Module 3 * Caldecott Winners * Jan. 27 - Feb. 2

My Friend Rabbit

by 

Eric Rohmann

Bibliography:

Rohman, E. (2002).  My friend rabbit.  New York, NY: Square Fish.

Summary:

 Mouse and Rabbit are friends.  Rabbit is always getting into trouble or causing trouble without meaning to.  This time, rabbit throws mouse's toy airplane (with Mouse in it) and after Mouse falls to safety, the airplane gets stuck in a tree.  Rabbit has an idea to get the plane out of the tree involving all the other animals and a tower to the high branch that holds the airplane.  Though is idea works, the animals are not happy with him- and another problem immediately follows.  But don't worry, Rabbit has an idea!

My Take:

I like this book!  It is a great one for beginning readers because the text is minimal and simple and the pictures do a tremendous job helping to tell the story.  The premise is funny and kids will identify with it.  It would be easy to extend in the classroom or library.

Review: 

PreS-Gr 1-- A simple story about Rabbit and Mouse, who, despite Rabbit's penchant for trouble, are friends. When Rabbit launches his toy airplane (with Mouse in the pilot seat at takeoff) and it gets stuck in a tree, he convinces his friend that he will come up with a plan to get it down. He does so by stacking animals on top of one another (beginning with an elephant and a rhinoceros) until they are within reach of the toy. The double-page, hand-colored relief prints with heavy black outlines are magnificent, and children will enjoy the comically expressive pictures of the animals before and after their attempt to extract the plane. The text is minimal; it's the illustrations that are the draw here.

Jones, T. E., Toth, L., Charnizon, M., Grabarek, D., Larkins, J., & de Lacoste, K. (2002). My friend rabbit (review). School Library Journal, 48(5), 126.

Use in a School Library:

I would use this book in the library to start a story extender- what might happen next in this story?  Or what might the next book in the series be about?  I would have kids talk in small groups about this, then work with a partner to develop one of the ideas the group came up with.  I wold have the pairs practice an oral story that they would share with the group after some practice.  We could vote on our top three favorites and record them for the library website.  I could even ask kids to watch them on the website and vote on their favorite to be played on the video announcements.

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Floatsam

by 

David Wiesner

Bibliography:

Wiesner, D. (2006).  Floatsam.  New York, NY: Clarion Books.

Summary:

While enjoying a day at the beach, a young boy finds an underwater camera that washed up onto the sand.  No one knows quite what to make of it, so the boy gets the film that is still in the camera developed.  What he gets back from the One Hour Photo shocks and amazes him.  Photos of all sorts of fantastical creatures doing impossible things.  He also finds a photo of a girl holding a photo of a boy who is holding a photo of another boy and so on and so forth.  After using magnification, he sees that the pictures go back to the olden days!  The boy decides to follow suit and take a picture of himself holding that photo.  He then throws the camera back into the ocean where creatures carry it to have more amazing underwater photos taken and to finally wash up on a new beach to a new child.

My Take:

I love this book so, so much.  David Wiesner is a genius and I would like the opportunity to dig around in his brain- I am sure it would be endlessly entertaining and fascinating!  Flotsam deserved the Caldecott Medal more than any book since Wiesner’s own Tuesday.  The pictures are so amazingly detailed and surprises or unexpected tie-ins can be found on almost every page.  This story is told better through his incredible artwork than it could be through anyone’s words.  It is absolutely one of my favorites and one that I cannot wait to share with students when they come into my library.  (Did I mention that I love it??)

Review: 

K-Gr 4-- A wave deposits an old-fashioned contraption at the feet of an inquisitive young beachcomber. It's a "Melville underwater camera," and the excited boy quickly develops the film he finds inside. The photos are amazing: a windup fish, with intricate gears and screwed-on panels, appears in a school with its living counterparts; a fully inflated puffer, outfitted as a hot-air balloon, sails above the water; miniature green aliens kowtow to dour-faced sea horses; and more. The last print depicts a girl, holding a photo of a boy, and so on. As the images become smaller, the protagonist views them through his magnifying glass and then his microscope. The chain of children continues back through time, ending with a sepia image of a turn-of-the-20th-century boy waving from a beach. After photographing himself holding the print, the youngster tosses the camera back into the ocean, where it makes its way to its next recipient. This wordless book's vivid watercolor paintings have a crisp realism that anchors the elements of fantasy. Shifting perspectives, from close-ups to landscape views, and a layout incorporating broad spreads and boxed sequences, add drama and motion to the storytelling and echo the photographic theme. Filled with inventive details and delightful twists, each snapshot is a tale waiting to be told. Pair this visual adventure with Wiesner's other works, Chris Van Allsburg's titles, or Barbara Lehman's The Red Book (Houghton, 2004) for a mind-bending journey of imagination.

Fleishhacker, J. (2006). Flotsam (review). School Library Journal, 52(9), 186-187.

