Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix/ Coretta Scott King

Plot Summary:

            Jimi Hendrix is a young poor boy who lives with his father. They are always moving around and they are very poor. Jimi has two friends and the three of them love to listen to music, but Jimi wants a guitar more than anything. He hears music everywhere, on the wind, in the street, everywhere. He wants to apply his skills with drawing to music. He finally achieves his goal of getting a guitar, and then he plays before the entire world.

Personal Reaction:

            I believe that Jimi Hendrix is the best guitarist that ever lived, however, I was very skeptical about a children’s book about him due to his terrible death and tendency for drug usage. I was surprised about the book when I read it, I saw that the emphasis was on his creativity and music, with a part at the end that I could read if I wanted to know more, for this reason, I think this book could be appealing to a variety of ages. The illustrations were done in a collage manner, with swirling, groovy colors of the sixties. Jimi was a hippy; it is only fair that illustrations for his book are painted in hippie style. In addition, the color and waving patterns support the theme of the book which is that he wants to “sound like a rainbow.”

Golio, G., & Steptoe, J. (2010). Jimi sounds like a rainbow: a story of the young Jimi Hendrix. Boston: Clarion Books.

The Hunger Games

Plot Summary:

             Set in a futuristic North America where the U.S. once existed, we meet Katiness, a tough girl who hunts to help her family make ends meet. The country is divided into districts surrounding a Capital. At one point in the past all of the districts rose up against the Capital in a revolution and lost. As punishment, each year a girl and boy are chosen from each district to participate in The Hunger Games and fight to the death. Of course, Katiness’s little sister is chosen to go. Katiness volunteers to go in her place, so she and Peeta, the boy champion from her district head to the capital.

            The champions are flaunted and observed for a while before the business of the competition itself is gotten down to. Katiness and Peeta are to be trained by the last champion from their district, who is an old drunk, and not as helpful as they would like. Finally tournament day arrives and the race is on. Katiness makes friends with a little girl named Rue, who reminds her of her sister and gets killed by a stronger boy. Katiness kills him with her bow and arrow, her weapon of choice. She hides out in a tree, drops a futuristic wasp’s nest on her opponents, and discoverers Peeta hiding. A romance blossoms between the two of them, but only one can win the competition. In the end, she and Peeta are the last men standing and threaten to both eat poison berries (and ruin the competition for there would be no champion), forcing the Capital to acquiesce and let them both win.

Personal Reaction:

            This is one of my favorite books of all time. The action is awesome, and Collins inspires great feelings of loyalty toward the characters. We are loyal to Katiness, yes, but also Peeta, and Katiness’s childhood friend, Gale. The scene where Katiness is hiding in the tree always reminded me (before I read them again), of the scene in Huckleberry Finn when he is loading the canoe after escaping his father. In addition, I love the part where Rue dies and Katiness give her “funeral rites” as an act of defiance against the Capital. Collins uses suspense so well in this book that we do not even have an option of reading the next one, and this is added to by the cliffhanger ending.

Collins, S. (2008). The hunger games. New York: Scholastic Press.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn/ Challenged Books

Plot Summary:

             Huck Finn, a backwoods boy who has fended for himself most of his life and been raised mostly by the southern town that he lives in gets kidnapped by his father, who only wants his money. Huck escapes the brutal clutches of his father and pretends to be dead, at the same time, a slave, Jim runs away and meets up with Huck in the woods. They build a raft and float down the Mississippi. Huck and Jim set off for grand adventures and many trials. These include dressing up as girls and lepers, living with a nice family involved in a feud that suffer considerable losses to the other side, and meeting up with a “duke” and a “king.” The Duke and The King end up being con artists who regularly get into lots of trouble and end up selling Jim back into slavery. Huck poses as his friend, Tom Sawyer, in order to rescue him, but the real Tom shows up and poses as his cousin, Sid. Together they plot to free Jim in the most impractical ways because Tom wants it done “like it says in the books.” They end up making the situation much worse than it really is and the action comes to a peak with Tom getting shot by someone chasing Jim. He lives but their identities and intentions are revealed. In addition, we find out that Jim’s master died and already freed him. Tom pays him forty dollars for his trouble and we find out that Huck’s father is dead, so he returns to his home town.

Personal Reaction:

            This book makes me laugh out loud. Twain is such a satirist! I know that people challenge this book because of the “n” word, but I feel that it sometimes borders on the blasphemous. I love the inner struggle that Huck goes through, feeling that turning Jim over to the authorities is the right thing to do. Feeling like he is stealing from Jim’s master, but it is hard to read the part where he decides that he will just go to hell because he isn’t going to do the right thing and turning Jim in. I love the ignorance portrayed by all of the characters and the allusions even though I don’t get many of them (it doesn’t detract from the book), but I do get more than I did when my mom read this to me in the seventh grade. Wonderful, timeless book, of course it should never be banned.

