family even though she has an Arab father. It appears that Liyana and Rafik have never really imagined or had a desire to visit, much less stay in the land of their father. It is a rather poignant story and there is great care in portraying the relationship of the sister and brother.

Daily life circumstances are portrayed very realistically but non-judgmentally. A lamb has been slaughtered to welcome the “return” of their own and to meet his family. Liyana and her mother go to market for chicken meat. They are both wary. Mrs. Abboud lets the butcher select the chicken, she certainly doesn’t want to. The details of the kill are minute. The picking the chick out of the cage by her claws, quickly swinging the chicken upside down until the chicken goes limp from shock. Then the twisting of the neck and severing of the head as the body gives a final twitch. Liyana does not help eat the chicken and becomes a vegetarian right at that moment in the market. Liyana’s mother tries to learn to accept that this is the way things are now and so to get meat for her family she goes to an open air market with the bloody butcher with a cleaver and dripping apron..

As much as this is a “multicultural” story it is also a coming of age story. Relationships between brother and sister, mother and father are essential elements of the story. The story is neutral and objective about the differences in the Arab and American culture and lifestyle. Liyana’s father is the ultimate tourist as they leave their home in the Midwest to travel and travel to New York and then their first days in Jerusalem. Liyana’s mother gets tears in her eyes as she traces the walk to Golgotha of Christ. Liyana’s father asks her if she’s ever thought of praying like that Arab Muslim they pass who is kneeling on a mat and kisses his forehead to the ground. Liyana’s Dad worries that his elderly mother has been living for the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Mecca most of her life. With Liyana’s Dad able to foot the bill for her transportation she makes plans. Liyana’s father tells of his concern that after Sitti accomplishes this life goal that at her advanced age she may unconsciously think she has nothing left to live for and may decline in mind and spirit.

Liyana is portrayed as a sensitive adolescent prone to writing in her journal, reluctant to leave her friends and her old way of life. There is a scene in the book that is very profound. Mr. Abboud’s oldest brother is a part of the welcoming party and lives close to the rest of the extended family. Their 2nd day in Jerusalem brings Liyana’s uncle begging for her hand in marriage for his son her cousin. Liyana’s father is furious and lets his brother know in no uncertain terms that his immediate family and himself view that particular custom archaic, barbaric, and insensitive. The tension of the region and it’s people is depicted in a fair minded way. There are good Jews, bad Arabs, good merchants and sly ones. Liyana has a very profound and unusual experience to belong to:
1. Middle Class America
2. The Arab side of Jerusalem and Israel
3. Armenian academic and religious customs
4. And a visitor to the Jewish sections of her new city

The book talks of Ramalah, an actual city in the Arab world. Readers might recognize the name because so many military bases and western elements have developed there. During the first Gulf War it was a critical base for the American military. The dangers of the city, eating dinner outside are all mentioned in a realistic manner. Again however the book just tells a story of a considerate husband who rides the bus into his work at the hospital so his wife can drive the car on market day. The parents puzzle and interview and discuss with great care which school each of the children will attend just as an American family of their stature would do in the U.S. They still have the same actions in Jerusalem. Liyana and Rifak have never met their Father’s family so allowing several weeks before Liyana is comfortable spending time alone with her Grandmother Sitti learning the “lessons of women” is logical. There is no condemnation in the story from either family about how the “other side” has lived. Mr. Abboud is so excited about returning and thrilled to be back “home” that he initially doesn’t understand how awkward and nervous his children are.

Very well written. A page turner. Adolescents will like the story because of the accurate portrayal of teenage angst, relationships between the sexes and family traditions. Liyana is portrayed as having dark hair, long and oft times braided. It mentions the beautiful skin tone she has that is lighter than her father and darker than her mother. She and Rafik have more of an olive complexion. 80 customers have given thought provoking reviews and it retains 4 stars. It obviously resonates with many people.

Depicting the realities of daily violence in the Middle East, the sharp differences in customs and behavior such as males and females are never kiss on the mouth until they are married, and the stiff enforcement of traditions that are many times at odds. The book was a great story on its own merit but a positive depiction of live in Modern day America and then in Modern day Jerusalem.

D. Praise from School Library Journal:
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9. An important first novel from a distinguished anthologist and poet. When Liyana's doctor father, a native Palestinian, decides to move his contemporary Arab-American family back to Jerusalem from St. Louis, 14-year-old Liyana is unenthusiastic. Arriving in Jerusalem, the girl and her family are gathered in by their colorful, warmhearted Palestinian relatives and immersed in a culture where only tourists wear shorts and there is a prohibition against boy/girl relationships. When Liyana falls in love with Omer, a Jewish boy, she challenges family, culture, and tradition, but her homesickness fades. Constantly lurking in the background of the novel is violence between Palestinian and Jew. It builds from minor bureaucratic annoyances and humiliations, to the surprisingly shocking destruction of grandmother's bathroom by Israeli soldiers, to a bomb set off in a Jewish marketplace by Palestinians. It exacts a reprisal in which Liyana's friend is shot and her father jailed. Nye introduces readers to unforgettable characters. The setting is both sensory and tangible: from the grandmother's village to a Bedouin camp. Above all, there is Jerusalem itself, where ancient tensions seep out of cracks and Liyana explores the streets practicing her Arabic vocabulary. Though the story begins at a leisurely pace, readers will be engaged by the characters, the romance, and the foreshadowed danger. Poetically imaged and leavened with humor, the story renders layered and complex history understandable through character and incident. Habibi succeeds in making the hope for peace compellingly personal and concrete...as long as individual citizens like Liyana's grandmother Sitti can say, "I never lost my peace inside."?Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT

Mentioned in the New York Times Book Review:
The New York Times Book Review, Karen Leggett
Adolescence magnifies the joys and anxieties of growing up even as it radically simplifies the complexities of the adult world. The poet and anthologist Naomi Shibab Nye is meticulously sensitive to this rainbow of emotion in her autobiographical novel, Habibi…. Habibi gives a reader all the sweet richness of a Mediterranean dessert, while leaving some of the historic complexities open to interpretation. (Ages 10 and older

Reviews accessed at: http://www.amazon.com/Habibi-Naomi-Shihab-Nye/dp/0689825234/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186287566&sr=1-1

E. Connections:
Nye has written another wonderful book entitled; SITTI’S SECRET. It is for children a bit younger. Nye has also published a volume of poetry, THE FLAG OF CHILDHOOD

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-08-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Review of MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT

A. Millman, Isaac. MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux for Frances Foster Books, 1998. (Millman is the illustrator as well as the author.)

B. PLOT SUMMARY

Moses is a deaf student and he goes to a concert with kids from his school who are also deaf. Moses plays the drums at home and he can’t hear them like a child with good hearing but he feels the vibrations in his hand as he plays. At the symphony the lead percussionist is deaf. The children did not know ahead of time that the star of the show was deaf and that she would perform in her sock feet because that’s how she picked up the vibrations of the melody and harmony. The class uses sign language during the performance just as others might whisper before the show starts. Their teacher, Mr. Samuels is a dedicated one and he wants to maximize each child’s potential for learning, for fun, and the ability to participate by blowing up a balloon for each student. They can feel the vibrations of the concert in their balloons. After the show they get to ask the percussionist, Ms. Elywn about music. Elywn lets the kids take turns banging on her snare drums, bass drums, xylophone, etc. The whole ordeal turns out to be a marvelous day for everyone.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (WITH CULTURAL MARKERS)

I just first have to start with the fact that I think this is a rare and exceptional picturebook. The pictures are vivid and appropriately bright without overdoing it. The pictures Moses’ room full of toys that are just a little bit messy, of the yellow school bus, the bus drivers expression, the children skipping and holding hands are so on the money. The expressions of the teacher as he turns his head to count the students on the bus and model good behaviors are done extremely well, very true to life.

This book would be very well received by almost any child Pre-school through at least grade 2. I think this would be an exceptional cream of the crop book for “Children with disabilities” week, etc. It would be so extremely effective because for the most part it’s just a bright, exciting picture book that anyone can enjoy. I think that is it’s biggest strength.

Now considering that the book is full of American Sign Language could be a pleasant aside or it could be the primary reason for selecting the book. The introduction to the book gives information on ASL: American Sign Language. There is a rather straightforward chart at the beginning of the book that teaches “How to Read the Arrows and Symbols” used in the book. Each double spread page has Moses signing a sentence at the bottom of the page on the right. The arrows help to show words and sentences that would contain more than one static symbol so children could easily practice some simple 1st grade level words. The back page is so very beautiful. It’s entitled “The Hand Alphabet” and shows a clear picture of the sign. On the :hand alphabet” page Millman has drawn subdued and very detailed pictures of each letter to show how more often that not the hand signal letters resemble the letter they are portraying.

The book does a really special thing by making “special education” children look just like regular children. These kids get excited, some of them wave at the percussionist rather than clapping. The students on the bus with Moses are black, white, dark, fair, wear braids, pigtails. There is a character or two that may be Asian Pacific Americans but it is hard to be certain. Nonetheless, the children are close to reality of what a class of deaf children would normally be, pretty much equal numbers of boys and girls, and many ethnicities represented. A small but powerful thing that creeps in at the very end of the story when Ms. Elywn is talking about her job is that the children could begin to see that they will be able to go into most any career field they are interested in, despite their handicap. People, including many teachers say we spend way too much time dealing with “self esteem” but for kids that don’t have much a little goes a long way of allowing them to think of themselves in different positive roles at work, of encouraging them and reminding them that they have unlimited potential. The part of the book that says it all, that sums up the beauty and message of the story is when Moses shares with his parents about the concert: “When you set your mind to it you can become anything you want when you grow up…….a Dr,. Artist, Teacher, Lawyer, Farmer, Electrician or Actor. I want to become a Percussionist.” The other thing that is so noteworthy is that the percussionist is in love with life. From her hot pink and black tuxedo top, traditionally colored black pants and hot pink socks, Ms. Elywn is special. She rocks, rolls, dances, and her sense of play is catching and uplifting to the children. I like the “something about the author” portion on the back jacket where it tells us of Mr. Millman’s ethnicity……..born in France to Jewish immigrants for Poland before becoming U.S. citizens. Millman also mentions his military career, his family, and his degree from the prestigious Pratt Institute.

There is just no stereotyping, no labeling, making children’s faces look less than intelligent, or like a Down Syndrome Child. Sign language makes this kids powerful and their potential limitless. Having a teacher like Mr. Samuels would be most special indeed. The field trip was very special to each child but for Moses who already loved to play the drums at his house at such an early age this positive meeting with another percussionist is the kind of story that middle aged men and women talk about “changes their lives.” Bravo to Tillman. I already want to read it again.

On the first page Max has a dog, a Dalmatian. He is not on a leash but something that looks a bit like an old cloth jump rope has them together in a circle within it’s arms. Little things are important in this story too. You can’t quite tell if the buses are ‘short buses” (which children automatically associate with Special Ed.) or regular size buses. I just can’t find a thing I would ask Millman to improve. I’ve got to see if this guy has written any other books!

So a wonderful story with lovely pictures that ALSO JUST HAPPENS TO BE ABOUT DISABILITIES. Hurray!

