How's it going?

I'm not huge into reading and never really have been. I was the kid who would rather be playing outside or watching t.v., doing anything but reading! However, after reading all of these wonderful children's books for class, I have discovered that I've actually missed out on a lot! Reading these books has been very enjoyable. I find myself getting sucked into books and not being able to put them down, a feeling I have never really felt before. Also, just learning about the variety of children's book available has been overwhelming. I would have never guessed there would be books about the L.A. riots, how sardines are produce, or even why it is okay for boys to play with dolls.
I also really enjoyed working on the genre project. When I choose to work with graphic novels I was not too excited. I think I can honestly say that I have never read a graphic novel in my life... but since researching and reading a variety of these novels and topic I can guarantee graphic novels will be a genre read in my classroom. Like we talked about in class, there is great variety with a graphic novel. A student who may not like reading pictures books or chapter books may become enthralled with graphic novels and gain a love of reading.

Hair in Funny Places by Babette Cole

Wow. I can honestly say I have never read a book like that in my life! Judy Bloom, yes... a picture book on how girls and boys will grow and develop, no! I understand why this is considered a controversial book. It's a difficult subject for anyone talk about... children and adults alike, but I don't think I would have my students, or my own children for that matter learn about the changes in their bodies and what puberty is through a book like this. The book did make me laugh and I thought the pictures were humorous... but that's about where it ends for me.

Arlene Sardine by Chris Raschka

So, controversial book... I don't know, but is this subject really in a children's book?? I grew up with a family of fishermen. We would go out in the summer on my grandpa's boat, fishing and swimming all day in the Mississippi River. Afterwards, we would go home and cook/eat our catches of the day. In the winter we would do the same thing, except this time instead of basking in the sun, I would be sitting on top of a bucket on a thick slab of ice... so needless to say fishing does not bother me or disgust me one bit. However, this book was not an enjoyable read for me. Informational, Yes. Fun reading, No!

Arlene is a sardine. She dies and the author makes it sound like the best thing ever. She was put with fish her own size, got to take a salty bath, she was smoked delicately, and felt well rested on the conveyor belt. SERIOUSLY?! If I wanted to learn about the process of packing sardines I would watch the Food Network or Discover Channel... not read a children's picture book about it.

Smoky Night by Eve Bunting

First off, I love the illustrations in this book. With caricature paintings on one side of the page to show the reader what is happening to the main character, Daniel, and actual real elements on the other side that help us understand that show us sometimes what is going on outside during the riots. The elements shown really made me as the reader stop and think, "Okay, so what's going on here, what are they trying to convey?"

As for the actual story of the book, it was quite moving and touching for me. So many times when events like this happen we are forced (by media mostly) to only see one side of the story. Too many times we as the public forget about what is happening behind the scenes. What is happening to the people who live these events or disasters everyday?? How are they coping and what is happening to the children? This book helps to show us how events (rioting) can affect even those not directly targeted and how even in the darkest of times how good can come out of a bad situation. One line in the book I love... after Mama confesses that she thought the two cats didn't like each other, Daniel replies, "They probably didn't know each other before, now they do." The little boy is teaching the adults to get to know someone before you decide you don't like them.

William's Doll by Charlotte Zolotow

You know what... I appreciate a story like William's Doll. This book is about a little boy who wants a doll more than anything. Because of this his brother calls him 'creepy,' his neighbor calls him a 'sissy,' and he dad will by him any other toy other than a doll. Finally his grandma comes to visit and William explains to her that all he wants doll to play with and take care of. Finally someone understands and grandma pulls through.

There is nothing wrong with a boy wanting to play with a baby doll. In fact, I think it's a good thing. Boys should be exposed to things like dolls and Barbies, just like I think girls should be exposed to trains, sports, action figures, etc. I thought this message was very endearing showed little boys that it's okay to want different things. The one drawback for me with this book is that it is a little outdated. I don't think I would have this book in my classroom, but I would probably read it with my own son.