Ratliff, T., Gelev, P., & Twain, M. (2008). Adventures of Huckleberry Finn  . Happauge, N.Y.: Barron's.

Throne of Fire/ New York Times Bestseller

Plot Summary:

             Carter and Sadie are brother and sister magicians. Their magic is based on ancient Egyptian gods, and they have a job to do. They must save the world from being eaten by a snake, Apopsis. In order to achieve this lofty goal, they need to awaken the sun god, Ra, which is easier said than done. They must find the three parts to the book of Ra and then assemble them without getting nuked. Then they must follow the directions given by the book in order to wake Ra and follow his daily journey through the duat (the Egyptian god world).  Sadie gets attacked by a vulture god and a baboon god, Carter gets attacked by water spirits, and they both get saved by the ugly dwarf god, Bes. In addition to battling gods and spirits, they add the House of Life and a new magician, Vladimir Menshikov to the list of enemies. Sadie vacillates between her god crush and her human crush, while Carter “digs up” his old girlfriend only to find that she no longer has feelings for him. In the end, Sadie and Carter do awaken Ra only to find him a little lacking in the, um power and maturity departments. Of course they are not safe and sound because there is going to be a sequel.

Personal Reaction:

            Riordan has a very strong writer’s voice. It is my understanding that he also writes adult books, and I would like to read them an compare them to his young adult novels which I have enjoyed. I read this book out of order without having read the first book of the series, which I am going to have to go back and do. I think it was very creative to do this work from two different points of view and as a recording so that Carter and Sadie can speak to each other  as well as to the audience at any point in the book. That allows for further voice, character development, and some comic relief. Riordan often uses foreshadowing in his work, but keeps mum pretty well about Walt’s disease. This was a great book.

Riordan, R. (2011). The throne of fire  . New York: Disney/Hyperion.

The Lightning Thief/ New York Times Bestseller

Plot Summary:

             Percy Jackson is a troubled teen with dyslexia and ADHD. His best and only friend, Grover, walks with a limp, and his favorite teacher uses a wheelchair. Percy has to go to boarding school and when he is home he suffers under the thumb of a disgusting pig of a step-father. In addition, Percy can’t seem to stay out of trouble, it follows him and he struggles with avoiding it due to his fiery temper and impulsive nature.  All of these little “accidents” that no one else seems to acknowledge (such as the fact that he has to fight and defeat his algebra teacher, who no one remembers after she is gone) are getting to Percy, he thinks he might be a little crazy after all. Everything changes after school is out and he and his beloved mother go to the beach for the weekend. Grover finds them there and says Percy is in danger. Off they go to Camp Half-Blood. They face a Minotaur who steals Percy’s mother before he defeats it.

 Percy finds out that he is the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. He also finds out that someone has stolen Zeus’s lightning bolt and that he is the main suspect. In order to prevent war amongst the Gods and thus the end of the world, Percy must find the bolt and return it to Zeus. So Percy, Grover, and Annabelle (another camper) set off on a quest to find it. They are plagued by trouble and have to defend themselves repeatedly. They go to the Underworld to see Hades, only to find that they have been set up by the god of war, Ares who is acting on behalf of an unknown. In the end, Percy returns the lightning bolt to Zeus and no one lives happily ever after because there is a sequel.

Personal Reaction:            

            This was a great book, very Harry Potteresque in the set up and plot line. A sad and misunderstood boy finds out he is magic and goes off to a place to learn about it. There he develops two major friendships one with a boy who messes up all the time and one with a girl that does everything perfectly… That is okay, I like it, but if a romance develops between Grover and Annabelle, I’ll worry. At any rate, the book was great with lots of action and very nice usage of figurative language. The characters are believable and I love the allusions to Greek gods. Mythology was always one of my favorite subjects. In addition, I should probably address the disability factor here. I love it that Percy and his friends have disabilities because it not only makes them relatable, it helps readers relate to people with other kinds of disabilities (I am a big believer in everyone being disabled in one way or another.).  One thing that bothered me was the fact that Percy does not seem to know much about his disability. Dyslexia is not letters floating off a page, which is a common misconception. In addition, I would appreciate it if Riordan used people first language. Instead of Percy saying “’I am dyslexic and ADHD,’” Percy should be saying “’I have dyslexia and ADHD.’” That way we are not defining people by their disability. (Pretty sure this soap box is going to break if I don’t step down.)

