Author: Ellen Levine
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Year: 2007
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 40
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8)
Awards: 2008 Caldecott Honor Book
Genre: Picture Book/Historical Fiction
Location: Richmond, Virginia/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Time Period: 1840's
Plot: A retelling of a true story, Henry Brown was a slave in Virginia. When his wife and children were sold by their owner, Henry decided he needed to figure out a way to become free. With the help of a few friends, Henry stowed away in a crate and was mailed to Philadelphia, where he could be free. Because of his journey, Henry earned the name Henry "Box" Brown.
Comments: This is definitely an example of a picture book that tells more through the pictures than it does through the words. Nelson's artwork, inspired by an old lithograph of the actual Henry "Box" Brown, uses very dark, rich colors. In fact, it's sometimes hard to read Levine's simple but well-written text because of the artwork. However, this is a very well told story, and the pencil/watercolor/oil pictures do compliment the mood of the story. My favorite picture is a cross-section of Henry in the box, which shows Henry's forehead and hand as if they are pressed against glass instead of against the side of a crate. Children will enjoy the pictures and the fact that this is a true story.
Themes: Slavery, Underground Railroad, Henry "Box" Brown
Red Flags: Slavery, Children and others sold and separated from their families
Multicultural Elements: African Americans
Monday, November 24, 2008
The Chocolate War
Author: Robert Cormier
Year: 1974
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Pages: 253
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Series Information: Sequel: Beyond the Chocolate War
Location: Trinity High School
Time Period: Present (1970's)
Plot: Jerry Renault is a new freshman at Trinity High School, a Catholic private school. The unofficial leader of the school is a gang called the Vigils. Headed by Archie Costello, the Vigils terrorize the underclassmen by forcing them to complete "assignments." When the school fundraiser comes up, Jerry is given his first assignment by the Vigils: refuse to sell chocolate for the first ten days of the fund raiser. Bristling under being forced to act a certain way, Jerry decides to take a stand for himself, and refuses to sell the chocolates at all, even after the ten day deadline is up. SPOILER! The Vigils (and Brother Leon, the unofficial head of the school) are not happy with Jerry's display of defiance, and they set out to break him. It all culminates in a scene where the entire school has turned out for a fight between Jerry and Emile, a pawn of the Vigils. Jerry loses the fight right as the teachers come and intervene. The Vigils have made their point that no one should cross them.
Comments: The Chocolate War is sexually explicit, contains offensive language, and is violent. No wonder the ALA Banned Books site lists The Chocolate War as the second most-contested book in the year 2007, and it is frequently high up on other frequently contested book lists as well! (You might have to scroll down a bit to see this). Oddly enough, of all of the complaints against the book, the thing that bothered me most about it was that the adults were condoning the Vigils' behavior. Brother Leon not only stood by and allowed the Vigils to terrorize Jerry, he actually encouraged it. Another upsetting part of the book was the ending, wherein SPOILER! the bad guys win. Instead of Jerry triumphing over evil, the book focuses on a theme written on a poster in Jerry's locker: "Do I dare disturb the universe?" Some teenagers might like this book for its psychological battle with this question. The book definitely did hold my attention through to the very end. Although they are nowhere near the same, this book reminded me of Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian in both voice and theme, but The Absolutely True Diary succeeds for me where this one fails because of its hopeful outlook on life.
Themes: Dealing with Loss, Gangs, School Fundraisers, Competitions
Red Flags: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence
Year: 1974
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Pages: 253
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Series Information: Sequel: Beyond the Chocolate War
Location: Trinity High School
Time Period: Present (1970's)
Plot: Jerry Renault is a new freshman at Trinity High School, a Catholic private school. The unofficial leader of the school is a gang called the Vigils. Headed by Archie Costello, the Vigils terrorize the underclassmen by forcing them to complete "assignments." When the school fundraiser comes up, Jerry is given his first assignment by the Vigils: refuse to sell chocolate for the first ten days of the fund raiser. Bristling under being forced to act a certain way, Jerry decides to take a stand for himself, and refuses to sell the chocolates at all, even after the ten day deadline is up. SPOILER! The Vigils (and Brother Leon, the unofficial head of the school) are not happy with Jerry's display of defiance, and they set out to break him. It all culminates in a scene where the entire school has turned out for a fight between Jerry and Emile, a pawn of the Vigils. Jerry loses the fight right as the teachers come and intervene. The Vigils have made their point that no one should cross them.
Comments: The Chocolate War is sexually explicit, contains offensive language, and is violent. No wonder the ALA Banned Books site lists The Chocolate War as the second most-contested book in the year 2007, and it is frequently high up on other frequently contested book lists as well! (You might have to scroll down a bit to see this). Oddly enough, of all of the complaints against the book, the thing that bothered me most about it was that the adults were condoning the Vigils' behavior. Brother Leon not only stood by and allowed the Vigils to terrorize Jerry, he actually encouraged it. Another upsetting part of the book was the ending, wherein SPOILER! the bad guys win. Instead of Jerry triumphing over evil, the book focuses on a theme written on a poster in Jerry's locker: "Do I dare disturb the universe?" Some teenagers might like this book for its psychological battle with this question. The book definitely did hold my attention through to the very end. Although they are nowhere near the same, this book reminded me of Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian in both voice and theme, but The Absolutely True Diary succeeds for me where this one fails because of its hopeful outlook on life.
Themes: Dealing with Loss, Gangs, School Fundraisers, Competitions
Red Flags: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence
Saturday, November 22, 2008
The Dangerous Book for Boys
Authors: Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden
Year: 2007
Publisher: Collins (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
Pages: 270
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Non-Fiction
Series Information: The Daring Book for Girls is not written by the same authors, but is put out by the same publisher.
Book Summary: A guide containing fun facts and information that every boy should know, this book covers many different topics from knot tying to dinosaurs to morse code to descriptions of famous battles to lists of famous things that every boy should know (even including poetry and Shakespeare!) and much more. Intended for "every boy from eight to eighty."
Comments: I really like the concept of this book—a handy reference source of not only boring facts and figures, but of things that every boy should know, but could never find in one location. Conn and Hal Iggulden write in an easy-to-read, engaging style that should help keep boys' attention. Text is broken up by the use of pictures and by breaking up intensive chapters into multiple sections.
These points make the book easy to use, but from a reference standpoint, this book isn't a good one to use as a source for a paper or a school project. The information in the book seems accurate enough, but the sources of information can't be found anywhere in the book—not even in a bibliography stuck in the back of the book. Also, I mentioned earlier that intensive chapters are broken up into sections. What I didn't mention was that these sections are sprinkled throughout the book instead of being placed in the vicinity of each other. Since the book isn't broken into subject-specific sections, the book may be somewhat hard to navigate, even with the use of the Table of Contents. If you're a parent, get this book for its entertainment value rather than as a reference resource.
Themes: Boys, Definition of Boyhood, Fun Facts
Red Flags: Some of the projects found in the book require adult supervision, or may be, as the title suggests: dangerous (ex: shooting a gun, skinning a rabbit)
Year: 2007
Publisher: Collins (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
Pages: 270
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Non-Fiction
Series Information: The Daring Book for Girls is not written by the same authors, but is put out by the same publisher.
Book Summary: A guide containing fun facts and information that every boy should know, this book covers many different topics from knot tying to dinosaurs to morse code to descriptions of famous battles to lists of famous things that every boy should know (even including poetry and Shakespeare!) and much more. Intended for "every boy from eight to eighty."
Comments: I really like the concept of this book—a handy reference source of not only boring facts and figures, but of things that every boy should know, but could never find in one location. Conn and Hal Iggulden write in an easy-to-read, engaging style that should help keep boys' attention. Text is broken up by the use of pictures and by breaking up intensive chapters into multiple sections.
These points make the book easy to use, but from a reference standpoint, this book isn't a good one to use as a source for a paper or a school project. The information in the book seems accurate enough, but the sources of information can't be found anywhere in the book—not even in a bibliography stuck in the back of the book. Also, I mentioned earlier that intensive chapters are broken up into sections. What I didn't mention was that these sections are sprinkled throughout the book instead of being placed in the vicinity of each other. Since the book isn't broken into subject-specific sections, the book may be somewhat hard to navigate, even with the use of the Table of Contents. If you're a parent, get this book for its entertainment value rather than as a reference resource.
Themes: Boys, Definition of Boyhood, Fun Facts
Red Flags: Some of the projects found in the book require adult supervision, or may be, as the title suggests: dangerous (ex: shooting a gun, skinning a rabbit)
The Hidden Children
Author: Howard Greenfeld
Year: 1993
Publisher: Ticknor & Fields
Pages: 118
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 1994 Horn Book Fanfare Award
Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoirs
Location: Europe
Time Period: World War II
Book Summary: What would it be like to be a Jewish child during World War II? This book tries to answer this question by giving the accounts of people who survived the Holocaust as children. Some were taken in by non-Jewish families and given new names and identitites, some were hidden in convents and orphanages, and others spent much of their childhood years on the run. Includes information on the causes of the war, memories of the children interviewed, and discussion of the aftereffects of the War.
Comments: Greenfeld does a good job painting the scenery. His description of what was happening, combined with photographs of Jewish children and their accounts of what happened to before, during, and after the War, creates a seamless work. Although this book can be rather depressing, one good thing about this book is that Greenfeld is interviewing survivors of the war. This work does not spend time talking about the concentration camps, but instead focuses on those who managed to keep away from the camps. This is still a sobering tale, and even though the text is easy enough to read, I wouldn't recommend this book to younger age range of children that it's written for.