Ah, ha. I’ve just found out this is a series of books………..Moses goes to school, Moses sees a play, etc.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Well, I guess here we go with the disagreements about “insider knowledge” and authenticity.

An amazon customer review:

Since this book was not written by a hard of hearing person, it does not give an appropriate view of the hard of hearing world. This book could not apply to deaf people becasue deaf people cannot hear music -- only feel the vibrations. The book gives a clear view of how hearing people view the heard of hearing world. It is a beginning, but it is not the best book.

School Library Journal comments,

“Cheerful watercolor illustrations show the multiethnic children enjoying themselves at the concert, while smaller cartoon strips feature Moses's additional comments in sign language. A page displaying the manual alphabet and a conversation in sign language in which Moses tells his parents about his day enhance the upbeat story.?Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY

Cheers from Publisher’s Weekly:

“The seemingly incongruous premise of this harmonious debut a class of deaf children attends an orchestral concert leads to a revelation for readers who may well have assumed that the ability to hear is a prerequisite for enjoying music. Holding balloons that their teacher passes out to help them "feel the music," Moses and his classmates are thrilled to pick up the vibrations. Afterward, they visit with the orchestra's deaf percussionist, who, intriguingly, performs in stocking feet so she, too, can feel the beat. She lets the students play her instruments and, using American Sign Language (precisely illustrated in easy-to-read diagrams), explains how she worked hard to achieve her career goal…..An introductory note explains how to interpret the sign-language diagrams, which are integrated throughout the clear and colorful illustrations. Fiction and instruction make beautiful music together on these cheerful pages.” Ages 5-up.

Reviews accessed from:
http://www.amazon.com/Moses-Goes-Concert/dp/0374453667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186282720&sr=1-1

D. CONNECTIONS:
The above other books in the series would be my first choice. Besides the titles mentioned above there is also MOSES GOES TO THE CIRCUS.
I really don’t know another “Special Ed.” book, certainly not another book about deaf children that can hold a candle to Millman’s work.

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-07-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

A. Say, Allen. (written and illustrated by Mr. Say) ALLISON. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin, 1997

B. PLOT SUMMARY:

Allison is a beautiful little girl about 4 years old. She was adopted as a baby girl from either China or Japan, the book is vague about Allison’s homeland. Adoptive Mom looks to be 35-45 and Dad 40-50 years of age. They love Allison very much and have given her a happy middle class life but have never broached the subject of adoption with their daughter. Trouble starts when Allison’s Grandmother sends her a beautiful red and white silk kimono. When Allison’s adoptive parents see her for the first time she has a doll with her. The doll looks like an exquisite minature Geisha with her unnaturally white, white face and rich multicolored silk garments. Allison has always considered her doll to be her real sister. The doll is a constant companion of Allison and the doll is named “Mei Mei” which is the Chinese word for “little sister” or “baby sister.” Allison has the doll even before her new parents make it over for her adoption in early infancy. The unhappiness begins when Allison is looking in the mirror at herself in the kimono. She is holding Mei Mei and when she sees how much she looks like Mei Mei and that she doesn’t favor her parents she becomes upset and withdrawn both at home and at preschool. Her parents tell her how much they love her and that they went to get her when she was a little baby. During lunch Allison is very quite and Allison begins to ask the hard questions. First was where did Mei Mei come from and her Father answers, “Far, far away, from another country.” Daddy is being honest and Allison is getting more and more insecure and upset. Dad then continues, “Mommy and I went there and brought you and Mei Mei home with us.” Then Allison wants to know about her real parents and why they would leave her, why they didn’t want her. She asks about her birth parents. She wants to at least see their picture but her current parents don’t have one. Allison tells her parents that they aren’t her Mommy and Daddy and asks poignantly, “They didn’t want me?” The dialog is realistically painful. The next day at preschool Allison asks her classmate Eric, “Are your daddy’s eyes like your eyes? They’re blue, he said. Do you have a mommy in another country: No, she’s home, replies Eric.” Allison continues “I mean another mommy who gave you away?” Allison comes home angry, hurt, and most upset. She cuts the hair of her Mom’s childhood doll and attacks her Dad’s childhood ball and glove. An adult cat keeps appearing and Allison becomes attached to her and her parents let her adopt the cat and then the story ends happily ever after. A modern fairy tale that is not true to life.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (With Cultural Markers)

Say has outdone himself with the beautiful paintings of Allison and her little doll Mei Mei. The facial expressions and emotions of the characters in the story are very tight and true to life. Hair and eye colors of Allison’s presumably European American parents and Allison herself seem appropriate and authentic.

The problem here is a story that certainly could have happened, but if it had the positive ending would never have come so easily and quickly with all loose ends tied up and hurt erased.

There is still a big debate about whether children of one ethnicity should be allowed to be adopted by parents of another racial background. I don’t think it is an ideal situation but for once I agree with Bill O’Reilly’s about something. His position that there are not enough loving parents to adopt so many children who are ripe for adoption. O’Reilly says gay and lesbian couples, interracial couples and any loving person willing to sacrifice enough to be a good parent should be given the opportunity. He sees that as preferable to a string of foster homes where there is often abuse and motivation can be economic. People are becoming more accepting as a whole I would venture to guess of international and interracial adoption as people like Angelina Jolie, Madonna, and even Senator John McCain have gotten involved in this for both personal and humanitarian reasons.

The story is believable in that a 4 or 5 year old could figure this out and talk to peers and parents about the issue but the story ends too neatly. Allison wants to adopt the kitty and her parents let her. She tells her doll Mei Mei that she will never give her away. All of a sudden from her bedroom Allison screams out, to her parents, Allison is not my real name, what is my real name?

Say is too bright and influential to have made a careless mistake of giving a doll a Chinese name and dressing the doll and Allison in Japanese kimonos. There is some hidden meaning that is not apparent to laypeople or professional reviewers alike.

Finding your place as an Asian Pacific American is an authentic and popular theme so that is in the plus column for the story. Costume is mentioned and displayed but no talk of customs, traditions, geography ever comes up. Wouldn’t most parents have brought a bit of Allison’s culture into her life before now? When having tea parties letting her know how important tea was in her home country would have been a small help. I would hope that considerate and educated parents as Allison’s appear to be in the story would have been reading folktales for Allison’s home country and close environs, that they would have taught her origami or to eat grocery store suishi, at least something.

I find the book to be an enigma. The message is mixed and the quick resolution makes this not very good literature in my eye. Cats are nice but did this cat belong to a neighbor? Why didn’t any one think of that before they promised Allison she could keep this kitty artfully depicted as well fed, actually a bit overweight. Doesn’t everyone know by now that milk is not good for cats. More than a tiny bit gives them an upset stomach. Why didn’t someone offer the cat tuna or something more appropriate? That is the problem with the book overall that too much suspension of belief is necessary. Heartbreak and confusion about adoption, especially with a preschooler can not be “fixed” in 24 to 48 hours as in the book. Did Allison grow to like her name? Why would she accept it without question in the end after she gets upset about it earlier in the story. This would not be a good first, second, or third book about adoption for most children. The biggest harm to a child I think is in the fact that as quickly as Allison gets mad and upset she gets over it. Any child in this situation will deal with fear, wondering why their parents lied to them and this book might give them the message that their anger and emotional upset are not legitimate and that could certainly cause much unnecessary guilt for a child who is simply going through a normal range of emotions. I’m not sure if I would recommend it to an Oriental child being brought up by a Caucasian family or not. The book is full of half of each story and half truths. It is just way too unrealistic for my tastes. Certainly it is a fairy tale that “white” Americans who have adopted children from Asian Pacific homelands wish were true!

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:

School Library Journal says,
“The conclusion is abrupt and somewhat contrived. One can't help wondering, too, why Allison don't already know about her past if she is surrounded by cultural reminders and why her parents don't respond to her pain with immediate physical and verbal warmth and comfort. The compelling artwork will surely attract attention.. However, for first choices that combine honesty with reassurance, try Karen Katz's Over the Moon: An Adoption Tale (Holt, 1997) or Fred Rogers's Lets Talk About It: Adoption (Putnam, 1995).?Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg,

Kirkus review states, “A stray cat who has been hanging around their house provides Allison with another--albeit unstated--view of adoption and she cheers up enough to rejoin her family. Say masterfully captures Allison's expressions: She is surprised, wounded, sullen, hurt and hurtful, and finally reassured. He addresses the dark side of an adoptive child's feelings carefully, and while the resolution is a bit convenient (and may require interpretation for younger children), it still carries truth.”

REVIEWS ACCESSED AT :

http://www.amazon.com/Allison-Allen-Say/dp/0618495371/ref=dp_return_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1185504751&sr=1-1

E. CONNECTIONS:

Ed Young’s MY MEI MEI is the story of adopting a young child from China. It is also in picturebook format. It would be a delicate decision about which book to follow or use in place of ALLISON if you were a teacher or parent in a similar circumstance. There are several Reference books on Bibliotherapy. That is the volume I would reach for next. In a perfect world one would reach for that volume first.

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-07-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

A. Wong, Janet S. THIS NEXT NEW YEAR. New York: Frances Foster Books for Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000. Illustrated by Yangsook Choi.

B. PLOT SUMMARY

Our narrator is a young boy with a Chinese Father and a Korean Mother. He gives a quick description of the “regular” New Year and then tells us how he and his friends and neighbors celebrate Chinese New Year in many different ways depending on their various ethnic identities. He speaks of cleaning the house by saying, “We are scrubbing our house rough and raw so it can soak up good luck like an empty sponge.” The young boy and his family seem just barely to cross the line into middle class status and our narrator actively wishes for more money, new clothes, and good luck to finally come to rest at his home. Wong sums up that feeling of being joyous even though you may come from humble origins in the last lines of her end notes. “We never got rich. But we always had plenty to share.”

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

I liked the book very much for its positive message. It is a message not stated but implied, that every ethnic group is special in its own unique way, not just the unique way they are portrayed celebrating Chinese New Year. Our young boy narraator tells the way his family celebrates “the regular new year, January 1, when we watch the Rose Parade and football games and make crazy New Year’s resolutions.” There is an attempt, and for me a very successful one of inclusion. A purist or orthodox minded individual may disagree but showing how immigrants from China, Korea, France, Germany, a Native American from the Hopi tribe, a Mexican, and a lady from Singapore all celebrate Chinese New Year seems to acknowledge that Chinese New Year is indeed a special holiday and that it is perfectly fine for different families from parts of the world to acknowledge it in their own way.

The other major point about ethnicities brought up in the book is how most all of us in America have a mixed heritage. Our young protagonist tells of celebrating Chinese New Year “even though I am half Korean.” While most of their meal and the other ways they celebrate the holiday are traditionally Chinese, our main character makes a point of telling us that his Mom, whose ancestry is Korean rather than Chinese makes duk gook, the Korean new years soup to add to their otherwise Chinese holiday supper. The little boy speaks of his best friend, “who is French and German.” He states that Glenn’s family calls the holiday Chinese New Year too, but their way of celebrating and acknowledging the season is to eat take out food from a Thai restaurant. The little boy’s other best friend is called Evelyn and she “is part Hopi and part Mexican.” Evelyn claims this as her favorite holiday. Our narrator thinks Evelyn likes Chinese New Year best because the kids have an older neighbor whose roots are in Singapore and she distributes “red envelopes with money stuffed” inside to the neighborhood children.