Riordan, R. (2005). The lightning thief. New York: Miramax Books/Hyperion Books for Children.

Grandma's Gift/ Pura Belpre

Plot Summary:

             Set in New York City and told in first person, this book begins at the start of Christmas holidays for a young boy. His assignment is to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at a new painting that has been procured by the museum. His Puerto Rican grandmother says she will take him if he helps her make pasteles, a Puerto Rican Christmas dish. They go to the market to buy supplies for the pasteles, and his grandmother feels very comfortable in her environment. Then they go home and work on the food. After that, they visit the MET where his grandmother is out of her element and must ask the boy to translate for her. When they get to the new painting, the grandmother recognizes the man in the portrait and both learn a lot about a famous Puerto Rican artist. For Christmas, Grandma gives the boy a set of drawing pencils and paper.

Personal Reaction:            

            I really liked this book, it was culturally meaningful, and felt very authentic. I believe that kids with a variety of backgrounds might like this book. I love the close relationship that the boy has with Grandma. I also like that it featured the MET, mainly because it was my favorite thing about New York City (okay maybe not favorite, but up there). The illustrations are very nice. The pictures are realistic and done in neutrals and earth tones with bold and bright accents. The expressions on the peoples’ faces were joyful, adding to the warm feeling of the book.

Velasquez, E. (2010). Grandma's gift. New York: Walker.

The Night Kitchen/ Challenged Books

Plot Summary:

             A little boy goes to sleep at night and falls, naked into the night kitchen. He meets three chefs that put him into the batter thinking he is milk, they are going to make a Mickey cake.  He jumps out exclaiming that he is not milk! He molds the batter into an airplane which he uses to fly up to the giant jug of actual milk and dives in. All the batter falls off and the airplane disintegrates in the milk.  Naked  again, he swims around in the milk for a while before pouring it into the chefs' recipe, about which they are delighted. He crows and slides down the jug of milk. He then wakes up in his bed, all clean and dry and dressed.

Personal Reaction:            

            As far as reading goes, this book is okay and not wonderful.  I am sure that parents would freak out if their little girls brought this book home from school, and I am also sure that all of the students would be preoccupied with the nude pictures of a little boy. Now, let’s add in the fact that there are three giant men stirring a naked little boy around in a bowl and just not go there. I bought this book and am giving it to my best friend who has little boys if she will take it. I would not order it for my library, and I think I would have to fight a battle with myself as far as wanting to take it off of the shelf to avoid conflict if I got a job at a library that already had a copy in its holdings. On the bright side, I don’t think I will have to cross that bridge because I do not believe the literary value of this book overrides the questionable content; therefore, the chances of that happening are not very high. The illustrations are very good aside from all that. They tell parts of the story that the text only implies. For example, the text never mentions that he makes an airplane out of the dough.

Sendak, M., & Blair, D. (1970). In the night kitchen. New York: Harper & Row.

Guess What? / Challenged

Plot Summary:

            Like several others discussed, this book does not follow a typical plot line. The text asks kids to guess things about “a crazy lady called Daisy O’Grady,” and then answers the question on the next page. For example the text asks if she has a broomstick. On the next page, we find out that “Yes!” she does have a broomstick. In the end we find out that she is a witch but she is a nice witch.

Personal Reaction:            

            This is the kind of story that would be great to read to an audience of children, I like it when they are asked to participate in the story, but guess what? It might scare the bejesus out of them! The scary part is not really the text, it is the creepy illustrations. Daisy O’Grady is grotesquely pictured taking baths beside dead animals, sleeping amongst spiders, and casting spells. The pictures are very well done actually; they are of extremely high quality with amazing attention paid to detail. They do not really add to comprehension due to the fact that the book only contains 124 words and there are many more objects in just a few of the illustrations.  I am not one for censoring at all, but I do have to say this particularly when it comes to young children: let’s not give them nightmares. I would be outraged if my little one (which I don’t have) came home from school with nightmares because of a book that was too scary. On the other hand, I do think this book was intended to be a read aloud and am not sure it holds up to being read silently.

Fox, M., & Goodman, V. (1990). Guess what?. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Dear Primo: A Letter to my Cousin/ Pura Belpre

Plot Summary:

            This book does not follow a typical plot line; it is organized in a compare/ contrast manner. A boy from an urban part of the United States writes his cousin in rural Mexico. The boy tells about his life and surroundings such as riding a subway to school. His cousin rides his bicycle. The boy plays basketball, his cousin plays soccer. The boy goes to diners and eats pizza. His cousin eats quesadillas and tortillas. These comparisons go on throughout the book.