Themes: Holocaust, Anti-Semitism, Survival, Being in Hiding
Red Flags: Descriptions of poor living conditions, health problems, and light discussion of people who were caught and killed both in and out of the concentration camps
Year: 1993
Publisher: Ticknor & Fields
Pages: 118
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 1994 Horn Book Fanfare Award
Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoirs
Location: Europe
Time Period: World War II
Book Summary: What would it be like to be a Jewish child during World War II? This book tries to answer this question by giving the accounts of people who survived the Holocaust as children. Some were taken in by non-Jewish families and given new names and identitites, some were hidden in convents and orphanages, and others spent much of their childhood years on the run. Includes information on the causes of the war, memories of the children interviewed, and discussion of the aftereffects of the War.
Comments: Greenfeld does a good job painting the scenery. His description of what was happening, combined with photographs of Jewish children and their accounts of what happened to before, during, and after the War, creates a seamless work. Although this book can be rather depressing, one good thing about this book is that Greenfeld is interviewing survivors of the war. This work does not spend time talking about the concentration camps, but instead focuses on those who managed to keep away from the camps. This is still a sobering tale, and even though the text is easy enough to read, I wouldn't recommend this book to younger age range of children that it's written for.
Themes: Holocaust, Anti-Semitism, Survival, Being in Hiding
Red Flags: Descriptions of poor living conditions, health problems, and light discussion of people who were caught and killed both in and out of the concentration camps
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Victory
Author: Susan Cooper
Year: 2007
Publisher: Aladdin
Pages: 224
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 2007 National Social Studies Trade Book
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Historical Fiction
Location: Connecticut, England, H.M.S. Victory
Time Period: 1803-1806/Present Day (2006)
Plot: Molly Jennings is an English girl who lives in 2006, while Sam Robbins is a farm boy who was pressed into service on H.M.S. Victory back in 1803. Their stories are told simultaneously, and each character has a different yet similar problem to face. While Sam has to learn about the perils of life on the sea and is involved in the famous battle of Trafalgar, Molly also has to deal with homesickness and loneliness when she moves to Connecticut, where her new father's job is located. Molly and Sam's lives are connected when Molly finds Robert Southey's book Life of Nelson at a nautical souvenir shop. Pasted inside the cover of the book is a scrap of the flag that covered Lord Nelson's body after he died. Sam had been given that piece of flag, and passed it on to his children, who pasted it into the book. SPOILER! Molly and Sam's lives truly converge when Molly goes back to England for a week in an attempt to get over her homesickness. While there, her grandfather takes her to Portsmouth, where they take a tour of H.M.S. Victory. There, Molly reconnects with Sam and experiences through Sam's eyes the battle of Trafalgar and the death of Lord Nelson. Molly later discovers that the reason she had such a vivid experience is because she is actually a descendant of Sam's.
Comments: The idea of two people being connected through time is an interesting one, and Cooper does a good job of helping you feel the connection between these two individuals. I think this story would have worked just as well if Cooper had focused solely on Sam's experience aboard H.M.S. Victory, but the addition of Molly's story adds depth of feeling to the plot. The hard issues of death, war, and Molly's depression over her homesickness and her father's death, make this a book I wouldn't recommend to younger readers, but it might be an interesting way for older readers to learn about one of England's most famous battles.
Themes: Battle of Trafalgar, Sea Voyages, Homesickness, Separation from Loved Ones, Coping with Trauma
Red Flags: Description of Battle Scenes, Death, Description of Poverty in the 1800s, Extreme Homesickness
Year: 2007
Publisher: Aladdin
Pages: 224
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 2007 National Social Studies Trade Book
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Historical Fiction
Location: Connecticut, England, H.M.S. Victory
Time Period: 1803-1806/Present Day (2006)
Plot: Molly Jennings is an English girl who lives in 2006, while Sam Robbins is a farm boy who was pressed into service on H.M.S. Victory back in 1803. Their stories are told simultaneously, and each character has a different yet similar problem to face. While Sam has to learn about the perils of life on the sea and is involved in the famous battle of Trafalgar, Molly also has to deal with homesickness and loneliness when she moves to Connecticut, where her new father's job is located. Molly and Sam's lives are connected when Molly finds Robert Southey's book Life of Nelson at a nautical souvenir shop. Pasted inside the cover of the book is a scrap of the flag that covered Lord Nelson's body after he died. Sam had been given that piece of flag, and passed it on to his children, who pasted it into the book. SPOILER! Molly and Sam's lives truly converge when Molly goes back to England for a week in an attempt to get over her homesickness. While there, her grandfather takes her to Portsmouth, where they take a tour of H.M.S. Victory. There, Molly reconnects with Sam and experiences through Sam's eyes the battle of Trafalgar and the death of Lord Nelson. Molly later discovers that the reason she had such a vivid experience is because she is actually a descendant of Sam's.
Comments: The idea of two people being connected through time is an interesting one, and Cooper does a good job of helping you feel the connection between these two individuals. I think this story would have worked just as well if Cooper had focused solely on Sam's experience aboard H.M.S. Victory, but the addition of Molly's story adds depth of feeling to the plot. The hard issues of death, war, and Molly's depression over her homesickness and her father's death, make this a book I wouldn't recommend to younger readers, but it might be an interesting way for older readers to learn about one of England's most famous battles.
Themes: Battle of Trafalgar, Sea Voyages, Homesickness, Separation from Loved Ones, Coping with Trauma
Red Flags: Description of Battle Scenes, Death, Description of Poverty in the 1800s, Extreme Homesickness
The Chronicles of Narnia
Author: Based on the Books by C.S. Lewis
Illustrator: Pop-Ups by Robert Sabuda; Full-Color Art by Matthew Armstrong.
Year: 2007
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 14
Reading Level: Beginner (ages 4-8)
Genre: Pop-up/Movable Books/Fantasy
Series Information: Based on The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
Location: Narnia, a magical land where animals can talk
Time Period: The entire life span of Narnia from its creation to its destruction
Book Summary: Each two-page spread of this magical book summarizes one of the books in the Chronicles of Narnia series written by C.S. Lewis. Summaries of each book are only a paragraph long, leaving most of the page open for the artwork of award-winning paper engineer Robert Sabuda.
Comments: The Chronicles of Narnia, especially the first book in the series, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, is one of my favorite books/series ever written. Imagine my happiness when I found out that Robert Sabuda had done a version of these books! Sabuda's art does pop out of the page, and I was enthralled by it. My favorite pages were probably the Chronicles of Narnia page (so pretty!) and The Last Battle page (that page just keeps popping and popping and popping), followed closely by The Magician's Nephew page (Aslan the Lion springs out of the book).
As fun as this book is, because each page is a summary of an entire story, it's not a good one to choose for a story time or even for reading one-on-one with a child who does not know the series. Part of me wishes Sabuda would have summarized just one of the books instead of the entire series. That would have made the book more readable. But maybe that's just the Narnia-lover in me, wishing he'd depicted a few more of my favorite scenes.
Themes: Pop-up Books, Art, Sabuda, Chronicles of Narnia
Red Flags: None
Illustrator: Pop-Ups by Robert Sabuda; Full-Color Art by Matthew Armstrong.
Year: 2007
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 14
Reading Level: Beginner (ages 4-8)
Genre: Pop-up/Movable Books/Fantasy
Series Information: Based on The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
Location: Narnia, a magical land where animals can talk
Time Period: The entire life span of Narnia from its creation to its destruction
Book Summary: Each two-page spread of this magical book summarizes one of the books in the Chronicles of Narnia series written by C.S. Lewis. Summaries of each book are only a paragraph long, leaving most of the page open for the artwork of award-winning paper engineer Robert Sabuda.
Comments: The Chronicles of Narnia, especially the first book in the series, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, is one of my favorite books/series ever written. Imagine my happiness when I found out that Robert Sabuda had done a version of these books! Sabuda's art does pop out of the page, and I was enthralled by it. My favorite pages were probably the Chronicles of Narnia page (so pretty!) and The Last Battle page (that page just keeps popping and popping and popping), followed closely by The Magician's Nephew page (Aslan the Lion springs out of the book).
As fun as this book is, because each page is a summary of an entire story, it's not a good one to choose for a story time or even for reading one-on-one with a child who does not know the series. Part of me wishes Sabuda would have summarized just one of the books instead of the entire series. That would have made the book more readable. But maybe that's just the Narnia-lover in me, wishing he'd depicted a few more of my favorite scenes.
Themes: Pop-up Books, Art, Sabuda, Chronicles of Narnia
Red Flags: None
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Lemonade Club
Author/Illustrator: Patricia Polacco
Year: 2007
Publisher: Philomel Books
Pages: 48
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8)
Genre: Picture Book/Realistic Fiction
Location: Miss Wichelman's fifth grade class (Anytown, USA)
Time Period: 1970s?
Plot: Tells the true story of Polacco's daughter, Traci, her best friend, Marilyn, and their teacher, Miss Wichelman. Traci and Marilyn love being part of Miss Wichelman's fifth grade class. Every day Miss Wichelman ends class by reciting the adage, "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade." One day Marilyn discovers that she has leukemia, and she has to undergo radiation treatment, which takes away all of her hair. Traci and Miss Wichelman come to Marilyn's aid, encouraging the entire class to support Marilyn by shaving their heads. SPOILER! While Marilyn recovers and everyone's hair is growing in again, Miss Wichelman stays bald. Miss Wichelman confides to Traci and Marilyn that she has breast cancer and is also going through radiation treatments. Traci and Marilyn rally behind their teacher, encouraging her to "make lemonade" out of the situation. Five years later, Traci and Marilyn are bridesmaids at Miss Wichelman's wedding, and the three are still close friends.