Counting our little boy narrator there are four other characters and families. Three of the four have a well known mixed heritage. The narrator; Chinese and Korean. The “white” family with French and German roots, the little girl that is Hopi and Mexican. The woman from Singapore is the only person in the story without a mixed heritage. This was the idea of the American Dream when I was a little girl—the rich colored and textured melting pot where assimilation and blended traditions was a goal. Sometimes ethnic groups want to revel in each other’s differences. Wong is pleased to see how much all groups are alike, how it may be just as important to stake your claim as an American than to simply exist as a foreigner in your own enclave of people with the same heritage that is not open to change or an immigrant who wants to recreate his space from his home country to make a “Little Italy” or a “Chinatown.”

The theme of trying to find your place as an Asian Pacific American is very much a part of this story. The book also does a fine job in explaining the traditional customs of Chinese New Year. The neighborhood in the story might well be called “transitional” by a realtor these days to mean that people from many different backgrounds live there in what appears to be at least in part due to financial reasons. I happen to live in a neighborhood like this with extravagant homes very close by but my great subdivision is considered tainted because we cross over one block over the “line” which is Buford Highway.

The art work by Choi is done appropriately. The European family has lighter skin tone than the people of color that populate most of the book. The artwork of the Chinese Dragon parade is vivid, realistic, and appealing. For the holiday meal our little fellow is pictured seated in a cross legged fashion on a pillow in his sockfeet at a low table. Their table and wall decorations are obviously from the Asian tradition. I do not know enough to differentiate between Chinese and Korean artwork and tablecloths. The most beautiful illustrations in the book are the full page spreads in bright yellow and green with a bit of orange that picture our young friend in the bathtub with bubbles of all sizes filling up the pages as the rubber ducky looks on and the pup tries to pop a bubble that has floated into the air. On the following page as doggy sits on the toilet seat trying to figure out what in the world his little master is doing by flossing his teeth. The last page of the book features our little man and his dog flying in the air. The boy looks very reminiscent of the young girl protagonist in Faith Ringold’s TAR BEACH in this picture and he too dreams of a better life “somewhere out there.”

THIS NEXT NEW YEAR is a bright warm book portraying the author’s ideas about how immigrants, especially Asian Pacific Americans, can become a piece of the American Pie without loosing their cultural ingredients.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Amazon.com editorializes: "Yangsook Choi's artfully composed, action-packed paintings add uplifting color to the happy spirit of the holiday, and an author's note provides more details about the Chinese New Year and Wong's childhood memories of the celebration. This delightful picture book makes a fine addition to the small collection of Chinese New Year books, distinguishing itself with the narrator's endearingly persistent quest for luck: "They say you are coming into money / when your palms itch, / and my palms have been itching for days. / My brother thinks it's warts, / but I know luck is coming." (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

School Library Journal opines, " The narrator's mother cooks a special Korean soup, and his family observes the traditions of house cleaning, lighting firecrackers, and being extra good to ensure a lucky new year. Wong carefully and clearly presents the reasons behind the rituals in a manner understandable to young children. She explains in an appended note about her own confusion as a child about the timing and meaning of the holiday. Choi's vibrant, somewhat primitive paintings realistically capture the details of and preparations for this hopeful time of year. Youngsters will enjoy the bright colors and the sense of motion and activity conveyed as the boy helps his mother clean, flosses his teeth, and cringes from the noise of the firecrackers. A good choice for anyone getting ready to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library

Reviews accessed from:

http://www.amazon.com/This-Next-Year-Janet-Wong/dp/0374355037/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-2255834-9114420?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185497936&sr=1-1

E. CONNECTIONS

SAM AND THE LUCKY MONEY is another wonderful picturebook about Chinese New Year written with an insider's perspective by Karen Chinn.
``

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-07-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

A. Yep, Laurence SPRING PEARL: THE LAST FLOWER. New York: American
Girl, (Girls of Many Lands series), Pleasant Company Publications, 2002.

B. PLOT SUMMARY:

Set in China of the 1850’s we find our main character, 12 year old Pearl in a tough situation. Both of her parents have passed away, her mother most recently, and now Pearl has been invited to live with the family Sung. Pearl’s father was a brilliant artist and many of the influential people of Canton have pieces of his work. Her mother was a noteworthy seamstress and artist in her own right and her art was collected in the city as well. Pearl loves gardening and has enjoyed tending the grounds of their small home in an undesirable area of town. On one of her father’s well known paintings he adds a poem calling camellias “a pearl given by nature.” Her mother names her Spring Pearl after the camellia flower. Her parents were very humble people and more interested in serving others and enjoying the creation of their art rather than living in a more comfortable area of town. Her father, a known scholar teaches Pearl to read and write. Father and daughter write business and personal letters for people from all different areas of town and walks of life. Her father does not charge people for his services and that is one reason they live happily but in meager circumstances. Growing up in “The Rat’s Nest” side of town where often the stench of the Canton River was bothersome serves Pearl extremely well. She is street wise, clever, and full of brain and brawn. The British are warring after Hong Kong and the French get involved too. Pearl has many tasks to complete after her move. Learning to be friendly and non-intimidating with rich Master Sung’s wife and three daughters who are very high in the social strata but cannot read or write. Pearl recreates the garden that the Sung’s have let become overgrown after letting their gardener go in the tough financial times caused by war. With a start like a Cinderella story it turns out very differently! Pearl and a servant of the Sung’s sneak out to check on the progression of the war from the city center often and to check on Master Sung who has been beaten mercilessly and taken into custody for being a dissenter about numerous new war taxes. Pearl knows foreign merchants and people in high places because of the well known art work of her parents. She manages to bring Master Sung clothing, food, and medicine while he is being detained in horrific circumstances with little thought of her own welfare. She does this to thank him for giving her a new home and because her parents taught her their ethics well. Mistress Sung who grew up in the country comes to admire Pearl as does the oldest daughter. Pearl becomes loved and treated like part of the family near the end of the story after rescuing Master Sung and working with Mistress Sung to fight off looters to save their compound. She had wanted the love and the acceptance of the Sung’s and it had been hard won. In the end however, Pearl ventures out on her own to partner with her servant friend from the Sung household for a taste of freedom that a business partnership promises.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

With the story set in the Cantonese area of China there is no need to examine criteria about Asian Pacific Americans. Pearl is in her native country throughout the story. The book is strictly historical fiction but has the feel, at times, of a fleshed out fairytale. Pearl reminds me very much of the heroine in M.C. Helledorfer’s, 1991, THE MAPMAKER’S DAUGHTER as that strong and swashbuckling female also decides to strike out on her own in the end as she of poor origins has defended and won the Prince’s freedom from jail and torture and does not need his status to feel herself worthy.

Just as I did with my Bruchac selection I decided to test the talents of the author in what I thought was the lowest common denominator, popular series. Yep, of such international repute for so many years, could have put out a mediocre book in a series like this and it still would have won acclaim and good reviews. Also I wanted to read a Yep book that I had never heard of. If he writes better than this I just can’t imagine. There are detailed author’s notes at the end of the book and six pages of information and pictures from primary sources about the clothing, jewelry, food, costume, and scenes of war from 1850 or thereabouts. The book cover and title page have beautiful color spreads of Pearl in native costume of silk and bright colors. Even the borders around the first page of every chapter are beautifully illustrated with what looks like an antique lace pattern. Pearl’s skin tone, eye and hair color are dark and appropriate. In the pictures adjacent to the title page Pearl is drawn in a garden holding a camellia near a bonsai tree. There is a building in the background of the picture with a pagoda roof. This is how it should be because the setting is China in the 1850’s.

As Aoki mentions as a positive element of the narrative the story did reflect the changing roles of women in society and even more than that though I believe Pearl was certainly the exception rather than the rule. She gives the girls of old in the story and girls of today encouragement to transcend their accepted roles in society and to challenge artificial barriers of class, wealth, education, age, and gender. Pearl is definitely not a heroine that could be perceived as passive or docile, but she does respect the ways and edicts of the wealthy Sung family and try to earn her keep. She sacrifices and rescues Sung and family because she wants to repay his generosity for giving her a home. She learned from her family to help others with little regard for the cost and never to take advantage of someone’s misfortune whether writing letters or assisting in other ways. Pearl is polite, cooperative, and bright but certainly that was true of some young girls in similar situations to Pearl’s. We should not be so afraid of expressing the truth of a character real or fictional unless it is done to the extreme or all characters are portrayed in a predictable and stereotypical fashion. I was not bothered by this but personality traits and actions of Pearl might not have left some native critics pleased because she was a good and perfect child. She acted subservient to the new family in the beginning. That may be the reason I thought of the story as part fairy tale. It is like a legend or folktale when the all knowing and seeing one is the rescuer and Pearl certainly was. The book has many themes but the history of the Chinese and the cultural lessons shared with readers are the predominant ones along with the role the female plays in this story. The fact that a girl transcended her rank and became the savior of the family because she could speak English very well, fight, disguise herself was sly, street savvy, and knew more Chinese and foreign traders than the wealthy family she went to live with. So, yes, Pearl is a Super Hero in the novel. The from rags to prominence is an age old them in the oral and written tradition as well. Pearl’s parents were also perfect people, extremely talented, very poor but still philanthropic.

All the sub-characters of influential men are drawn out more carefully than in most juvenile novels. The wealthy men and women who collect the works of Pearl’s parents are not all bad or all good. One is in the armed services in opposition to the stance taken by Pearl and the Sung family. Once the war begins in earnest, he does display a bit of a heart by letting Pearl in to see Sung with a pass after Pearl sells him the last item her mother created for her, an elaborate jacket covered in camellias. Because of his respect for her parents he finally agrees to help Pearl a bit and shows her some of her father’s paintings in his office. Other similar characters of male authority figures are fleshed out a bit as well. Yep does an extraordinary job with the character of Mistress Sung. Seemingly a lady of luxury and blindly obeying the social mores for women of her period she changes as the influence of Pearl and the physically tough times of war unfold. She was a country girl and knew how to fashion a bayonet out of a broomstick and knife. She teaches Pearl some of her fighting tricks and they and Pearl’s friend Doggy, a Sung servant take turns protecting the wealthy compound.

The story is fine literature, historically accurate, and a novel that is very hard to put down. There is an overt sense of balance in the storyline, of characters, of the reaction of characters during the war, of the dress and customs of the times such as carrying items on a horizontally balanced bamboo pole, of middle class as well as wealthy people being carried in what these days would be called an easy chair covered with curtains

I found the dialog both humorous and touching.

Pearl describes,
“I was back in my room, changing into my
good jacket and trousers, when my jail rags caught my eye.
Those might be more suitable for a scout, so I slipped them
on instead. Then I braided my hair into a man’s queue.
In the loose blouse, and with a hat, I would pass for a boy.
Girls were always doing that in kung-fu novels.” (Yep, 143)

Pearl tells of being surrounded by soldiers in town as she and
Doggy go looking for news for the Sung household,
“When the sailor next to my captor, raised his rifle, I reached up and
grabbed the barrel. Stop, I said in English. We don’t mean
you any harm. The second soldier was so astonished he
lowered his gun. You can talk! Apparently he didn’t consider
Chinese real speech, but this didn’t seem like the time to
Correct him. Of course I can, I said. Quite well.” (Yep, 158)

Paraphrasing a proverb relating to a major sub theme of the story,
gardening: A weed is just a plant that hasn’t yet found its home.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS

All 7 customer reviews on amazon.com give it a perfect 5 star review.

