Review: Stitches

Bibliography:

Small, David. 2009. Stitches: A Memoir. W. W. Norton: New York. ISBN 9780393068573

Plot Summary:

In Stitches: A Memoir, author David Small tells the chilling story of his childhood. David’s wrenchingly dysfuctional family life is dominated by the rage of his mother and abusive grandmother, and the distance of his radiologist father. A sickly child, David’s father gives David X-Ray treatments to “cure” his sinus problems. Some years later, David develops a lump on his throat, diagnosed as a “harmless cyst”. Admitted to the hospital three and a half years later for what he has been told is minor surgery, Small wakes to find that he literally has no voice. His “minor surgery” is actually a serious procedure to remove a life-threatening tumor, during which part of his vocal cords are removed as well. As he loses his physical voice, however, Small begins to find his own inner voice, angrily lashing out at his parents for withholding the truth from him. Small leaves home at sixteen, starting a new life for himself as an artist. He returns home at the death of his mother, distraught, but strengthened in his resolve to follow his own path.

Critical Review:

David Small, best known as an illustrator and writer of children’s picture books, strikes a very different tone in his graphic novel Stitches. In Stitches, Small faces the demons of his childhood. Raw and disturbing, the book feels very much like a confession. The devastation of growing up in a loveless, at times abusive family does not make for light reading. Anger wells up on practically every page. The anger of Small’s mother (described as a “black tidal wave”), the anger of his abusive grandmother (who holds his hands under scalding hot water), and eventually the anger of Small himself toward the family that refused to give him the love and affirmation he so desperately wanted.

The central theme of Stitches is silence vs. expression. Each character in the book is, in a way, trapped in his or her own isolated hell. Small’s mother silently rages in the kitchen, slamming pots and pans while doing the dishes. His radiologist father escapes to his work at the hospital. His brother Ted retreats to the basement to play his drums. Small, himself, escapes through his artwork.

The bleak, frightening tone of the book is largely created by Small’s artwork. Faces are amazingly expressive. Mouths are tight and angry. Shadows darken characters’ features as they seethe in anger. The eyes of adults are hidden behind the reflective lenses of their glasses, giving them a soulless quality. Their inner thoughts and motivations are as inscrutable to us as they must have been to the author.

With the help of a therapist, Small slowly begins to put the pieces of his life back together. While the stitches of the title refer to the sutures on Small’s neck after surgery, they surely also refer to his attempts to repair the devastating effects of his destructive family. The end of the book gives the reader no easy happy ending. The death of Small’s mother is heartbreaking. While Small has not found complete peace, he clings to a fierce determination not to follow in his mother and grandmother’s footsteps.

Review Excerpts:

A National Book Award Finalist

ALA Great Graphic Novels

“This is not a two-dimensional caricature of an unhappy family; these people are painfully historied and complexly pictured and Small is a powerful teller of their stories.” – ForeWord (September 1, 2009)

“Some understanding is gained as family secrets are unearthed, but for the most part David fends for himself in a family that is uncommunicative to a truly ghastly degree. Small tells his story with haunting subtlety and power.” – Publishers Weekly (August 10, 2009)

“His seemingly simple black-and-white wash captures people, emotions, relationships, and plot subtleties with grace, precision, and a flawless sense of graphic narration.” – Library Journal (July 1, 2009)

“Like other important graphic works it seems destined to sit beside (think no less than Maus) this is a frequently disturbing, pitch-black funny, ultimately cathartic story whose full impact can only be delivered in the comics medium, which keeps it palatable as it reinforces its appalling aspects. If there's any fight left in the argument that comics aren't legitimate literature, this is just the thing to enlighten the naysayers.” - Booklist (July 1, 2009)

Connections:

Compare other books by Small, such as Imogene’s Antlers and Fenwick’s Suit.

Compare Craig Thompson’s graphic novel memoir Blankets.

Discuss Small’s artwork in this novel and how it contributes to the mood and the story.

Review: Speak

Bibliography:

Anderson, Laurie Halse. 1999. Speak. Penguin: New York. ISBN 0142407321

Plot Summary:

Melinda Sordino is entering high school with everything in her life wrong. After calling the police at a party over the summer, Melinda is shunned by those around her. Even her former best friend Rachel speaks to her only to mouth the words “I hate you”. No one, however, knows the truth about what happened at that party. No one, that is, except Melinda and Andy Evans, the high school senior who raped her there. Unable to deal with the horror of that night, Melinda sinks into a deep depression. Retreating further inside herself, it becomes more and more difficult for Melinda to speak, her outer silence masking inner turmoil. Surrounded by a system that punishes those who speak up, Melinda gains strength from those around her who refuse to conform to the system’s rules: principally, her lab partner Dave Petrakis and her art teacher Mr. Freeman. When Rachel begins dating Andy, Melinda is forced to find her voice and face the truth about what happened that summer night.

Critical Review:

In Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson takes the reader into the inner world of Melinda Sordino. We experience the pain that she is unable to reveal to those around her.

Through her eyes we experience the horror of rape, its devastating aftermath, and eventually hope and the beginning of healing.

In Anderson’s prose, Melinda lives and breathes; she is brutally honest, witty, and smart – usually cleverer than the adults around her. Her observations about high school life are real; cynical, and frequently hilarious.

Anderson’s book is full of symbols of new growth. As the winter cold freezes, Melinda retreats deeper inside herself, away from the hurtful world outside. Her first tentative steps to regain her life coincide with the spring’s new growth. An extended art project also reflects her inner growth. Melinda is asked to repeatedly explore one topic through the year: a tree. Her first tree is black, scarred, struck by lightning. By the end of the year, her struggling tree is coming to life: “Roots knob out of the ground and the crown reaches for the sun, tall and healthy. The new growth is the best part.”

Speak’s theme is universal - finding your voice and having the courage to let it be heard. Early in the book Melinda states “It is easier not to say anything. Shut your trap, button your lip, can it. All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings is a lie. Nobody really wants to hear what you have to say.” This theme is repeated throughout the book. Society doesn’t really want people to speak out. Characters in the book repeatedly meet opposition or hostility by doing so, in particular Melinda’s art teacher Mr. Freeman and her lab partner Dave Petrakis. These are the individuals, however, that the silenced Melinda admires the most.

When Melinda finds the strength to confront her tormentor the reader cannot help but feel empowered. There are books that have the ability to inspire, to strengthen, to even change lives. Speak is one of those books.

Review Excerpts:

A Michael L. Printz Honor Book

A National Book Award Finalist

“This powerful story has an important lesson: never be afraid to speak up for yourself” – Voice of Youth Advocates (December 1, 1999)

“This is a compelling book, with sharp, crisp writing that draws readers in, engulfing them in the story.” – School Library Journal (October 1, 1999)

“The plot is gripping and the characters are powerfully drawn, but it is its raw and unvarnished look at the dynamics of the high school experience that makes this a novel that will be hard for readers to forget.” – Kirkus Reviews (September 15, 1999)

“In her YA fiction debut, Anderson perfectly captures the harsh conformity of high-school cliques and one teen's struggle to find acceptance from her peers. Melinda's sarcastic wit, honesty, and courage make her a memorable character whose ultimate triumph will inspire and empower readers.”– Booklist (September 15, 1999)

Connections:

Read other works by Laurie Halse Anderson, such as Twisted and Prom.