Comments: It's always encouraging to see other people supporting each other, and that's what this book is all about. Because it's a true story, it may be one enjoyed by adults as well. In fact, for this reason I almost listed the book as an intermediate reader instead of as the beginning reader that Amazon.com says it is. Polacco's marker and colored pencil drawings go well with the story because they look like something Traci or Marilyn would probably draw to help explain what is going on. I also appreciated the pictures of the real-life Traci, Marilyn, and Miss Wichelman included in the back of the book, along with the note about where the three are now and what they are doing with their lives.
Themes: Cancer, Friendship, Baldness, Sickness, Dreams
Red Flags: None
Multicultural Elements: Kids of different races are in Miss Wichelman's class, but the main characters are Caucasian
Year: 2007
Publisher: Philomel Books
Pages: 48
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8)
Genre: Picture Book/Realistic Fiction
Location: Miss Wichelman's fifth grade class (Anytown, USA)
Time Period: 1970s?
Plot: Tells the true story of Polacco's daughter, Traci, her best friend, Marilyn, and their teacher, Miss Wichelman. Traci and Marilyn love being part of Miss Wichelman's fifth grade class. Every day Miss Wichelman ends class by reciting the adage, "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade." One day Marilyn discovers that she has leukemia, and she has to undergo radiation treatment, which takes away all of her hair. Traci and Miss Wichelman come to Marilyn's aid, encouraging the entire class to support Marilyn by shaving their heads. SPOILER! While Marilyn recovers and everyone's hair is growing in again, Miss Wichelman stays bald. Miss Wichelman confides to Traci and Marilyn that she has breast cancer and is also going through radiation treatments. Traci and Marilyn rally behind their teacher, encouraging her to "make lemonade" out of the situation. Five years later, Traci and Marilyn are bridesmaids at Miss Wichelman's wedding, and the three are still close friends.
Comments: It's always encouraging to see other people supporting each other, and that's what this book is all about. Because it's a true story, it may be one enjoyed by adults as well. In fact, for this reason I almost listed the book as an intermediate reader instead of as the beginning reader that Amazon.com says it is. Polacco's marker and colored pencil drawings go well with the story because they look like something Traci or Marilyn would probably draw to help explain what is going on. I also appreciated the pictures of the real-life Traci, Marilyn, and Miss Wichelman included in the back of the book, along with the note about where the three are now and what they are doing with their lives.
Themes: Cancer, Friendship, Baldness, Sickness, Dreams
Red Flags: None
Multicultural Elements: Kids of different races are in Miss Wichelman's class, but the main characters are Caucasian
Eyewitness Invention
Author: Lionel Bender
Year: 2005
Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.
Pages:72
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Non-Fiction/Reference
Series Information: DK Eyewitness Books
Location: Planet Earth
Time Period: Covers almost every time period
Book Summary: A reference resource designed to help children understand what an invention is ("something that is devised by human effort and that did not exist before. . . . They usually result from the bringing together of existing technologies in a new way." pg. 6) and how it has evolved through time. Each topic is covered in two-page chapters. Topics covered include inventions starting from tools and the wheel to current inventions like the silicon chip. The format of each chapter is unique: a generic summary of the topic is found in the upper left hand corner, and the rest of the page is filled with photographs that are prime examples of the topic. The latest and newest version of the invention is not always mentioned, but the major versions of the invention that changed history are. Labels and text surrounding the photograph explain why that object is important in the field. Also includes a Did you Know section, a timeline of important inventions, a Find Out More section, a glossary, and an index.
Comments: This is a very thorough series, and it manages to convey a lot of information in a way that I think will appeal to both eager and reluctant readers. Inventions shown sometimes include cut-away panels to allow readers to see how the invention works. The labels in the Eyewitness series were not as helpful as they were in the Inside & Out Guide series, but more information is given on each object, which means the Eyewitness series gives more information than the Inside & Out Guide series does. The additional sections at the back were also interesting and helpful.
Themes: Inventions, History of Inventions, Reference
Red Flags: None
Year: 2005
Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.
Pages:72
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Non-Fiction/Reference
Series Information: DK Eyewitness Books
Location: Planet Earth
Time Period: Covers almost every time period
Book Summary: A reference resource designed to help children understand what an invention is ("something that is devised by human effort and that did not exist before. . . . They usually result from the bringing together of existing technologies in a new way." pg. 6) and how it has evolved through time. Each topic is covered in two-page chapters. Topics covered include inventions starting from tools and the wheel to current inventions like the silicon chip. The format of each chapter is unique: a generic summary of the topic is found in the upper left hand corner, and the rest of the page is filled with photographs that are prime examples of the topic. The latest and newest version of the invention is not always mentioned, but the major versions of the invention that changed history are. Labels and text surrounding the photograph explain why that object is important in the field. Also includes a Did you Know section, a timeline of important inventions, a Find Out More section, a glossary, and an index.
Comments: This is a very thorough series, and it manages to convey a lot of information in a way that I think will appeal to both eager and reluctant readers. Inventions shown sometimes include cut-away panels to allow readers to see how the invention works. The labels in the Eyewitness series were not as helpful as they were in the Inside & Out Guide series, but more information is given on each object, which means the Eyewitness series gives more information than the Inside & Out Guide series does. The additional sections at the back were also interesting and helpful.
Themes: Inventions, History of Inventions, Reference
Red Flags: None
First Ladies
Author: Amy Pastan, in association with the Smithsonian Institution
Year: 2001
Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.
Pages: 64
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Non-Fiction/Reference
Series Information: DK Eyewitness Books
Location: Washington, DC; United States
Time Period: 1775-Present (2001)
Book Summary: Gives a unique history of the United States by focusing on the various First Ladies, up through Laura Bush. Some first ladies are covered in half a page, while others are covered in multiple pages. Most entries include a picture of the first lady, a brief biography including critical dates, and pictures of general artifacts that were associated with that president and that time period. Also includes an index.
Comments: Because the setup of this book is so different from the other two books I analyzed in the series, I had to double check that this book really does belong with the others. However, the idea behind all of the books in the series is the same: to give a general history and timeline of that subject. Readers should know that the subject of this book is actually American History through the angle of the First Ladies, and the subject is not necessarily the First Ladies themselves. Although this book discusses each of the wives of the past presidents of the United States, the information is given in a way that also gives the reader a vague idea of the history of the United States and of the political problems that arose while that woman’s husband was in office. This is especially noticeable in a few entries that did not discuss the president’s wife in detail because she had died either before or during the president’s term in office, but still contained a lot of detail because of the events that happened while the president was in office. (Like Thomas Jefferson's wife, who died before he came to office, but still somehow managed to have two pages devoted to her.)
Themes: First Ladies, American History, Reference
Red Flags: None
Year: 2001
Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.
Pages: 64
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Non-Fiction/Reference
Series Information: DK Eyewitness Books
Location: Washington, DC; United States
Time Period: 1775-Present (2001)
Book Summary: Gives a unique history of the United States by focusing on the various First Ladies, up through Laura Bush. Some first ladies are covered in half a page, while others are covered in multiple pages. Most entries include a picture of the first lady, a brief biography including critical dates, and pictures of general artifacts that were associated with that president and that time period. Also includes an index.
Comments: Because the setup of this book is so different from the other two books I analyzed in the series, I had to double check that this book really does belong with the others. However, the idea behind all of the books in the series is the same: to give a general history and timeline of that subject. Readers should know that the subject of this book is actually American History through the angle of the First Ladies, and the subject is not necessarily the First Ladies themselves. Although this book discusses each of the wives of the past presidents of the United States, the information is given in a way that also gives the reader a vague idea of the history of the United States and of the political problems that arose while that woman’s husband was in office. This is especially noticeable in a few entries that did not discuss the president’s wife in detail because she had died either before or during the president’s term in office, but still contained a lot of detail because of the events that happened while the president was in office. (Like Thomas Jefferson's wife, who died before he came to office, but still somehow managed to have two pages devoted to her.)
Themes: First Ladies, American History, Reference
Red Flags: None
Eyewitness Chemistry
Author: Dr. Ann Newmark
Year: 2005
Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.
Pages:72
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Non-Fiction/Reference
Series Information: DK Eyewitness Books
Location: Planet Earth
Time Period: Covers almost every time period
Book Summary: A reference resource designed to help children understand what chemistry is ("the science of change")and how it has evolved through time. Each topic is covered in two-page chapters. Topics covered include things like the first chemists, atoms and molecules, the periodic table, chemical reactions, acids and bases, the chemistry of life, the first plastics, and the chemical industry. The format of each chapter is unique: a generic summary of the topic is found in the upper left hand corner, and the rest of the page is filled with photographs that are prime examples of the topic. Labels and text surrounding the photograph explain why that object is important in the field. Also includes a Did you Know section, a timeline of important events, a find out more section, a glossary, and an index.
Comments: This is a very thorough series, and it manages to convey a lot of information in a way that I think will appeal to both eager and reluctant readers. The additional sections at the back were also helpful. This series presents more information than the Inside and Out Guide series does, and it seems to focus on a slightly older audience.
Themes: Chemistry, History of Science, Reference
Red Flags: None
Year: 2005
Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.
