How I Came to Be...

How I Came to Be a Writer

Published by:

Written by: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

It is always interesting to read about how and why an author writes, and Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's How I Came to Be a Writer is no exception.  Naylor takes a very interesting approach to explaining how she got to be the person that she was at age 54, focusing on her autobiographical past and her writing processes in the past and present. I really connected to Naylor's experience as a passionate young writer who never dreamed that she could make a career out of writing because it was just too much fun.  I felt this way about working with children throughout most of my high school and early college careers and often told friends and family that even though I was "good with children," I never wanted to be a teacher because it wouldn't be a real job...well, look at me now.  One semester of graduate school down (almost) and I'm halfway towards having my masters in elementary education.  Isn't it funny how that happens?

The personal stories told by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor in this autobiographical novel really made me connect to her as a person instead of just a world famous writer.  The images that she included from her childhood helped set the personal tone of this novel and helped me connect to her story on a deeper level.  Though this text was written for young adult readers, its message transcends age and can be appreciated and understood by even the most sophisticated adults.  There is a four-part interview of Naylor available through YouTube that really supplements this text. The first part can be accessed by clicking here.  Unfortunately, the parts are not in order on the YouTube playlist, so you have to click around in order to see the interview segments in order.

I hate to admit it, but I have never read Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Newbery Award winning book Shiloh.  Though this may be considered a literary crime by some book connoisseurs, I think that reading Naylor's autobiography before reading her work will give me a unique perspective.  Shiloh is such an iconic story that it is often difficult to separate Naylor, the person, from Naylor, the author of Shiloh.  I haven't had time to test this theory yet, but when I do, I'll let you know how it goes.

Make a Difference

Eleanor Roosevelt; People Who Made a Difference

Published by: Newbridge Educational Publishing

Written by: Don McLeese

This simple paperback book introduces students to one of the United States of America's leading first ladies: Eleanor Roosevelt.  Though she is specifically addressed in the Virginia SOLs for first grade, Eleanor Roosevelt is a famous American who can and should be studied at all levels.  This book simplifies her life works into twenty-four easy to decipher pages; however, it is only a jumping off point.  There are countless websites, books, and recorded video that focus on her early life, her marriage to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and her philanthropic expeditions; however, it is difficult to find a strong, condensed version that is appropriate for younger students.  

The People Who Make a Difference series from Newbridge Publishing has a wide range of biographical texts designed for students in grades 1-3.  These books focus on famous Americans that can be studied at any grade level and all feature a simple table of contents, glossary of important and unfamiliar terms, an index, recommendations for further reading, and websites to visit.  One of the sites listed at the end of the book is particularly useful for those who are interested in learning more about inspirational women (http://www.greatwomen.org).  Another useful resource that I found while searching the internet is this four-minute video that summarizes the life of Eleanor Roosevelt (http://www.5min.com/Video/Eleanor-Roosevelt-Biography-119820641). The site itself is very interesting and a good classroom find.  Some of it's videos are not appropriate for classroom use and must be previewed before they are shown to a class; however, it is incredibly practical to have access to video resources that are limited in length to five minutes or less.  

What Makes a Science Teacher?

What Makes a Magnet? 

Published by: HarperCollins

Written by: Dr. Franklyn M. Branley

Illustrated by: True Kelley

This text is a combination of story-like experiments.  It follows a young girl who is curious about magnets, how they work, how they are made, and what they attract.  She starts out by going “fishing” with a magnet on a string for a couple common household objects.  The illustrations are simple, but very kid friendly and engaging.  Readers are exposed to a sampling of results and demonstrations through True Kelley’s illustrations.  This text even demonstrates higher-level science ideas like creating a magnet, polarization, natural magnets, and magnetism in relation to the universe. It also briefly discusses the history of compasses and many of their practical uses in today’s world.

What Makes a Magnet? directly addresses Virginia SOLs for Kindergarten through fourth grade and can be used for inspiration when creating hands-on science activities.  The books whimsical illustrations show the unnamed protagonist gathering materials, preparing, and executing a variety of experiments.  She fishes with magnets, creates her own magnet using a needle, and uses her magnetic needle to create a homemade compass!  This book is a great teaching tool that could be used as both a read aloud and as an instructional text. 

You can browse the contents of this text at the HarperCollins site to see if it's ideas apply to your instructional strategy or, you can look through the other titles that are part of the Let's Read and Find Out Science series.