Use in a School Library:

This book could be used to prompt children to create a detailed picture- just one- that told part or all of a story.  I would use it in conjunction with Tuesday and The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, one of Wiesner’s other wordless picture books, and one of his genius-twin’s- Chris Van Allsburg.  They are great example of this technique.  Then I would have students tell a partner the story their picture tells.  The partner will then share the story with the group using the document camera so all can see the picture that goes with that story.  It would be something that would take several library periods, but would be so fun and would hopefully influence and enhance kids’ creative writing.

Module 2 * Classic Children's and Young Adult Literature * Jan. 20-26

The Ghost Eye Tree

by 

Bill Martin, Jr. & John Archambault

Bibliography:

Martin, Bill, Jr. & Archambault, John (1985).  The ghost eye tree.  New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, Inc.

Summary:

         A brother and sister are sent on an errand down the road to the other side of town to get their mother a bucket of milk.  On the way, they must pass the dreaded Ghost-Eye tree that is halfway there.  They are frightened but run as fast as they can and make it past the tree,  joyously celebrating their bravery and their new certainty that there is no such thing as ghosts.  They get their bucket filled with milk from Mr. Cowlander and realize they have to go back past the Ghost-Eye tree more slowly this time because of the heavy bucket.  The tree seemed to turn and reach for the boy which caused them to run all the way home, dripping milk and dropping the boy’s favorite hat along the way.  The sister bravely goes back and gets his hat, and they are finally safe and sound.  The boy hides when his mom needs milk after that.

My Take:

     Ted Rand’s illustrations along with the authors’ word choices and text layout do a great job of portraying a child’s very real and desperate fear of what goes bump in the night.  This book is quite an adventure for the reader and the childrens’ fear is palpable in the pages.  The unconventional vertical split of the page between words and illustrations contributes to the feeling of the children being trapped between something they are frightened to do and something their mother has asked of them (the “law”).  I love how the brother uses his hat that is just like Mike Barber’s (perhaps a reference to the Houston Oiler tight end from the late 70’s/early 80’s?) to bolster his manly confidence and to feel tough.  I like that the kids faced their fears and overcame adversity- and that the boy was smart enough to avoid the issue in the future by hiding whenever milk needed to be fetched!  I question why the mom waited until night to send her kids to get the milk, but…

Review: 

A gorgeously illustrated spooky story, The Ghost-Eye Tree tells of a young brother and sister sent by their mother to fetch a bucket of milk on a windswept night.  To do so, they must pass the dread “Ghost-Eye tree,” a shadowed and sinister-looking snag which they are sure is haunted.  Brother has a tough-guy beat-up fedora to bolster his courage.  His sister says it makes him look stupid, but brother says he needs it, if he is to accomplish the demanding mission.  On the way home, burdened with the heavy milk pail, the two must again pass the ominous tree.  It (or the owl half-hidden in the branches, or the wind) emits a frightful wail, and the children bolt for the safety of home, both of them scared out of their wits.  Bother’s hat is gone, lost somewhere near the terrible tree.  Sister, who knows what it means to him, runs back, rescues the hat and restores it to the tough-guy little brother.  This beautiful picture book is rich in language, although the attempt to capture dialect occasionally results in grammatical awkwardness.  With its somber shades and deliciously scary spookiness, it wall make a super Halloween read-aloud and has a lot to say about gruff but genuine family affection.

McGrath, J. (1986). The ghost-eye tree (review). School Library Journal, 32(6), 76.

Use in a School Library:

         I think this book would be fun to use around Halloween when kids are primed and ready for something scary.  The part of the story after they get back and realize the boy is missing his hat would be a fun part for the kids to read aloud together, almost like a reader’s theater.  The girls could read the sister’s part and boys could read the brother’s part.  It would be easy to practice reading with inflection and feeling, acting it out with their voices.  This book is also a great example of the use of ellipsis (…).  They are all through the book and reader’s theater-type reading is a great way to explore what the author wants you to do as you come upon ellipsis when you read their work.

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The Outsiders

by 

S. E. Hinton

Bibliography:

Hinton, S. E. (1967). The outsiders. New York, NY:The 
       Viking Press.

Summary:
Set in the 1960's, The Outsiders shows life in a typical city of the times and the conflicts between the wealthy "socs" and the less-priveleged "greasers" from the wrong side of the tracks.  The story focuses on a family of three brothers whose parents died and are living together in the care of 18 year old Darry.  Sodapop and Ponyboy are Darry's younger brothers who are part of a tight-knight group of boys, all greasers and in varying stages of disillusionment and delinquent-ism.  Ponyboy is very smart and is Darry's biggest hope for a positive future for his family, but gets caught up in the violence between the greasers and the soc boys.  After being beaten up over an argument with a soc over a girl, Ponyboy and the also previously-traumatized Johnny were attacked and Ponyboy almost killed.  Johnny defended them by stabbing and killing a soc boy so they had to run and hide in a neighboring town with the help of the very delinquent and damaged friend, Dally.  While on the run, the boys become heroes by rescuing some kids from a fire that they accidentally set at the abandoned church they hid in, though Johnny was mortally injured.  When Johnny succumbs to his injuries, his best friend Dally can't cope and commits suicide by drawing a weapon on the police.  This is a touching story about how the differences between us aren't so great, deep down.  

