Awards Won: Association of Children’s Librarians Distinguished Book nominee; School Library Journal Best Picture Book of 2016 [list] Review Forgiveness is a tricky topic to convey in children’s books but Zetta Elliott elegantly describes the lightness of redemption through simple text and gentle storyline. The setting is mundane – Melena’s house, her family, the neighborhood and playground – but we see this world through Melena’s jubilant perspective, which is illustrated through vibrant color in a joyful collage of paint, ink, and watercolor. Melena narrates the story in first person, which draws young readers in on a personal level. We share her experience as well as her closeness to her grandmother, mother, and friends. Melena is African American as is friend Helen. Gavin, whose debt of a dollar Melena forgives, is white. Back matter includes an author’s note about the concept of jubilee and its context in African American history. There is also a list of seven ways to have your own “fresh start day”, which includes tidying your room and donating unused toys, choosing peace over revenge, and doing something nice for others – just because!
Themes
Forgiveness; Friendship; Family; Jubilee Application As Zetta Elliott writes in her author’s note, “jubilee remains relevant in our world because everyone understands the value of starting over.” Melena’s story would be a perfect basis for a New Years celebration in a library family storytime or classroom. Instead of making random resolutions, encourage children and their parents to write down five ways we can see joy in our world and share what we have with those who need help. Print ideas on bookmarks to act as reminders. Librarians can also start a Jubilee community board, on which patrons can answer the question, “What can you do to have a “fresh start day?” Include Elliot’s list as a prompt and provide colorful markers or crayons. Read-alikes: Gonzalez, M. C. (2014). Call Me Tree. Author Website: http://zettaelliott.com/ Illustrator Website: http://aaronboydart.blogspot.com/ References: Melena’s Jubilee [cover image]. Retrieved from https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/510vrxBcLmL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg Bird, E. (December 31, 2016). 31days, 31lists: The best picture books of 2016 [blog post]. Retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2016/12/31/31-days-31-lists-day-31-the-best-picture-books-of-2016/#_ Elliott, Zetta. (n.d.). Why I write. Retrieved from http://www.zettaelliott.com/bio/why-i-write/ TitleWave. Retrieved from http://www.titlewave.com Zetta Elliott [image]. Retrieved from http://1t8r984d8wic2jedckksuin1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/dsc07819-696x547.jpg
0 Comments
Review Deborah Hopkinson shares the inspiring story of Alta Weiss in this delightful picture book illustrated by Terry Widener. The pictures provide a fun and playful backdrop for Alta's story. This book provides girls with a story that tells them they can do anything. "This is an unpretentious, thoroughly engrossing baseball tale, guaranteed to please reader/listeners..." (Lanes, 2003). Hopkinson provides a "Highlights of Women in Baseball" at the end of the book. Themes Perseverance Baseball Following Dreams Biography Application Librarians can use this for a fun themed story time about baseball. Children can be invited to tell a story of when they followed a dream of theirs even though it was seen as too hard by some. This book can also be used in a program about girls and how girls can do anything. Read-alikes Moss, M. (2004). Mighty Jackie: The Strike-Out Queen. From Goodreads.com. Corey, S. (2003). Players in Pigtails. From Goodreads.com. Johnson, A. (2007). Just Like Josh Gibson. From Goodreads.com. Vernick, A. (2016). The Kid from Diamond Street. Book/Author Official Website: https://deborahhopkinson.com Illustrator Official Website: http://terrywidenerart.com References Goodreads.com. (2017). Girl wonder: A baseball story in nine innings [Cover image]. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3161994-girl-wonder Lanes, S. G. (2003). Girl wonder: A baseball story in nine innings. Parents' Choice. Retrieved from http://www.parents-choice.org/product.cfm?product_id=11946 Ogren, C. S. (March 11, 2011). Our history is our strength [Web log comment] (Back cover image). Humor Me: A mix of life, laughter, and literature. Retrieved from https://cathyso3.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/our-history-is-our-strength/ Titlewave.com. (2017). Girl Wonder.