Twisted has a male main character. Compare Anderson’s female protagonist in Speak with Tyler, her male protagonist in Twisted. Are they both convincing?

Invistigate different sources of help for someone who is the victim of a sexual assault.

If students were assigned Melinda’s “tree” project, what would their own personal tree look like? Students could create these with art supplies.

Review: The Graveyard Book

Bibliography:

Gaiman, Neil. 2008. The Graveyard Book. Ill by Dave McKean. New York: Harper-Collins. ISBN 9780061972652

Plot Summary:

As the novel begins, a sinister character named Jack has brutally murdered a family – father, mother, and a young daughter. Only the baby of the family remains, but as Jack prepares to finish the job he realizes that the child has wandered out of the house. The young baby wanders into a nearby graveyard, where the resident ghosts quickly decide to protect the boy. Given “the freedom of the graveyard”, the boy (named Nobody, “Bod” for short) is able to see and converse with the ghosts living there. Bod grows braver and wiser through encounters with ghouls, witches, evil men, a creature called the Sleer, and the mysterious lady on the grey horse. Eventually Bod is forced to come to terms with his own questions of identity and his need to be among the living, though leaving the safety of the graveyard will also mean facing the evil that is outside waiting for him.

Critical Review:

The world of modern fiction would be a much less interesting place without Neil Gaiman. Again and again he creates engaging characters and fantastical worlds for readers of all ages to explore and get lost in. In The Graveyard Book, Gaiman strikes a tone akin to the art of Edward Gorey and the films of Tim Burton; Gaiman’s graveyard is both macabre and inviting.

Although the setting may be unusual, the relationship between Bod and his ghostly family is not. Though Bod’s graveyard guardians may be dead (or, in one notable instance, undead), they are as loving a family as one could hope for. Bod is able to speak to ghosts, pass through locked gates, and fade into invisibility, but he is still very much a typical child. He gets into trouble, he clashes with his family, he makes good decisions as well as bad. Even more importantly, he yearns to understand who he is, and what his place is in the graveyard and the world outside.

The plot unfolds as a series of vignettes whose storylines are largely contained within each individual chapter. In these stories, such as Bod’s visit to Ghulheim and his encounter with the sinister Sleer, Gaiman incorporates conventions of traditional ghost stories and folktales to create something familiar, yet new. These vignettes do not initially appear to be related to the central storyline, but as the plot continues to develop, the characters Bod meets and the lessons he learns in each become essential to his overall story.

Gaiman weaves a number of big themes into his book – the importance of nontraditional families, the end of childhood, the inevitability of death, and the priceless gift of being alive. Bod is forced to face the dangers that eventually threaten the safety of his home. Preparing to leave the graveyard of his childhood for the unknown world outside, he tells his guardian Silas, “I want to see life. I want to hold it in my hands….I want everything.” Perhaps not so ironically, what he has learned from the dead is the importance of living.

Review Excerpts:

2009 Newbery Award Winner

2009 Hugo Award Winner

2009 Carnegie Medal Winner

“There is plenty of darkness, but the novel's ultimate message is strong and life affirming. Although marketed to the younger YA set, this is a rich story with broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages.”– Booklist (September 15, 2008)

“Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family.”—School Library Journal (October 1, 2008)

“The conclusion is satisfying, but it leaves room for a sequel. Everyone who reads this book will hope fervently that the very busy author gets around to writing one soon.” – Voya (August 1, 2008)

Connections:

Read and compare other books by Gaiman, such as Coraline and M is for Magic.

Read The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (which Gaiman cites as an influence), and compare.

Create a 3-D diorama of Bod’s graveyard using posterboard, paper, and art supplies

Compare the similarly-toned works of Tim Burton (such as The Nightmare Before Christmas or Edward Scissorhands). In what ways are the creations of these two artists similar? In what ways are they different?

Review: The Storm in the Barn

Bibliography:

Phelan, Matt. 2009. The Storm in the Barn. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. ISBN 9780763636180

Plot Summary:

Matt Phelan’s graphic novel The Storm in the Barn is set in Kansas in 1937, at the height of the Dust Bowl days. Jack Clark is eleven years old. His sister Dorothy is seriously ill with “Dust Pneumonia”. The neighborhood boys bully him. Jack’s father is so preoccupied with the disastrous situation his family is in that he is unable to give Jack the attention he craves. In fact, Jack feels that he isn’t good for much of anything. One day Jack encounters a mysterious figure in his neighbors' abandoned barn. The man has a face like rain, and he guards a bag from which thunder and lightning periodically escape. After witnessing the brutality of the townsmen during a jackrabbit drive, Jack summons the courage to confront the Storm King. Stealing his bag, Jack runs to the top of a windmill, and, opening it, ends the Storm King’s reign. Storm clouds form and rain finally falls on the thirsty land.

Critical Review:

Matt Phelan’s graphic novel The Storm in the Barn blends together elements of historical fiction, folk tale, and supernatural mystery. It’s an interesting combination, to be sure. In Jack, Phelan has created a protagonist that many teens will be able to identify with. Jack craves attention and affirmation from his father. Jack’s father, however, has little patience or time for Jack. Despite Jack’s repeated attempts to get noticed, his father is completely preoccupied with getting his family out of a seemingly hopeless situation.

Phelan’s artwork is a blend of watercolor, pencil, and pen. The illustrations have a very clean, almost simplistic look. Colors are generally pale and washed-out looking, well-suited to the dead landscape they depict. With minimal dialogue, the characters’ facial expressions tell much of the story. Jack’s face projects openness, innocence, and sadness, while the adults in the book generally appear bitter and suspicious. We understand that they have been soured by their struggle for survival. Nowhere is this more evident than the jackrabbit drive. As the men descend upon the rabbits, their faces become terrifyingly distorted; they seem to have become something less than human.

Fictional tales play an important role in A Storm in the Barn. The man who works at the drugstore tells Jack “Jack Tales”, the exploits of another hero named Jack. Jack’s sister Dorothy passes the time by reading about Dorothy in Ozma from Oz. These fictional tales help the characters deal with hard times, and also give them the courage to face their problems.

Much of the story is realistic and historically accurate, including the description of dust pneumonia and the disturbing jackrabbit drive, perhaps the most unforgettable sequence in the book. The segments of the book dealing with the Storm King, however, have the feel of a folk tale. For this reviewer, the two “faces” of the book never completely meshed. After the highly realistic sections of the book, the scenes in the barn seem out of place. The resolution in particular, when Jack finally proves himself by stealing the Storm King’s bag, felt unsatisfying. That said, The Storm in the Barn, is undoubtedly an achievement. It blends historical fiction, folk tale, and illustration in a unique way. Young readers may very well find themselves drawn into Jack’s story.

Review Excerpts:

“Written with simple, direct language, it's an almost wordless book: the illustrations' shadowy grays and blurry lines eloquently depict the haze of the dust. A complex but accessible and fascinating book.” – School Library Journal (September 1, 2009)

“Great for a wide range of readers, this will work particularly well as a gentle introduction for those new to graphic novels or as an elegant argument on the format's behalf against dubious naysayers.”– Booklist (August 1, 2009)

Connections:

Read other books about the time period, such as Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust or Survival in the Storm: The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards, Dalhart, Texas 1935 (Dear America Series) by Katelan Janke.