Professional reviews include Publisher’s Weekly, “Spring Pearl has a bit of both Cinderella (she's assigned menial chores at first) and Mary Lenox (she restores the Sungs' neglected garden), but she emerges a fully realized character. Offering his typically lively dialogue and strong supporting cast, Yep (Dragon's Gate) also integrates period detail into a well-honed plot. A "Then and Now" afterword draws on Yep's story to contrast conditions facing girls in 19th- century China with those today. Ages 9-12.

School Library Journal recommends the book for Grades 5-8. I see it more as a 3-6 grade, but regardless it is a wonderful story. SLJ: “Spring Pearl is orphaned at age 12 after her mother dies of poverty and overwork. Because her father was a scholar and an artist, his patron, Master Sung, takes her in. She is not welcomed by his wife or daughters, but she endures. At her new home, she intimidates her hosts by speaking knowledgeably on scholarly topics and defeating the eldest son at chess and dominoes. In fact, her ability to read, write, and speak English is quite staggering. Nevertheless, this is 1857 in Canton, and the Chinese are struggling in the Opium War against Great Britain and France. When Master Sung is imprisoned for protesting extra taxes, Spring Pearl is the only one who can save him. Her good deeds win over Mistress Sung, who entrusts her with running the household. Amazingly, the child has friends among the British invaders and the looting Chinese thugs, and saves the Sung family at every turn. They open their arms to her as family, but she chooses freedom. Girls craving adventurous heroines will be drawn to the story, but it leans more toward historical fantasy than fiction.
Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL

Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Spring-Pearl-Flower-Girls-Lands/dp/1584855193/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185472315&sr=1-1
via comcast.net

E. CONNECTIONS:
Yep has written many many novels for elementary and middle school children. He usually uses themes of history of the Chinese culture, the role of women, Asian Pacific Americans learning to fit in at school and in their new communities.

As mentioned earlier, M.C. Helldorfer wrote a book with similar themes regarding males and females and transcending and rising above gender expectations about adventure, daring, and self dependency.

Probably the best “what do I read next” reader’s advisory would be to look at the other books in the “Girls of Many Lands” series put out by an arm of the American Girl Company.

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-07-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

A. Bruchac, Joseph. THE TRAIL OF TEARS. New York: Random House, 1999. Illustrated by Diana Magnuson.

B. PLOT SUMMARY

Bruchac’s Step into Reading title tells of the difficult period of history out of which the “Trail of Tears” was born. Tracing the early history of Cherokee life from their Southeastern existence before the white man arrived and ending with the Cherokees of today, Bruchac tells us carefully, simply, and truthfully about the abuses and deception that the United States perpetuated upon the Cherokee Nation. Listing federal and state government methods of removing the Cherokee from their native lands, Bruchac traces the fate of the Cherokee Nation during the Presidencies of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and Martin Van Buren. The story of Sequoyah and the alphabet he created, of Chief John Ross and his family, the move to New Echota, and the journey to Oklahoma are all detailed by Native American, Bruchac in a simple straightforward style of writing.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

I went to a huge Atlanta Barnes & Noble near my home to look for children’s books about Native Americans written by Native American authors. I was already reading Geronimo for class so this was not actually meant to be a reviewed selection. The reason I have chosen to talk about it now is it was the only book for young people written by a Native American about Native Americans in the entire store. The book was shelved with the paperback fiction section but the book is actually a true story of the Indian removal from the Southeast. Being the only book that a child could chose about Native Americans except for the tainted ANNIE AND THE OLD ONE, KNOTS ON A COUNTING ROPE, BROTHER EAGLE, SISTER SKY and the ROUGH FACED GIRL written by a non-Native American I decided I needed to read and dissect it a bit.

The illustrations are powerful and effective which is not always the case in the “Step into Reading”, “Rookie Reader”, “I can read it all by myself” genre of books and selection of titles. Bruchac gives a very balanced tale of early Cherokee history as well as the removal that caused the trail of tears. Mr. Bruchac states the amazing truth about the economy of the times as he tells us that, “Each Cherokee was given an allowance of $65.88. This would cover the cost of wagons, horses and oxen, bedding, food, soap, and clothing. They would also have to pay to use the turnpikes—private roads whose owners demanded money for their use.” Bruchac mentioned a melancholy part of the story when the very small group of wealthy Cherokees signed a treaty stating that all Cherokees would cede their lands and move Westward. John Ross and the rest of the Cherokees opposed that treaty and they claimed it was illegal since it was not explained to, signed by or ratified by the majority of the Cherokee Nation. John Quincy Adams, founding father and former President made his views known clearly as a then elder statesman saying that he believed the treaty brought disgrace to the United States.

The pictures aim for authenticity. Sequoyah is pictured with the characteristic turban and pipe seen in several photographs of the time. There are pictures of Indians of the past dressing like white men and pictures of Indians in their native dress. The Cherokee rose flower is not mentioned in the book but Cherokee rose stones found near the Arkansas river in the direction of Oklahoma were said to have been created by a single drop of Cherokee blood. These red gemstones are still found in that area to this day. Bruchac tells of the 1,000 or so Indians who refused to flee from North Carolina or escaped to return there. Today they are 10,000 strong. Talking about the 80,000 Cherokees in Oklahoma Bruchac makes a point of saying that the Carolina and Western Cherokees are in fact two separate Cherokee Nations. He talks with pride of the thriving economy of the Oklahoma Cherokee and their system of tribal government. These Cherokee of modern day Oklahoma are drawn wearing typical middle class garments and hairstyles. The book effectively takes us from the past to the present in realistic terms.

Bruchac’s insider status helps make the story honest and truthful, painful at times but not sentimental. He has done a fine job talking about the past and present Cherokee and their turbulent story. Mr. Bruchac also sees the lesson to be learned as, “when promises are broken, many people may suffer.” Interpreting the Trail of Tears as a story of hope and resilience Bruchac will keep his audience and give them much to think about.

Again, I must admit my prejudice about reading much less reviewing a title from the “Step into reading, ready for chapters”. For this type of book I would say it is a good deal better than most. My instinct is that a reluctant reader or an advanced one may enjoy the book and it would well serve as a springboard for further exploration of the role of Native Americans in U.S. history. Being a educational snob about this type of book is a bit limiting. Aren’t we glad that Dr. Seuss’ friend P.D. Eastman wrote so many wonderful Beginner books?

I read so many non-fiction books of this type when I was very young and bored with books I deemed as “silly” as did my daughter. Still my gut instinct after 23 years of working with children and libraries is that it would do best as a motivation reading selection for male reluctant readers.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS

I was not able to locate any journal reviews. The series has been reviewed and gotten high marks from time to time but the separate title has not been the subject of review. There are positive customer reviews on many sites. Amazon.com customer’s give it a 4.5 out of 5 possible stars.

E. CONNECTIONS

Bruchac has written many, many books about Native Americans for children of all ages. His story of Sacagawea has gotten nothing but rave reviews. I very much enjoyed his historical fiction novel entitled GERONIMO. SKELETON MAN and THE RETURN OF SKELETON MAN are also recommended but are for readers that are overall a bit more advanced than is necessary for reading, understanding and enjoying THE TRAIL OF TEARS.

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-07-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

A. Smith, Cynthia Leitich. JINGLE DANCER. New York: Morrow Junior, 2000. Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu.

B. PLOT SUMMARY

We find Jenna, our main character, daydreaming with the memory of her Grandmother Wolfe dancing the jingle dance at the last powwow. Later talking to her Grandmother she is told that she can dance the jingle dance in a troupe of young girls. Jenna’s excitement is very high. She has to be creative about how to get enough cone shaped jingles for her skirt before the next powwow. An Indian girl’s skirt must have 4 rows of jingles but Grandmother tells her they will not have time to mail order and get them back in time for the next powwow. Jenna watches a videotape of Grandma Wolfe doing the jingle dance over and over while practicing her own jingle. Jenna is distressed that even if she can dance her dress will not be able to sing without the special jingles. Jenna visits Indian women that live nearby: Great-aunt Sis, Mrs. Scott, and her cousin Elizabeth. Each gives her 1 row of jingles to sew onto her dress. On her journey back to Grandmother Wolfe’s house Jenna decides to ask her for a row of jingles to borrow. Jenna and her Grandmother spend a week of evenings sewing on her jingles. Jenna does a beautiful jingle dance with other young Native American girls. All the ladies that Jenna borrowed jingles for her dress from were unable to dance at the next powwow so Jenna serves as the family and neighborhood representative. It makes Jenna happy and her family and neighbors very proud.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

Jingle Dancer is a beautiful book. One can almost hear and feel the rhythms of the dance as Jenna learns to become a Jingle Dancer like her Grandmother. The illustrations look extremely authentic; the hair styles of braids, dark hair and eyes of the characters, the costume/regalia of Grandmother and Jenna, two male Indians watching the dance have on two different types of feathered head gear.

The emphasis on family, tradition, and storytelling that are so important to Native Americans is witnessed throughout the book. Great-aunt Sis lives right down the road, a neighbor named Mrs. Scott is close by, and her cousin Elizabeth
is within walking distance as well. The food in the story is authentic as the author explains in his detailed notes at the end of the book about fry bread and Indian tacos.

I think one of the very best features of the story is showing the full circle of a modern Indian’s daily life. Cousin Elizabeth is a successful attorney and she has a big case due. Elizabeth asks Jenna if she will dance for her and Jenna promises. Mrs. Scott will be busy selling Indian tacos and fry bread at the powwow so she too asks Jenna to dance in her stead. Great-aunt Sis is looking forward to being present at the powwow but she asks Jenna to dance for her because her legs “don’t work so well anymore.” Sharing is evident throughout the story. Even Jenna’s beaded moccasins had belonged to Grandmother Wolfe when she was a girl. The homes are in suburbia, not on a reservation and the pictures of a dishwasher in the kitchen and street full of subdivision homes with garages in front are typical middle class America. I thought that showing a school child and an attorney who had a rather typical life many days put great importance on their family and extended family during special Indian days is very important. To show modern day Native Americans that have pay homage to the past and pass down its traditions while embracing typical middle class life is very healthy and realistic. Within any culture or ethnic group there are things that the group does that are like other groups and there are some special traditions that each culture, tribe, and neighborhood share. Showing Jenna in jeans and sneakers and helping in the kitchen and making her costume are representative of the 2 facets of her life. Jenna is also an unselfish girl. She doesn’t want to take but 1 row of jingles from each of her loved ones because she doesn’t want their skirts to loose their voice and be unable to sing.

The telling of time each day is spoken in lyrical terms, as the passing of time being both miraculous and ordinary to Jenna and her family. The text includes time and space phrases that include, “as Moon kissed Sun good night, as Sun fetched morning, as Sun arrived at midcircle, as Sun caught a glimpse of Moon.”