Salty Shoes

Salt in his Shoes; Michael Jordan, In Pursuit of a Dream

Published by: Scholastic

Written by: Deloris Jordan with Roslyn M. Jordan

Illustrated by: Kadir Nelson

This book might be more historical fiction than non-fiction, but that's not keeping me from blogging about it!  As a lifelong basketball player, I felt inspired just by reading the name "Michael Jordan," but readers with all types of hobbies and interests can relate to this heartfelt story told by a mother about her remarkable child.  That's right, Deloris Jordan is Michael's mom, and she starts this retelling with a heartfelt dedication to "the many children who are inclined to say 'I can't,' or 'I wish I had talent,' or 'I wish I were gifted.'"  Though her son grew up to be one of the most talented athletes of all time, he was not always a star; he was awkward, he was short, and often, he lost.  Michael's mom did not always know that he was going to be a star, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve to help him believe in his limitless potential.

Like all moms, Deloris Jordan had the answer to most of Michael's questions and, when he came home from a basketball game in the park attributing his team's loss to his short stature, his mama knew just what to do.  She put salt in his shoes, like she put salt in the roses in her garden, to help him grow and flourish.  Michael did not physically grow much from his mother's remedy, but he was inspired to practice harder than ever before to make up for his height. 

This book would make for a great read aloud to a group of older elementary students in need of a little inspiration.  While searching the internet, I was able to find a few people who were especially moved by Deloris Jordan's story.  One of these leads led me to a website that I had never heard of before called SchoolTube which seems to be a more secure version of YouTube specifically designed to be used in an academic setting.  Schools can create their own private channels on the sight or utilize resources posted in other channels. The link above takes you to one students commercial for Salt in His Shoes and is a great idea for a technology-integrated lesson.

Another great resource found to accompany this book is a recorded read aloud by Stuart Naismith, the grandson of James Naismith.  James Naismith is credited with inventing the game of basketball as we know it today in 1890 and this book is a great example of how his legacy lives on.  Naismith's read aloud reminds us that Michael Jordan eventually grew to 6 feet 6 inches tall, so maybe we should all start sprinkling a little salt in our shoes.

The Glorious Instruction

The Glorious Flight; Across the Channel with Louis Blériot

Published by: Puffin Books

Written by: Alice and Martin Provensen

Ever heard of Louis Blériot?  Well, he's not part of the Virginia SOLs but that does not mean he isn't worth reading about.  Blériot was the first person to fly across the English Channel back on July 25, 1909 in his innovative flying machine, Bléroit XI.  This text would be an excellent addition to any lesson covering the history of flight or general scientific exploration.  I was drawn to the unique illustrations on both the front and back covers (and, of course, the Caldecott Medal that confirmed my admiration).  This book has a vintage feel that seems to evoke a time much earlier than when its 1983 publishing date.  In fact, the Provensens recently won the Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award.

Louis Blériot and his large family are portrayed as a loving, curious, and quirky crew in the Provensens' somber illustrations and whimsical, almost poetic, text.  This is not your average non-fiction book because "Fact is turned into magic" throughout the text (The New York Times Book Review).  Though Alice and Martin Provensen did not win any awards for their writing, their approach to Blériot's historic journey is wonderful for older readers.  I particularly enjoyed how the Provensens portrayed Blériot's inspiration, exploration, failures, and eventual success.  We see brilliant sketches of the Blériot I, II, IV, V, VI, VII, and some of their crash landings.  By the time Blériot builds and tests the Blériot XI, we have experienced his frustration and cross our fingers for his success.  He is portrayed as much more compassionate than the typical scientists that are often studied in school as his family and family pets are frequently referenced for their support and inspiration. You can watch a short clip of Louis Blériot piloting one of his airplanes at CriticalPast.com.

Eli Whitney and the Historic Graphic Novel

Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin

Published by: Capstone Press

Written by: Jessica Gunderson

Illustrated by: Gerry Acerno, Rodney Ramos, and Charles Bartnett, III

This four chapter graphic novel about Eli Whitney and his turbulent journey towards inventing the Cotton Gin.  This thirty-two page picture book includes wonderfully expressive illustrations of Eli Whitney and eighteenth century America and cleverly relates historic invention and discovery to the needs of the times.  Instead of vaguely stating that Eli Whitney sought to invent a cotton gin that would help cotton farmers separate cotton seeds from cotton fibers, he did, and it changed the way Americans processed cotton forever, this text draws readers in with  its vivid depiction of human emotion.  The first image in the text shows a very disgruntled plantation owner addressing what readers can assume are slaves working on his cotton farm.  Gunderson builds towards Eli's moment of genius by highlighting some of the main frustrations with farming cotton during this period: cotton was grown in the southern United States but milled in Europe, this made cotton expensive, mills were eventually built in the US, but cotton was still expensive because it took so long to separate the seeds from the fibers.  Eli Whitney, being a true intellectual and natural scientist is inspired by his friends Catherine Greene and Phineas Miller to create a new and improved cotton gin (who knew the "roller gin" pre-dated Whitney's cotton gin but it was only useful when separating black-seed cotton, not the more widespread green-seed cotton).