Pair with a nonfiction book about the Dust Bowl, such as the photographic book The Dust Bowl Through the Lens: How Photography Revealed and Helped Remedy a National Disaster by Martin W. Sandler.

Listen to music related to the period, such as Woody Guthrie’s “Dust Storm Disaster”.

Watch a video documentary of the period, such as American Experience: Surviving the Dust Bowl.

Review: The Midwife's Apprentice

Bibliography:

Cushman, Karen. 1995. The Midwife’s Apprentice. New York: Clarion. ISBN 0395692296

Plot Summary:

Medieval England is the setting for this tale of a young girls transformation from homeless “Brat” to “Alyce” the Midwife’s apprentice. At the beginning of Cushman’s short novel, “Brat” is burrowing in a dung heap for warmth on a cold winter night. Enduring the teasing and bullying of the town boys, Brat (now called “Beetle”, after the dung beetle) is taken in by the village midwife, Jane. The uncaring Midwife uses the girl as cheap labor, rewarding her with scraps from the table. Everyone around Beetle tells her that she is nothing, and Beetle believes them. When Beetle comes across the village boys terrorizing a cat, she rescues the creature, who becomes her one friend. The girl (who has taken on the name “Alyce” after being mistaken for someone else at the fair)manages to pick up some of the Midwife’s knowledge, despite the suspicious Jane’s effort to the contrary. A failed attempt to deliver a child herself causes Alyce to run away in shame, working for a time in an Inn outside of town. Redeeming herself during an emergency childbirth at the Inn, Alyce realizes that she has the potential to be many things. She returns to continue as apprentice to the Midwife, with renewed confidence and hope.

Critical Review:

In her Newbery Award winning novel The Midwife’s Apprentice, Cushman revisits medieval Europe, the setting of her earlier Newbery Honor book Catharine, Called Birdy. The world described in The Midwife’s Apprentice is one that will be foreign to many young readers, a world of superstition, a world before medical care and sanitation as we know them existed, a world that seems harsh, even cruel toward the young and the helpless. Cushman’s setting is a small village that can be viewed as a microcosm of medieval life. Through the villagers, readers come to know some of the different vocations and social positions that existed at the time: miller, blacksmith, midwife, baker, innkeeper, nobleman, etc. Cushman creates a vibrant world and characters that spring to life for the reader.

The world Cushman creates is enticing and exotic, but it is the rise of the main character that holds the book together. Beetle begins in such a low state (burrowing in a dung heap), that readers cannot help but look forward to her eventual rise. Defeated, passive, completely downtrodden by life’s events and the cruel people around her, a few key interactions and successes plant seeds of hope in Beetle. By the end of the novel, a new character has emerged, choosing the name Alyce to represent her own refusal to accept the limitations imposed by those around her. Alyce is clever, capable, and tentatively begins to recognize her own intrinsic value. In The Midwife’s Apprentice, Cushman has done an admirable job of bringing the past to life and creating a character that readers will care about and admire.

Review Excerpts:

Winner of the 1996 Newbery Award

“Cushman has an almost unrivaled ability to build atmosphere, and her evocation of a medieval village, if not scholarly in its authenticity, is supremely colorful and pungent."– Publishers Weekly (February 27, 1995)

“Earthy humor, the foibles of humans both high and low, and a fascinating mix of superstition and genuinely helpful herbal remedies attached to childbirth make this a truly delightful introduction to a world seldom seen in children's literature.” – School Library Journal (May 1, 1995)

“Kids will like this short, fast-paced narrative about a hero who discovers that she's not ugly or stupid or alone.” – Booklist (March 15, 1995)

Connections:

Read other works by Cushman, such as Catherine, Called Birdy.

Pair with a nonfiction book about medieval life, such as DK Eyewitness Book: Medieval Life by Andrew Langley, Everyday Life in Medieval Europe (Uncovering History) by Neil Grant, and The Horrible, Miserable Middle Ages: The Disgusting Details About Life During Medieval Times (Fact Finders: Disgusting History) by Kathy Allen and Phillip C. Adamo.

Pair with a book about compost heaps, such as Compost Stew by Mary McKenna Siddals.

Students could create a compost heap as a backyard experiment.

Review: Bloody Jack

Bibliography:

Meyer, L.A. 2002. Bloody Jack: being an account of the curious adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, ship's boy. San Diego: Harcourt. ISBN 0152167315

Plot Summary:

Set in England during the late 18th/early 19th century, Bloody Jack tells the story of Mary “Jacky” Faber. Mary is orphaned at a young age when her family dies from the plague. Forced to fend for herself, Mary joins a gang of street urchins who survive by begging and stealing. After their leader, Charlie, is killed by an unscrupulous Fagan-like character named Muck, Mary decides she must leave London. When she encounters a British Naval Vessel needing ship’s boys, she decides to disguise herself as a boy to get the position. Because of her reading skills, “Jacky” is selected to help teach the ship’s boys to read. She becomes very close with the other boys on the ship, but as she begins to mature, she finds it harder and harder to maintain “The Deception”. Mary also struggles with her feelings toward Jaimy, one of the ship’s boys. Jaimy is conflicted (in a different way) in his feelings toward “Jacky”. She finally tells him her secret and the two begin a clandestine romance. Through an unlikely series of events (involving pirates and a huge kite), Jacky ends up saving her friends and bringing about the capture of the pirate LeFievre. Her secret, however, is out. At the close of the novel Jacky has been promoted to “midshipwench” but is put ashore at Boston to attend the Lawson Peabody finishing school for girls. Her adventures continue in the second Bloody Jack novel, The Curse of the Blue Tattoo.

Critical Review:

As a historical novel, Bloody Jack is “novel” first and “historical” second. Although filled with accurate details from the Georgian period (dialogue, style of dress, position of women, treatment of children, “the pestilence”, life aboard a royal navy vessel, etc.) the book succeeds independently of these elements as a great story with an irresistable main character.

In Mary Faber, Meyer has created an unforgettable heroine. One of the chief successes of the novel is the “voice” Meyer has created for Mary. Strong and feisty, a survivor, funny, vulgar, often vulnerable as well, readers will root for Mary as she manages to succeed against all odds. Those expecting a typical sea tale will be in for a surprise. Although the book does have its share of adventure, more tension is generated from Mary’s “deception” than from the pirates that roam the seas.

Experiencing the story through Mary’s eyes, we feel the injustice of the limitations placed on her because of her sex. We know that Mary is just as able (and often more honorable) than her male counterparts. At the end of the novel readers will cheer for Mary as she is at last able to reveal who she really is. Through her innate character, intelligence, and courage she has gained the respect of her shipmates. Although this story may appeal to females, the adventure, and the liberating theme of being true to one’s self make this a great pick for all readers.

Review Excerpts:

“Meyer evokes life in the 18th-century Royal Navy with Dickensian flair. He seamlessly weaves into Jacky's first-person account a wealth of historical and nautical detail at a time when pirates terrorized the oceans.” – Publishers Weekly (October 7, 2002)

“Capped by a fitting but bittersweet ending, the first-person narrative shines, and a wealth of historical research is seamlessly knitted into the material. A first-rate read.” – Kirkus (August 1, 2002)

Connections:

Read other books in the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer.

Listen to the excellent audiobooks narrated by Katherine Kellgren.

Pair with a nonfiction book about ships such as The Great Ships by Patrick O’Brien or Ships by Phillip Wilkinson.