The last two pages of the book are extensive author notes and a glossary of 4 terms repeated in the story. Smith explains that in the story Jenna was a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and is also of Ojibway (Chippewa/Anishinabe) descent. Jenna lives in a contemporary intertribal community with her family in Oklahoma and the powwow is intertribal as well. The traditional home of the Ojibway is near the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and northward into Canada. Ojibway women were the originators of jingle dancing. Smith explains the story of a bat playing baseball as told to Jenna by Great-aunt Sis is a traditional Muscogee story. The unique jingles make a sound like, “tink tink, tink tink” where many say sounds like rain falling on a tin roof. The author goes on to tell the importance of the number four in the story as being sacred to many Native Americans as it reminds them of the four seasons, the four directions, the four stages of life, and four colors of man. The story seems perfectly linked to history and tradition. The joy of Jenna as she dances and the joy and pride her family takes at birthing or initiating a new jingle dancer are evident from the tone of the book and the detailed glowing illustrations.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS

Kirkus Reviews praise the resourcefulness of Jenna in finding a way to come up with jingles and goes on to say, “The watercolor illustrations clearly and realistically depict what is happening in the story. The layout of the book is straightforward—mostly doublepage spreads that extend all the way to the edges of the paper. Jenna lives in what looks like a nice suburban house, the others seem solidly middleclass, and cousin Elizabeth is a lawyer. The author is deliberately showing us, it would seem, that all Native Americans are not poor or live on rundown reservations. A useful portrayal of an important cultural event in a Creek girl's year.

Reviewer Ginny Gustin, Sonoma County Library System, Santa Rosa, CA writes in School Library Journal, “This picture book will not only satisfy a need for materials on Native American customs, but will also be a welcome addition to stories about traditions passed down by the women of a culture

Reviews accessed from:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780688162412&itm=1

E. CONNECTIONS

Another family story about Native American traditions is Joseph Bruchac’s FIRST STRAWBERRIES: A CHEROKEE STORY

Smith has a multitude of stories about other young Native Americans. One such is RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-07-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

Review of THE RANGE ETERNAL

A. Erdrich, Louise. THE RANGE ETERNAL. New York: Hyperion, 2002. Illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher.

B. PLOT SUMMARY

The young protagonist, who is not named in the story, tells of growing up on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota before electricity came to the area. She remembers with exceeding fondness the woodstove that was the center of the home and the brand name of the stove was “Range Eternal.” Wrapped bricks from the stove kept the little girl’s bed warm at night. Walking to school in the snow her mother digs out a hot potato from the ashes of the stove for the little girl and her siblings to put in their coat pockets. It keeps their hands warm on the long snow covered walk to school and later is a pleasant lunch. The little girl sometimes gets scared at night and thinks she hears Windigo the ice monster. Now the little girl from the story is all grown up and she relives much of her childhood with her son, showing him how to make soup as her mother did listening patiently as he cries out scared in his sleep. One day the mother that began the story as a little girl walks by an antique shop and sees a blue woodstove that looks just like the range eternal. She buys it for she, her son, and husband to enjoy.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

THE RANGE ETERNAL is a book whose acquaintance I was so thoroughly pleased to make. The oranges, blues, and yellow are interspersed in a beautiful array, sometimes bright, sometimes muted. The play of words is very unique; the woodstove truly named the “Range Eternal” by brand and the little girl thinking she sees many other types of ranges on the land and in the sky, the range of outdoors that is sacred to her people. The range she is running on while she daydreams. “I saw the range of the buffalo, who once covered the plains of North Dakota so thickly that they grazed from horizon to horizon. I ran the deer range, I ran the bear range. I galloped the range of horses. I loped the wolf range and fox range, the range of badger. I flew the sky, the range of herons, of cranes, hawks, and eagles. I saw the Range Eternal.”

The book overall is a very positive and authentic one. My major concern was that even though the book gives the name of a reservation and a state there is not a single mention of the name of their tribe. A review of the class literature states that is a very negative trait. I must admit that in the first few pages of illustration I almost wondered if the girl and her mother were Asian or Native American. The land and yard of the little girl’s home seems to go on forever with no neighbors in sight. The family is in some ways typical of growing up on a farm in general and certainly growing up on a farm in the Western United States. The characters are contemporary. They wear jeans, sweaters and boggins like other Americans when they go out in the cold and snow. They have a dog named Rex and in many ways seem like a typical family of the times. Authentic parts of the story slip in subtly as when the little girl tells of her favorite jam made from Juneberries. The animals mentioned are all indigenous to the area of North Dakota. All the characters in the story have black hair and brown eyes.

As Stott mentions in his book, NATIVE AMERICANS IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE (1995) the characters look like Native Americans and the illustrations work well to compliment the story. The book is based on a true story of Erdich’s mother growing up with a wood stove. The author has a few vague memories of the stove and on the last page of the book there is a picture of her mother sitting in front of the “real” Range Eternal. As the publishing house Oyate lists do’s and don’ts for teachers I find many positive aspects of the book that go along with the Oyate list; this Native American family is based in the present, there seem to be an equal number of traits specific to their Indian family and traits that would be similar to others of the day and time. The traditional values of the Indian people are displayed. The mother and father work hard and cooperate to meet the needs of their children. They have a comforting routine. Dad gets up first and tends to the fire in the woodstove by adding birchbark. As Mom awakens next she tends to many things at once. Her daughter is impressed that she can do so many things at once and use both hands simultaneously. Our young protagonist loves to hear the crackle of the kindling wood as she starts her morning at the breakfast table.

I believe the book is a huge success. The illustrations are realistic while still being whimsical as in the orange clouds appearing as buffalo running with the little girl. The hair coloring, skin tone, etc. are accurate but they are just vague enough so that any person “of color” with the exception of African Americans could see themselves pictured in a positive light. The story is excellent because it is specific to the land and times it portrays while also being accessible to anyone by portraying a traditional family and the fears of childhood. The feel of the book, the warmth from the stove, the little girl becoming one with the land and sky as she runs across her “Home of the Range”. Just as the little Indian girl sees the animals in the sky she sees the shadows from the flames casting pictures on the walls of her home as well, when no lights are on just the illumination of the woodstove. As the girl becomes a grown woman she teaches her son and her husband how to “enter the pictures” the way she used to do.
The land, the animals, and her family are sacred to the little girl. I would select or purchase this picturebook for anyone. I think it would speak to all peoples of all chronological ages. The book is warm and fuzzy while being truthful about the hardships of winter and the heat of the woodstove that was very uncomfortable in the summer when used for cooking.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publisher’s Weekly gushes, “Erdrich skillfully weaves family memories into a poignant and lyrical story of home and hearth….A young mother relates how when she was a girl in the Turtle Mountains, a wood-burning, enameled stove ("The Range Eternal" emblazoned on the front) provided the family with good soup, warmth and protection. As she looks through the stove's window, the girl sees in its flames "pictures of long ago" that conjure up a range of another kind ("I saw the range of the buffalo... the wolf range and fox range.... I saw the Range Eternal." Johnson and Francher (New York's Bravest) suffuse their breathtaking paintings with light-buffalo and deer gallop in golden clouds across the landscape; in a later painting, the steam from a pot of soup curls through the afternoon sun as the young mother longs for a "center of true warmth" like that of her childhood.”

School Library Journal concludes, “Dreamy illustrations in muted colors float across the pages with the texture of steam, wind, and shadows forming connections between past and present. This is a peaceful story of imagination, memories, and the ties among generations.”

Reviews accessed at: http://www.amazon.com/Range-Eternal-Louise-Erdrich/dp/0786802200/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184386878&sr=1-1

E. CONNECTIONS

Louise Erdrich has written many other stories of Indian families such as the picturebook GRANDMOTHER’S PIGEON. She also writes novels for older readers.

The idea of following a family for two generations is extremely well done in a poignant manner by Aliki in THE TWO OF THEM. This is a book featuring Greek American characters, another ethnic minority.

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-07-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

Review of MI FAMILIA, MY FAMILY

A. Ancona, George. MI FAMILIA, MY FAMILY. New York: Children’s Press, 2004.
ISBN 0516236873.

B. PLOT SUMMARY:
An exquisitve and true family story written and photographed by Ancona. This story of a little girl, Camila, her parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Camila’s grandparents were born in Cuba and fled to Venezuela a generation ago and came to settle in Miami Florida. This story rings authentic because it is! Ancona gives author credit to both grandmothers. The story is enhanced with family pictures taken during many activities and seasons.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (WITH CULTURAL MARKERS)
There cannot be a book more authentic than this photo journal of Cuban Americans how after many journeys settled in Miami, Florida. George Ancona makes the book beautiful with his photographs and includes many paintings done by the star of the book, Camila. Ancona is of Hispanic heritage and it shows. Camila is dressed in her parochial school uniform and photographed skipping to school with her mother, a teacher. The book is full of family activities many that are based in the kitchen learning family recipes, two family celebrations including a birthday party for a child. Some of the warmest pictures and verse come when the family comes home after Mass on Sunday to make music with the violin, double bass, piano, violin, clarinet, flute. Members that don’t play an instrument sing and they call their group a choir which Camila pretends to direct as she sings. One of Camila’s grandmothers is a singer of Spanish opera entitled Zarauelas. Showing both sides of the family, their differences and similarities adds depth to this beautiful book of non-fiction. The publications from this branch of Children’s Press, owned by Scholastic, is “Somos Latinos,” which translates, “We Are Latinos.” The book celebrates Hispanic culture and shows it’s diversity.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
None found in School Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, or Booklist. Must have been reviewed as a series.

E. CONNECTIONS:
Other bilingual books in the “We Are Latinos” series by Georga Ancona such as “My Dances” and “My House” celebrate the diversity of Hispanic culture

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-07-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

Review of THIS BIG SKY

A. Mora, Pat and Steve Jenkins, illustrator. New York: Scholastic, 2002. ISBN 0439400708, 9780439400701.

B. PLOT SUMMARY
THIS BIG SKY is a beautiful picturebook of poetry. The thirteen poems all set in the American Southwest tell the story of snakes, birds, seasons, raccoons, pueblos, and old woman dressed in bright, bright clothing. Pictures are an integral part of the text and the success of the book.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Pat Mora writes with a insider’s perspective to paint beautiful word pictures of the American Southwest where she grew up. My favorite poem is Halloween in which is entitled in an “Anglo” way but obviously thought of as more a Day of the Dead or New Age holiday with it’s beginning, “A night of transformations” She uses Spanish words to tell the story of this poem such as “bruja” and “lobo”. A glossary of all eleven of the Spanish words in the text are located in the back of the book and include a pronunciation guide.
The poem that I believe is most Latino in phrase and form and visual descriptions is
TALL WALKING WOMAN which includes the lines, “the woman watches a teenager braiding her grandmother’s hair in the shade and young girls practicing a harvest dance. Umbrella above her head, the woman in the plum red blouse, grandchildren near her knees, in rain clouds walks tall through the pueblo, to a slow drum beat in her purple tennis shoes.”
The close Latino family, the generations spending time together, the bright joyful colors of the woman’s clothing and the pictures of the pueblo village all ring true. The road runner, the prickly cactus, the snake that talks like a person, the horned lizard will be recognizable to parents, teachers, and children alike who live or have lived in the Southwestern United states of in many parts of Central and South America.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal exclaims, “In the tradition of Byrd Baylor and Peter Parnall's Desert Voices (Scribners, 1981), this collection of 14 poems features double-page spreads on myriad highlights of the desert of the American Southwest. Topics include the sky, an old snake, a horned lizard, an urban raccoon, jays, and coyotes. Mora's spare poetry echoes the harshness of the landscape and is nicely complemented by Jenkins's richly textured cut-paper collages.”