Review There’s a simplicity and a depth to this narrative biography that children gravitate towards. It gives details about his life that I didn’t know as an adult either. It seems like the instances that are described paint a slightly quirky, but intriguing picture of this famous genius. He’s not like everyone else. But that isn’t a bad thing. There’s a lot more going on in his head than what people think, too, which is true for a lot of children. It’s a sweet, simple look at a man who thought about complicated things (Flock, 2017). Themes Curiosity Being Different Imagination Thought Application This would be a great resource for an elementary classroom. For a guide on how to use it in the classroom, click here. Read-alikes Heiligman, D. (2013). The boy who loved math: the improbable life of Paul Erdos. Yaccarino, D. (2009). The fantastic undersea life of Jacques Cousteau. McCully, E.A. (2017). Caroline's comets: a true story. Author Official Website: http://www.jenniferberne.com/ Illustrator Official Website: http://www.vladimirradunsky.com/ References
Books with Pictures by Vladimir Radunsky. (2017). Retrieved from: http://www.vladimirradunsky.com/ Flock, A.C. (2017). Review. Giogis, C. (n.d.) Common Core Aligned Curriculum Guide for Picture Book Biographies. Retrieved from: http://www.chroniclebooks.com/landing-pages/pdfs/picture_book_biography_teachers_guide.pdf Goodreads: On a Beam of Light [Cover Image]. (2017). Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17685647-on-a-beam-of-light Jennifer Berne. (2017). Retrieved from: http://www.jenniferberne.com/ Junior Library Guild: On a Beam of Light [Awards]. (2017) Retrieved from: http://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/books/view.dT/9780811872355 NoveList Plus. (2017). Retrieved from: http://lili.org Popova, M. (2013, December). On a Beam of Light: The Story of Albert Einstein, Illustrated by the Great Vladimir Radunsky. Brain Pickings. Retrieved from: https://www.brainpickings.org/2013/12/30/on-a-beam-of-light-albert-einstein-radunsky/ Titlewave: On a Beam of Light. [Bib. Info]. (2017). Retrieved from: http://www.titlewave.com
References
Cappiello, M.A. (2014, November). Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes. SLJ: The Classroom Bookshelf. Retrieved from: http://www.theclassroombookshelf.com/2014/11/tiny-creatures-the-world-of-microbes/ Emily Sutton Illustration. (2017). Retrieved from: https://www.emillustrates.com/ Flock, A.C. (2017). Review. Goodreads: Tiny Creatures [Cover Image]. (2017). Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20621462-tiny Junior Library Guild: Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes [Awards]. (2017). Retrieved from: https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/books/view.dT/9780763673154 Nicola Davies – Children’s Author. (2017). Retrieved from: http://www.nicola-davies.com/ NoveList Plus. (2017). Retrieved from: http://lili.org Popova, M. (2015, September). Tiny Creatures: The Marvelous World of Microbes, in an Illustrated Children’s Book. Brain Pickings. Retrieved from: https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/09/03/tiny-creatures-nicola-davies-emily-sutton/ Titlewave: Tiny Creatures. [Bib. Info]. (2017). Retrieved from: http://www.titlewave.com
Review This is arguably the most loved children’s book. It may inspire children with a means of coping with anger through creative play. It may allow children to explore their wild side as they live vicariously through the main character’s story. It’s also just a little nonsensical and mysterious. It’s been compared to Joseph Campbell’s heroic journey concept, which is a theory that all myths follow the same pattern (Beard, 2012). He leaves on a journey, controls wild beasts in a strange land, and ultimately returns home. The plot itself would make an interesting literary pattern to study. The reason it resonates with people, young and old, is that there’s something universal about it. We can all see a little of ourselves in Max (Flock, 2017). Themes Anger Monsters Mischief Pretend Adventure Application Elementary teachers could use this to discuss plot structures in literature. Libraries could use this book's popularity to host an event based on the book. For more information about how to host an event, see this link: Let the Wild Rumpus Start. Read-alikes Milgrim, D. (2013). Some Monsters are Different. Austin, M. (2013). Monsters Love Colors. Mayer, M. (1987). There’s an Alligator Under my Bed. References
Beard, B.W. (2012). Tag Archives: Where the Wild Things Are [Spread Image]. Simone and the Silver Surfer. Retrieved from: https://simoneandthesilversurfer.wordpress.com/tag/where-the-wild-things-are/ Bird, E. (2012). SLJ’s Top 100 Picture Books. Retrieved from: http://www.slj.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/SLJ_Fuse8_Top100_Picture.pdf Goodreads: Where the Wild Things Are [Cover Image]. (2017). Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19543.Where_the_Wild_Things_Are Let the Wild Rumpus Start! (n.d.) Retrieved from: http://files.harpercollins.com/Assets/HCC/Kids/Features/wildthings/images/WildThingsEventKit.pdf Titlewave: Where the Wild Things Are. [Bib. Info]. (2017). Retrieved from: http://www.titlewave.com