Compare other historical novels with similar elements such as Pirates! by Celia Rees.

Review: Bodies from the Ice

Bibliography:

Deem, James M. 2008. Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Past. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 9780618800452

Plot Summary:

Glaciers form, according to James. M. Deem’s Bodies from the Ice, when “more snow accumulates on a mountain than can melt during the summer.” For unknown reasons, the world’s glaciers have been melting for the past one hundred years. Some are disappearing completely. As areas thaw that may have been frozen for hundreds of years, bodies are occasionally revealed. Deem’s book tells about several of these instances. One chapter describes the discovery of a well-preserved young man who lived 5,300 years ago. Another involves the finding of preserved child sacrifices in Peru. Yet another is the discovery of the body of a man who may or may not have been the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Throughout the book, Deem gives information on glaciers, how they are changing, possible reasons why, and what readers can do about it.

Critical Review:

Bodies from the Ice, by award-winning author James M. Deem, should carry a warning label: “Dead bodies inside.” The pages of this book are filled with vivid descriptions and images of the dead. Deem’s book concerns recent discoveries of preserved bodies, newly revealed as glaciers around the world continue to recede. Bodies from the Ice is packed with information, alternating between general information about glaciers and specific stories about notable human remains that have been found on them.

Deem’s writing is aimed at teens, but adults may find themselves drawn to the subject matter as well. There is a lot of text, but readers are carried along by amazing photographs throughout. It is one thing to read about the discovery of mountain climber George Mallory’s body. It is quite another to see it, frozen on the side of Mount Everest, skin bleached bone-white in the sun. Gruesome photos such as this might be what draw in young readers, but those who stick with Deem for the rest of the book will also learn a good deal about glaciers. Deem weaves through the book a theme of environmental responsibility. It is in these portions that Deem is at his most passionate. Scientists believe that many of the glaciers described in this book will be completely melted within the next fifty years, possibly due to global warming. Deem ends his book by challenging each reader to “make a personal decision about global warming and act accordingly.”

Review Excerpts:

“There are books about melting glaciers and books about frozen bodies, but this attractive offering combines the topics in a way that will intrigue readers.”- Booklist (December 1, 2008)

“With its extensive bibliography, suggested Web sites, and a listing of glaciers to visit, Bodies is a fantastic resource. Deem superbly weaves diverse geographical settings, time periods, and climate issues into a readable work that reveals the increasing interdisciplinary dimensions of the sciences.” – School Library Journal (December 1, 2008)

Connections:

Read and compare Deem’s other “bodies” books, Bodies from the Bog and Bodies from the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii.

Pair with the PBS home video Extreme Ice, which is about global warming and the glaciers.

Compare other books about glaciers, such as Icebergs and Glaciers by Seymour Simon.

Review: The Adventures of Marco Polo

Bibliography:

Freedman, Russell. 2006. The Adventures of Marco Polo. Ill. By Bagram Ibatoulline. New York: Arthur A. Levine. ISBN 043952394

Plot Summary:

The name Marco Polo is synonymous with exploration. In this biography, Russell Freedman tells of Marco Polo’s life, focusing on his years in Kublai Khan’s China; made famous in Polo’s book The Description of the World. Freedman writes of the wonders Polo described: dust storms, bandits, crocodiles, pirates, the wonders of China, the amazing city of Quinsai, and Polo’s eventual trip back home accompanying one of Khan’s daughters. A section at the end of the book discusses arguments supporting and rebuffing Polo’s claims. Polo’s stories, which have sparked the imagination of millions through the years, get new life in Freedman’s book.

Critical Review:

Was Marco Polo one of the greatest explorers the world has ever known? Or was he a liar who fabricated amazing stories about adventures that never really happened? A past Newbery Award Winner, Freedman’s beautifully illustrated book tells the life of Marco Polo; those events in his life that probably did happen, and those events that may have happened. Perfect for middle readers, Freedman’s writing is challenging, but always clear and engaging. Although The Adventures of Marco Polo is nonfiction, Freedman’s descriptions of Polo’s travels often read like an adventure book.

The abundant illustrations are a combination of archival pieces and new paintings by Bagram Ibatoulline. Ibatoulline states that he emulated the artistic styles of the different cultures Polo documented. His artwork blends beautifully with the true period pieces. With Ibatoulline’s detailed paintings, the beige “aged” paper, the gold leaf effect of the cover, the burgundy endpapers - this is truly a beautiful book that will entice readers young and old.

Does it really matter whether Polo truly travelled to China or not? Freedman doesn’t seem to think so. Truth, lies, or a combination of the two, Marco Polo’s book ignited imaginations, including those of other great explorers (including Christopher Columbus). Freedman’s book beautifully captures that sense of exploration; the excitement of seeing wonders that few have ever seen before.

Review Excerpts:

“Newbery Medal-winner Freedman takes readers along on Polo's journey in a book that is as beautiful as many of the sights the explorer observed.” - Booklist (October 15, 2006)

“Freedman's impeccable research, historical fidelity and flair for engrossing narrative nonfiction combine with handsome bookmaking for a highly recommended biography.”- Publishers Weekly (October 2, 2006)

Connections:

Read other books by Russell Freedman (including his Newbery Award Winning Lincoln: A Photobiography)

Compare other books about Marco Polo (such as Marco Polo: A Photographer’s Journey by Michael Yamashita and Marco Polo: The Boy Who Traveled the Medieval World by Mick McCarty)

Pair with Kublai Khan: Emporer of the Everything by Kathleen Krull for a discussion of Khan and his empire

Using map paper, older students could create a map and overlay overlay comparing modern Asia with Asia when Polo was alive

Review: Tornadoes

Bibliography:

Simon, Seymour. 1999. Tornadoes. New York: Morrow. ISBN 0688146473

Plot Summary:

In this photograph-packed book, Seymour Simon describes current knowledge about most violent natural phenomenon. In a clear, easy-to-read style, Simon explains how tornadoes are formed and where and when they are most likely to occur. He also describes some of the most historically notable tornadoes, the Fujita rating scale, and what to do in case of a tornado.

Critical Review:

There are few things more fascinating and awe-inspiring than nature at her most violent. In his book, Tornadoes, Seymour Simon seeks to give young readers current information on this phenomena. Simon’s book does a great job of presenting information that is appropriate for the middle grades, but in a format that is very non-threatening to reluctant readers. The text is large and the book is full of gripping, colorful photographs. Simon’s writing succeeds at presenting potentially complex ideas (such as the formation of tornadoes) in a clear, concise manner. The illustrations, which include high quality photographs of tornadoes, radar shots, maps, etc., are well-chosen and ably illustrate what the text is describing. Young readers interested in weather will be captivated by this combination of current information and beautiful photography.

Review Excerpts:

“…Make room on your shelves for Simons standout view of a cataclysmic manifestation.” - School Library Journal (June 1, 1999)

“Incredible full-color photographs and diagrams, clearly portraying the different formations and devastating power of the windstorms, complement the text perfectly. A must for middle-grade students researching the subject, the book is sure to appeal to browsers as well.” - Booklist (May 1, 1999)

Connections:

Read other books in Seymour Simon’s weather series, including Storms, Weather, and Lightning.

Read other books on tornadoes, including Stephen Kramer’s Tornado: Nature in Action and Eye of the Storm, and Tornado by Catherine Chambers, and compare.