You can preview the first two chapters of Eli Whitney through Google books to see if you're interested in this story, but know that it is a limited preview.  Unfortunately, you cannot see the inspired extension on the final pages of the fourth chapter that discuss the lasting impact of the cotton gin. Though the bulk of the text does not focus on how cotton farming affected the slaves working in the fields, Gunderson recognizes Whitney's invention as both a stimulus to the Southern American economy and as an unfortunate catalyst to the American slave culture.  

The quick facts page, glossary, or related resources listed at the end of the text are useful but not completely effective.  The glossary has a short list of useful terms, but these terms are not highlighted throughout the text.  I would have preferred these vocabulary words to be addressed during the introduction of the text or in context.  The related resources listed at the end of the text, however, are extremely useful.  There are four more age-appropriate texts on the cotton gin listed as well as a full bibliography.  There are also instructions for students to visit FactHound.com, enter the book's ID, and browse prescreened, age-appropriate sites (http://www.facthound.com/CategorySearch.aspx?ISBN=0736868437).  This option is available for all Capstone texts, which can also be searched by state standard at http://www.capstonepub.com/aspx/stdIndex.aspx. 

Big Students!

Big Sharks!

published by Scholastic

written by  Torri Kosara

Ever wonder how sharks are different than regular fish? How many teeth they have? Or what senses sharks use the most?  Well, this book is a great introduction to the particularities of the shark physique.  It is full of detailed photographs and graphic text and would be great for any individual with a special interest in sharks.  Conversely, the large photographs could easily scare a student who is uncomfortable with unfamiliar animals, especially those who are known predators (imagine a 12x12 photo of a shark with its jaws wide open, seemingly swimming in your direction...). The text is arranged in "pop-up video" style with bold text boxes floating on top of large photographs and shark-shaped graphics containing leading questions such as, "Why do you think sharks need to be able to move quickly?"  In order to read this book independently, students need to be familiar with words like "skeletons," "flexibility," and "rough."  Basic knowledge of the physical make up of fish would also be useful but not necessary.

This text would be very useful to a teacher planning a unit on sharks or ocean life for both graphic inspiration and factual content. Kosara cleverly delivers specific topics and facts in one to two sentences per page, cutting out unnecessary "fluff" and potentially overwhelming information.  She draws attention to the main text with thick borders and bright colors while the supporting text (like the extension questions) blends into the background a little more.  She bolds important vocabulary within the text and provides cut-aways when zooming in on a picture would benefit student understanding and observation.  Teachers could easily project select pages from this text using a document camera or by scanning them into a computer to help illustrate certain points to a class.  While the text is relatively simple in its layout, the content might be a little advanced for most lower elementary level science standards;however, it would be a great inquiry prompt while studying living systems or earth patterns in third or fourth grade.  The questions provided on each page could be useful for organizing small group inquiry activities in which students conduct their own research and present it to the class.  It might also be interesting to hear our BrainPop friends, Moby and Tim, talk about their experience with sharks if the subject is of particular interest to the class, http://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/sharkattacks/preview.wemlhttp://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/sharkattacks/preview.weml.


Although this book does not have a table of contents, there  there is a one page glossary with simple definitions of the bolded words at the end of the text. As mentioned earlier, this text is very subject-specific and might not be that useful for instruction at every level; but, it would definitely be considered a strong addition to any classroom library.

Just Teacher

Just Ella

Originally published by Aladdin Paperbacks

Written by Margaret Peterson Haddix

The last time I had a teacher incorporate a read aloud into my school schedule (before Dr. Johnson, of course), was Mrs. Shields in fifth grade.  We read a number of books throughout the year, but the one that has stuck with me is Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine.  I was obsessed with Ella’s go-getter approach to life and her constant perseverance in breaking her curse (for those of you who are not familiar with that story, Ella was given the “gift” of constant obedience by her fairy godmother at birth and is trying to break the spell as a young adult).  Ella Enchanted is a variation of the classic Cinderella story and the events that led to young Ella at the ball in a beautiful gown with glass slippers; Just Ella is about her supposed happily ever after.