Personal Reaction:            

            This is a nice story; there are a lot of Spanish words with illustrations beside them so that they need no explanation. The illustrations are done in collage, which adds an interesting texture and allows for the comparison to continue beyond the text. Of course the illustrations are also used to reinforce text, which is often written in letter form. This book was very simple, but valuable in that I think many kids can identify with having a cousin that lives some distance away, and wonder about their lives. Therefore, it may have an intended audience of predominantly ELL and immigrant readers, but I do think this book is for any kid.

Tonatiuh, D. (2010). Dear Primo: a letter to my cousin. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Interrupting Chicken/ Notable Books for Children

Plot Summary:

            Papa is telling bedtime story to his daughter, a little red chicken. She loves to hear them, but she keeps ruining the plot because she interrupts and inserts herself in the stories, warning the characters of danger and ending the story immediately. She ruins Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood before Papa refuses to tell her another. She begs and begs until Papa asks her to tell him a story. Papa gets into bed and the little red chicken begins to telling him a story about a Papa reading to his little red chicken. Before she knows it, Papa is asleep.

Personal Reaction:            

            This book is adorable! I love the cute relationship between father and daughter that is depicted as well as the personality of the little red chicken.  Stein has a very strong voice. The illustrations are also excellent; in fact, the book is a Caldecott honor book and a New York Times bestseller. The illustrator uses bright, bold colors to tell this great story. In addition, the pictures increase the tone of the book, depicting the little red jumping out of the bed to interrupt one of her father’s stories.

Stein, D. E. (2010). Interrupting chicken. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

City Dog, Country Frog/ Notable

Plot Summary:

            This book does not follow a typical plot line; it is organized in a circular, seasonal way. The story begins in the spring when City Dog visits the country and meets Country Frog. The two become fast friends and Country Frog teaches many country games to City Dog. In the summer, City Dog comes back and teaches Country Frog city games. In the fall, Country Frog is too tired for games and the two just talk about all the fun they have had in the past. In the winter, City Dog cannot find Country Frog. In the spring he meets a new friend, Country Chipmunk.

Personal Reaction:            

            This is a very simple story of friendship and acceptance. It sends a very good and peaceful message. It also addresses change, I love that City Dog makes a new friend in the end instead of missing his old one. The illustrations, done in watercolor, are bright and cheerful, yet appropriate to the season and the tone of the book. Winter is more bleak, and spring is more merry of course. In addition, the illustrations increase comprehension and are appropriate for the words. I really liked this book.

Willems, M., & Muth, J. J. (2010). City Dog, Country Frog. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Skippyjon Jones Class Action/ New York Times Bestseller

Plot Summary:

            Skippyjon Jones is back again. This time he wants to go to school against his mother’s wishes. He then imagines himself at school with his dog friends. The problem is, there is a “wooly bully” dog in a spinning tea cup circling the school. Skippyjon enjoyes himself immensely and breaks the “wooly bully’s” tea cup, only to find out that the dog inside is very tiny and hungry. Of course, Skippyjon feeds the little dog and continues to play until his mother comes to get him. In the end, the reader finds out that it was all make believe and he has broken a tea cup and eaten a sibling’s banana.

Personal Reaction:            

            This book was very cute and humorous. The text was very busy and there were many literary elements to it. The author did an excellent job at alliteration and rhyme. There were many Spanish and even a few French words in the book as well. I felt like all that was going on might cause a breakdown in comprehension, I even had to slow down and reread parts of it. If the text was busy and confusing, it was well matched by the illustrations. There were parts where the pictures helped with comprehension, such as helping the reader know that a platano is a banana. The illustrator did use the busyness to create a feeling of fast-paced movement typical of a Chihuahua. I do believe that there are different levels of humor and interest for different ages and skill levels as far as this book is concerned.

Schachner, J. B. (2011). Skippyjon Jones class action. New York: Dutton Children's Books.

The Stupids Step Out/ Challenged

Plot Summary:

            Stanly Stupid, tells his wife and family; Mrs. Stupid, Buster, Petunia, and Kitty (their dog), that they are going to be “stepping out today.” They proceed to get ready. The entire family gets together in a bathtub without actually drawing a bath or taking off their clothes. They wear clothing incorrectly, and go off to Grandmother and Grandfather Stupid’s house. Upon arrival, Grandfather stupid does not recognize Stanly as his son and Grandmother Stupid is in the closet. After saying hello they leave and move on to their next adventure. They see themselves in a mirror and make fun of the people they see. They eat disgusting things for dinner, and dress in clown costumes to go to bed. There is no plot at all to this book at all.