View a documentary about tornadoes or storm chasers.

Allow students to brainstorm the safest place for them to be in the event of a tornado warning at home or at school.

Let students build tornado jars with water, soap, vinegar, and food coloring.

Review: One of those hideous books where the mother dies

Bibliography:

Sones, Sonya. 2004. One of those hideous books where the mother dies. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689858205

Plot Summary:

After the death of her mother, Ruby is forced to move to California to live with her estranged father, famous movie actor Whip Logan. Ruby struggles with the loss of her mother, the pain of separation from her best friend and boyfriend, and the stress of creating a new life in California. Although she develops a close relationship with her father’s gay “assistant”, Max, her father’s own attempts at reconciliation are met with resentment. They are, according to Ruby, “a decade-and-a-half too late.” A series of events, including a betrayal by her best friend, push Ruby to the breaking point. Her discovery of Whip’s homosexuality casts his perceived abandonment of her in a different light, and as he shelters her during a California earthquake, she is finally able to acknowledge his love for her.

Critical Review:

Ruby, the protagonist in Sonya Sones’ verse novel One of those hideous books where the mother dies, states at the beginning of the book, “I love to read/But my life better not turn out/to be like one of those hideous books/where the mother dies/and so the girl has to/go live with her absentee father/who turns out to be an alcoholic heroin addict…” These fears mark the start of Ruby’s journey, from the loss of her mother, to her new life in California with her estranged father.

The book is made up of a series of one to two page free verse poems or letters. Although a number of the poems could certainly be enjoyed on their own, the poetry generally functions as part of an overall narrative. Reading Ruby’s poems feels very much like reading a diary or journal; there is a deeply personal quality to the writing.

Some of the plot elements don’t always ring true (particularly the ending, with its earthquake climax and fairytale-like resolution), but the emotions of Ruby invariably do. Passages concerning her mother’s death are heart-wrenching: “The tears surge to my eyes/swelling and stinging like salty waves./But I don’t cry./I never do anymore./Not since Mom./I guess I must have used up/my entire lifetime supply of tears/on the night she died.” Ruby’s struggle with issues of loss and belonging will likely resonate with teens, and when Ruby finally finds her tears, many readers will, as well. Sones has created a moving and humorous account of one girl’s journey from grief to hope.

Review Excerpts:

“It is true that the mother dies, but this hilarious and painfully real novel in verse and letters is anything but hideous.”– Voice of Youth Advocates (October 1, 2004)

“This is not just another one of those gimmicky novels written in poetry. It's solid and well written, and Sones has a lot to say about the importance of carefully assessing people and situations and about opening the door to one's own happiness.” – School Library Journal (August 1, 2004)

“A satisfying, moving novel that will be a winner for both eager and reluctant readers.” – Booklist (May 1, 2004)

Connections:

Read Sonya Sones other verse novels, including What My Mother Doesn’t Know, and What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know

Read verse novels by other authors, such as Ellen Hopkins and Steven Herrick and compare writing styles, characters, and subject matter.

Students can create a playlist for one of the characters in the book. What songs would that character choose for his/her “mix tape”? Students can create cover art, tracklisting, and, if possible, create the actual CD.

Students could create a collage representing one of the characters. Choose objects or images that in some way represent who that character is and what his/her conflicts are.

Review: Blue Lipstick

Bibliography:

Grandits, John. 2007. Blue Lipstick. New York: Clarion. ISBN 9780618568604

Plot Summary:

Blue Lipstick is a collection of concrete poems by John Grandits. In these poems we meet Jessie - a highly individual, cello-playing, vegetarian high school student (who also writes poetry to her cat). Jessie’s observations give readers a humorous view into the mind of an adolescent, as she struggles to define herself and her place in the world around her.

Critical Review:

Blue Lipstick is John Grandits’ second volume of concrete poetry. In concrete poetry, the words of the poem are arranged to form a visual somehow related to the poem. In the poem “Bad Hair Day”, for example, the lines of the poem form the wild strands of Jessie’s hair. The connection between poem and form can be literal (as above) or symbolic, as in the poem “Style”. This poem has Jessie lamenting the cost of developing a unique style of dress. The words of the poem form a dollar sign.

Grandits’ poetry is generally free verse. Its conversational tone deftly evokes the free-form thoughts of a teenager. The writing style meshes well with the visual aspect of the poems. Often the writing, coupled with the poem’s physical form, gives the poem a kinetic feeling, propelling the reader forward. In the poem “Volleyball”, for example, the reader follows the lines of text from one side of the net to the other, evoking the back-and-forth motion of a volleyball game.

Jessie’s voice is distinct. Through the course of these poems, she struggles to define herself, fiercely trying on new roles (represented by the Blue Lipstick of the title). In an early poem, "The Wall", Jessie's words form a barrier she places between herself and the outside world. By the time she revisits her wall at the end of the collection, Jessie has realized that that being secure in her own identity doesn't require a "me vs. everyone else" attitude; that sometimes, you might just find someone you can relate to in the least likely of places.

Review Excerpts:

“This irreverent, witty collection should resonate with a wide audience.” – School Library Journal (July 1, 2007)

"A cover that'll grab adolescent girls' attention--and the poetry inside is equally appealing." Horn Book (July-August 2007)

Connections:

Read John Grandits’ other book of concrete poems, Technically, Its Not My Fault, which is told from Jessie’s brother’s point of view. Discuss point of view and differences between the way Jessie and Robert might view a common event.

Compare concrete poems in the collection A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems.

Students can compose a concrete poem themselves. They can be allowed to choose their own topics. Teacher could also prepare slips of paper with common objects on them (TV set, basketball, etc.) and students would have to write a brief concrete poem somehow related to the object they drew.

Review: Soup for Breakfast

Bibliography:

Brown, Calef. 2008. Soup for Breakfast: A Collection of Pictures and Poems. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 9780618916412

Plot Summary:

Calef Brown’s collection Soup For Breakfast contains fourteen humorous poems connected only by Brown’s unique poetic and visual style. The poems are rhythmic, fanciful, and deal with subjects you just might not read about anywhere else (see: “Oilcloth Tablecloth”). Each poem is accompanied by Brown’s distinctive artwork.

Critical Review:

Calef Brown wants to use poetry to put a smile on your face. Brown’s poetry is lighthearted and often silly. Topics covered in this slim volume include a poem about the joys of eating soup for breakfast, directions for painting on toast, a description of a nose hair moustache, and, something of an anomaly, a message poem that tells us “The mark of our intelligence/is how we treat the elephants”.

Calef uses strong rhythm and rhyme to create a whimsical feel: “I told a secret/to an egret/but he couldn’t keep it/now every sparrow and swallow/in the whole hollow/thinks I’m shallow.” The use of alliteration (as above) and assonance (“why do all grownups/like donuts so much?”) helps give the poems a sing-song feel that rolls off the tongue delightfully.

Brown illustrates his own poems in acrylic. The illustration and the poem together create a singular whole. Brown’s painting style is distinctive. It has a simplistic quality reminiscent of folk art. Brown uses a strong color palette for each poem, giving it a mood that often accentuates elements only suggested in the poem. For example, “Young Moth”, a simple poem about a flying moth, closes with the lines “Sleep tight/Young Moth”. The illustration is steeped in deep midnight blues. Silhouettes of trees and houses with faintly lit windows give the poem a dreamlike quality. The depiction of the moth itself is surreal, with its human face and alien-like antennae. Despite their silliness, the images and feelings these poems and their illustrations create linger long after the book is put away. These are poems that can be enjoyed by all ages. Adults are likely to enjoy reading them as much as children will enjoy hearing them.