Publisher’s Weekly comments In a starred review, "Mora celebrates America's vast, otherworldly Southwest in 14 poems that will delight readers with their playfully evocative images. Jenkins offers cut-paper art in tones that reflect the sun-baked region.”

Reviews accessed at: http://www.amazon.com/This-Big-Sky-Pat-Mora/dp/0439400708/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183690203&sr=1-1

CONNECTIONS:
Bright colors and talk of grandmothers in the trio of Vera B. William’s books that begin with
A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER
Other books of poetry and verse by Pat Mora: LOVE TO MAMA and PABLO’S TREE

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-07-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

Review of THIS BIG SKY

A. Mora, Pat and Steve Jenkins, illustrator. New York: Scholastic, 2002. ISBN 0439400708, 9780439400701.

B. PLOT SUMMARY
THIS BIG SKY is a beautiful picturebook of poetry. The thirteen poems all set in the American Southwest tell the story of snakes, birds, seasons, raccoons, pueblos, and old woman dressed in bright, bright clothing. Pictures are an integral part of the text and the success of the book.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Pat Mora writes with a insider’s perspective to paint beautiful word pictures of the American Southwest where she grew up. My favorite poem is Halloween in which is entitled in an “Anglo” way but obviously thought of as more a Day of the Dead or New Age holiday with it’s beginning, “A night of transformations” She uses Spanish words to tell the story of this poem such as “bruja” and “lobo”. A glossary of all eleven of the Spanish words in the text are located in the back of the book and include a pronunciation guide.
The poem that I believe is most Latino in phrase and form and visual descriptions is
TALL WALKING WOMAN which includes the lines, “the woman watches a teenager braiding her grandmother’s hair in the shade and young girls practicing a harvest dance. Umbrella above her head, the woman in the plum red blouse, grandchildren near her knees, in rain clouds walks tall through the pueblo, to a slow drum beat in her purple tennis shoes.”
The close Latino family, the generations spending time together, the bright joyful colors of the woman’s clothing and the pictures of the pueblo village all ring true. The road runner, the prickly cactus, the snake that talks like a person, the horned lizard will be recognizable to parents, teachers, and children alike who live or have lived in the Southwestern United states of in many parts of Central and South America.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal exclaims, “In the tradition of Byrd Baylor and Peter Parnall's Desert Voices (Scribners, 1981), this collection of 14 poems features double-page spreads on myriad highlights of the desert of the American Southwest. Topics include the sky, an old snake, a horned lizard, an urban raccoon, jays, and coyotes. Mora's spare poetry echoes the harshness of the landscape and is nicely complemented by Jenkins's richly textured cut-paper collages.”

Publisher’s Weekly comments In a starred review, "Mora celebrates America's vast, otherworldly Southwest in 14 poems that will delight readers with their playfully evocative images. Jenkins offers cut-paper art in tones that reflect the sun-baked region.”

Reviews accessed at: http://www.amazon.com/This-Big-Sky-Pat-Mora/dp/0439400708/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183690203&sr=1-1

E. CONNECTIONS:

Bright colors and talk of grandmothers in the trio of Vera B. William’s books that begin with A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER.
Other books of poetry and verse by Pat Mora: LOVE TO MAMA and PABLO’S TREE

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-06-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

Review of THE FIRST PART LAST
A. Johnson, Angela. 2004. New York: Simon, Pulse. ISBN 0689849230, 9780689849237.

B. PLOT SUMMARY: On Bobby's 16th birthday he gets a surprise from his girlfriend, Nia. She's pregnant! Bobby's family is very real, a working middle class family where Nia's family is more upper middle class. The parents are pushing for adoption and Nia's family is much more upset about the situation than Bobby's. Bobby makes the tough decision to keep the baby and care for Feather himself even though it comes at the price of nearly loosing his pre-baby life. He does stay in school and is a good role model to his male friends for, hopefully only a future reference. Near the end of the book we find that Nia is in a coma and fighting for her life. She has never recovered from childbirth and eclampsia. Bobby is so in love with his baby girl and awed by the depth of his love for her and amazed each day by things she learns and how much she grows. At the end readers are led to feel that Bobby and Feather will make it and their life together will be good though difficult daily.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
People that believe one doesn't judge a book by it's cover are truly blind in the day and age we live in. The paperback cover is more effective it draws you in. It shows an extremely handsome young African American in casual clothes and thick picture perfect dreadlocks. He is holding a newborn baby girl who's dressed in a fucshia sleeper.

This book is very much not the norm. In reality and in fiction portrayals we have many worries about the African American male father who infrequently acknowledges and rarely helps raise the baby or pay child support to the mother. Bobby is the complete opposite which is very healthy. He talks in glowing terms about the baby girl, Feather, falling asleep on his stomach. He is responsible and stays in school and takes care of his daughter riding the bus across town to get her in a good childcare program and then rushing back to high school classes.

Another thing that is not the norm is that Bobby's mother doesn't jump up and decide to raise the baby as if she were mother instead of grandmother. Bobby's mom is helpful and supportive but she is not routinely sympathetic. She gives Bobby tough love and helps him rise to the occassion.

There is a bit of stereotypical attitude in that the wealthy get more upset as a rule about out of wedlock babies than the middle class and working poor. Parents of daughters get more upset because it is usually the mom whose life changes most dramatically.

Bobby's friends seem authentic by the clothing, language, and attitudes. One of his friends understands and is encouraging to Bobby. The other is so put off and walks away from their friendship in part because of the lack of time that he and Bobby have to spend together.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:
School Library Journal opines, "Grade 8 Up-Brief, poetic, and absolutely riveting, this gem of a novel tells the story of a young father struggling to raise an infant. Bobby, 16, is a sensitive and intelligent narrator. His parents are supportive but refuse to take over the child-care duties, so he struggles to balance parenting, school, and friends who don't comprehend his new role. Alternate chapters go back to the story of Bobby's relationship with his girlfriend Nia and how parents and friends reacted to the news of her pregnancy."

Reviews accessed at :
http://www.amazon.com/First-Part-Last-Angela-Johnson/dp/0689849230/ref=pd_sxp_f_r/103-3639199-3279836

CONNECTIONS:
Other realistic fiction with African American protagonists
Myers, Walter Dean. MOTOWN AND DIDI
Frank, E.R. AMERICA
Multicultural but with a Jewish and Christian family and real life situations
Mazer, Norma Fox. AFTER THE RAIN
African American Realistic Fiction, issue: Drunk Driving and it's consequences
Sharon, Draper. TEARS OF A TIGER
Caucasian Realistic Fiction, issue: Drunk Driving and it's consequences
Rylant, Cynthia. Izzy, Willy, Nilly

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-06-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

Review of THE OLD AFRICAN

A. Lester, Julius, and Jerry Pinkney, illustrator. 2005. New York: Dial
ISBN 0803725647.

B. PLOT SUMMARY
The old African used to be called Jaja and his wife was named Ola. In the dark of night their village is raided and the two, with hundreds of others are captured by other Africans whose tribe and language they do not recognize. After days and days of walking through jungles they hear a very loud roar that they do not recognize. It is the roar of the ocean waves. As they get closer to seaside they see many white men. Jaja's culture has taught him about the "Lord of the Dead" who is milky white in color. His role is similar to that of the Grim Reaper of legend. The captured Africans are suprised because they believed their was only a single figure who was The Lord of the Dead but because of their cruel behavior the captured ones believed them to all be "Lords" of the dead. The book realistically takes us through the experience of the Africans being shaved and undressed and the white men touching them repeatedly to assure their sturdiness, muscles, and general health. In the downstairs cabins they are forced to sleep on their sides while they are shackled to each other by foot, neck, and waist. Lester tells the important details such as their heads having to rest on the African in front of them. The heat and body odor for such an extended time left many reguritating. In the morning the soon to be slaves were covered in feces and smelled of urine. They were given a bucket of sea water in which to wash off with above in the open part of the ship. Ola jumps to her death after a white man fondles her breast repeatedly in public. As she resurfaces she seems to be smiling. Jaja seems to think she was even laughing so he is happy for her soul rather than steeped in sadness at his personal loss. The rest of the narrative is about the "Old African" who is a herbalist and a powerful magician in the mythological sense. He can focus his mind so intensely and when someone is suffering greatly he projects the opposite of their pain and he can always ease their pain and sometimes obliterate it. He has a strong power for healing and putting messages into another's mind.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
THE OLD AFRICAN is an especially moving and empowering tale and that is in large part because the story is rooted in truth. Some people like to quibble about what is truth and what is fiction. It is moot point for some of us. I believe King Arthur was a very real person and that there were/are compilations of him throughout history. In the same vein Lester and Pinkney make me believe in the essence, in the truth of the Old African because to believe in the African is to believe in what is best in all of us.

Jaja is an archetype of the physically huge all knowing benevolent African who gets just a drop of extra tolerance and freedom from his boss. He is very reminiscent of the character John Coffey from Stephen King's novel and movie screenplay, THE GREEN MILE. Coffey served as a sin eater and had otherworldly powers as does the "Old African" In the end Jaja, the Old African, leads his people off Riley's plantation back to the ocean where they walk across the ocean floor and have no physical problems such as breathing. The story is based in large part about a legend from the Georgia coast that an oppressed group of slaves walked across the bottom of the ocean and ended back where they had come from. The story is inspiring and extremely moving. Both Lester and Pinkney offer a united collage of another world, place, and time, where horror and miracles exist side by side each day.

The illustrations and story are very realistic and well researched. As a longtime fan of Lester and Pinkney I must say they have outdone themselves in this powerful, majestic tale. The daily chores, picking cotton in the fields, the slave quarters, the beating of a runaway slave all ring with truth. The motif of family is very strong in the story and the interdependence and respect for the elders in a quasi family such as during slavery or a "traditional" family before the Africans come to America. Jaja had a mentor that taught him his magic and humanity or taught him how to handle his gifts. The family quality of the story shows the Old African's familial role as his mentor dies on the ship and both he and Ola's father passed away early on after the raid in the night. Those sorrows are overshadowed in the end as the Old African takes on their strength, their roles to help and train others. As Rocham says in STORIES MATTER: "Racism dehumanizes, but a good story defeats the stereotype." The Old African is a masterful story full of drama and hope. While never being derogatory towards the plantation owner the response of the Old African and his friends is transcendent and awe inspiring. A glorious and moving story for all ages and ethnicities. The books ends but the feelings and message cannot. I simply cannot recommend it highly enough.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
A starred review in School Library Journal includes, "As the story opens, the Old African is watching a boy being whipped on a plantation in Georgia. He is putting a picture into the minds of his comrades--a picture of water as soft and cool as a lullaby --and the picture stops the boy's pain. The Old African doesn't speak--he hasn't since he was brought over on a slave ship--why should he when there is no one who would understand? As he cares for the boy, who had been whipped for running away, a hope sprouts in his mind--a wayto return home and he uses his powers to take his people on an incredible journeyhome. Lester's story is based on a legend about Ybo Landing, Georgia, where a group of slaves walked into the water, saying they were walking to Africa."