Pages:72
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Non-Fiction/Reference
Series Information: DK Eyewitness Books
Location: Planet Earth
Time Period: Covers almost every time period
Book Summary: A reference resource designed to help children understand what chemistry is ("the science of change")and how it has evolved through time. Each topic is covered in two-page chapters. Topics covered include things like the first chemists, atoms and molecules, the periodic table, chemical reactions, acids and bases, the chemistry of life, the first plastics, and the chemical industry. The format of each chapter is unique: a generic summary of the topic is found in the upper left hand corner, and the rest of the page is filled with photographs that are prime examples of the topic. Labels and text surrounding the photograph explain why that object is important in the field. Also includes a Did you Know section, a timeline of important events, a find out more section, a glossary, and an index.
Comments: This is a very thorough series, and it manages to convey a lot of information in a way that I think will appeal to both eager and reluctant readers. The additional sections at the back were also helpful. This series presents more information than the Inside and Out Guide series does, and it seems to focus on a slightly older audience.
Themes: Chemistry, History of Science, Reference
Red Flags: None
The Inside & Out Guide to Mighty Machines
Author: Clint Twist
Illustrator: Alex Pang
Year: 2006
Publisher: Heinemann Library
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Non-Fiction/Reference
Series Information: Part of the Inside & Out Guide series
Book Summary: A reference resource designed to help children understand how some of the most famous high-powered machines work. Each topic is covered in two-page chapters. Topics covered include the Sea King helicopter, the Super Airbus A380, the Hercules aircraft, the B2 Bomber, the Saturn V Rocket, the monster truck, the giant dump truck, the bulldozer, the Big Boy locomotive, the Abrams tank, the Nimitz Carrier, and the tugboat. Each chapter gives a short description of the history of the machine, but most of the chapter is dedicated to a diagram of the machine in question, complete with labeled parts and cut-away or see-through areas to help children better understand how the machine works. Also includes an index and glossary.
Comments: One thing I failed to mention in the other two posts, but that applies to them as well is that many of the labels on the graphics not only state what the different parts of the machine is, but they also explain how that specific part works. Detailed labels aren't included in each instance, but they are used to help clear up misunderstanings about what a part does. Labels are especially noticeable in the Mighty Machines book, and they are greatly appreciated.
To quote the paper I had to write comparing this series with the Eyewitness series, the Inside & Out Guide series "may be a good choice for those who don’t necessarily care about the history of an invention, but they want to know about how current technology works. The larger font, open spacing, and simpler wording of The Inside and Out Guide to Inventions (2006) also suggests that this book will appeal to a younger audience than the Eyewitness Invention (2005) book will." In other words, this series doesn't give enough information for a chid to write a research paper on the subjects covered, but it is a good source to use for inquisitive children who want to know how the world works.
Themes: Machines, Technology, Reference Resources
Red Flags: None
Illustrator: Alex Pang
Year: 2006
Publisher: Heinemann Library
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Non-Fiction/Reference
Series Information: Part of the Inside & Out Guide series
Book Summary: A reference resource designed to help children understand how some of the most famous high-powered machines work. Each topic is covered in two-page chapters. Topics covered include the Sea King helicopter, the Super Airbus A380, the Hercules aircraft, the B2 Bomber, the Saturn V Rocket, the monster truck, the giant dump truck, the bulldozer, the Big Boy locomotive, the Abrams tank, the Nimitz Carrier, and the tugboat. Each chapter gives a short description of the history of the machine, but most of the chapter is dedicated to a diagram of the machine in question, complete with labeled parts and cut-away or see-through areas to help children better understand how the machine works. Also includes an index and glossary.
Comments: One thing I failed to mention in the other two posts, but that applies to them as well is that many of the labels on the graphics not only state what the different parts of the machine is, but they also explain how that specific part works. Detailed labels aren't included in each instance, but they are used to help clear up misunderstanings about what a part does. Labels are especially noticeable in the Mighty Machines book, and they are greatly appreciated.
To quote the paper I had to write comparing this series with the Eyewitness series, the Inside & Out Guide series "may be a good choice for those who don’t necessarily care about the history of an invention, but they want to know about how current technology works. The larger font, open spacing, and simpler wording of The Inside and Out Guide to Inventions (2006) also suggests that this book will appeal to a younger audience than the Eyewitness Invention (2005) book will." In other words, this series doesn't give enough information for a chid to write a research paper on the subjects covered, but it is a good source to use for inquisitive children who want to know how the world works.
Themes: Machines, Technology, Reference Resources
Red Flags: None
The Inside & Out Guide to Spacecraft
Author: Clare Hibbert
Illustrator: Alex Pang
Year: 2006
Publisher: Heinemann Library
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Non-Fiction/Reference
Series Information: Part of the Inside & Out Guide series
Book Summary: A reference resource dedicated to the different types of spacecraft that exist. Each spacecraft is covered in two-page chapters. Topics covered include an overview of the history of the early spacecraft, Apollo 11, the Moon Lander, the MIR Space Station, the X-plane, the space shuttle, the shuttle orbiter, the EVA Spacesuit and MMU, the satellite, the Mars Pathfinder, the Spaceshipone, and the ISS. Each chapter gives a short description of the history of the spacecraft, but most of the chapter is dedicated to photographs of actual spacecraft and a diagram of the featured spacecraft, complete with labeled parts and cut-away or see-through areas to help children better understand how the spacecraft works. Also includes an index and glossary.
Comments: Personally, I think this book in the series is a little better than the other two I analyzed. I found it especially interesting that the astronaut's spacesuit was included as one of the spacecraft mentioned. When you think about it, the spacesuit in and of itself is a very interesting piece of equipment that is essential to space flight, so it makes perfect sense that it would be included here.
I will also reiterate what I said in the previous post about another book in this series: The Inside & Out Guide series "may be a good choice for those who don’t necessarily care about the history of an invention, but they want to know about how current technology works. The larger font, open spacing, and simpler wording of The Inside and Out Guide to Inventions (2006) also suggests that this book will appeal to a younger audience than the Eyewitness Invention (2005) book will." In other words, this series doesn't give enough information for a chid to write a research paper on the subjects covered, but it is a good source to use for inquisitive children who want to know how the world works.
Themes: Spacecraft, History of Space Exploration, Reference Resources
Red Flags: None
Illustrator: Alex Pang
Year: 2006
Publisher: Heinemann Library
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Non-Fiction/Reference
Series Information: Part of the Inside & Out Guide series
Book Summary: A reference resource dedicated to the different types of spacecraft that exist. Each spacecraft is covered in two-page chapters. Topics covered include an overview of the history of the early spacecraft, Apollo 11, the Moon Lander, the MIR Space Station, the X-plane, the space shuttle, the shuttle orbiter, the EVA Spacesuit and MMU, the satellite, the Mars Pathfinder, the Spaceshipone, and the ISS. Each chapter gives a short description of the history of the spacecraft, but most of the chapter is dedicated to photographs of actual spacecraft and a diagram of the featured spacecraft, complete with labeled parts and cut-away or see-through areas to help children better understand how the spacecraft works. Also includes an index and glossary.
Comments: Personally, I think this book in the series is a little better than the other two I analyzed. I found it especially interesting that the astronaut's spacesuit was included as one of the spacecraft mentioned. When you think about it, the spacesuit in and of itself is a very interesting piece of equipment that is essential to space flight, so it makes perfect sense that it would be included here.
I will also reiterate what I said in the previous post about another book in this series: The Inside & Out Guide series "may be a good choice for those who don’t necessarily care about the history of an invention, but they want to know about how current technology works. The larger font, open spacing, and simpler wording of The Inside and Out Guide to Inventions (2006) also suggests that this book will appeal to a younger audience than the Eyewitness Invention (2005) book will." In other words, this series doesn't give enough information for a chid to write a research paper on the subjects covered, but it is a good source to use for inquisitive children who want to know how the world works.
Themes: Spacecraft, History of Space Exploration, Reference Resources
Red Flags: None
The Inside & Out Guide to Inventions
Author: Chris Oxlade
Illustrator: Moorhen Studios
Year: 2006
Publisher: Heinemann Library
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Non-Fiction/Reference
Series Information: Part of the Inside & Out Guide series
Book Summary: A reference resource designed to help children understand how some of the most famous inventions work. (Invention: "a new machine, a new tool, or a new way of doing something.") Each topic is covered in two-page chapters. Topics covered include the steam engine, the automobile, the airplane, the rocket, the tank, farm machinery (especially the harvesting machine), printing, the telephone, the telescope, the electric motor, the camera, and the computer. Each chapter gives a short description of the history of the invention and of a major inventor in the field, but most of the chapter is dedicated to a diagram of the invention, complete with labeled parts and cut-away or see-through areas to help children better understand how the machine works. Also includes an index and glossary.
Comments: To quote the paper I had to write comparing this series with the Eyewitness series, the Inside & Out Guide series "may be a good choice for those who don’t necessarily care about the history of an invention, but they want to know about how current technology works. The larger font, open spacing, and simpler wording of The Inside and Out Guide to Inventions (2006) also suggests that this book will appeal to a younger audience than the Eyewitness Invention (2005) book will." In other words, this series doesn't give enough information for a chid to write a research paper on the subjects covered, but it is a good source to use for inquisitive children who want to know how the world works.