Happy to be Nappy by Bell Hooks

So the first thing that came to my mind when I saw this book was Don Imus. A few year back this radio personality used the term 'nappy' to refer to the women's basketball team at Rutgers. Immediately there was backlash towards him and he eventually was fired from CBS. 'Nappy' is a frowned upon term to use, this book however celebrates 'nappy' hair.

Truthfully, I don't don't really see the need for a book like this? I think the underlying message of this story to celebrate who you are, what you have, you are beautiful... is a great message, but is this really the best way to portray that message? I don't know. On top of not really liking this book I thought some words were incredibly difficult to read because of the text font in cursive. Overall, I appreciate what this author is trying to do, I just think there are more appropriate books out there that would get the same message across.

The Misfits by James Howe

So, that was totally not the ending I saw coming! Colin likes Joe back!?!
While reading the first half of this book I couldn’t really figure out why this was such a controversial book. Big deal, Joe likes boys. He wasn’t forcing it or his views upon anyone, he wasn’t making a big scene about it. He was just being himself. However, after reading the ending, I can somewhat understand why it is lumped in a controversial listing… all because a boy actually liked him back. Blah! I don’t really buy it. I really enjoyed this reading and I think the overall message of kids treating each other with respect and working to stop name calling (because it does hurt) is a much more important message and lesson to get from this book than oh my gosh, someone in middle school might be gay!
This book definitely took me back to my middle school days, which I have to admit I didn’t mind. For me middle school wasn’t the worst time in my life… in fact, I can barely remember it (which can maybe be seen as a good thing-I didn’t have anything super embarrassing/life-changing/etc. happen). I do remember kids in my school who were like the misfits and those that were the ‘popular’ kids. I wasn’t either, I just kinda sat in the middle. I admire the misfits and Bobby in particular. I loved how he came out of his shell in the end and rocked it! I wish I could take a cue from him in that area. I think what Bobby went through in the end of this book goes to show us that finding ourselves and being happy with yourself may take time, but be patient... you will get there.

Never Take a Shark to the Dentist (and other thinks not to do) by Judi Barrett

This is such a cute book about different imaginative ideas that can happen with different animals… and the problems that can arise. Like NEVER shop for shoes with a centipede (these creatures have something like 28 ‘feet’... near impossible to try on that many shoes!!) Or NEVER go to the movies with a giraffe (how in the world could you see if his head hid the projector!!)
Plain and simple it’s just a fun book to read at any age. The illustrations are just as amazing and intovative. I think it would be fun to read this book to your class and have the students think of different ways to fill in the sentence… NEVER _______ a _______ to __________ (just one example). Make a classroom ‘NEVER’ book and have the students make illustrations to go along with their sentence. Sounds fun to me!!

Katie’s Sunday Afternoon by James Mayhew

I love this book! Katie’s Sunday Afternoon is about a little girl, Katie, who on a hot day tries to go to the pool with her grandma. The pool is too crowded so they decide to go to the art gallery nearby but the gallery is even hotter! So while grandma takes a quick nap, Katie discovers a room full of amazing pictures. Through Katie’s imagination the pictures she sees come to life. Katie and the characters in the paintings have many different mini adventures but in the end all is restored.
This is a great book to introduce children to real masterpiece art pieces. The masterpieces shown in this book include; Bathers at Asnières, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, and Port of Honfleur, all paintings by Georges Seurat. Hanging up the Washing by Camille Pissarro, and Portrait of Felix Feneon by Paul Signac. The illustrations were amazing… and how they drew Katie into each one was very impressive and unique.

Santa Duck by David Milgrim

Santa Duck is a story about a duck who wants to find Santa so he can tell him what he wants for Christmas. On his way to find Santa he finds a box at his door. Inside the box is a Santa Hat and the duck proceeds to put it on. As he walks along all the characters stop duck and tell him what they want for Christmas. Duck gets frustrated and starts running away until he bumps into Santa! The duck became Santa’s helper and told him all the presents that everyone wanted… except he forgot to tell Santa what HE wanted! When he got home there was a note waiting for him from Santa thanking him for all of his help. He was Santa’s special helper and he felt proud to be and forgot all about his list, until…
I really didn’t care for this story too much. As a book to be used for a beginning reader to learn on (recommended age 3-6), I thought that the book was a little hard to follow for that age group because of the text being all over the place, sometimes in word bubbles, sometimes not. I wasn’t too keen on the story either. It seemed the message it is better to give and help than receive was overshadowed in the end by the tricked-out car that Santa Duck got.