Review Excerpts:

“Brown's varied topics and deft touch coupled with his distinctive art make this title a must-have for both school and public libraries.” – School Library Journal (February 1, 2009)

“A good choice for energizing poetry units.” – Booklist (November 15, 2008)

“A smorgasbord of punditry and weirdness, this collection will remind kids that poetry and pictures can exist just for kicks.” – Publishers Weekly (October 13, 2008)

Connections:

Read other works by Calef Brown, including Polkabats and Octopus Slacks and Myra Cohn Livingston Award Winner Flamingos on the Roof: Poems and Paintings

Compare Brown’s poems with other “nonsense” poets such as Shel Silverstein and Ogden Nash.

Let children try their hand at “Painting on Toast”, with real toast and supplies (as described in the book). Children can then eat their creations.

Review: Rapunzel

Bibliography:

Zelinsky, Paul O. 1997. Rapunzel. New York: Dutton. ISBN 0525456074

Plot Summary:

As payment for stealing from her garden, a sorceress takes a couple’s first child at birth – a girl the witch names Rapunzel. As Rapunzel begins to mature, the sorceress takes her away to a tall, isolated tower. She is visited only by the sorceress, who regularly gains entry to the tower via Rapunzel’s extraordinarily long hair. One day a prince discovers Rapunzel. The two fall in love, and continue to meet secretly. Rapunzel conceives, and the sorceress discovers her secret. She banishes Rapunzel to a “wild country” where Rapunzel gives birth to twins. The sorceress awaits the prince's return and causes him to fall from the tower, blinding him. Eventually the two reunite, Rapunzel’s tears curing the Prince’s blindness; the reunited lovers returning to the Prince’s kingdom.

Critical Review:

In his Caledcott-winning version of the folktale Rapunzel, author Paul Zelinsky details some of the changes and revisions that the original Rapunzel tale underwent on its journey to becoming the version commonly known today. Of particular interest are alterations made by the Grimm Brothers while “documenting” the tale. Paul Zelinsky states that he tried to draw the best elements from the various versions of the story to craft his own version. Although he may not have remained entirely faithful to any one version, he has undoubtedly crafted a unique and elegant vision for the story that is his own.

The artwork is immediately arresting. As the story appears to have originated in Italy, Zelinsky decided to emulate the work of the Italian Renaissance masters, to great success. The style suits the story perfectly. Zelinsky’s attention to detail is stunning. The language in this retelling has a formal feel, and the somewhat austere tone of the illustrations suits this perfectly. This is not a retelling that seeks to update or modernize. Zelinsky sets his tale firmly in the past.

As in other folk tales, most of the characters in Rapunzel are largely undeveloped. Rapunzel may be beautiful, but there is very little in her character to make the reader actually care about what happens to her. The same can be said of the prince. The sorceress, on the other hand, is intriguing, particularly in this retelling. One of the more compelling elements of the story is the sorceress’ obsession with protecting Rapunzel’s purity. In Zelinsky’s version the sorceress is not clearly evil. It is apparent from the illustrations that she cares for Rapunzel as a mother would. In this context, the isolation she forces on Rapunzel becomes less an abstract evil, and more the action of an irrationally overprotective parent.

Review Excerpts:

Caldecott Medal Winner 1998

"A breathtaking interpretation gives the fairy tale new art-historical roots, with illustrations that daringly-and effectively-mimic the masters of Italian Renaissance painting."- Publishers Weekly (September 9, 2002)

“Suffused with golden light, Zelinsky's landscapes and indoor scenes are grandly evocative, composed and executed with superb technical and emotional command.” – Kirkus (October 1, 1997)

“Readers will linger over the opulence and rich details of furnishings and fabrics, and admire the decorative patterns and architectural details of the tower and the rooms. Echoes of high Renaissance art can be seen in the costumes, the buildings, and the landscapes. In their postures and gestures, the richly dressed characters might have stepped out of the paintings of Botticelli and Mantegna and Verrocchio and Raphael.” – School Library Journal (November 1, 1997)

Connections:

Read other Zelinsky books, especially Caldecott Honor books Rumplestiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, and Swamp Angel. Compare his style of illustration in the different books.

Create a choral reading version of the story. (“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” is a great line for children to read chorally).

Let students peruse child-friendly picture books of the Italian Renaissance painters and compare the style of painting with Zelinsky’s illustrations. What elements of the paintings make them similar?

Compare other versions of the story, or perhaps even a video version.

Review: Turtle's Race with Beaver

Bibliography:

Bruchac, Joseph and James Bruchac. 2003. Turtle’s Race With Beaver. Ill. by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. New York: Dial. ISBN 0803728522

Plot Summary:

Turtle lives a happy existence in his pond home, but while Turtle is asleep for the winter, Beaver attempts to make the pond his own. Upon awakening, Turtle amiably suggests that they cohabitate, but Beaver wants the pond for himself and challenges Turtle to a race. The winner can claim the pond as his own. Beaver clearly has the physical advantage, but Turtle’s cleverness helps him win the race. Although thoroughly humiliated, Beaver learns a valuable lesson about sharing.

Critical Review:

Variations of the great fables exist within many different cultures. Such is the case with this traditional Seneca fable, a variant of the story told by Aesop as “The Tortoise and the Hare”. Bruchac and his son draw on forty years of experience in the Native American oral tradition to bring this tale to life.

The Bruchacs’ writing style is simple and lends itself well to reading aloud. The text is full of lively language and onomatopoeaia. In the introduction, James Bruchac states that he wanted to “bring the audience into the action.” Young readers will indeed enjoy participating in the forest animals’ cheer as they chant “TURTLE! TURTLE! TURTLE!” The illustrations by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey are colorful and give the forest creatures (especially the title characters) a big dose of personality. The animals are painted in a clear, vibrant, child-like style over hazy, almost impressionistic, pastel backgrounds.

In this fable, as in so many others, the central conflict matches physical prowess against cleverness. As in the more widely known “Tortoise and the Hare”, cleverness wins out. The “moral”, however, is slightly different here. Whereas Aesop’s theme was “slow and steady wins the race”, the lesson Beaver learns in the Seneca version is to share with others. At the story’s close, he meets a different turtle in a different pond. This time he has learned his lesson, and the two live “happily through all the seasons to come.”

Review Excerpts:

“This appealing variant of the time-honored, cross-cultural tale conveys the need for cooperation, perseverance, and humility within group settings. Children will be so involved in the storytelling that they'll absorb these lessons effortlessly.” - School Library Journal (October 1, 2003)

“A clever twist and a final bit of psychological realism give this variant on a Seneca Indian Tortoise and Hare tale unusually broad audience appeal.” – Booklist (September 15, 2003)

Connections:

Read other versions of the story (such as Aesop’s “The Tortoise and the Hare” or the Grimm Brothers’ “The Hare and the Hedgehog”). In what way are the stories alike – what themes or lessons do they share? In what ways are they different?

Read a nonfiction picture book about Native American culture.

Read picture books of Native American stories by another author (such as Paul Goble) and compare.

Read other books by Joseph Bruchac (such as How Chipmunk Got His Stripes and The Boy Who Lived with the Bears).