Themes: Inventions, Technology, Reference Resources
Red Flags: None
Illustrator: Moorhen Studios
Year: 2006
Publisher: Heinemann Library
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Non-Fiction/Reference
Series Information: Part of the Inside & Out Guide series
Book Summary: A reference resource designed to help children understand how some of the most famous inventions work. (Invention: "a new machine, a new tool, or a new way of doing something.") Each topic is covered in two-page chapters. Topics covered include the steam engine, the automobile, the airplane, the rocket, the tank, farm machinery (especially the harvesting machine), printing, the telephone, the telescope, the electric motor, the camera, and the computer. Each chapter gives a short description of the history of the invention and of a major inventor in the field, but most of the chapter is dedicated to a diagram of the invention, complete with labeled parts and cut-away or see-through areas to help children better understand how the machine works. Also includes an index and glossary.
Comments: To quote the paper I had to write comparing this series with the Eyewitness series, the Inside & Out Guide series "may be a good choice for those who don’t necessarily care about the history of an invention, but they want to know about how current technology works. The larger font, open spacing, and simpler wording of The Inside and Out Guide to Inventions (2006) also suggests that this book will appeal to a younger audience than the Eyewitness Invention (2005) book will." In other words, this series doesn't give enough information for a chid to write a research paper on the subjects covered, but it is a good source to use for inquisitive children who want to know how the world works.
Themes: Inventions, Technology, Reference Resources
Red Flags: None
Monday, November 17, 2008
Kira-Kira
Author: Cynthia Kadohata
Year: 2004
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
Pages: 244
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 2005 Newbery Medal
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Location: Chesterfield, Georgia
Time Period: 1950s or 1960s
Plot: Five year-old Katie is upset when she discovers that she and her Japanese-American family are moving from their home in a Japanese community in Iowa to a small, grungy apartment in Georgia. Her family is a close-knit one, however, so they weather the storms together. Katie's parents work long hours at a chicken processing plant in an attempt to make ends meet, so Katie and her younger brother Sammy must look to their older sister Lynn for care and guidance. When Lynn falls ill, Katie must take up her sister's role as psychological head of the family in order to keep the family together. SPOILER! When Lynn dies, the family almost falls apart. Katie, her brother Sammy, and her parents must each realize that Lynn would want them to move on in life and enjoy the beauties of the world instead of mourning.
Comments: I think I would have been very depressed if this was an adult novel instead of a story written for older children. Katie's family goes through a lot, and I kept thinking to myself, "what else is going to happen to this family?!" As it is, Kadohata glosses over some of the more depressing aspects of the story, and tries to focus on the one good thing this family has: each other. The family's unity was actually one of the most relatable parts of the book for me, and one of the parts I could appreciate the most. This isn't a story about the trials this family goes through, instead it's a story about how they stick together through it all.
I have one small complaint about this novel: Glossing over some important issues may make this book more appropriate for children, but it also made it harder to follow in some instances. The best example of this I have is that I know time was passing in the novel, but I wasn't sure how fast. I spent much of the book thinking that Katie was a little older than five, when she was actually around ten. This was especially confusing when Katie was talking about making dinner for the family and taking care of both Lynn and Sammy. I guess this vagueness gives a more accurate view of how children are presented with the world when their parents are trying to protect them from something, but it was still frustrating.
Themes: Cancer, Unions, Racism, Death, Unfair Working Conditions, Mourning, Illness, Family Unity, Sisters
Red Flags: Death, Sammy's leg gets caught in a bear trap, Katie's father crashes a windshield
Multicultural Elements: Japanese-Americans
Year: 2004
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
Pages: 244
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 2005 Newbery Medal
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Location: Chesterfield, Georgia
Time Period: 1950s or 1960s
Plot: Five year-old Katie is upset when she discovers that she and her Japanese-American family are moving from their home in a Japanese community in Iowa to a small, grungy apartment in Georgia. Her family is a close-knit one, however, so they weather the storms together. Katie's parents work long hours at a chicken processing plant in an attempt to make ends meet, so Katie and her younger brother Sammy must look to their older sister Lynn for care and guidance. When Lynn falls ill, Katie must take up her sister's role as psychological head of the family in order to keep the family together. SPOILER! When Lynn dies, the family almost falls apart. Katie, her brother Sammy, and her parents must each realize that Lynn would want them to move on in life and enjoy the beauties of the world instead of mourning.
Comments: I think I would have been very depressed if this was an adult novel instead of a story written for older children. Katie's family goes through a lot, and I kept thinking to myself, "what else is going to happen to this family?!" As it is, Kadohata glosses over some of the more depressing aspects of the story, and tries to focus on the one good thing this family has: each other. The family's unity was actually one of the most relatable parts of the book for me, and one of the parts I could appreciate the most. This isn't a story about the trials this family goes through, instead it's a story about how they stick together through it all.
I have one small complaint about this novel: Glossing over some important issues may make this book more appropriate for children, but it also made it harder to follow in some instances. The best example of this I have is that I know time was passing in the novel, but I wasn't sure how fast. I spent much of the book thinking that Katie was a little older than five, when she was actually around ten. This was especially confusing when Katie was talking about making dinner for the family and taking care of both Lynn and Sammy. I guess this vagueness gives a more accurate view of how children are presented with the world when their parents are trying to protect them from something, but it was still frustrating.
Themes: Cancer, Unions, Racism, Death, Unfair Working Conditions, Mourning, Illness, Family Unity, Sisters
Red Flags: Death, Sammy's leg gets caught in a bear trap, Katie's father crashes a windshield
Multicultural Elements: Japanese-Americans
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Criss Cross
Author/Illustrator: Lynne Rae Perkins
Year: 2005
Publisher: Greenwillow/Harper Trophy
Pages: 337
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 2006 Newbery Medal
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Coming of Age
Series Information: Sequel to All Alone in the Universe
Location: Seldem, a small town somewhere in America
Time Period: 1970s?
Plot: At the beginning of her summer vacation, Debbie wishes for something good to happen. At the same time, Hector is learning to pursue the goals and ambitions in his life. As the summer progresses, Debbie helps an old arthritic woman and discovers what love might be. Hector learns to express himself through music. Hector and Debbie's friends also go through experiences, and together they get closer to discovering their true selves and their place in the world.
Comments: I had a hard time defining what the purpose of this novel was. There isn't a solid plot that ever gets resolved. In fact, the premise of the novel (and the title) is that we're all just wandering around, trying to find ourselves.
The lack of solid plot wasn't as annoying to me as it usually is because Perkins' writing style is a lot of fun and explores different ways of communicating ideas. There's a chapter written from the perspectives of two different people, written in columns placed side by side. Another chapter is written in haiku. Sometimes pictures are used to explain parts of the text. My favorite chapter had Debbie following instructions written by someone whose first language was not English. For example, "Easy Basin Wrench . . . is favored with the patronages of common sense and wisdom." If only I was blessed with those patronages!
All in all, I liked the book, I liked the writing style, and I liked the characters, I'm just still confused as to what the point of it was.
Themes: Coming of Age, Relationships, Discovering your place in the world
Red Flags: A woman has a heart attack
Year: 2005
Publisher: Greenwillow/Harper Trophy
Pages: 337
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 2006 Newbery Medal
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Coming of Age
Series Information: Sequel to All Alone in the Universe
Location: Seldem, a small town somewhere in America
Time Period: 1970s?
Plot: At the beginning of her summer vacation, Debbie wishes for something good to happen. At the same time, Hector is learning to pursue the goals and ambitions in his life. As the summer progresses, Debbie helps an old arthritic woman and discovers what love might be. Hector learns to express himself through music. Hector and Debbie's friends also go through experiences, and together they get closer to discovering their true selves and their place in the world.
Comments: I had a hard time defining what the purpose of this novel was. There isn't a solid plot that ever gets resolved. In fact, the premise of the novel (and the title) is that we're all just wandering around, trying to find ourselves.
The lack of solid plot wasn't as annoying to me as it usually is because Perkins' writing style is a lot of fun and explores different ways of communicating ideas. There's a chapter written from the perspectives of two different people, written in columns placed side by side. Another chapter is written in haiku. Sometimes pictures are used to explain parts of the text. My favorite chapter had Debbie following instructions written by someone whose first language was not English. For example, "Easy Basin Wrench . . . is favored with the patronages of common sense and wisdom." If only I was blessed with those patronages!
All in all, I liked the book, I liked the writing style, and I liked the characters, I'm just still confused as to what the point of it was.
Themes: Coming of Age, Relationships, Discovering your place in the world
Red Flags: A woman has a heart attack
Monday, November 10, 2008
I Am a Star: Child of the Holocaust
Author: Inge Auerbacher
Illustrator: Israel Bernbaum
Year: 1986
Publisher: Prentice-Hall Books for Young Readers
Pages: 87
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: Merit of Educational Distinction by the International Center for Holocaust Studies of the B’nai Brith Anti-Defamation League.
Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir
Location: Jebenhausen, Germany; Terezin Concentration Camp, Czechoslovakia
Time Period: Kristallnacht, November 9-10, 1939-May 8, 1945 (World War II)
Book Summary: Tells the story of Inge Auerbacher and her family, German Jews who were transferred to the Terezin Concentration Camp in Czechoslovakia and lived there for three years until they were liberated by the Soviets. Ms. Auerbacher was one of only thirteen survivors from her transport of about 1200 people who were sent to Terezin, and was one of the few surviving children. Discusses the history of World War II and Anti-Semitism. Also inclues a timeline, poetry written by the author, photographs and pictures, and suggested books for further reading.
Comments: Auerbacher provides a lot of background to the causes of the Holocaust in a way that children will understand it. She doesn't just simply state that the Nazis hated the Jews. Instead, she gives the both the history of Hitler's rise to power, and the even longer history of Anti-Semitism in Europe. She also shares facts about the concentration camps themselves, but she does so in a gentle way that won't be too disturbing to children.