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears by Verna Aardema

This is a cute story on one ideas of Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears. The story starts when Mosquito tells a tall tale to Iguana who doesn’t like what he hears so he plugs his ears… this in turn sets off a chain reaction between many jungle animals that results in a jungle disaster – all because of a misunderstanding!
I like this story because it gives the reader one persons (the authors) idea of why mosquitoes buzz people’s ears. Maybe the reader can come up with their own ideas on why mosquitoes buzz in ears… and write their own story. I also like this story because it brings us into talking about tall tales. Telling tall tales may have repercussions. As in this story, when people assume they may cause more harm. I really enjoy reading tall tales and think doing a unit on tall tales is a great idea. I would definitely use this book in my classroom for a tall tales unit or just a fun read.

Salt in His Shoe: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream, by Deloris Jordan with Roslyn M. Jordan

I was assigned a reading buddy for one of my classes this semester. He is a very energetic little boy who loves everything to do with sports, especially football and basketball. I researched a few books and the curriculum lab and came across one that I knew not only he would enjoy, but I would too. I grew up in a basketball household. Of course the Hawkeyes were our favorite team, but not too far behind were the Chicago Bulls. Now my favorite player of all time is Scottie Pippen, but come-on… how could you not love Michael Jordan! I actually read a book in high school about Michael’s life and found it very interesting, so when I discovered a picture book about him, I knew I had to check it out.
I was not disappointed in the reading of this book. The story was fun to read and it had a great message to all children, (aspiring to be basketball players or not) that patience, determination, and hard work can take you places. The illustrations in this book were also very impressive. I felt like I was sitting in the Jordan’s kitchen or on the playground with all the kids – very life-like. I would recommend this book anyone to read… not just sports fans and will definitely have a copy of it in my classroom.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Okay, so I have to admit it, I love this book! It was unlike anything I have ever read before which to me was refreshing. The format was different, which I thought was cool… I don’t know I just really liked it!!
When I first picked the book up I was super excited to read it because... I Love Dogs! Even though after the first couple pages I could tell the story really wasn’t necessarily about a dog… but more about Jack and his introduction to and love of poetry, I was still enthralled by the reading. Throughout this book I found myself relating to Jack. Like him in the beginning, I was not a fan of writing poetry. To me poetry was something you had to decode, something that had more meaning behind it than just the words on the paper. When I read poetry it was frustrating to me because I felt like I never really understood the meaning of the poem. Jack made me a believer in poetry again! I loved his words, his poems. It was so simple to see, to understand. A poem can really be anything you think or feel one is. My absolute favorite part of this book was when Jack wrote a reflection to his teacher. She responded by asking him if she could type it up and put it on the board. He was stumped… how could this be poetry, it’s just my thoughts. That exact moment is why I love this book.
I know I will use this book when I teach poetry with my classroom. I just think it’s a great book to show students how poetry doesn’t have to rhyme. It doesn’t have to be difficult to understand. It doesn’t portray strong, emotional, deep meaning (but it can). Poetry can be about anything… even dogs.

Babymouse: Queen of the World! by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm

Babymouse is actually one of the only graphic novels for children I had really heard of before conducting my research project. As I was flipping through the book I was interested in the illustrations more than the words. With just the colors of black, white, and pink... the pictures actually turned out more powerful than I expected while reading the text. The way the illustrator used pink as an accent color and/or hiding it into the pictures in some instances, kept me as the reader interested and seemingly made me pay more attention to the pictures.

But hold on... I don't want to take away from the text of this book. While I must admit that at the beginning of the book I thought to myself, "I am completely lost and have no clue what is going on," as I continued to read I grasped the way the pages were designed and how the story was being told. It is unlike most books in the way it is told because not only is there a story going on, but the book is interacting and 'talking' to you while you read it. At the bottom of some pages you see Babymouse talking to herself. It lets the reader understand Babymouse a little more without having to use dialogue.