Review: The Three Pigs

Bibliography:

Wiesner, David. 2001. The Three Pigs. New York: Clarion. ISBN 0618007016

Plot Summary:

What starts as a traditional retelling of the story of the three little pigs takes an unexpected turn when the wolf blows the pigs right out of the frame and thus out of the story. The pigs wander through the white space between story frames, jumping in and out of other traditional tales. After joining up with the feline fiddler from “Hey Diddle Diddle” and a dragon about to be slain by a prince, the fairy tale outcasts make their way back to the brick house to give the wolf an unexpected surprise.

Critical Review:

The story may begin “Once upon a time there were three pigs,” but similarities between the original fairy tale and David Wiesner’s retelling pretty much end there. Once Wiesner’s pigs are “free” from the confines of the traditional tale, Wiesner creates an amusing counterpoint between the frames of the story, which contain the original text, and the white areas around the frames, where the words and actions of the pigs are very much out-of-sync with what should be happening in the story.

At the beginning of the book, Wiesner’s illustrations mirror the text by looking very “generic”. This version of the three little pigs could be any of the million versions you’ve read before. When the pigs are freed from the story frame, however, they take on a more detailed and realistic look. As they invade other stories, the style of the artwork also changes to reflect that story type. The Mother Goose sequence is done in a colorful, simple style that looks appropriate for very young children. The dragon and knight segment is black and white, sketched in pencil.

Although some of the plot points of the original tale are present (the persistence of the wolf, the triumph of good over evil, the lessons regarding home construction materials), if you are looking for a conventional telling of the story, this isn't it. Young children will likely respond to the lively illustrations and the humorous behavior of the pigs, but older children will be more likely to understand the author's play on the conventions of the original stories alluded to in this version.

Review Excerpts:

Caldecott Medal Winner (2002)

“Witty dialogue and physical comedy abound in this inspired retelling of a familiar favorite” – School Library Journal (April 1, 2001)

“Wiesner's brilliant use of white space and perspective evokes a feeling that the characters can navigate endless possibilities and that the range of story itself is limitless.” – Publishers Weekly (February 26, 2001)

Connections:

Read other versions of “the three little pigs”, both traditional and fractured (such as John Scieszka’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs).

Read other books by David Wiesner (including his other two Caldecott winners Tuesday and Flotsam).

Have children imagine if there had been a fourth little pig. What might he have built his house out of (and would it have held up to the wolf)?

What other stories might Wiesner’s three little pigs have entered? Children could create an illustration of the three little pigs within other famous tales.

Review: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Bibliography:

Viorst, Judith. 1972. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Ill. by Ray Cruz. New York: Aladdin. ISBN 0689711735

Plot Summary:

Alexander is having a bad day. Actually… it’s a little worse than that. It’s a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Everything that can go wrong, does; from getting gum in his hair and losing his best friend, to being forced to wear his hated railroad-train pajamas. As his mother explains, “some days are like that."

Critical Review:

How can you not love Alexander? His entire day has been a disaster since he got out of bed in the morning. Sure, the choice of an “invisible castle” as a subject in art class may have been ill-advised, and perhaps the presence of lima beans in the evening meal doesn’t truly qualify as catastrophic, but still...

Judith Viorst’s writing in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day practically begs to be read aloud. Alexander’s “voice” is one of the book’s main treats. Viorst has constructed long rambling sentences that beautifully capture the cadence of a breathless child trying to explain just how bad his day has been.

Ray Cruz’s illustrations are also distinctive. The textures he creates through shading are appealing and unique. His “vision” of Alexander is one readers will remember for years to come. Although the clothes, hairstyles, and Mrs. Dickens’ glasses may mark this as a product of the seventies, the scenarios will resonate with children of any decade. Bad days are universal.

Review Excerpts:

Viorst “can enter imaginatively into a child's difficulties without being either tactless or disablingly sympathetic” – Times Literary Supplement (November 23, 1973)

Judith Viorst flawlessly and humorously captures a child's testy temperament, rendering Alexander sympathetic rather than whiny. Our hero's gum-styled hair and peevish countenance are artfully depicted by Ray Cruz's illustrations. – Amazon.com Official Review

Connections:

Read other books by Judith Viorst (I had never read Alexander, but I remember My Mama Says There Aren’t Any Zombies… vividly. Some of the illustrations in that book scared me as a child – I remember them to this day – but I loved it just the same.)

Pair this with a nonfiction high-interest picture book about Australia.

Children can brainstorm other horrible things that could happen on a terrible, horrible, very bad day. Adult scribe could assist in bringing these together to form a new version of the book. Children could illustrate the different scenes. Each child could get a color copy.

Review: What's the Matter, Habibi?

Bibliography:

Lewin, Betsy. 1997. What’s the Matter, Habibi? New York: Clarion. ISBN 039585816X

Plot Summary:

Ahmed uses his camel Habibi to give rides to the local children. One day Habibi sits down and refuses to get up. But what is wrong with Habibi? After giving the camel his shoes, Habibi runs off leaving a distraught Ahmed to search for him. Later Habibi and Ahmed are reunited, Habibi having obtained a red fez making him “the handsomest camel in all the land.” The author states that the book was inspired by a real-life camel driver she and her husband met in Egypt.

Critical Analysis:

What is the matter with the camel Habibi? Given the charming character Lewin creates in Habibi, children will want to find out. Lewin’s playful text is simple and contains rhythmic elements, alliteration (“Ahmed pushed and pulled and pleaded”), and a liberal dose of onomatopoeia (“Then he ran off, slappity-slap, slappity-slap”).

Although the text itself is enjoyable to read, Lewin’s watercolors are what truly create the humor and character in the book. Habibi, in particular, comes to life through the illustrations. Scenes such as Habibi making his getaway in his master’s babouches and the facial expressions he makes while stubbornly refusing to get up are priceless.

The setting is never explicitly stated, but it is obviously Middle Eastern. The author creates a strange blend of old and new through the illustrations. Most of the Middle Eastern offerings are traditional – the babouches, the fez, the hookah pipes, robes, and turbans. These certainly offer opportunities to introduce children to cultural elements that might be unfamiliar. More modern depictions of Middle Eastern life are not present here. Also, while the setting is Middle Eastern, the children in the book are not uniformly so. Lewin’s simple watercolors create a similar “flesh” tone for all of the children in the book that is light-colored, but does not necessarily denote a particular race. In contrast to the traditional attire of Ahmed, the children in the book are dressed in a modern style that looks more Western than Middle Eastern.

Ahmed learns that the needs of Habibi are important, even if Habibi cannot easily express them. Young readers will also understand Habibi’s desire to grow and be appreciated as an individual (in a red fez) in this enjoyable book.

Review Excerpts:

“Lewin's expressive, playful line-and-watercolor illustrations bring to life this funny tale” - School Library Journal (September 1, 1997)

“Lewin's (Chubbo's Pool) agile, spontaneous-looking watercolors combine graceful scrawls and squiggles with watercolor washes, humorously depicting the owner's struggle with his stubborn charge and Habibi's frisky stride through the purple-shadowed crowds of the bazaar” - Publishers Weekly (June 2, 1997)

Connections:

Read other books by Betsy Lewin (i.e. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type) and compare.

Secure a guest speaker or find video to discuss the traditional objects in the book and how they may or may not still play a role in modern Arab culture.