There is a lot of information included in the book, and Auerbacher tries to break this up into manageable segments through various means. I appreciated the photographs, which mainly included pictures of the people Auerbacher talks about in the book. Less helpful were the poems and drawings placed sporadically throughout the book. The poems give little snippets of concentration camp life that will be useful to children, but these snippets are not discussed in the actual narrative. For example, a poem about finding and hiding potatoes is inserted without any comment made about this incident in the text. Sometimes the poems are placed in such a way as to interrupt the text, making it hard to keep track of what is going on.
Themes: World War II, Anti-Semitism, Concentration Camps, Holocaust
Red Flags: Light discussion of the purpose of Auschwitz and the horrors of concentration camps.
Illustrator: Israel Bernbaum
Year: 1986
Publisher: Prentice-Hall Books for Young Readers
Pages: 87
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: Merit of Educational Distinction by the International Center for Holocaust Studies of the B’nai Brith Anti-Defamation League.
Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir
Location: Jebenhausen, Germany; Terezin Concentration Camp, Czechoslovakia
Time Period: Kristallnacht, November 9-10, 1939-May 8, 1945 (World War II)
Book Summary: Tells the story of Inge Auerbacher and her family, German Jews who were transferred to the Terezin Concentration Camp in Czechoslovakia and lived there for three years until they were liberated by the Soviets. Ms. Auerbacher was one of only thirteen survivors from her transport of about 1200 people who were sent to Terezin, and was one of the few surviving children. Discusses the history of World War II and Anti-Semitism. Also inclues a timeline, poetry written by the author, photographs and pictures, and suggested books for further reading.
Comments: Auerbacher provides a lot of background to the causes of the Holocaust in a way that children will understand it. She doesn't just simply state that the Nazis hated the Jews. Instead, she gives the both the history of Hitler's rise to power, and the even longer history of Anti-Semitism in Europe. She also shares facts about the concentration camps themselves, but she does so in a gentle way that won't be too disturbing to children.
There is a lot of information included in the book, and Auerbacher tries to break this up into manageable segments through various means. I appreciated the photographs, which mainly included pictures of the people Auerbacher talks about in the book. Less helpful were the poems and drawings placed sporadically throughout the book. The poems give little snippets of concentration camp life that will be useful to children, but these snippets are not discussed in the actual narrative. For example, a poem about finding and hiding potatoes is inserted without any comment made about this incident in the text. Sometimes the poems are placed in such a way as to interrupt the text, making it hard to keep track of what is going on.
Themes: World War II, Anti-Semitism, Concentration Camps, Holocaust
Red Flags: Light discussion of the purpose of Auschwitz and the horrors of concentration camps.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Number the Stars
Author: Lois Lowry
Year: 1989
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Pages: 137
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 1990 Newbery Medal
Genre: Historical Fiction (World War II/Holocaust)
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Time Period: World War II (1940s)
Plot: During World War II, when the Germans threaten to arrest all of the Jews in Denmark, Annemarie's Jewish friend, Ellen, and Ellen's family are suddenly in trouble. Annemarie and her family must put themselves in danger to help Ellen's family escape to safety. SPOILER! Annemarie's family helps sneak Ellen's family to Gilleleje, a small fishing village on the seashore. There, under the cover of night, Ellen's family and many other Jews are hidden in the fishermen's boats and taken across the sea to safety in Sweden. Along the way Annemarie and her family encounter many dangers. Annemarie especially must be brave when a special package is left behind. Annemarie must get the package to her uncle's fishing boat before the Germans come search the boat.
Comments: The thing I appreciated most about this book is the fact that this book discusses a true incident during World War II wherein people helped Jews escape the German concentration camps, and for the most part were not discovered. Annemarie learns hard lessons about the value of human life and the importance of helping others and standing up for what you believe in. The afterward explaining what elements of the story were true and what elements were not was especially helpful. While I would not recommend this book as the only book a child should read in order to understand the Holocaust, this is a great example of little-known stories of humanity that happened during that time that need to be shared.
Themes: Friendship, World War II, Denmark, Anti-Semitism
Red Flags: Hard themes, People injured trying to run underground organizations against the Nazis.
Year: 1989
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Pages: 137
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 1990 Newbery Medal
Genre: Historical Fiction (World War II/Holocaust)
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Time Period: World War II (1940s)
Plot: During World War II, when the Germans threaten to arrest all of the Jews in Denmark, Annemarie's Jewish friend, Ellen, and Ellen's family are suddenly in trouble. Annemarie and her family must put themselves in danger to help Ellen's family escape to safety. SPOILER! Annemarie's family helps sneak Ellen's family to Gilleleje, a small fishing village on the seashore. There, under the cover of night, Ellen's family and many other Jews are hidden in the fishermen's boats and taken across the sea to safety in Sweden. Along the way Annemarie and her family encounter many dangers. Annemarie especially must be brave when a special package is left behind. Annemarie must get the package to her uncle's fishing boat before the Germans come search the boat.
Comments: The thing I appreciated most about this book is the fact that this book discusses a true incident during World War II wherein people helped Jews escape the German concentration camps, and for the most part were not discovered. Annemarie learns hard lessons about the value of human life and the importance of helping others and standing up for what you believe in. The afterward explaining what elements of the story were true and what elements were not was especially helpful. While I would not recommend this book as the only book a child should read in order to understand the Holocaust, this is a great example of little-known stories of humanity that happened during that time that need to be shared.
Themes: Friendship, World War II, Denmark, Anti-Semitism
Red Flags: Hard themes, People injured trying to run underground organizations against the Nazis.
The Higher Power of Lucky
Author: Susan Patron
Illustrator: Matt Phelan
Year: 2006
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Pages: 144
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 2007 Newbery Medal
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Location: Hard Pan, California, a small town on the Mojave Desert.
Time Period: Present (2006)
Plot: Ten year-old Lucky worries about the future. Her mother has died, her father doesn't want her, and her guardian, Brigitte, is homesick for her native France. Lucky is sure that one day Brigitte will get tired of being Lucky's guardian, and will hop a plane back to France, leaving Lucky in the care of the Los Angeles welfare system. In a desperate attempt to convince Brigitte how much Lucky means to her, Lucky decides to run away for a week. Things do not go as planned when a dust storm hits the day Lucky decides to run away. SPOILER! The entire town sets out to find Lucky and her neighbor Miles, who has gotten lost in the dust storm. Lucky and Miles are found hiding in an abandoned mining dugout. Lucky learns that contrary to her suspicions, Brigitte has actually been trying to get the paperwork approved to officially adopt Lucky so they can be a real family.
Comments: Patron does a good job with giving each of the characters in this story a personality. There's ten year-old Lincoln, who loves tying knots; five year-old Miles, who loves to mimic sounds, eat cookies, and read Are You My Mother?; Short Sammy, whose captivating story told at the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting makes Lucky decide to search for her Higher Power; there's Lucky herself, who longs for a permanent place in the world and carries around a survival pack so she can survive in any situation, and there are many other well-drawn characters.
Although I enjoyed reading about such well-rounded characters. this book has so many back stories that it takes a long time to get to the point. When the plot does pick up it is very engaging, but the resolution comes very quickly and as a slightly jarring surprise which doesn't really fit with the rest of the plot. This makes this a book I wouldn't willingly recommend to reluctant readers. The pencil drawings found throughout the book are interesting additions that work well with the text, and they help give the book a lighter tone.
Themes: Death, Families, Adoption, Finding Your Place in the World
Red Flags: This book is sometimes banned because of a word included twice in the text. Also, the description of what Lucky's mother's ashes looked like was kind of unsettling to me. I've never thought of ashes like that before.
Illustrator: Matt Phelan
Year: 2006
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Pages: 144
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 2007 Newbery Medal
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Location: Hard Pan, California, a small town on the Mojave Desert.
Time Period: Present (2006)
Plot: Ten year-old Lucky worries about the future. Her mother has died, her father doesn't want her, and her guardian, Brigitte, is homesick for her native France. Lucky is sure that one day Brigitte will get tired of being Lucky's guardian, and will hop a plane back to France, leaving Lucky in the care of the Los Angeles welfare system. In a desperate attempt to convince Brigitte how much Lucky means to her, Lucky decides to run away for a week. Things do not go as planned when a dust storm hits the day Lucky decides to run away. SPOILER! The entire town sets out to find Lucky and her neighbor Miles, who has gotten lost in the dust storm. Lucky and Miles are found hiding in an abandoned mining dugout. Lucky learns that contrary to her suspicions, Brigitte has actually been trying to get the paperwork approved to officially adopt Lucky so they can be a real family.
Comments: Patron does a good job with giving each of the characters in this story a personality. There's ten year-old Lincoln, who loves tying knots; five year-old Miles, who loves to mimic sounds, eat cookies, and read Are You My Mother?; Short Sammy, whose captivating story told at the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting makes Lucky decide to search for her Higher Power; there's Lucky herself, who longs for a permanent place in the world and carries around a survival pack so she can survive in any situation, and there are many other well-drawn characters.
Although I enjoyed reading about such well-rounded characters. this book has so many back stories that it takes a long time to get to the point. When the plot does pick up it is very engaging, but the resolution comes very quickly and as a slightly jarring surprise which doesn't really fit with the rest of the plot. This makes this a book I wouldn't willingly recommend to reluctant readers. The pencil drawings found throughout the book are interesting additions that work well with the text, and they help give the book a lighter tone.