I first bought Just Ella after my wonderful classroom read aloud experience because I thought it was the sequel to or a spin off of Ella Enchanted, but I was very, very wrong.  Despite what the people of the kingdom say about Cynthiana Elenora, the mysterious and beautiful princess to be, she’s just Ella Brown, a girl who escaped her wicked stepmother to make it to Prince Charming’s ball.  She lost her glass slipper while running home at midnight and got swept to the castle by the Prince and his entourage the very next morning.  Once in the castle, a slew of teachers and counselors are assigned to make her into the princess she never intended to be.  She tolerates her etiquette lessons and tight corsets all in the name of love, until she questions whether or not she is in love with Prince Charming.  

Ella’s story is filled with inspiration for young girls.  At times, its feminist undertones may be a little to extreme for some young readers (and even adults).  When Ella stands up to Madame Bisset, her primary instructor/advisor, because she and her ladies in waiting are forced into, “a change of pace to do needle point in a cloth prison instead of a stone one,” she is drugged and dragged into temporary confinement (102).  Ella later finds out that she was selected to be the future queen not because Charm fell hopelessly in love with her, but because she was the most beautiful girl at the ball and “the Charmings must always produce beautiful children.”  Things get even more complicated when Ella decides that she does not want to marry Charm, but that would be giving away too much!

I think that this fantasy story would be a great addition to upper-level elementary discussion on stereotypes and human rights.  Most children are familiar with the classic fairytales, but they probably have never thought about why there’s often a wicked stepmother, a dead father, a hopeful girl, and a brave prince.  Disney addressed some of these stereotypes in their movie Enchanted, but there are plenty of books that delve into more realistic experiences.  Scholastic (who now publishes the book and it’s companion tale, Palace of Mirrors) has a useful discussion guide available on their website to help inspire student conversations http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=10860_type=Book_typeId=4672.  When talking about alternative fairy tales, I have to mention a favorite book from my childhood: The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch.  This book would be a great read aloud for younger students, but it would be a great tale to revisit after discussing literary stereotypes and gender roles.  You can hear the story read aloud by the author for free on his website to see if you like it, but seeing the pictures is definitely worth it http://robertmunsch.com/the-paper-bag-princess/#. 

Behind the Classroom Wall

Behind The Bedroom Wall

Published by: Milkweed Editions

Written by: Laura E. Williams

Illustrations by: A. Nancy Goldstein

This book sparked my interest in the Holocaust as both a historical time period and a personally significant event.  I first read this book when I was in third grade and it has remained one of the most meaningful literary encounters of my life.  I do not remember where I got the book from or why I selected it; I just remember feeling changed after I read it.  Behind the Bedroom Wall is a young adult novel that delves head first into a time period and a state of mind that many modern-day adolescents cannot even begin to comprehend.  I cannot describe the power of this book any better than a passage from its back cover:

Filled with adventure, Behind the Bedroom Wall helps us to

understand the madness that drove so many to turn on their neighbors

and the courage that allowed some to resist.

This book was the spark of my fascination with the Holocaust, Jewish religion, and my own family’s heritage.  Although I was raised in a nuclear family that did not identify with any particular religion, my mother’s side of the family is of Jewish decent and my father’s side of the family is traditionally Catholic.  I grew up with limited exposure to the major holidays and traditions of both cultures; however, I have always had a special interest in Jewish culture.   My grandmother is a Holocaust survivor who secretly left Germany as an eleven-year-old Jewish girl on one of the last Kindertransport trains to Great Britain.  Her older sister was already in England attending school when their father and grandfather were taken away by the Gestapo in the middle of the night; less than a week later, my great grandmother dressed my Nana in her favorite dress and said goodbye to her forever.

As a young child, I could not even begin to wrap my head around the emotional trauma that my grandmother must have dealt with at such an early age, but reading this book helped me understand how disorienting this period really was.  Some critics on Amazon.com feel that this novel oversimplifies history and makes for a flat read, but the overwhelming majority (40/44 posted reviews) praise Behind the Bedroom Wall’s stirring plot line.   Korinna Rehme is a thirteen-year-old member of her local Jungmädel Nazi youth group who believes that “Hitler is the most wonderful man.”  While this statement is unsettling to most readers, it helps to illustrate the extremist mentality that took Germany by storm in the late 1930s.  While there are a number of young adult novels that describe the horror and despair of concentration camps and ghettos from a Jewish protagonist’s perspective, this novel makes readers think about the other side’s story and how sometimes, there is no clear line between right and wrong.