Thoughts about the Book from the Author References
[colorincolorado]. (2015, September 10). Dona Flor. [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/FPTM4_lalyg Flock, A.C. (2017). Review. ¡Mira Look!: Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart. (2016, March 21). Vamos a Leer. Retrieved from: https://teachinglatinamericathroughliterature.wordpress.com/2016/03/21/mira-look-dona-flor-a-tall-tale-about-a-giant-woman-with-a-great-big-heart/ NoveList Plus. (2017). Retrieved from: http://lili.org Pat Mora. (2017). Retrieved from: http://www.patmora.com/ Titlewave: Dona Flor. [Bib. Info]. (2017). Retrieved from: http://www.titlewave.com
Review The cool hues of the images of this detailed story of how George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. built the first Ferris Wheel will delight readers of all ages. The story will interest younger readers who can see it come to life with Gilbert Ford’s energetic illustrations. Kathryn Gibbs Davis has included facts about the World’s Fair, the city, buildings, and people on the pages of the book. Each fact tells something interesting about what is depicted, even if it is not directly related to the story, adding extra information for older readers. Application The book would help librarians who are introducing a maker space or STEM program at their library. School librarians can encourage students to consider what they can engineer for a science fair. Read-alikes Kraft, B. H. (2015). The Fantastic Ferris Wheel McCarthy, M. (2015). Earmuffs for everyone! Book Trailer Author Official Website: http://www.gibbsdavis.com/
Illustrator Official Website: http://www.gilbertford.com/ References Davis, K. G. (2017). Books: Mr. Ferris and his wheel. Retrieved from http://www.gibbsdavis.com/books/bk_mrferris.html Ford, G. (n.d.). Awards & recognition [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://gilbertford.com/ferris.html Ford, G. (2016). Mr Ferris and his wheel [Web log comment] (Page images). Retrieved from http://gilbertford.com/news/?p=2864 Goodreads.com. (2017). Mr. Ferris and his wheel [Cover image]. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20256564-mr-ferris-and-his-wheel?ac=1&from_search=true Singleton, Jennifer. (2014, September 10). Mr. Ferris and his wheel [YouTube video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTsQy8NML5
Review Rappaport tells the story of Martin Luther King, Jr. using his “big words” that he had always hoped to use (Rappaport, 2001). The illustrations, provided by Bryan Collier, expand the text and provide context for the words being emphasized by Rappaport in large colorful text. According to Booklist, “Rappaport’s sparse narrative captures the essentials of the man, the Civil Rights movement he led, and his policy of non-violence. This is a great book to read aloud many times” (as cited in Rappaport, 2012). The book contains a list of “Important Dates” along with “Additional books and websites” to find more about Dr. King. Application Librarians can use this book to introduce Black History month as well as the Civil Rights Movement. The book would also be good for a discussion around Martin Luther King Day. Read-alikes (from National American History Museum) Wiles, D. (2001). Freedom Summer. Curtis, C. P. (1997). The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963. Haskings, J. (1998). Separate But not Equal: The Dream and the Struggle. Haskins, J. and Parks, R. (1997). I Am Rosa Parks
Author Official Website: http://doreenrappaport.com/
Illustrator Official Website: http://www.bryancollier.com/ Other Resources The National Museum of American History. (n.d.) OurStory: Martin Luther King Jr. and nonviolence: Reading Martin’s Big Words. Smithsonian Institute. Retrieved from http://amhistory.si.edu/ourstory/pdf/mlk/mlk_reading.pdf
Doreen Rappaport [User name]. (September 21, 2012). Martin’s big words by Doreen Rappaport [YouTube video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8x13SscL4s National Museum of American History. (n.d.). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and nonviolence. Smithsonian Institute. Retrieved from http://amhistory.si.edu/ourstory/activities/mlk/ Rappaport, D. (2001). Martin’s big words: The life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hyperion Books for Children. Rappaport, D. (2012). Martin’s big words [Images]. Retrieved from http://doreenrappaport.com/martins-big-words/ Rappaport, D. (2012). Martin’s big words. Retrieved from http://doreenrappaport.com/martins-big-words/ Titlewave.com. (2017). Martin’s big words.
