The Lorax

Dr. Seuss considered The Lorax, published in 1971, as his best book. It did not go over well at the time and is still controversial.

a. What makes The Lorax didactic? The ending of the book makes The Lorax didactic. At the end of the story, the Once-ler bestows the responsibility of taking care of the last of the Truffula seeds and protecting the trees which grow from it from the axes that hack and got them in the mess they were in to start with.

b. Are there any didactic children's books today? If not, why not? I don't think that there are as many didactic books published any more, but they are still out there. Take for example, the books that deal with the going green hype today. These books are entertaining, yet educational, and most tell readers what they need to do in order to better take care of the earth. This is the same concept that The Lorax had.

The Cat in the Hat

When I read the assignment for The Cat in the Hat, I really did not understand what "tension" there was in the book. I've read the book at least a hundred times, but I went back and read it yet once more. As far as tension goes in the book, I think that it shows that there is a fine line between living life to it's fullest compared to being wreckless and just simply not following the rules. The fish in the story is "tense" throughout the book because of the children messing up the house.

a. Is there a contemporary book that has this tension presented in The Cat in the Hat? I can think of two books right off the top of my head that have the same kind of nonsense vs. good sense type of format. These books are Jumanji and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

b. Does this book still appeal to children and why? Yes, it definitely appeals to children today. I think the reason it's so appealing is because of the language. It is a rhyming book for one, which always seems to be a popular format. The language is silly and kids like to be read those silly books that they can still make sense out of. Does that make sense?

Laurence Yep

Cockroach Cooties

Yep, L. (2001). Cockroach Cooties. Burbank: Disney Pr.

Other books by Laurence Yep: Auntie Tiger, Dragon Road, The Dragon's Child, Dragon of the Lost Sea, and Dragonwings. There are many more...This is just a sampling.

This book is about Teddy and Bobby, two brothers in San Fransisco's China Town who are eight and nine years old. Teddy, the older of the two narrates the story of how his little brother is bullied by Arnie (or Arnie-zilla as they lovingly call him). They discover that Arnie is terrified of cockroaches and go to their neighbor, "The Bug Lady" to get a cockroach, whom they name Hercules. Hercules is quite effective in the anti-bullying effort, until he meets his end. Then Bobby and Teddy have to come up with another plan. In the end, it turns out that Arnie is the bully he is due to a rough home life with uncaring parents. A friendship is eventually formed after the boys realize why Arnie has the attitude he does.

I love the message that this book sends. Instead of fighting back when being bullied, the kids first tried to work it out on their own. Although they probably shouldn't have played on Arnie's fears, I thought their method was good for an 8 and 9 year old. Becoming friends after finding out that Arnie should be more pitied than feared shows kids that things can change and that not everyone has the same great home life that they might have. I went to a sensitivity training today about this...I think we can all learn from it.

Great book for boys! Creepy crawly things always spark the interest!

Yoshiko Uchida

The Wise Old Woman
Uchida, Y. (1994). Wise Old Woman, The: Retold by Yoshiko Uchida. Chicago: Margaret K. Mcelderry.

I had never heard of this author before reading this book. I looked her up on the internet and found that over the course of her career, she has written 42 books. Some of these titles include The Magic Purse, The Bracelet, The Dancing Kettle, and The Sea of Gold.

When I first started reading this book, my heart sank due to the situation given on the first page. A farmer had to carry his 70 year old mother up a mountain to leave her to die because the cruel lord of their land ordered that anyone over the age of 70 must be left upon the mountain. The young man could not take it for he loved his mother so much, so he carried her back down the hill and dug a cave under his floor where she could live in secrecy. For two years, no one knew of this - Everyone thought that the old woman was dead. One day, warriors arrived in the village announcing that another cruel lord would overtake the village. The only way to save the village was to complete three impossible tasks: make a coil rope out of ashes, run a single thread throught he length of a crooked log, and make a drum that sounds without being beaten. The wisest people of the village were not able to complete these tasks so they were thrown in the dungeon. The lord then turned to the people of the village for help. The farmer went home to tell his mother of the three tasks and she was able to cleverly complete all three. He returned with the three items and had to admit that his mother was alive and she was who had completed the impossible tasks. The lord was not angy, but instead decided to abondon the rule of leaving the old in the mountain to die.
This book reminded me of a story I read with my class every year. It is about three brothers being left with an inheritance from their father only if they could complete an "impossible" task. I read this story with my class because it shows the brothers coming together as a team to reach their goal, where they had bickered and fought all their lives. I honestly did not care much for this story. I did not find much value from reading it. The story I read in my class teaches a good lesson. This one, not so much besides respecting the elderly.

Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney

John Henry

Lester, J. (1999). John Henry. New York City: Puffin.

I am combining two reading requirements into one (Guess I could have done three since this is a Caldecott winner, but oh well). John Henry is written by Julius Lester and is illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.

Julius Lester, a Newbery winner, has written many, many books which deal with the African American culture. Many books are fables and folk tales. Many are novels, while others are picture books. Perhaps his most famous works are John Henry and the tales about Uncle Remus.

Jerry Pinkney is a talented African American illustrator who has won two Caldecott medals and three Coretta Scott King medals. Besides John Henry, Pinkney has worked with Julius Lester on other books. These include Sam and the Tigers, The Tales of Uncle Remus, and Black Cowboy, Wild Horses. He's also illustrated The Ugly Duckling and Aesop's Fables.

John Henry is the story of an all American Hero of the African American descent. In a foreword, the author explains how people have tried to prove that an actual John Henry existed and gives the history behind the story of John Henry. I'd heard of John Henry before, but did not know the story, so I found the book and the foreword to be particularly interesting.

John Henry was born and leapt out of his mother's arms to become a very large, very strong man with unimaginable strength and endurance. It tells of how he chopped wood, and built on an extra wing to his parent's home. He hammered through a boulder to help a road crew and had built the rest of the road before the dust could even settle from the boulder being destroyed. His final act was hammering through a mountain faster than a steam drill. After completing this task, he died and everyone and everything mourned the loss of a good man. The rainbow which had encompassed him throughout most of the story whispered "Dying ain't important. Everybody does that. What matters is how well you do your living." -- I think that's an awesome saying to live by.

This book would be good to use for a folk tale unit or during Black History month. I really enjoyed the story. The author did a great job at pulling the reader in.

Coretta Scott King Honor Book

Rap A Tap Tap - Here's Bojangles - Think of That!

Leo., & Dillon, D. (2003). Rap A Tap Tap, Here's Bojangles - Think of That!. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Rap A Tap Tap is the story of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who is known as the greatest tap dancer of all time. Each double page spread has a one sentence line on the first page followed by "Rap a tap tap - think of that!" This very simple to read book tells of how Bojangles started out dancing in the street in a suit and eventually his talent brought him fame and the last double spread page shows Bojangles in a tuxedo, white gloves, and a top hat. There is an afterword in the back of the book which tells about Bojangles. I knew of Bojangles and the fact that he was a great dancer, but I learned from the afterword that during the Great Depression of the 1930's, Bill Robinson was the highest paid black entertainer. He shared his wealth with less fortunate friends and neighbors throught those hard times.

The first thought that went through my head when I read this book was "This should be a Caldecott winner!" The illustrations in the this book are so strikingly bold, you can't help but to be captivated by them. When I read the inside back cover, I discovered that Leo and Diane Dillon, the illustrators, have been awarded the Caldecott twice and have recieved three Coretta Scott King Awards.

This book would be a wonderful resource to use during Black History Month.

Newbery #2

Hoot

Hiaasen, C. (2006). Hoot. New York: Yearling.

This is a good story about taking a stand for something you believe in. A group of kids discover that the local owl population is going to be diminished by the construction of a Pancake House. It is well written, age appropriate, and funny. The book does depict characters vandalizing a construction site and outwitting/deceiving the adults in the book, which I'm not totally ok with when picking a book for my students to read, but this book does a good job of inspiring young readers to question authority when necessary and act to protect the environment.

I'm not one who has caught on to the "go green" hype. Yes, I think we should, but I'm still one of those people too lazy to recycle and such things. I was, however, raised and still reside deep in the country and have a strong love of nature. I think there's nothing more beautiful than a field encompassed by woods with no sounds but the wind rustling the leaves and owls or whipperwills (sp??) singing at dusk. I have a spot on a hill behind my current house picked out where I hope to one day build my dream home just for this reason. Anywho, back to the book...I'm glad that there are people standing up for the environment and for the animals who can not speak for themselves. I think that it's wonderful that someone wrote a book about the topic of protecting the environment where the main character is a kid. This is an awesome way to prove to kids that even though they are not adults, they can still work to accomplish big things and to be heard.

As far as Carl Hiassen goes, I've read a couple of his adult books, which have some pretty twisted humor and lots of profanity in them. This book, fortunately, is different and is geared down for kids. He gives many hints as to the motivations behind the actions of the characters in this book, whereas he leaves it up to the adult reader to work it out for themselves in his adult works.

Newbery #1

The Higher Power of Lucky

Patron, S. (2009). The Higher Power of Lucky. New York: Aladdin.