Personal Reaction:            

            After reading this book, I realized that there were fifteen minutes of my life that I would not ever get back. Not only is the book entirely offensive and inappropriate, but it is not even funny or believable. At least Amelia Bedilia has a little characterization and some creativity. In addition, you can use those books to teach multiple meaning words. This book has neither characterization nor creativity. I am embarrassed for Albuquerque Public Library because they possess several copies in their holdings. Not that I even wish to censor, it is just a waste of money. If you want good slapstick, read Mad Magazine, at least it usually makes sense. The illustrations are further disturbing, they depict a framed picture of a tree on the wall of the house and underneath it says “flower.” In addition, there is a picture of a flower on the next page and it says “tree.” The characters in the book are designed to look “ugly,” because they have to make fun of themselves in front of the mirror. I just wonder who is stupider, the characters of the book or the author, publisher, and illustrator?

Allard, H., & Marshall, J. (1974). The Stupids step out. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

The Hundred Penny Box/ Newbery

Plot Summary:

            Michael lives with his parents and his great-great-aunt, Aunt Dew. Aunt Dew is getting older (100 years), and is having problems distinguishing past from present. Aunt Dew keeps an old box with a hundred pennies in it, one for each year of her life, and she and Michael go through and count the pennies as she tells him stories for each year. Having an older relative in the household is frustrating for Michael’s mother, and she wants to throw away Aunt Dew’s box. Michael tries to get Aunt Dew to let him hide it, but she insists that the box is tied to her life force and would rather die than not have it to look at. Michael argues with his mother and gets her to leave Aunt Dew’s box alone before she goes to sleep.

Personal Reaction:            

            This is a very warm story about a young man protecting his older aunt. I really enjoyed the well-developed characters and the relationship between Michael and the rest of his family members. The book reveals universal truths about how memories are all we have in the end (particularly if we live to be as old as Aunt Dew). In addition, the author used symbolism in a way that is unique, with the mother not understanding that the box and the pennies stood for Aunt Dew’s memories. The illustations were plain. They did not particularly add to the story or the reader’s comprehension. They do remind me of old photographs, and that is appropriate. They also give the book a warm feel.

Mathis, S. B., Dillon, L., & Dillon, D. (1975). The hundred penny box. New York: Viking Press.

Twilight

Plot Summary:

            Isabella “Bella” Swan moves to Forks, Washington to live with her dad from Phoenix, Arizona because her mother gets married, and she wants to give the newlyweds some freedom. She goes to school in Forks and is instantly struck by a group of odd and beautiful people, the Cullens. She is particularly intrigued by Edward Cullen, he lab partner, but he does not seem to like her. One day he saves her from being hit by a car, and she eventually figures out that he is a vampire. They fall in love and that is great until a group of rogue vampires see Bella and one of them, James, decides to hunt her. The Cullens try to protect Bella, but James sets a trap and she falls into his hands anyway. The Cullens kill James, but he has already bitten Bella. Edward, who has always had to be extra careful around her because her blood is all but irresistible to him, has to suck out the venom in order to save her from becoming a vampire.

Personal Reaction:            

            In my opinion, this book is the best of the Twilight Series. It is a real page turner. I buy the romance between Bella and Edward and I totally cried through the second book where he leaves her. Meyer does an excellent job at building the suspense and tension between the two lovers and making it feel realistic. One concern that I have is that the character Edward has a tendency to be quite controlling of Bella. I am not certain that that is a great influence on the book’s target audience, teenage girls. However, I do have all of the books in the series in my classroom collection, so it is not such an issue that I would censor or anything.

Meyer, S. (2005). Twilight. New York: Little, Brown and Co.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone/ Challenged Books

Plot Summary:

            Harry is an orphan who lives with his mean Aunt and Uncle. He has no idea that he is a famous wizard until his eleventh birthday, when, after much drama, a half-giant named Hagrid comes to get him and tells him so. Harry learns that a dark wizard named Voldemort killed his parents when he was a baby and tried to kill Harry too, but did not succeed, and was rendered all but dead during the struggle.  Hagrid takes harry to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Harry makes lots of friends and becomes proficient at the wizard game, quidditch. In the meantime, Harry and his friends begin to unfold a mystery. They discover that someone is trying to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone that is being guarded by a giant three headed dog and several other obstacles set up by the teachers. The students follow a teacher through the obstacles and Harry ends up facing and defeating Voldemort again.  