In this story in particular, Babymouse wants to by Queen of the World... but she would settle for being invited to super-popular Felicia Furrypaw's sleepover. Will she get invited to the party or head over to her true friend, Wilson the Weasel's, for a monster movie marathon?

Pigling: A Cinderella Story by Dan Jolley

Cinderella is a classic story. Like so many little girls, at one time in my life I think I watched Cinderella nearly everyday. It's still one of my favorite Disney movies ever. A little girl I babysit sometimes thinks she is Cinderella... that's how much she loves it. She has the dresses, shoes, crowns... and her dad even calls her his 'princess.' I knew Cinderella was popular, but it wasn't until I picked up the book Pigling: A Cinderella Story, that truly realized it is kinda a worldwide phenomena. Pigling is a Korean tale. It's a story much like our American version with an evil stepmother and stepsister, magical creatures, a lost shoe, a ball/festival, and a Prince-like character who marries the Cinderella-like character. It's neat to see the different versions of this story.. In fact, not only was Pigling a Korean version, it was also in a different format than usual, it is a graphic novel.
I think it would be fun to maybe make a 'book club' out of a bunch of different versions of this Cinderella story. Students/Readers can find similarities, differences, find the cultural relevance to each version, etc.

Inside Out: Portrait of an Eating Disorder by Nadia Shivack

This very serious and intensive graphic novel is a story about the author, Nadia Shivack, and her eating disorder, Ed. When Nadia was only fourteen years old she began suffering from what would turn into a lifelong battle between her body and food. Shivack retells events in her life that from the first memory of when she became aware of food (at age 6) all the way through her outpatient treatment (at age 40). Her story, although extreme, is one that many of us can relate to… not feeling great about ourselves, our bodies, where we are in life, etc. At the time this book was published (2007) Shivack was still recovering. Eating disorders can be very destructive to a person both physically and mentally, and hers has taken her through ups and downs. One of the only ways that she has been able to remain calm enough to work to fight off this disease is by writing and drawing on napkins after meals, and that is what makes up this book. The pages are formatted like nothing I have ever seen before, but for the story being told it works very well. The illustrations are literally straight out of her notebooks, her napkins, anything she could find to write on. This (reading and writing) is the medium that has help her cope, helped her remain living. She took me into an eating disorder and I will never think about eating disorders the same.

Now my experience is not an eating disorder, but in my Methods class this semester we have to write a literacy reflection… a time in our life we remember about an experience in reading or writing. I choose to write about a time in my life when I didn’t feel like talking to anyone. I bottled up my emotions and didn’t know how or didn’t want to express myself, my feelings. My dad had just had a heart attack at the age of 48. I was devastated, scared, and upset. Today my dad is doing fine, but at the time it was a very serious thing. The one thing that got me through everything and kept me sane, was having to write about it in my rhetoric class. Writing about my feelings, my experiences, about everything… it helped!

Too Many Time Machines, by Mark Alan Stamaty

I’ve said it before in my blog, but I just love the idea of reading graphic novels. I have been volunteering in a classroom for a while, during the students reading time. There is one boy that I work with who just does not like reading. He is not a bad reader by any means; he just gets bored or frustrated reading. He really loves sports. Football and basketball are his favorites, but I found a graphic novel on baseball and couldn’t resist brining it in for him to read.
The book I choose to read is, Too Many Time Machines, by Mark Alan Stamaty. It is a graphic novel about a boy who loves baseball and wants to practice with his friends so that they can win the championship. However, all of his friends would rather play with their time machines. So, the boy decides to use his own time machine to travel back in time to meet Babe Ruth and discover the secret of home run hitting. Before reading it I had him thumb through the pages to see if this would be something he might be interested in reading. As he looked through the book he saw that it wasn’t your typical ‘school’ book and seemed pretty excited to see what it was all about. We read the entire book in two sessions. He loved it! Not only was it a subject he was interested in, the change in format really sparked his interest. When we were done reading the book, he even asked if I could bring in another one like it! This is what I love about this class… if I had never had to research a genre or see examples of such different genres I would NEVER have thought to get a book like this.