This is the story of Lucky, and it is very unlikely. Lucky's biological calls up his ex-wife in Paris to ask her to raise his daughter. Who would come all the way from Paris to raise their ex-spouse's kid? I'm pretty sure that would be no one. The story gets a little more unreal as it goes on. This is as much of a summary or explanation as I care to give about this book.

Apparently, there has been a lot of controversy over this book and it has been pulled from many library shelves because it uses the word scrotum in the second paragraph. Being the mother of a boy, I'm much more in favor of using the anatomically correct word than some of the other slang terms which are used to describe this part of the male anatomy. That being said, controversy over the word itself, in my opinion, is dumb.

Moving past the "S" word, I will say that I would not want my son to ever read this book, nor would I use it in a classroom for the age recommended (9-12). The beginning of the book starts out talking about Sammy, an alcoholic, who "told of the day when he had drunk half a gallon of rum listening to Johnny Cash all morning in his parked '62 Cadillac, then fallen out of the car when he saw a rattlesnake on the passenter seat biting his dog, Roy, on the scrotum." Sammy goes on to tell about how he passed out afterwards and the next thing he knew his wife was standing over him with her suitcases packed and the dog water and food bowls packed as well. I read this part of the book to my fiance`, who really doesn't get worked up about things like I do (especially not books), and he raised his eyebrows and said "That's a kid's book? I wouldn't want my kid reading that." The talks about 12 step programs, which most kids don't know what they are because they are too young to worry about such issues. It also talks about finding a higher power. The way the book explains this is not very kid-friendly either.

I read on another post (Kimberly Thompson's maybe???) that she really did not like Newbery books in general. I'm with her on this, as I find that the material in most Newbery's is such that an adult would like for a kid to read, but kids really don't have that same interest. I honestly don't see what an adult found in this book either.

Caldecott #5

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

Gerstein, M. (2003). The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. New York: Henry Holt & Co.

This is the true story of Philippe Petit, a young French aerialist, who threw a tightrope wire between the twin towers while they were still under construction. He knew that police and the owners of the building would tell him no to his plan of walking between the towers, so he and a friend dressed up as a construction worker to get materials in and up to the rooftop of one tower. Later that night, more friends of his came to the other tower to help get the cable up. It was morning before the wire was ready and people saw him 3/4 of a mile up in the sky, dancing on the wire. Police rushed up to the rooftop to shout "You're under arrest!". Phillipe would not go to the rooftops...Instead he stayed out on the wire for more than an hour where he said he was free. When he was satisfied, he went to the rooftop holding out his wrists to be arrested. When taken to court, he was sentenced to performing at the local city park for the children. The last page of the book has a drawing of the twin towers and Philippe as a memory.

So this is the first book that I've reviewed for this assignment that I've had mixed feelings about. The illustrations are great, details in the story are great, fascination of this being a true story makes it great. HOWEVER, I'm not sure that the idea of using deceit as a way to get something you want (or getting arrested for it) is really picture book material.

Being an adult, I can fully appreciate this story for what it is and the idea behind it, but I have problems with making a hero out of someone who deceives everyone and puts many at risk. I also do not like the part where he decides to stay out on the wire until he is good and ready to be arrested. To me, this seems as though he was basically mocking police. Maybe I'm making too much out of it, but if I read this story to my son, he would be looking for rope to try to tie between two trees and you know he wouldn't tell his mama about it because I'd say no!

Again, I liked the story, being that I am an adult and can fully comprehend it, as I can comprehend right from wrong. Also, just seeing the spread of the twin towers makes my heart skip a beat. I just don't think it's picture book material.

Caldecott # 4

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Taback, S., & Taback, S. (1999). Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. New York: Penguin Group USA.

I love this book! The story of Joseph and his overcoat was adapted from a Yiddish folk song that the author knew as a child. Joseph, the man in the story starts out with an overcoat, which got old and worn, so Joseph cut it into a jacket. When the jacket got old and worn, he made it into a vest. When the vest was old and worn, he made it into a tie. Whe the tie was old and worn, he made it into a handkerchief. When the handkerchief was old and worn, he turned it into a button. One day, he lost the button and then he had nothing BUT he turned nothing into something by writing a book about his story.

We live in such a "throwaway" world, I think that Joseph's frugality can teach all of us (kids and adults) a lesson. You use what you have and be happy with what you have. We, as a society, seem to get farther and farther away from this idea every day. I thought about my mom when I read this book. She is one to never throw anything out as she may be able to use it again one day -- This is especially true with material. I am quite the opposite of her being that I throw things out because I don't like clutter. However, I am quite thankful for my mother keeping that old material when I need patches on my jeans!