Review Allen Say’s marvelous full color illustrations depict the journey his grandfather took from Japan to America and back again. Children will love the details in each full-page image accompanied by simple text, often only one or two sentences. Say provides accurate details of what America and Japan were like when his grandfather lived and had adventures. Themes Family Adventure Japan America Application Librarians can introduce children to Japan and the Japanese culture through this book. Say’s book also mentioned the war and could provide a real story about someone effected by WWII. Librarians can also create a “Travel Word” dictionary with students after reading the book. Start with a chart paper and create a list of words, then have the children add pictures. (Scholastic, 2017). Other Books by Allen Say (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2017)
Author Official Website: http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/allensay/author.shtml
Other Resources Scholastic. (2017). Lesson plan: Grandfather’s Journey extension activities. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/grandfathers-journey-extension-activities/ This web-page provides cross curricular aids for teachers as they use this book in their classroom. Librarians could also use the ideas to aid in story time programs. References Goodreads.com. (2017). Grandfather’s journey [Cover image]. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208146.Grandfather_s_Journey?ac=1&from_search=true Houghton Mifflin Company. (2017). From the bookshelf. Retrieved from http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/allensay/bookshelf.shtml sherinorris2222 [User name]. (July 15, 2011). Grandfather’s journey book trailer [YouTube video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6MNfyBREkQ Scholastic. (2017). Lesson plan: Grandfather’s Journey extension activities. Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/grandfathers-journey-extension-activities/ Titlewave.com. (2017). Grandfather’s journey. Awards Won: Caldecott Medal Winner (2010), ALA Notable Children Book (2010), School Library Top 100 Picture Books #37, Parent’s Choice Gold Award Winner (2009) Review Pinkney’s artful retelling uses no words to convey this classic tale for children of all ages. The few words which are contained are the animal sounds as they carry on their story. This book wonderfully shows that even the smallest can lend a helping hand, and that sometimes the largest most powerful among us needs help. Themes Kindness Animals Helping Others Application The illustrations of the book and absence of words provide ample opportunities for young readers. Kirchoff (2013) in her review notes that “The book lacks any substantial narrative, which allows the young reader to fully engage in the illustrations.” Librarians can ask students to tell the story about lion and mouse using only the illustrations this can engage both early and advanced readers to the story. Companion Books (Little, Brown and Company) Pinkney, J. (2013). The Tortoise & the Hare Pinkney,J. (2015). The Grasshopper & the Ants
Author Official Website: http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/ References Jerry Pinkney Studio. (2017). Children’s books. Retrieved from http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/frameset.html Kirchoff, J. (2013, Febuary 13). The lion and the mouse by Jerry Pinkney [Web log comment]. It’s A Good Book. Retrieved March 28, 2017 from http://itsagoodbook.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-lion-and-mouse-by-jerry-pinkney.html Little, Brown and Company. (2017). The lion & the mouse by Jerry Pinkney. Retrieved from http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jerry-pinkney/the-lion-the-mouse/9780316013567/#about Mr. Swider [User name]. (2014. February 4). The lion and the mouse 2 [Video]. Retrived from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUDI3MOcVsI Titlewave. (2017). The lion and the mouse. Cover Image Retrieved from http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jerry-pinkney/the-lion-the-mouse/9780316013567/#downloads |
AuthorsJulia Christy Archives
April 2017
Categories
All
|