Booklist adds in a starred review, "Lester has brought the African American slavery experience to young readers. Complemented by Pinkney's powerful illustration, this picture book presents an unflinching account of the brutal history and personal courage, told with a lyrical magic realism that draws on slave legend and the dream of freedom."

Reviews accessed on: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0803725647/sr=1-1/qid=1182646586/ref=dp_proddesc_0/103-0793530-6662216?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1182646586&sr=1-1

CONNECTIONS:
Other slave folktales such as:
Hamilton, Virginia. THE PEOPLE COULD FLY: AMERICAN BLACK FOLKTALES.
San Souci, Robert and Brian Pinkney. SUKEY AND THE MERMAID
Also consider Lester has many other slave narrative stories

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-06-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

BOOK REVIEW: ACCIDENTAL LOVE

A. Soto, Gary. ACCIDENTAL LOVE. New York: Harcourt, 2006. ISBN: 0152061134, 978-0152061135.

B. PLOT SUMMARY:

Marisa is a 14 year old Latino girl living in a lower middle class neighborhood who is prone to beating up boys and making poor grades. She begins her first romance by a chance meeting with Rene, a 13 year old who goes to a mostly white magnet school in an upper middle class part of town. Marisa is brave, strong, impulsive, volatile, and chubby. She routinely beats up boys to avenge her girlfriends and just to put her peers in their place. Rene is a small nerd who wears white socks and highwater pants that he pulls up above his waist. His manners are impecable. He is accepting where Marisa is always challenging. Rene is picked on and beat up. They are truly opposites. After meeting Rene, Marisa thinks she can do better in school if she attends his magnet school and she wants an excuse to see him daily. She realizes she is doing poorly in school but both she and her parents want her to be an academic success. She begs her mother to use her aunt's address and she enters Rene's school. As luck would have it Rene's mom dispises Marisa. She won't let Rene wear his new more hip clothes that Marisa picked out, she doesn't give permission for them to spend time together and she takes away his phone for any infraction of the rules regarding Marisa. Love blooms quickly as the two see each other each day at school. The happiness bubble is burst when Rene's mom tells the school that Marisa doesn't really live in the school district. Rene and Marisa are desperate and see each other and talk on the phone whenever they can. But miraculously just a few days after Marisa is forced to leave Rene's school she suggests that Rene talk to his father about the situation of his mom being mean and domineering towards Rene. Rene,who has never had much to do with his father, tells his dad about being separated from Marisa by his mother and the school system. His father finds bruises and scrathes all over Rene's arms and suggests Rene move in with he and his girlfriend who just happen to live in Marisa's school district. So things end happily ever after and truly seem to good to be true.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

Gary Soto has written a teeny bopper novel that is contrived and "Disneyesque". Everyone lives happily ever after despite all odds. There are few surprises in the storyline, still it is a hard to put down the book as the dialog and storyline move smoothly and are deftly handled. This is not a "Princess Diary" book, but almost. It is 50% Latino but yet it is something almost any preteen can relate too. It is definitely a girl book. The universal appeal I guess is a positive feature and it certainly seems like a realistic portrayal of Latino urban life.

Soto puts about 75% of the Spanish words used in the middle of the text in an easy to use glossary in the back with lots of white space. His characterization of Marisa seems authentic and he definitely has the insider perspective. Marisa is fond of food and Soto writes of Monday night as enchillada night, enjoying refried beans, Marisa worrying about her weight and deciding to stop eating pork rinds. The closeness of the family is portrayed by Marisa using her aunt's address and sleeping over a few times a week to be able to attend the upper middle class magnet school that Rene attends. Also in the fact that her mother has a cousin that she has not been close to or really visited in years, but still she drops off a handmade sweater she knitted with love for her at birthday time. Marisa's parents love her and want the best for her. Her father is surprised his daughter has a part in the class play of Romeo and Juliet although she has been at her new school for little more than a week and is not a good student. He is proud of her and says he will see the play with her mother's prodding. There is no typecasting in the book. Marisa and Rene are the main characters and they are fleshed out much better than the rest of the cast.

It is very unclear whether Rene is Caucasian or Latino. His language, values, family, nothing sends any signals. I think somehow that he is meant to be Latino, but his is such a homogenized upper middle class preteen that it is hard to tell. The things we find out about him are nationality neutral. Divorced parents, super intelligent chess playing nerds, shy kids, and young boys short in stature happen in all cultures.

The author uses the word gangster as cholo/a throughtout the book. It is a term Marisa uses towards neighbors and schoolmates that she doesn't like. She also worries that Rene's mom sees her as a gangster girl because she is from the wrong side of the tracks and does not have the material assets that Rene and the people in the school and neighborhood have. It is used much as my African American middle aged female friend refers to young girls that don't listen to their elders and fit her definitive of respectable as "so ghetto."

I was very surprised to see that School Library Journal recommended the book for 6-10th graders and Booklist for 7-10th graders. The reading level is 4th year or 5th year. It is classified in my extremely conservative library as a "teen" book, meaning grades 5-9. It certainly could be used as a high interest/low reading level and vocabulary selection but it is very easy reading with plenty of white space.

The story is a good and quick read. Most of the characters are Latino but it didn't feel like a Latino book to me. I think that is both a plus and a minus. Any young person could pick it up and read it and relate but there are positive and realistically negative depictions of Hispanic Americans in the story.

One of the things that rings very true to me is the fact that Marisa's former classmates think that Marisa believes she is better than them when she tries to get ahead in life by going to a better school. They hesitate to let her back into the fold when she first must return.

D. Review Excerpts

Booklist critiques, "Soto deepens this gentle romance between opposites with subtle, authentic glimpses of an uncertain world, where adults don't always provide protection and nurturing. With humor and insight, he creates memorable, likable characters in Marisa and Rene, who find support and love by valuing authenticity and sweetness over cool."

SLJ comments, "Soto deepens this gentle romance between opposites with subtle, authentic glimpses of an uncertain world, where adults don't always provide protection and nurturing. With humor and insight, he creates memorable, likable characters in Marisa and Rene, who find support and love by valuing authenticity and sweetness over cool."

Book reviews accessed at

http://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Love-Gary-Soto/dp/0152061134/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183685901&sr=1-1

E. CONNECTIONS

THE AFTERLIFE and HELP WANTED by Gary Soto. Motown and Didi by Walter Dean Myers.

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-06-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

Review of JOHN HENRY

A. Lester, Julius.and Jerry Pinkney, illustrator. JOHN HENRY. New York: Dial. ISBN 0803716060

B. PLOT SUMMARY: The typical John Henry story and song that many of us grew up with is a glorious tale, but from John Henry's birth until his death after shaming the steam drill this tale is an inspiring and very different John Henry story. John Henry's interconnectedness with nature and magic are treated as simply a given in Lester and Pinkney's version. The animals of the forest gather round to witness the birth of John Henry very reminiscent of the animals of the forest attending the birth of Walt Disney's Bambi. Henry's friendship with the sun, moon, and affinity with rainbows is handled as matter of fact. This John Henry is just what every parent wishes for in a "good boy," selfless, kind, a real humanitarian without ulterior motives. John Henry is a larger than life hero who gets a send off on a steam engine train that people and animals are lining the roads to admire and pay homeage to before sunrise as the train travels to Washington, D. C. This part of the story has the feel of the long slow political funerals for figures with a populist appeal such as Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Kennedy, Reagan, and in more recent history the cortege of Princess Diana. John Henry serves his fellow man and is truly a man of the people in this story. There are whisperings of friendly ghosts and a secret burial of John Henry on the White House lawn. The beauty of this story is that it celebrates the human spirit and makes the Henry story more of an enchanted fairy tale of virtue than simply a tall tale.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS) Lester and Pinkney combine their talents to show us a fully fleshed out John Henry and a cast of characters, scenes, and settings to show the diversity of the African American. We see John Henry dressed as Nat Love, like a young man on the prarie, as a Railroad man. Pinkney shows both white and black Americans with varying colors of light and darkness about their skin tone and he seems to celebrate that rainbow of people's colors as much as the sun's rainbow that plays a part in this John Henry telling.

In looking at Rudine Bishop's goals for multicultural literature I would say that John Henry would arouse an appreciation for diversity and that is also just a fine example of literature. John Henry is every good and honest, hard working man and yet he is still a child of Africa that appeals to one and all. I believe the broad appeal is generated because this is a feel good, self esteem building kind of book. The John Henry story is an old and well loved one. I believe it speaks more to the American spirit than to any specific race. Daniel Hade talks of searching for ways to "affirm and celebrated differences" which I believe this picturebook does thought it is never forced or stilted. I do not believe it was written as an overt means of claiming reforms of equity and justice but this version of the book does humanize the man of legend in a quiet and dignified manner. The clothing, attire, hairstyles look natural rather than stilted. This story is so obviosly a labor of love for the two gentlemen who made the book. A surprising facial characteristic of John Henry is his slightly protuding front teeth. I certainly don't think it was done as a caricature and it could be said to be authentic of people in general of that day and age when dental care was scarce and only for the wealthy and braces were unheard of. But, Pinkney's John Henry is a very handsome man on the pages where he is smiling with his mouth closed.

The motif of magic is very apparent in parts of this story showing me how more similar than different were the early stories and beliefs of man. The animorphisms and belief cosmoligies are similar to Native American tales as well as other earlier religions that revered nature and the family.

D. REVIEW EXCEPTS Publisher's Weekly expounds, "A great American hero comes fully to life in this epic retelling filled with glorious, detailed watercolors. From his momentous birth, when all the animals come to see him and the sun won't go to bed, John Henry works wonders. As a child he helps his father by adding "a wing onto the house with an indoor swimming pool and one of them jacutzis"-and that's just before lunch."

School Library Journal remarks, "Another winning collaboration from the master storyteller and gifted artist of Tales of Uncle Remus (Dial, 1987) fame. Based on several well-known versions of an African American folk ballad, Lester's tale is true to the essence of the steel-driving man; yet, it allows room for touches of whimsy and even includes some contemporary references that tie the hero to our own times. Told with just a trace of dialect..."

Reviews Accessed at http://www.amazon.com/Henry-Picture-Puffins-Julius-Lester/dp/0140566228/ref=sr_1_1/103-3323325-5316604?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182530799&sr=1-1

E. CONNECTIONS
Other books about the legendary John Henry
Keats, Ezra Jack. JOHN HENRY: AN AMERICAN LEGEND
Other tall tales on VHS but of a more comical nature are the Rabbit Ears video productions of Pecos Bill, narrated by Robin Williams and Paul Bunyan narrated by Jonathan Winters.