This book would be a wonderful addition to an upper-level elementary classroom full of curious readers learning about ethics and duty.  Students have numerous opportunities to make predictions about what will happen later in the text, starting with Korinna’s complaints about the mice she hears behind her bedroom wall.  If I were giving this novel to a class or a small group, I would be sure to remove the book jacket (if it’s a hard copy) because I feel that the synopsis on the back gives away too much. Milkweed Edition’s website even has a guided reading guide available at http://www.milkweed.org/downloads/cg_BBW.pdf that breaks the novel down into eight suggested lessons, an overview of the text, and helps set the historical context for the unit.  There are interdisciplinary connections (creating skits, looking at artifacts), word lists, and writing exercises available FOR FREE.  Milkweed Editions also has similar teacher’s guides available for a number of other texts (and did I mention you could download them and save them forever as PDF files?!)  Laura E. Williams’ website (http://www.lauraewilliams.com) is not the best resource, but it does have some interesting bits of information.  First of all, it lists her direct email, and second, is a link to http://www.btbwthemusical.com/, the site of the recently developed musical adapted from this novel.  Though it hasn’t quite made it to Broadway, this just shows the type of scope and sequence this powerful novel can have.

Blog of a Wimpy Reader

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Published by Amulet Books

A novel in cartoons by Jeff Kinney

You know something big is happening in the literary world when you start typing “Diary of…” into your Google search bar and the first two suggestions that pop up are “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “Diary of Anne Frank,” in that order.  Isn’t that interesting, especially since Diary of a Wimpy Kid, “is a JOURNAL, not a diary” according to the novel’s protagonist, Greg Heffley.  Greg, a loveable but sometimes annoying sixth grader, shares his journey through middle school (and soon, high school!) with countless readers around the world.  Luckily for us, Greg is an avid writer who captures the emotions of every almost-middle-schooler in his witty prose and to the point illustrations.  While browsing the Internet for some fun facts about this series, I discovered that Jeff Kinney started out as a cartoonist and worked on the idea of Wimpy Kid for over six years before, wait for it, he began publishing what would eventually become a book in daily, blog-like installments!!!  Just think!  All of these blog posts we are writing could one day, maybe, lead to one of the most successful young adult series in recent times!

book #2

Too bad we’re not writing fiction in any of our classes….just kidding!   According to http://www.wimpykid.com/, “the online version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid has had more than 80 million visits, and is typically read by more than 70,000 kids a day.”  That’s something to talk about!  That also might explain why my “Diary of…” search prompted me with “a Wimpy Kid.”  This graphic novel is a trailblazer in the realm of blogging and online literature.  Kinney started publishing the online version of Wimpy Kid on http://www.funbrain.com/ and, after the success of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, he was asked to create another remarkable website, http://www.poptropica.com/.  While both of these websites are wonderful for children (and adults…I just spent a half hour exploring them), funbrain.com is an awesome tool for the classroom (poptropica.com is more of a continuous online video game where kids can create avatars and explore places, some educational, some not, all fun).   Funbrain.com has flash arcades for reading, math, and other subject matter.  You can play math baseball, create your own Mad Libs, Jr., Grammar Gorillas, or just read a Web Book (like Wimpy Kid).  

book #3

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie” was fourth on my original Google search suggestions, so that also speaks volumes.  This series, like many now a days, has been made into a major motion film; I bring this up now, on my children’s literature blog, because in a rare twist of fate, this movie inspired by a book inspired another book: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Movie Diary.  This movie book is actually very interesting, and tracks Greg Heffley and Zachary Gordon, the young actor that plays Greg, through the entire creative process.  Jeff Kinney shows his readers behind the scene of the original Diary, its sequels and, eventually, its big screen adaptation came to be.  Kinney also has a Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book that helps inspire young comics and authors to take Greg Heffley on his next adventure.  

book #4

While I would love to incorporate these books into my classroom if I had a third, fourth, or fifth grade class, many teachers and parents do not feel the same unconditional love towards Greg Heffley’s journal.  This book talks about real things, from the viewpoint of a very realistic character and sometimes, real life is less than ideal.  Greg does face bullies, social ostracisms, and worst of all, the Cheese Touch, over the course of the first novel.  Some critics believe that these topics are not appropriate for classroom instruction, others believe that by introducing such controversial topics and exposing kids/tweens to journaling, these books are the best tools a classroom can have.  It should be pretty obvious by now which side I am on, but that doesn’t mean that I do not see any flaws in Greg Heffley’s lifestyle: although Greg is bullied, he is sometimes a bully himself; Greg is picked on by his older brother, Rodrick, but Greg picks on his younger brother, Manny.  Good or bad, this series is definitely worth the read and book five comes out in thirteen days so hurry up and get started!