My Take:
This book is one I have heard of for years but never got around to reading myself.  While greasers and socs don't exist anymore, the story and the lessons the boys learn still resonate today.  More appropriate for middle school kids, it has some violent and mature content that may be difficult for younger students.  I really loved this story!  I especially loved the ending when Ponyboy was writing his cathartic English class essay and it ends up being the beginning lines to this book.  As a kid, I can see both sides of the social class issues in the story.  As a parent- I wanted to spank some of the boys and bring others home with me!  

Review: 


Gr. 7-10. In a book now considered a classic, Ponyboy can count only on his friends when it comes to mixing it up with the Socs, a gang of rich kids who like nothing better than beating up on greasers like himself.

Zvirin, S., & Cooper, I. (1997). The outsiders (review). The Booklist, 94(6), 555.

Use in a School Library:
This could be used along with similarly-themed books to explore the effects of prejudice.  Different types of prejudice could be explored- gender bias, religious persecution and racial profiling.  Perhaps even a book about the class system in England at the turn of the century could be included.  This would be most appropriate for high school-aged kids.

Module 1 * Intro to Children's Literature * Jan. 13-19

Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind
by
Judy Finchler & Kevin O'Malley

Bibliography:
Finchler J., & O'Malley, K. (2006).  Miss malarkey leaves no reader 
      behind.  New York, NY:Walker Publishing Co.

Summary:
Miss Malarkey is determined for her class to meet the challenge given by the principal and the Everybody Reads in America program.  If the school reads 1,000 books, the principal will dye his hair purple and sleep on the school's roof!  Even more important to Miss Malarkey is her promise to find each student in her class a book they will love.  In her class of non-readers, that is a daunting task she manages with relative ease- except for the narrator who hates to read.  In an inspiring, happy ending Miss Malarkey learns enough about ALL the students in her class to match them with the perfect book that distracts them from video games, sports and even the pool!

My Take:
     This book shows kids that they are not alone in their reluctance to read and their search for the best book in the world.  It also shows them that it is possible for even the most reluctant, video-game-loving one of them to love reading when an adult takes the time to get to know them well enough to match them with a book that speaks to their heart.
     I love that the authors make the characters REAL kids with real kid interests that many readers will identify with.  They also show very clearly and, I think, correctly what reluctant readers are thinking when asked to read or when other kids walk by with a bag full of books.  Kids will definitely identify with what the narrator is thinking!  His incredulity as his video game friends "fall" into reading one by one is hilarious, and the colorful, realistic illustrations add a lot to the story.  I love the list of book recommendations at the end of the book based on the topics that Miss Malarky found the narrator liked throughout the year.  That is an excellent touch that could inspire a reader to find another book!

Reviews: 

“During the first week of school, principal Wiggins promises that if the students read 1,000 books by June 12, he will dye his hair purple and sleep on the roof.  Miss Malarkey tells her class that they will be doing the Everybody Reads in America program and promises that all of the students will find books they love before the end of the school year.  She picks some for each of them, engaging even reluctant readers.  One boy remains unable to find a book he likes until June 10, when Miss Malarkey chooses one that has aliens, race cars, funny jokes, chewing gum, hot sauce, and cannonballs.  It becomes number 1,001 read by the students and the story ends with everyone wishing Principal Wiggins (whose hair is now purple) a good night on the roof.  This title will resonate with those who choose math, video games, and sports over books.  O’Malley’s illustrations, done in markers and colored pencils, enhance the text with expressive pictures of the students and their teacher as they explore (or choose not to explore) the joys of reading.  The illustrations lend humor and credibility to the reluctance of some of the students.  A must-have for all libraries."

Sheridan, R. (2006). Miss malarkey leaves no reader behind. School Library Journal, 52(8), 81.

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"Ace teacher Miss Malarkey returns in a picture book narrated by a reluctant reader. Although comfortable within his small group of video-game-playing buddies, a boy wants to contribute to the schoolwide goal of reading 1,000 books in hope of seeing Principal Wiggins "dye his hair purple and sleep on the roof of the school." Trying one of Miss Malarkey s suggested books after another, he rejects them all-until she finds the perfect one to match his eclectic interests. Expressive cartoon-style illustrations, brightened with markers and colored pencils, create a series of lively scenes in which speech balloons record conversations and comments not found in the text. With an unstated moral, this is one volume that librarians won't soon forget. Short lists of recommended books, including a bibliography of adult books that recommend children's books, are appended. "

Phelan, C. (2006). Miss malarkey leaves no reader behind. The Booklist, 102(21), 65.

Use in a School Library:
     I think this book would be great as a read-aloud at the beginning of the year for Elementary-aged kids.  Kids often have difficulty for various reasons finding a book they like when it is library book check out time.  It is good for kids to "see" themselves in a book and to know that (fictional) kids just like them were able to find a book to fall in love with.  This would be good during the beginning of the year review lessons on how to use the school library.