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-06-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

Kathleen Richardson Shelnutt
LS 5903, Multicultural Literature
Dr. Sylvia M. Vardell
Summer 2007

Review of THE HONEY POT

A. Menchu, Rigoberta and Dante Liano. Illustrated by Domi. 2006. THE HONEY POT.
Toronto: Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press. ISBN 0888996705, 9780888996701

B. PLOT SUMMARY
Renowned author, Maya activist, and Pulitzer Prize Winner, Rigoberta Menchu
takes us back to her beginnings and birthplace of Chimel Guatemala. She shares
with us her warm relationship with her grandparents and her interaction among the
children of the village. Menchu then relates ten of the tales her grandparents
often told her by presenting them in short story format. While powerfully
written, being read aloud adds much to the tales that came from centuries old
oral tradition. Menchu becomes animated when she tells of the holidays and
festivals that shaped the daily life of she and her neighbors. There are tales
of the sun and the moon where villagers taught the children as they had been
taught that the moon was the Grandmother and the Sun was the Grandfather of the
Universe. These legendary Guatemalan celestial beings were thought to have
created the Mother, which is the heart of the Earth and the Father who is the
Father of heaven. There is a hilarious reversal of the question of creationism
in the Maya culture that monkeys are descended from humans. The tales all flow
with everyday language that becomes majestic because of the old legends and
myths and the way Menchu and Liano present the tales. Extremely well written
one is quickly taken in and transported to a far away place to hear about Howler
monkeys, tales of hunting, farming, weasels and corn.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
These enchanted stories will appeal and be easily read by most 2nd through 5th
graders. The book is lush and beautiful and all associated with the work have
gone to much trouble to make it so. The illustrations, all in deep, vivid oils
are complimentary of the text but both story and traditional art are of such
high caliber they could stand alone on their own merit. The art is very
reminescent of Clive Barker's oil paintings in the Abarat books which took him
almost a decade to illustrate.

I found the similarities in beliefs between the people of Guatemala and many
modern day Earth religions fascinating. A parallel practice is calling the
four corners of the universe, Earth, Sun, Sky, and Water. The reverence towards
the earth, in fact the whole universe and the belief that everything has a spirit
reminds me of Native American belief systems, customs, and practices.

The book is a must read for students and teachers studying the Maya or Central
America. One of the most visually appealing books for juveniles that I have read
this year! Again, the birds and animals are realistic, the vessels for food and
drink are realistically portrayed adding credibility to this fine piece of
multicultural literature.

The stories and paintings are certainly faithful to the traditions of the
society because they have been created by one of their own. Hazel Rochman
tells us in her essay, "Beyond Political Correctness" that with enthralling
stories we can come to imagine the lives of others which breaks down barriers
and ends thinking of anothers culture in stereotypical fashion. (As published
in STORIES MATTER: THE COMPLEXITY OF CULTURAL AUTHENTICITY IN CHILDREN'S
LITERATURE (page 103) The brown skin of the people in the illustrations of oil
are true to life and the warm, depictions of the lush green landscape, and
traditional clothing are true to life and were done with great care to portray
an authentic setting and characters for the folklore vignettes.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
"Universal in appeal, this collection of 12 Mayan tales would be a significant
addition to any library's holdings. The anthology includes creation myths,
animal tales, and twin tales as well as stories that explain natural phenomena
such as rainbows." -- School Library Journal.

Carolyn Phelan writing for the ALA publication, Booklist states: "...selections
that reflect a distinctive worldview, a broad awareness of nature...Using vivid
colors, the naturalistic, folk-art oil paintings illustrate the stories in a
manner that reflects the simple spirit and directness of the tellings. An
expressive collection that lends insight into the Mayan culture."

E. CONNECTIONS
Other children's books that tell stories of Guatemala

Menchu, Roberta and Dante Liano. THE GIRL FROM CHIMEL, 0888996667, 9780888996664
Aboff, Marcie. GUATEMALA ABCs: A BOOK ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND PLACES OF
GUATEMALA. 1404815708, 9781404815704
Castaneda, Omar. ABUELA'S WEAVE. 1880000202, 9781880000205

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-06-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

Kathleen Richardson Shelnutt
LS 5903, Multicultural Literature
Dr. Sylvia M. Vardell
Summer 2007

Review of TOUGH BORIS

A. Fox, Mem. 1994. TOUGH BORIS. New York: Harcourt Brace. Kathryn Brown, Illustrator. ISBN 0374315205

B. PLOT SUMMARY
This book by the much celebrated Australian author of children’s books is a delight to read and to look at. The name of the book comes from the pirate and Captain of the ship, Boris von der Borch. Boris is the quintessential pirate, reminiscent of Treasure Island’s Long John Silver or Peter Pan’s Captain Hook. A young boy falls under Boris’ tutelage as they experience life on shore, live in the ocean, life on deck, life in the bowels of the ship, life in a dinghy, etc. The boy watches Boris and comments on his temperament, “Boris is greedy. All pirates are greedy.” and scruffy, scary, fearless, etc. follow. This continues in a rote sing-song fashion that would appeal to young children from Pre-School through 2nd grade. When Boris’ beloved parrot dies he becomes all too human. He cries and cries. The two sentences are what the book hangs on, “All pirates cry. And so do I.”

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ms. Fox, one of the most famous children’s authors in Australian history writes many books about Australian animals and customs using the authentic vernacular of her time and place. This international book is an exception to most of her other work. Illustrator Kathryn Brown is from America rather than Australia. The theme of the story, illustrations, language patterns, setting, makes for a very nice tale that just happens to be categorized as International literature because of the birthplace of the author, Mem Fox. The pirate’s name of Boris von der Borch is explained on the dedication page. It is the last name of one of Fox’s friends so has nothing to do with place or culture in the story.

The book was cataloged by the Library of Congress and given an LC number in 1992. Tough Boris was first published in the U.S. in 1994. The book is a very well told yarn and the illustrations are bright, vivid, and enthralling. The fact that the boy is seen in each two page spread along with the pirate is indicative that there is no ageism bias in the book. It passes the test for very good International or any type of literature because there is a high quality in the wording, pictures and themes. There is also balance in the story and in the characters which Dr.Vardell reminds us is a positive and necessary quality for all literature of exceptional quality, no matter the type. The humanization of Boris in the end is a very important part of the story. Boris, the pirate, doesn’t just cry, he “cries and cries.” Knowing that the tough old brute of a pirate can deftly foster a young boy and teach him that it is ok to cry would erase all the stereotyping that was used until the very last two pages of the book.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal praises the title with these words: “Tough Boris is a treasure. This easy-to-read picture book features a repetitive, engaging text; a very popular subject; and an interesting subplot played out in the colorful illustrations.”

Publisher’s Weekly comments:
“Boris the pirate is as mean, greedy and scary as they come. But when his parrot dies, he mourns like anyone else.”

E. CONNECTIONS
Pirates are currently incredibly popular. They are perennially favorites even if there are not large numbers of pirate picture books. The success of three Disney movies about “The Pirates of the Caribbean” has only made the topic hotter.

Other books about pirates for young readers.
Kennedy, Kim. Pirate Pete. 0810943568, 9780810943568
Tucker, Kathy. Do Pirates take Baths? 080751697X, 9780807516973

Of course other books by Mem Fox should be investigated. Her book, Koala Lou, I do love you, has an adult (though in animal form) that treats young ones with respect and dignity just as Boris does in Tough Boris.

Reviewed by Kathleen Richardson Shelnutt, a graduate student in the MLS program at Texas Woman’s University. Professor is Dr. Sylvia Vardell.

LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

2007-06-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

Review of THE COLLECTOR OF MOMENTS

A. Buchholz, Quint. 1999. The Collector of Moments. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374315205.

B. PLOT SUMMARY
There are two main characters in this Batchelder honor book, the unnamed young
boy in the story and the cultured blonde artist named Max. The boy and his
family live above his father’s hardware store. Max moves in as their neighbor on
the fourth floor and he and the young boy become fast friends. They read, draw,
and sing together. Max becomes like family and anytime that the studio is
unlocked his young friend is free to enter. Max is always mysterious about his
paintings. He fusses over them again and again and when he is finally satisfied he
places them in a white frame and turns the picture side towards the wall. Max
teaches the child his philosophy of art: “One invisible and unique path leads into
every picture and the artist has to find just that one path. He can’t show the
picture too soon, or he might lose that path forever.” When Max moves the
young lad discovers a room full of special paintings created especially for him.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The book is translated from the German by Peter Neumeyer who is an American book author. The writer and illustrator of COLLECTOR OF MOMENTS was born and resided in Germany at the time the book was published. The book is full of dull colored surreal illustrations that are metaphorical in nature. The sepia tones set the pace of the book that is hard to quantify. I think the book is an enigma that one will like exceedingly well or not at all. It would appear to have a small cult following on Amazon.com. if their reviews are taken seriously. The story is odd as are the nostalgic sepia drawings. The color and mood of the book is very muted and somehow poignant. I can’t find anything specific to link the book to Germany or any other country or culture. It seems to me simply an unusual story where both the boy and Max could have been from any culture in the Western Hemisphere.

Trying to ascertain that my instincts were correct that the author, illustrator, and translator did not have nationalist reasons for producing COLLECTOR, I discovered another book that Buchholz and Neumeyer have collaborated on, SLEEP WELL, LITTLE BEAR that also appears to have no characters, dialogue, or illustrations relating to persons of color or specifically to Germany. The COLLECTOR has been translated into many languages so indeed the audience is international. The illustrations in COLLECTOR OF MOMENTS made me think of Chris Van Allsburg’s illustrations in TWO BAD ANTS because in both books the perspective is the key to the art and the story. The imaginary quality of the COLLECTOR reminds me a bit of JUMANJI as well, also by Van Allsburg, because the other worldly feel of the story is even stronger than the unusual feel to the illustrations.

This work of International fiction also won the Bologna Ragazzi Prize. The story transcends nationality and ethnicity and is neither a morality or folk tale. The mood of the story is foggy and gray. It reminds me of two recent adult novels, The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Greer and Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven because of the tenor of the story, the romantic notion of heartbreak just waiting to happen and the unusual life of the characters.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From reviewer Patricia Lothrop-Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI
for School Library Journal: “Evocative is the word here. Despite a lengthy text, there is no plot in this oversized illustrated book. Against the muted, atmospheric backgrounds, an occasional touch of crimson glows as mysteriously as this book.”
Kirkus Reviews comments: “Buchholz has created an intriguing story with illustrations that are surreal and strangely mythic.”

Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Collector-Moments-Quint-Buchholz/dp/0374315205/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-6828923-3424457?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181836683&sr=1-1

E. CONNECTIONS
Besides the above mentioned books in section C. Children who enjoyed
COLLECTOR might enjoy any of the writings of Chris Van Allsburg.
Children who were interested in the pictures more than the story might enjoy
any of the I SPY books by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick.

Children looking for other stories about imagination that feature an adult as
well as a child protagonist might enjoy:
Cooney, Barbara. MISS RUMPHIUS. ISBN 0140505393, 9780140550399
McLerrah, Alice. ROXABOXEN. ISBN 0060526335, 3780060526337

Reviewed by Kathleen Richardson Shelnutt, a graduate student in the MLS program at Texas Woman’s University. Professor is Dr. Sylvia Vardell.
June 14, 20007.