Coming Soon!

Awful Teacher's Awful Poetry

Awful Ogre’s Awful Day

published by HarperCollins

written by Jack Prelutsky

illustrations by Paul O. Zelinsky

It is not every day you see a giant ogre running through a field, ripping the cover of a book to pieces, but would it surprise you to hear that Jack Prelutsky was behind it?  I didn’t think so.  Even the title of this book has a poetic ring to it, drawing even the most fearful readers in a little bit closer.  This book does not scream, “POETRY!!!” instead, it breaks through barriers (literally—take a closer look at the cover art) and fully consumes even the most wary poets with an unusual kind of whimsy.  Worried about poetry being too frilly or old fashioned?  Then this is the book for you.  There are eighteen poems spread out over forty pages of captivating snapshots of a day in the life of the one and only, Awful Ogre.

While Prelutsky first introduces Awful Ogre to his audience in the poem, “Awful Ogre Rises,” readers start learning all about his destructive frolics through the mountains on the front cover and the townspeople’s feeble attempts to repair the damage on the title page. I was a little surprised, however, to learn that Prelutsky’s sometimes friend, Lane Smith, was not behind Awful Ogre’s dark and whimsical illustrations.  That being said, I had to look into Paul O. Zelinsky’s illustrated past to see for myself what other crazy images he created for the world of children’s literature.  Interestingly enough, it seems that Zelinsky has a number of styles and has illustrated everything from Beverly Cleary chapter books (Strider) to a popular mechanical book version of The Wheels on the Bus.  His style is constantly evolving in order to best suit the text it is bringing to life, and Awful Ogre is no exception.  I would be very interested in finding out how Prelutsky and Zelinsky came to be partners.

While this book has not yet been honored with any awards for its poetry, Awful Ogre’s Awful Day was voted New York Times Best Illustrated Book in 2001.  While that in it self is a great honor, I do not feel like that award alone does this poetry collection justice.  This book actually makes you laugh out loud.  Then, after you catch your breath, you take a better look at the pictures and you lose your breath laughing again.  The only person that I have seen keep a straight face while reading these poems is Paul O. Zelinsky himself reading “Awful Ogre’s Hot Dog Lunch” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToXyZd5s1vw).   This particular poem was not my favorite, but you can see a piece of my favorite poem, “Awful Ogre Dances,” on the HarperCollins website: http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/books/Awful-Ogres-Day/?isbn13=9780060774592&tctid=100 (click the “Brose Inside” button).  I don’t want to give away too much, but see the first four and a half poems illustrations for yourself!

 

P.S. There is a sequel to this poetry collection!  Awful Ogre Running Wild is another whimsical collaboration between Prelutsky and Zelinsky about the same Awful Ogre.  It does not have quite as strong a voice or a visual presence as Awful Ogre’s Awful Day but it is another great way to get even the wariest of readers interested in poetry.

Myths and Tiffs by the D'Aulaires

D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths

Published by: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

Written and Illustrated by: Ingri & Edgar Parin D’Aulaire

In their classic collection of Greek Mythology, Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire speak to countless generations of learners.  Originally published in 1962, D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths can still be found in classrooms and bookstores—even in the limited children’s literature section of the William and Mary College Bookstore.  The D’Aulaires met at the Hans Hoffman School of Art in Munich, fell in love, got married, and started separate careers as author/illustrators.  Once they started collaborating, they were a force to be reckoned with.  They have authored and illustrated a number of historical picture books for children and even won the Caldecott Medal for Abe Lincoln in 1939.  Where did I learn all of these fun facts?  From www.dedicatedteacher.com which sells a guide for using this book in the classroom! (http://www.dedicatedteacher.com/estore/product/TCR0423I?SEARCH_TERM=Greek+Myth&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=+Go%21+&ResultSetSize%3aint=8&query_index%3aint=1) Although I could only view a few sample pages from the Guide online, it was published by Teacher Credited Resource, Inc. in 1993.  The Guide divides the book into five sections with suggested quizzes, activities, interdisciplinary connections, and real world connections. 