Themes: Death, Families, Adoption, Finding Your Place in the World
Red Flags: This book is sometimes banned because of a word included twice in the text. Also, the description of what Lucky's mother's ashes looked like was kind of unsettling to me. I've never thought of ashes like that before.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
Author/Illustrator: Mordicai Gerstein
Year: 2003
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Pages: 40
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8)
Awards: 2004 Caldecott Medal, 2004 Horn Book Award
Genre: Historical Fiction/Picture Book
Location: World Trade Center, New York City, New York
Time Period: 1974
Plot: The story of how Philippe Petit snuck into New York City's World Trade Center by night and performed his famous tightrope walk between the Twin Towers.
Comments: Although this story aims to capture an event in history—the famous tightrope walk of Philippe Petit—it also seems like this story is trying to capture the memory of the Twin Towers themselves. The story is told simply and poetically in prose, but the story is perhaps even better portrayed in the ink and oil drawings. The most interesting pages were the depictions of the actual tightrope walk itself, which are done on extended pages to give a sense of how high up Philippe had to be in order to accomplish his task. An interesting book that tries to capture a happy moment related to something that usually is associated with sadness.
Themes: Tightrope Walking, World Trade Center, Entertainment, Momentous Occasions
Red Flags: None
Year: 2003
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Pages: 40
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8)
Awards: 2004 Caldecott Medal, 2004 Horn Book Award
Genre: Historical Fiction/Picture Book
Location: World Trade Center, New York City, New York
Time Period: 1974
Plot: The story of how Philippe Petit snuck into New York City's World Trade Center by night and performed his famous tightrope walk between the Twin Towers.
Comments: Although this story aims to capture an event in history—the famous tightrope walk of Philippe Petit—it also seems like this story is trying to capture the memory of the Twin Towers themselves. The story is told simply and poetically in prose, but the story is perhaps even better portrayed in the ink and oil drawings. The most interesting pages were the depictions of the actual tightrope walk itself, which are done on extended pages to give a sense of how high up Philippe had to be in order to accomplish his task. An interesting book that tries to capture a happy moment related to something that usually is associated with sadness.
Themes: Tightrope Walking, World Trade Center, Entertainment, Momentous Occasions
Red Flags: None
Monday, November 3, 2008
Hoot
Author: Carl Hiaasen
Year: 2002
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Pages: 292
Reading Level: Young Adult
Awards: 2003 Newbery Honor Book
Film Tie-ins: Hoot, New Line Cinema, 2007
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Location: Coconut Cove, Florida
Time Period: Present (2002)
Plot: Roy Eberhart has just moved to Coconut Cove, Florida, from his beloved Montana, and he's not enjoying the sunny weather or the warm temperatures. Instead, Roy is too busy dealing with being the new kid—again—and dealing with the school bully, Dana Matherson. One morning when Dana is terrorizing Roy on the bus, Roy notices a barefoot boy about his same age running in the opposite direction of the school bus. Intrigued, Roy is determined to figure out who this free spirit is. He follows the boy's tracks across town and stumbles across a problem much bigger than any bully—a Mother Paula's All-American House of Pancakes is being constructed in an area where some endangered burrowing owls have made their home. Roy, his new friend Mullet Fingers, and Mullet Fingers' sister Beatrice unite together to try to save the owls. SPOILER! Roy and his friends find a way to save the owls after getting media attention by holding a demonstration at the Mother Paula's groundbreaking ceremony. The public learns of the endangered owls and Mother Paula's is no longer allowed to build a pancake house in Coconut Cove.
Comments: My grade: B- It's always difficult to write a novel with a message without hitting the reader over the head with that message. For the most part, Hiaasen succeeds in writing a funny, engaging novel that gets the message of environmental protection across without being too preachy. My main complaint about the novel is that the characters are a little too black and white. The bad people are obviously bad and somewhat dim-witted, and the good people are good and smart and strong. This typecasting does make for some engaging reading and for some fun situations, but it may be a detraction to older audiences. Those who are bothered by overarching generalizations should be cautioned to skip the Epilogue, which details how all the bad guys got their comeuppance and how all the good guys were rewarded.
Themes: Bullies, Owls, Environmentalism, Franchises
Red Flags: Description of pranks involving poisonous or dangerous animals, Fist fights, Mooning
Year: 2002
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Pages: 292
Reading Level: Young Adult
Awards: 2003 Newbery Honor Book
Film Tie-ins: Hoot, New Line Cinema, 2007
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Location: Coconut Cove, Florida
Time Period: Present (2002)
Plot: Roy Eberhart has just moved to Coconut Cove, Florida, from his beloved Montana, and he's not enjoying the sunny weather or the warm temperatures. Instead, Roy is too busy dealing with being the new kid—again—and dealing with the school bully, Dana Matherson. One morning when Dana is terrorizing Roy on the bus, Roy notices a barefoot boy about his same age running in the opposite direction of the school bus. Intrigued, Roy is determined to figure out who this free spirit is. He follows the boy's tracks across town and stumbles across a problem much bigger than any bully—a Mother Paula's All-American House of Pancakes is being constructed in an area where some endangered burrowing owls have made their home. Roy, his new friend Mullet Fingers, and Mullet Fingers' sister Beatrice unite together to try to save the owls. SPOILER! Roy and his friends find a way to save the owls after getting media attention by holding a demonstration at the Mother Paula's groundbreaking ceremony. The public learns of the endangered owls and Mother Paula's is no longer allowed to build a pancake house in Coconut Cove.
Comments: My grade: B- It's always difficult to write a novel with a message without hitting the reader over the head with that message. For the most part, Hiaasen succeeds in writing a funny, engaging novel that gets the message of environmental protection across without being too preachy. My main complaint about the novel is that the characters are a little too black and white. The bad people are obviously bad and somewhat dim-witted, and the good people are good and smart and strong. This typecasting does make for some engaging reading and for some fun situations, but it may be a detraction to older audiences. Those who are bothered by overarching generalizations should be cautioned to skip the Epilogue, which details how all the bad guys got their comeuppance and how all the good guys were rewarded.
Themes: Bullies, Owls, Environmentalism, Franchises
Red Flags: Description of pranks involving poisonous or dangerous animals, Fist fights, Mooning
George Washington's Cows
Author/Illustrator: David Small
Year: 1994
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Pages: 40
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8)
Genre: Picture Book/Historical Fiction/Beast Tale
Series Information: Not Part of a Series
Location: Mount Vernon, Virginia
Time Period: Late 1700s
Plot: The animals on George Washington's farm are driving him crazy. The cows must be pampered: dressed in fine gowns, lodged in their own private upstairs room, allowed to eat jam on scones, and begged on hands and knees in order for them to obligingly let you milk them. The pigs are a genteel, helpful bunch and they like to help with the chores and serve the guests at dinner parties. The sheep are all scholars, and they hold a number of degrees. SPOILER! Unsure how to cope with the animals' behavior, George Washington decides to try his hand at politics, and he leaves the farm.
Comments: This is a picture book I would recommend for older children rather than for preschoolers. The story is funny and engaging, told in a sing-song rhyming pattern. The pictures are nice and detailed watercolors, and it's fun to see examples of the events the text is describing: cows in purple gowns, wigged pigs playing musical instruments and serving wine to guests, sheep in scholarly caps and gowns playing with chemistry sets and looking through telescopes, and of course a rendition of George Washington crossing the Delaware.
Themes: History re-written, George Washington, Farm Animals
Red Flags: None
Year: 1994
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Pages: 40
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8)
Genre: Picture Book/Historical Fiction/Beast Tale
Series Information: Not Part of a Series
Location: Mount Vernon, Virginia
Time Period: Late 1700s
Plot: The animals on George Washington's farm are driving him crazy. The cows must be pampered: dressed in fine gowns, lodged in their own private upstairs room, allowed to eat jam on scones, and begged on hands and knees in order for them to obligingly let you milk them. The pigs are a genteel, helpful bunch and they like to help with the chores and serve the guests at dinner parties. The sheep are all scholars, and they hold a number of degrees. SPOILER! Unsure how to cope with the animals' behavior, George Washington decides to try his hand at politics, and he leaves the farm.
Comments: This is a picture book I would recommend for older children rather than for preschoolers. The story is funny and engaging, told in a sing-song rhyming pattern. The pictures are nice and detailed watercolors, and it's fun to see examples of the events the text is describing: cows in purple gowns, wigged pigs playing musical instruments and serving wine to guests, sheep in scholarly caps and gowns playing with chemistry sets and looking through telescopes, and of course a rendition of George Washington crossing the Delaware.
Themes: History re-written, George Washington, Farm Animals
Red Flags: None
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Author/Illustrator: Mo Willems
Year: 2003
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8/Preschool)
Awards: 2004 Caldecott Honor Book
Genre: Picture Book/Animal Tale
Series Information: First in the Pigeon series
Location: Anywhere, USA
Time Period: Present (2003)
Plot: When the bus driver leaves the bus in the reader's care for a few moments, he cautions: "Don't let the pigeon drive the bus!" As soon as the bus driver is gone, the pigeon shows up, begging, wheedling, tricking, and trying anything else he can think of to get permission to drive the bus. After repeatedly being told "no," the pigeon throws an all-out temper tantrum. SPOILER! The pigeon is sulking when the bus driver returns and drives off, but he quickly gets over the disappointment when he sees a large semi truck pull up.