Personal Reaction:            

            This book is the first of what may be the greatest series of all time, certainly the bestselling one to date. Harry is a sympathetic hero, and he is very unassuming considering his humble background. Rowling’s characterization captures the reader’s unwavering loyalty to this dynamic character throughout the series. One of the most creative assets to this book (it would be hard to choose any one creative asset), is Rowling’s word choice. Names of characters (my favorite are the authors of books) are comically suited to their personality. For example, Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, is a pushover who is likely to lie, therefor the last name “Fudge” is perfect for him. Characters are not the only thing that she named so aptly, other nouns and even verbs are done this way. This helps with character building, but also aids the reader in remembering the idiosyncrasies of the wizarding world. I find it very interesting and ridiculous that this series has been so challenged. The people that did the challenging must not be aware of the other things that stand on the shelves of our libraries, and I would just as soon they stay ignorant if they are going to try to ban wonderful books like this one.

Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Sarah, Plain and Tall/ Newbery

Plot Summary:

            Anna is a girl living in the Midwest during the pioneer days. She lives with her father, Jacob, and her little brother, Caleb. Jacob has written to a newspaper back East for a mail order bride. Sarah Elizabeth Wheaton answers his ad. She comes to live with the family for a “trial month,” and the whole family falls in love with her. The kids are constantly anxious that she will leave. Sarah misses her home in Maine and the ocean. She also wants some more freedom and asks to learn how to drive the wagon. One day she leaves in the wagon to go to town, and it looks like there is going to be a big storm. The family waits with bated breath, and they see Sarah coming down the road.  

Personal Reaction:

            This book is great for young readers first graduating into chapter books. It is an easy, satisfying story to read. The dialog of this story is critical. The children listen with bated breath to everything Sarah says looking for clues as to her intentions. I love the unspoken dialog between Caleb and Anna as they make eye contact. In addition, the historical value of this work is important, because kids are getting further and further away from our pioneer roots.

MacLachlan, P. (1985). Sarah, plain and tall. New York: HarperCollins.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond/ Newbery

Plot Summary:

            Kit is an orphan from the island of Barbados in the West Indies. She has been raised as a plantation owner’s granddaughter during the colonial America era. She is traveling on a ship to live with her puritan family in Connecticut, where she meets the Capitan’s young son, Nat. Unfortunately; she is a terrible misfit in the community as well as her new family. Kit isn’t used to hard work, and makes lots of mistakes as a result. One particularly bad day, Kit runs away and lies face down in a field crying. When she looks up, she realizes that Hannah Tupper, a Quaker woman who is exiled from the community is watching her. Hannah takes Kit home for blueberry cake and they become friends. Kit finds out that Nat is also friends with Hannah and takes care of her. Eventually, they bring a young and abused child, Prudence, into their little group as well. Kit teaches Prudence how to read. In the meantime, children of the village are getting sick. People are saying that Hannah is a witch and is causing the illness. A witch hunt ensues with Nat and Kit saving Hannah and taking her off to a safer place. After that, Kit gets arrested and accused of witchcraft. During her trial, Prudence and Nat come to save her with their testimony, and Nat eventually proposes.

Personal Reaction:

            I have loved this book for years; it is one of the best I have ever read. The historical value is definitely there, with realistic colonial New England characteristics and characters. Some of the characters of the book were even actually real. The romance part of the story rings very true, and is easily bought by the reader. I also like the insights that the book teaches throughout, such as when Kit doesn’t ask her cousin Judith not to tell that she is going to Hanna’s house because of the bond of being young together. Kit just knows that Judith will not tell. This story is timeless and enjoyable though it was published over fifty years ago.

Speare, E. G. (1958). The witch of Blackbird Pond. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

The Hundred Dresses/ Newbery

Plot Summary:

            We find out that the narrator, Maddie and her friend, Peggy notice one of their classmates has not been coming to school. The reason that they notice Wanda is missing, is because they wait every morning before school starts so that Peggy can tease the poor girl about the hundred dresses that she claims to have in her closet. Everyone in school knows that Wanda is poor, she wears the same dress every day, and the kids dislike the fact that she lies about having an outrageous amount of clothing. Peggy is the best artist in class, or so everyone thinks, and is expected to win the drawing contest that the school is holding. Peggy and Maddie are shocked when they enter the classroom and there are tons of pictures of dresses all over the wall. Miss Mason, the teacher announces that the pictures are Wanda’s and she won the contest. Only Wanda is not there to retrieve her prize due to the fact that she has moved. Her dad writes a letter to the school that says the family is moving because the kids were being bullied. Maddie is very upset and she and Peggy go to Wanda’s house to apologize only to find out they were too late. They send a letter to her in hopes that the post office will forward the mail. Eventually, Wanda writes back to the class and lets the girls know that she likes them and bequeaths some of her drawings to them.