Even without the Guide, D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths is an informative and easy-to-navigate collection of about forty Greek Myths spanning almost two hundred pages.  My favorite page is the lithographic illustration opposite the title page which features a full-page family tree of all the Greek gods and goddesses featured in the book.  I always had a hard time keeping track of the familial relationships in Greek literature, so this was especially helpful to me.  The bright, bold, comic-book-like illustrations also help hold my interest.  Lithography (the method of illustration used in this text) is a type of printmaking in which the artist(s) draw the desired image on a slab of stone with an oil crayon and then, through a series of acid washes, lightly etching the image into the stones surface (for more detailed information check out this site: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/477079/printmaking/28308/Lithography ). 

As an undergrad, I was an Art minor so I had the pleasure of taking a few printmaking classes, so I was really drawn to the astounding simplicity used by the D’Aulaires in this book.  After reading through the first few pages, it becomes clear that the D’Aulaires had children in mind when writing and illustrating these classic stories; in fact, they dedicate the book to their son who apparently helped them along the way.  I love the comic-book-esque action shots of Ares in his chariot, blissful landscapes under Selene (goddess of the moon)’s careful watch.  There are too many stories to mention from this book, but the ending passage and accompanying print bring the collection to a highly stylized close:

Everything must come to an end, and so did the rule of Zeus and

the other Olympian gods.  All that is left of their glory on earth are broken temples and noble statues.  Also the Muses fell silent, but their songs live on to this very day, and the constellations put up by the gods 
still glitter on the dark blue vault of the sky.

I Found A Golden Story

A Story, A Story

Published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

An African Tale Retold and Illustrated by Gail E. Haley

*Recipient of the 1971 Caldecott Medal*

 This book would be a great teaching tool in a kindergarten or first grade classroom to stimulate class discussion, inferences, and reflections, and there are a number of activity based resources available on the internet.  Some of the best that I found focus on group and individual prediction formation (http://www.teachervision.fen.com/skill-builder/lesson-plan/48712.html) and, shockingly, fractions (http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=1019).  I found the Scholastic lesson on basic fractions (wholes, halves, maybe fourths) to be especially useful because many teachers have trouble incorporating them in interdisciplinary lessons.   This story presents the perfect opportunity to discuss some practical uses of fractions and expose younger students to the idea of dividing a whole (you’ll see why!) 

A Story A Story is actually an African fable about how stories came to the people of the earth.  It is timeless myth of a remarkable human, Ananse (pronounced A-Nancy) who wants to make the world a better place by bringing the stories of Nyame, the Sky God, to earth.  Ananse, who is also known as “the Spider man” because of his ability to spin webs like a spider, spins a web of a ladder to up into the sky to ask Nyame face-to-face if he could buy his golden box filled with stories from him and bring them back to earth.  I found it particularly interesting that in this legend, the human and the god get along relatively peacefully.  I am definitely more familiar with Greek and Roman myths than I am with African tales; however, I can gather from Ananse’s quest that ancient Africans had much more civil relationships with their gods than the ancient Greek. 

This tale teaches a number of important lessons, starting with Ananse’s desire to purchase the Sky God’s stories, not steal them.  Ananse and Nyame diplomatically discuss Ananse’s proposition and negotiate a deal.  Both sides agree to the proposed plan, and Ananse doesn’t rest until he fulfills his end of the bargain.  Maybe I like this book so much because I have always been fascinated by legal terminology, but its messages of morality and community made a real impact.  I love that Ananse—who is depicted as an older man—is the one to take charge in the village in the hopes of bringing the eternal happiness that comes along with story-telling to his community.  After some browsing on Gail Haley’s website (http://www.gailehaley.com/), I found a link to a short film produced by Weston Woods Studios—a division of Scholastic—in 1971, the same year Haley received the Caldecott Medal.   The film can be found on Scholastic.com (even though it says that it can be on Haley’s website), but it is available on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFnOCCq0y-w&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_715401).  The quality of the animated version of A Story A Story isn’t great, but the narrator’s voice and accompanying instrumentals really add to the cultural significance of Hayley’s text.  I was interested to learn that Haley is also an international master puppeteer!  Although she did not do puppetry in the A Story A Story film, it might be something fun to try with students as part of an author study. 

Her website also has a link to an interview with the author video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNkGIYdP03s&feature=player_embedded), in which she discusses her interest in children’s literature and illustrations.  I am amazed by her artistic variety—she paints, she writes, she draws, she carves linoleum stamps—and truly appreciate how she tailors her illustrations to the tone and context of the story she is trying to tell.  Unfortunately, the biographical film cuts off after a little more than two minutes, but that’s more than enough to see why she was a Caldecott Award Winner.   I am very interested in reading more of her books and seeing more of her beautiful interpretations of ancient tales from around the world.