The author, Simms Tabback is the author/illustrator of There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly which also won a Caldecott medal. I am a huge fan of this book as well! This book is illustrated in the same form as There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly with the die cut pages letting the reader in on the upcoming unraveling process of the garmet. Kids LOVE books with die cut pages, so that alone makes this book a winner with kids. The pages are cram packed with detail, leaving no blank space.

Caldecott # 3

The Hello, Goodbye Window

Raschka, N., & Juster, C. (. (2005). The Hello, Goodbye Window. Burbank: Disney Pr.

This book is about a little girl and her perceptions of the world around her at her Nanna and Poppy's house. The kitchen window at the house is called, lovingly, by the little girl, the hello goodbye window. She can see her grandparents and sometimes sneak up on them or play peekaboo before she ever gets inside of the house. At the end of her visits, she can see her parents coming back to pick the little girl up and as she leaves, she can wave goodbye long after she departs the house.

The illustrations in this book remind me of looking at a rainbow. It is so bright, colorful, and cheery. I am by no means an art enthusiast or claim to know anything about art, so when I look at the illustrations in this book, I think "Well, I could draw that" because to me, the drawings look like a child drew them. Unfortunately, no one has ever awarded me a medal for artwork. But like I said, the color pallette used is so bright and cheery, it's hard not to like the illustrations.

Reading the story made me think about the visits I used to have at my own grandparent's house as a child. I, like the girl in the story, had very doting grandparents and my visits with them were just as magical as her's were with them. I think that because of my fond memories with my grandparents, my reaction to it is a very positive one.

Caldecott # 2

Flotsam

Wiesner, D. (2006). Flotsam (Caldecott Medal Book). New York: Clarion Books.

This wordless book depicts a wonderful story of a young beachcomber who is very interested in the sea life. The book starts out with the boy looking through a magnifying glass at a hermit crab. The reader sees the hermit crab up close with a huge eyeball behind it. Next, a landscape picture of the boy holding the hermit crab in one hand and a magnifying glass in his other hand is shown. Varying viewpoints are shown throughout the entire book which keeps the reader very interested. (My son put down his Wii remote to look at this book, so it HAS to be interesting!)

The boy discovers a Melville underwater camera that washed up on the shore of the beach. He quickly develops the film, which was still intact in the camera and buys more film to replace that which he took. The boy is astonished to find photos of a wind up fish with gears swimming next to it's live counterparts, an octopus reading aloud to his octopus children and fish, a blowfish hot air balloon, a shell city on a turtle's back, and aliens undersea. The last photo the boy fins is of a girl who appears to be Asian, holding a photo of a boy who is in an obviously cold climate, who is holding a photo of a boy holding a photo of a girl, holding a photo of another girl, and so on and so forth. The boy quickly pulls out his magnifying glass and then his microscope to get a better look. Through the microscope, the boy discovers that there are ten different children holding photos of one another. He adjusts the microscope to 10X, 25 X, 40 X, 55 X, and 70 X, allowing the reader to see the changes as well. At 70 X, a sepia photo of a boy from long ago, waving by a beach is seen. After analyzing the photos, the boy sets up a makeshift tripod, takes a photo of himself with the photo, and then tosses the camera back out to sea, where it takes another adventure through foreign lands being carried by various animals. Eventually, a girl on a beach is reaching for the camera and the reader is left to assume the process will start all over again.

The pictures in this book are so colorful and vibrant, it's hard not to take a closer look at all of the detailed pictures! The intricate detail and journey into the fantasy of the imagination reminds me of Chris VanAllsburg books. One major thing I learned in reviewing this book is that a book does not have to contain words in order to be effective, nor does the fact that it is wordless mean that it is designed for the very young in mind. This book could definitely be used as a writing prompt for children all the way through the middle school level.

Caldecott #1

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Willems, M. (2003). Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!. Westport, CT: Hyperion Press.

I chose this book to review because it is my son's favorite book. Seriously, I could probably recite the words to the book because I've read it or listened to it so much.

The pigeon in the book is a very cute character with big eyes that any reader would want to give in to. The reader of the book is given a very big responsibilty by the bus driver - He has to leave and asks the reader to make sure not to let the pigeon drive the bus. I think the pigeon books are so popular with kids because the arguments and pleas given by the pigeon are like those given by children. Although the pictures in the book are not intricate, detailed pictures, they obviously do the job quite well for children. The background of the each page is a different light color. These light colors allow for the pictures of the pigeon and bus to stand out.

Caldecott and Newbery Winners - Is one better than the other?

To receive an award or even honorable mention from either the Caldecott or Newbery Awards is an incredible moment in any author or illustrator's life. To say one award is better than the other just can't be done as the two awards are given for different criteria.
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
The Newbery, on the other hand, is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.