Personal Reaction:

            This book is a transition between chapter and picture book. It is a great length and the message is universal. First published in 1944, the life lesson of this book is still completely valid today. All kids must deal with bullying in one way or another, this book brings an important player of the bullying triangle into the forefront: the bystander. These are the kids who can stop bullying, and the book puts responsibility into their hands. The illustrations of this book were abstract images. I have to say that I prefer more realistic art in general, but I believe that what was used was appropriate and more realistic drawings might have detracted from the message of the work. In addition, the pictures of the clothing were very bright, which offset the pictures of everything else which went along with the somber mode of the book.

Estes, E., & Slobodkin, L. (1944). The hundred dresses. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co..

The Uglified Ducky/ Bluebonnet

Plot Summary:

            Maynard Moose tells a story around a campfire about a baby moose that lies down beside some duck eggs. The momma duck comes around and thinks that the baby moose is one of her chicks. She calls him “Uglified Ducky.” Uglified Ducky cannot do the things that the other ducklings can do, like swim, and fly, and waddle. He is always messing everything up with his awkwardness. One day he is abandoned by his family and wanders upon some adult moose. They finally tell him who he really is, and accept him. In the end, we discover that Maynard Moose is the Uglified Ducky.

Personal Reaction:

            This is a very cute spin off of The Ugly Duckling, and has the same message of acceptance, only with a moose instead of a swan. The message is timeless and appropriate, I do like that this version feels a little more updated than the old story. One of the things that I don’t like about this book is the accents. They are funny to me as an adult, but I think they might be confusing to children and cause breakdowns in comprehension, making the book a higher reading level than it appears (which can also be defeating for struggling readers). In addition, seeing words misspelled can also be difficult for struggling learners. The book is illustrated quite beautifully with bold colors. The use of line is very interesting, with the straight lines and sharp angles that make up the bodies of the animals. The cartoonish looks to the characters add to the light hearted feel. In addition, the illustration adds to the humor of the book by foiling the giant baby moose against baby ducklings.

Claflin, W., Stimson, J., & Andersen, H. C. (2008). The uglified ducky. Atlanta, Ga.: August House LittleFolk.

Big Red Lollipop/ Notable Books for Kids

Plot Summary:

            Rubina is very excited about being invited to a birthday party! She is not very excited when her mom makes her take her little sister with her. Rubina is from an immigrant family and her mom insists despite Rubina’s explanations about American culture. Sana, Rubina’s little sister, ruins her experience at the birthday party and then eats Rubina’s big red lollipop. A big fight ensues and in the end Mom sides with Sana. Months later, Sana gets an invitation of her own. Mom insists that Sana take both Rubina and their younger sister, but Rubina intervenes on Sana’s behalf and encourages Mom to let Sana go by herself. This pays off because Sana brings Rubina a big green lollipop from the party.

Personal Reaction:

            This is the best picture book I have read! I am not from an immigrant family, I do not have any sisters, and I am the youngest to one older brother. Though, I wouldn’t be considered “target audience” for this book, it really spoke to me. I felt so sorry for Rubina and her trials, and she did the right thing in the end, which I didn’t even want her to do, I wanted her to show her little sister what it felt like, but she didn’t. I wish I had written this book, and where are the awards for it? The illustrations in the book were good, they assist the reader with comprehension, the fact that the family are immigrants is merely implied in the book, so the traditional (Indian or Middle Eastern) dress worn by the mother gives visual clues to that implication. In addition, the littlest sister is introduced visually very early on in the plot, but is not mentioned until the very end. I also liked the picture of Rubina chasing Sana around the house, it caught my eye and I realized that the artist took out the walls so that we could see the chase.  

Khan, R., & Blackall, S. (2010). Big red lollipop  . New York, N.Y.: Viking.

The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy) / Bluebonnet

Plot Summary:

            Mark Twain’s daughter, Susy, is writing his biography. She thinks that she knows him much better than other people and is therefore an expert. She writes about his habits and idiosyncrasies in a very honest manner. He discovers that she is writing this book and endevors to help her out with it, coming in and making announcements about himself so that she has new material. She also tells about his struggles with fame and business. We find that Susy sees her father as a very serious man, unlike the rest of the world. This book does not follow traditional plot lines because it is a very short biography. The resolution is all about her finishing the book.  