Tengo gusto de las fresas maduras y rojas

El Ratoncito, La Fresa Roja y Madura y El Gran Oso Hambriento 

(The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear)

Publicado por Scholastic

(Published by Scholastic)

Por Don y Audrey Wood

(Written by Don & Audrey Wood)

Illustrado por Don Wood

(Illustrated by Don Wood)

Traducuido por Teresa Mlawer

(Translated by Teresa Mlawer)

Who wouldn’t love an inquisitive little mouse on a tiny little ladder?  Especially when your first reactions to the said mouse are, “Wow he’s small compared to that giant strawberry,” and “is he making eye contact with me?”  As you might be able to tell from the cover image below, the red ripe strawberry (or la fresa roja y madura) is actually HUGE or GRANDE.  Also, the little mouse is making eye contact with you.  This book is a wonderful learning tool for beginning readers of both English and Spanish because it pulls the reader into the story and engages him or her in a one-way dialogue with el ratoncito.  

Because this text is readily available in both English and Spanish, it is a good tool to help English language learners who are familiar with Spanish experience conversational English in written form (if they’re reading the English version of the text) and students who are fluent in English could have an opportunity to learn a little Spanish.   The dialogue is simple and Teresa Mlawer did a beautiful job of consolidating the translations into very basic Spanish.  It is obvious that special care was taken to present both versions of the written text in the same format—for example, Mlawer uses the slang term “el ratoncito” instead of the more formal “el raton pequeno” because the former is much easier for a young reader to process.   If you have ever had a conversation with your dog, cat, fish, etc., you know that all animals have the ability to be great listeners and that, sometimes, great conversationalists.   This text has one-to-one  dialogue and illustration, making it even easier for beginning readers to get engaged. In fact, after reading this book three or four times (in two languages), I nearly have it memorized.

 This book would be a great teaching tool in a kindergarten or first grade classroom to stimulate class discussion, inferences, and reflections, and there are a number of activity based resources available on the internet.  Some of the best that I found focus on group and individual prediction formation (http://www.teachervision.fen.com/skill-builder/lesson-plan/48712.html) and, shockingly, fractions (http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=1019).  I found the Scholastic lesson on basic fractions (wholes, halves, maybe fourths) to be especially useful because many teachers have trouble incorporating them in interdisciplinary lessons.   This story presents the perfect opportunity to discuss some practical uses of fractions and expose younger students to the idea of dividing a whole (you’ll see why!) 

I Got a Pocket, Got a Pocket Full of Soap Suds

A Pocket For Corduroy

Published by Puffin Books

Written and Illustrated by Don Freeman

This is a classic story of how a girl and her teddy bear are tragically separated and joyfully reconnected—with many subtle twists.  First of all, it isn’t the girl who accidentally abandons her comfort object in this story; the bear, Corduroy, gets caught up in his own curiosity while at the laundry mat (spelled Laundromat in this story).  I could not help but look into the unusual spelling.  Over the course of the story, observant readers can deduce that Pandro is the name of the Latino owner of the laundry mat because of his Spanish name and his use of the word “senorita” when talking to Lisa, Corduroy’s owner.  I knew that “Laundromat” was not Spanish for laundry mat (it’s “lavandería”), but I still couldn’t place it.  I happened to glance at the dedication/publisher’s page of the book and noticed that it was published in 1978, so, I did what any student of the twenty-first century would do and Googled it.

 

According to Wikipedia—yes, I realize that Wikipedia isn’t the most credible source, but it is suited for this task—“Laundromat” is a trademark name of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-service_laundry).  Interestingly, if you click on the link to the Wiki page about the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, it tells you that the Corporation was founded in 1886, making it amongst the first major electric companies! 

Another great thing about this book is the diversity of the characters in its illustrations.  Because this book was authored and illustrated in the late 1970s, there is definitely a dated quality to it; however, the cultural representations within the laundry mat are very similar to what we readily see in the world today: there are apparently single mothers and fathers, Asian women, black families, white families, artists, and little old ladies. This was one of my favorite books as child, and I was surprised and thrilled to see that two of my present hobbies—painting and sewing—are both featured in this book.  It is really quite remarkable because it is almost guaranteed that every child will relate to someone in the book, and if they don’t, there’s always Corduroy!