Comments: This book is very simply put together. Each page is a simple flat earth-toned color, with the two-toned pigeon outlined in black crayon on each page. Willems does a good job of expressing the actions of the pigeon with a few simple lines. This minimalistic style is perfect for the book because it makes the reader focus on the antics of the pigeon, which are exactly in line with antics of a young toddler (and alas, sometimes the antics of older people as well). Children will sympathize with the pigeon, but they will laugh at him as well.
Themes: Persistence, Behavior, Coping with the word NO, Pigeons, Buses
Red Flags: None
Year: 2003
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8/Preschool)
Awards: 2004 Caldecott Honor Book
Genre: Picture Book/Animal Tale
Series Information: First in the Pigeon series
Location: Anywhere, USA
Time Period: Present (2003)
Plot: When the bus driver leaves the bus in the reader's care for a few moments, he cautions: "Don't let the pigeon drive the bus!" As soon as the bus driver is gone, the pigeon shows up, begging, wheedling, tricking, and trying anything else he can think of to get permission to drive the bus. After repeatedly being told "no," the pigeon throws an all-out temper tantrum. SPOILER! The pigeon is sulking when the bus driver returns and drives off, but he quickly gets over the disappointment when he sees a large semi truck pull up.
Comments: This book is very simply put together. Each page is a simple flat earth-toned color, with the two-toned pigeon outlined in black crayon on each page. Willems does a good job of expressing the actions of the pigeon with a few simple lines. This minimalistic style is perfect for the book because it makes the reader focus on the antics of the pigeon, which are exactly in line with antics of a young toddler (and alas, sometimes the antics of older people as well). Children will sympathize with the pigeon, but they will laugh at him as well.
Themes: Persistence, Behavior, Coping with the word NO, Pigeons, Buses
Red Flags: None
Saturday, November 1, 2008
The Hello, Goodbye Window
Author: Norton Juster
Illustrator: Chris Raschka
Year: 2005
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8)
Awards: 2006 Caldecott Medal Winner
Genre: Picture Book/Realistic Fiction
Series Information: Not Part of a Series
Location: Anytown, USA
Time Period: Present (2005)
Plot: A little girl tells of all the fun things she can do when she visits her grandparents by explaining the different views she gets through her grandparents' kitchen window. She makes silly faces, plays peek-a-boo, counts the stars, and looks for visitors including a T-Rex and the Queen of England ("Nanna is English, you know, so the Queen likes to come for tea"). Most importantly, she says hello and goodbye through the window.
Comments: I had a bit of trouble with this book at first because the pictures are so bright and detailed and kind of messy. Then I got into the storyline, and the pictures made perfect sense. This is a story told from the point of view of a little girl, and the pictures reflect that—they're supposed to look like a little girl made them, even though they are much more detailed and done in many more mediums than a typical toddler would normally use. I really liked the idea of the story—looking at life through different views of the same window. I just wouldn't read the story to very small children because the pictures might be too distracting.
Themes: Family, Different Viewpoints
Red Flags: None
Illustrator: Chris Raschka
Year: 2005
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8)
Awards: 2006 Caldecott Medal Winner
Genre: Picture Book/Realistic Fiction
Series Information: Not Part of a Series
Location: Anytown, USA
Time Period: Present (2005)
Plot: A little girl tells of all the fun things she can do when she visits her grandparents by explaining the different views she gets through her grandparents' kitchen window. She makes silly faces, plays peek-a-boo, counts the stars, and looks for visitors including a T-Rex and the Queen of England ("Nanna is English, you know, so the Queen likes to come for tea"). Most importantly, she says hello and goodbye through the window.
Comments: I had a bit of trouble with this book at first because the pictures are so bright and detailed and kind of messy. Then I got into the storyline, and the pictures made perfect sense. This is a story told from the point of view of a little girl, and the pictures reflect that—they're supposed to look like a little girl made them, even though they are much more detailed and done in many more mediums than a typical toddler would normally use. I really liked the idea of the story—looking at life through different views of the same window. I just wouldn't read the story to very small children because the pictures might be too distracting.
Themes: Family, Different Viewpoints
Red Flags: None
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
Author/Illustrator: Mo Willems
Year: 2004
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8)/Preschool-1st Grade
Awards: 2005 Caldecott Honor Book
Genre: Picture Book/Realistic Fiction
Series Information: First Book in the Knuffle Bunny Series
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Time Period: Present Day (2005)
Plot: When Knuffle Bunny goes missing after a trip to the Laundromat, Trixie, Mommy, and Daddy search everywhere for Trixie's beloved toy rabbit.
Comments: Willems takes a traumatizing situation that I'm sure many small children have found themselves in—the wash day of their favorite blanket or stuffed animal—and makes it fun and mysterious and exciting and scary all at once. The pictures compliment the realistic situation Trixie finds herself in. Each picture is actually a black and white photograph of different areas of Brooklyn, with ink-drawn characters added in. The text also adds to the situation with bold text when Trixie realizes what is wrong and words like "Aggle flaggle klabble" when Trixie, who cannot talk yet, tries to tell her dad that Knuffle Bunny is missing.
Themes: Stuffed Animals, Missing Loved Ones
Red Flags: None
Year: 2004
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8)/Preschool-1st Grade
Awards: 2005 Caldecott Honor Book
Genre: Picture Book/Realistic Fiction
Series Information: First Book in the Knuffle Bunny Series
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Time Period: Present Day (2005)
Plot: When Knuffle Bunny goes missing after a trip to the Laundromat, Trixie, Mommy, and Daddy search everywhere for Trixie's beloved toy rabbit.
Comments: Willems takes a traumatizing situation that I'm sure many small children have found themselves in—the wash day of their favorite blanket or stuffed animal—and makes it fun and mysterious and exciting and scary all at once. The pictures compliment the realistic situation Trixie finds herself in. Each picture is actually a black and white photograph of different areas of Brooklyn, with ink-drawn characters added in. The text also adds to the situation with bold text when Trixie realizes what is wrong and words like "Aggle flaggle klabble" when Trixie, who cannot talk yet, tries to tell her dad that Knuffle Bunny is missing.
Themes: Stuffed Animals, Missing Loved Ones
Red Flags: None
Goose Chase
Author: Patrice Kindl
Year: 2001
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Pages: 214
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 2001 Parents' Choice Award
Genre: Fantasy/Retold Fairy Tale
Series Information: Not Part of a Series
Location: The Kingdoms of Dorloo and Gilboa
Time Period: Medieval Times
Plot: Alexandria Aurora Fortunato is a goose girl with a lot of problems. She gave an old woman her dinner, and in thanks the witch in disguise blessed her with surpassing beauty and enchanted hair and tear ducts. Now Alexandria cries diamonds and gold dust falls to the floor whenever she combs her hair. To top it off, the rulers of two warring kingdoms have discovered Alexandria's wealth and beauty, and they suddenly both want her as their bride. As the story opens, Alexandria is locked up in a tower, forced to stay there until she chooses a husband. Alexandria is only fifteen and doesn't want to marry either suitor, so she and her geese escape the tower and go on the run. What follows is an entertaining tale filled with ogresses, dungeons, magical objects, mistaken identities, and more. SPOILER! When Alexandria is kidnapped again by the cruel king of Gilboa and threatened with marriage, Alexandria's geese turn into lovely princesses. They are the true heirs to the throne of Gilboa, and Alexandria is their youngest sister. The king is overthrown and the sisters live together in their castle.
Comments: I stated that this was a retold fairy tale, but I'm not sure which tale it's retelling. The story is part The Goose Girl, part Rapunzel, part The Wild Swans, and part its own individual tale. The language is somewhat archaic (there were a lot of 'tis-es and 'twould-s and in certes-es), but it is also light and fun and easy to read. The heroine is strong and spunky and she has a lot of character. This is a good book to recommend to girls (like me) who like reading retold fairy tales like Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.
Red Flags: None
Year: 2001
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Pages: 214
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 2001 Parents' Choice Award
Genre: Fantasy/Retold Fairy Tale
Series Information: Not Part of a Series
Location: The Kingdoms of Dorloo and Gilboa
Time Period: Medieval Times
Plot: Alexandria Aurora Fortunato is a goose girl with a lot of problems. She gave an old woman her dinner, and in thanks the witch in disguise blessed her with surpassing beauty and enchanted hair and tear ducts. Now Alexandria cries diamonds and gold dust falls to the floor whenever she combs her hair. To top it off, the rulers of two warring kingdoms have discovered Alexandria's wealth and beauty, and they suddenly both want her as their bride. As the story opens, Alexandria is locked up in a tower, forced to stay there until she chooses a husband. Alexandria is only fifteen and doesn't want to marry either suitor, so she and her geese escape the tower and go on the run. What follows is an entertaining tale filled with ogresses, dungeons, magical objects, mistaken identities, and more. SPOILER! When Alexandria is kidnapped again by the cruel king of Gilboa and threatened with marriage, Alexandria's geese turn into lovely princesses. They are the true heirs to the throne of Gilboa, and Alexandria is their youngest sister. The king is overthrown and the sisters live together in their castle.
Comments: I stated that this was a retold fairy tale, but I'm not sure which tale it's retelling. The story is part The Goose Girl, part Rapunzel, part The Wild Swans, and part its own individual tale. The language is somewhat archaic (there were a lot of 'tis-es and 'twould-s and in certes-es), but it is also light and fun and easy to read. The heroine is strong and spunky and she has a lot of character. This is a good book to recommend to girls (like me) who like reading retold fairy tales like Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.
Red Flags: None
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