Personal Reaction:

            This is a great book, I found out a lot about Mark Twain that I didn’t know and I actually had to do an internet search about Grant’s Memiors because I have heard about how wonderful they are. It occoured to me that maybe Mark Twain really wrote them, due to the fact that he published them (as mentioned in this book). Turns out, most people think that Grant wrote them himself. The illustrations are fun, I really like the small journal pages inside the book, it really seperates Susy’s biography from that of the author and interactive is always better for those tactile learners. The pictures themselves are very bold, and, like Susy’s book, they give an honest account rather than the most flattering one. I like the use of the swirling lines for such things as smoke and hair, they are very script-like.

Kerley, B., & Fotheringham, E. (2010). The extraordinary Mark Twain (according to Susy). New York: Scholastic Press.

Frog Went A-courtin' / Caldecott

Plot Summary:

            Frog, well… goes a-courtin’. He asks Mistress Mouse to marry him, but does not have permission from Uncle Rat. Uncle Rat comes home and asks about wedding plans before consenting to the marriage. Immediately, the animals set to work on the wedding festivities. The party rages until it is ruined by a big cat. This book does not follow traditional plot lines in that the conflict is resolved very early in the story and there is no time for falling action due to the surprise ending with the cat.

Personal Reaction:

            I love this book. It is a poem and can be put to music. It is also a story that was passed down through oral tradition. I love the word “courtin’,” it reminds me of my grandparents. There is also an excellent context clue for the word “consent” that really resonates. “Without my Uncle Rat’s consent, I would not marry the president.”  The word “consent” may not be that important as a general vocabulary word, but when it comes to teaching about popular sovereignty in government, "consent" is crucial. The phrase rhymes and is easily understandable for struggling learners. I mention this because I intend to use this book when I do teach popular sovereignty this year.

This book is illustrated in a very cherry manner, with bright colors. I like the black, white, and green pictures, they do look very vintage, but I think they are nice and green was a good choice considering the main character. The pictures in the book are mainly to increase comprehension and coincide with what is happening in the story. All of the animals have smiles on their faces, further contributing to the overall positive feel of the book, which makes the part where the cat jumps in even more of a surprise.

Langstaff, J. M., & Rojankovsky, F. (1955). Frog went a-courtin'. New York: Harcourt, Brace.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! / Caldecott

Plot Summary:

            The driver of the bus has to “leave for a little while” and asks you to keep an eye on things. He also specifically requests that you not let the Pigeon drive the bus. Enter Pigeon. The Pigeon asks repeatedly if he can drive the bus. He lies, begs, bothers, and bargains in order to try to get you to let him drive it. Finally he throws a fit. Eventually, the bus driver comes back and asks if you let the Pigeon drive the bus and thanks you for not doing so. This book does not follow traditional plot lines and is very short.

Personal Reaction:

            This book would be fun to read to a group of very young children. I could see them really getting in to the begging stage and stopping to ask the group “Do you think we should?” This is very funny, and the pigeon is cute, I kinda do want to let him drive it! As far as illustration goes, I failed to be impressed. I understand that the simple pictures are geared toward a very young audience, but I do not approve of the extremely bland color scheme. The pictures in this book definitely don’t detract from the story line, oh wait, what story line? I think we could have used some richer colors and gotten more bang for our buck, in addition I got a very vintage feel from this book, I assumed it was old until I looked up the publication date. I was shocked when I discovered it was printed in 2003! Even the font looks old. I think kids would be less likely to pick it off of the shelf because of that.

Willems, M. (2003). Don't let the pigeon drive the bus. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

George Crum and the Saratoge Chip/ Bluebonnet

Plot Summary:

            George Crum is a Native American/African American who struggles with acceptance. He grows up during the thirties with his little sister, Kate. One day, he meets a French Chef who teaches him how to cook and gets a job at a local restaurant. He is very successful as a chef and not so much at customer service. One day a lady sends back an order of French fries saying that they need to be thinner. George goes back to the kitchen and makes very thin and very crispy fries. He expects the lady not to like them but she does. The Saratoga Chip becomes a success and George eventually buys his own restaurant.

Personal Reaction:

            I really enjoyed this book. It has several good messages about equality, perseverance, and hard work. In addition, it has a more real flair than some other books due to the fact that George is very a very moody, flawed character. The artwork is amazing! The illustrator uses rich color to enhance the story line, and the people look very art deco/ jazz age. The expressions on the characters faces are realistic and support character and plot development, with George’s attitude, and that of his stuffy customers being major players in the story line of this book. The illustrator uses pink on the walls of the restaurant, this dainty color, along with the patron's clothing, helps the reader see the restaurant patrons as foppish and prissy.  Over all this book was a big hit with me!

Taylor, G., & Morrison, F. (2006). George Crum and the Saratoga chip. New York: Lee & Low Books.