Take a field trip to the zoo and see real camels!

Discuss how animals are able to communicate their needs without speaking. Do people do the same thing?

Review: Kitten's First Full Moon

Bibliography:

Henkes, Kevin. 2004. Kitten’s First Full Moon. New York: Greenwillow. ISBN 0060588292

Plot Summary:

It is night and Kitten is hungry and out on the prowl. She spies the full moon for the first time, and mistakes it for a bowl of milk. After several failed attempts to reach it, Kitten returns home and discovers a nice bowl of milk left out just for her.

Critical Analysis:

The illustrations in Kitten’s Full Moon are striking and create a strong sense of atmosphere. Drawings appear black and white upon first glance, but actually have subtle sepia tones blended in. Objects are boldly outlined. This essentially black-and-white look creates a bit of a spooky mood – we get the sense that this kitten is out for an adventure, one that the reader will be taking along with her. Henkes does a fantastic job of capturing the way things look slightly different at night, without ever making it seem too frightening or threatening.

The writing is simple, but often highly sensory. When Kitten first jumps for the moon, Henkes writes: “But Kitten only tumbled – bumping her nose and banging her ear and pinching her tail. Poor Kitten!” The reader is made to feel the bumps and bruises right along with naïve Kitten. The “Poor Kitten” refrain is also repeated, lending itself well to child participation in read alouds.

Kitten takes us with her on an adventure into the outside world. Sometimes dealing with new situations can be tough and even a little bit scary. Although Kitten repeatedly fails, she has the courage to pick herself up, dust herself off, and continue trying. Her efforts leave her bruised and soaking wet, but she ultimately finds her reward, new knowledge, and a safe haven at home.

Review Excerpts:

Awards and honors include: Caldecott Medal, Bulletin Blue Ribbom (BCCB), Charlotte Zolotow Award, ALA Notable Children’s Book, Texas 2X2 Reading List, Book Sense Pick, School Library Journal Best Book, Publisher’s Weekly Best Book, New York Times Best Book

“An irresistible offering from the multifaceted Henkes” - School Library Journal (April 1, 2004)

“Wise preschoolers may chuckle at the kitten's folly, but they'll also recognize the mysterious power of moonlight to transform the familiar world of daytime into something altogether new” - Booklist (starred review - February 15, 2004)

Connections:

Read other books by Kevin Henkes (such as Wembley Worried)

Have students think of common objects that Kitten might mistake for something else. What kind of adventures might these new objects lead Kitten on?

Have students make Kitten sack puppets and retell the story.

Website - School Library Journal

School Library Journal is (according to their website) the leading print magazine for librarians who work with children, teens, and young adults. School Library Journal also maintains a free website that houses a wealth of useful information. Through its articles and reviews, School Library Journal is a good source of information on different forms of reading for teens. There are numerous articles on technology use and integration, links to blogs such as Good Comics for Kids, and an entire section devoted to digital content. I found an interesting article titled "A Souped-up Picture Book: What Apple's iPad might mean for libraries".

School Library Journal

Although I was already familiar with the website, it came up in a Google search for "multimedia book reviews".

Multimedia - The Future of Books?

Atomic Antelope Ltd. received a good deal of hype recently for their iPad version of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Taking advantage of the iPad's different capabilities, the ebook contains stylized full-color illustrations, animation, and interactive elements (“Tilt your iPad to make Alice grow as big as a house, or shrink to just six inches tall”). Atomic Antelope describes their product as “the digital pop-up book for a Blade Runner generation”. Would young readers be interested? Most definitely. I think that the Alice book clearly shows that there is a lot of potential for mixed media ebooks. Check out the video below.

Alice for the iPad [video]. (2010). Retrieved 1 August, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gew68Qj5kxw

Database Searching

For this competency, I was to investigate a search query using four databases and four search types. The query I chose was “how integrating technological and multimedia components into reading may motivate young readers”.

Search One – ERIC/Building Block

The first database I chose was ERIC and I decided to do a Building Block search. I reduced my query to the following concepts:

Concept 1: technolog* OR multimedia OR multimodal

Concept 2: motivat*

Concept 3: (young AND reader*) OR (teen AND reader*) OR (student*)

I used truncation of terms to allow for different forms of words.

Concept 1 resulted in 117,312 hits

Concept 2 resulted in 49,403 hits

Concept 3 resulted in 572,763 hits

The three terms together resulted in 436 hits. Many of them were not pertinent to my query. I decided to slightly change my concepts to hopefully limit my results better:

Concept 1: technolog* OR multimedia OR multimodal

Concept 2: (motivat* AND read*)

Concept 3: young OR teen OR student*

My results this time were much better: 96 results, generally much more relevant to my query than the prior search.

One of the returned matches was this article:

Larson, L. (2009). e-Reading and e-Responding: New Tools for the next Generation of Readers. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(3), 255-258. Retrieved from ERIC database.

Search Two - LibraryLit/Specific Facet First

My most specific facet was obviously Concept 2.

Searching (motivat* AND read*) in LibraryLit resulted in 139 records. Since my most specific facet had not included the ideas “technology” or “multimedia”, many of the hits were not specifically related to my query. I did find the following article of interest:

Edwards, B. (2009). Motivating Middle School Readers: The Graphic Novel Link. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 25(8), 56-8. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database.

If I were using the most specific facet first technique for this query, I would have further narrowed my search by continuing with a building block or successive fraction search.

Search Three – Academic Search Premier/Successive Fraction

For my third search, I used the ASP database. For my successive fraction search, I began with Concept 3, the broadest of the three concepts.

A search of (young OR teen OR student*) gave 842,244 matches. As expected, few of the returned articles were pertinent to my query.

I added Concept 1 (technolog* OR multimedia OR multimodal). This time my results were limited to 59,073 articles. Again, many of the retrieved articles were not directly about reading or motivation.

I added Concept 3 (motivat* AND read*). This reduced my hits to a very workable 107. Many of these were indeed pertinent to my original search, including the following article:

Hill, R. (2010). When Technology and Books Collide. Book Links, 19(3), 9-11. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

Search Four – LexisNexis/Citation-Pearl Growing

For my fourth search I chose the LexisNexis database. I selected ‘basic search’ and entered my search string:

(young OR teen OR student!) AND (technolog! OR multimedia OR multimodal) AND (motivat! AND reading), limiting my results to the past five years. I received 992 hits, the majority of which were not what I was looking for. Scanning the first page of results, I did find an interesting article relevant to my search:

Karaoke boosts reading skills; Three studies find 'amazing' effect on literacy through singalong computer software”. The Toronto Star, May 14, 2007 Monday, NEWS; Pg. A12, 468 words, Andrea Gordon, Toronto Star.

I selected this story and, after reading the article, decided to narrow my search by two of the subject headings listed at the bottom of the article: “computer software” and “literacy and illiteracy”. I received only 7 hits. I went back to the search screen, keeping the two subject headings, but changing my search to simply “reading”. This time I received 149 hits, several of which were pertinent. One of the hits was:

'They're excited about learning'; Students at all nine English school boards in Quebec - and at many French boards as well - are improving their reading and writing skills with multimedia software developed at Concordia University

The Gazette (Montreal), March 4, 2010 Thursday, NEWS; Pg. A3, 718 words, BRENDA BRANSWELL, The Gazette

Tagging/Indexing/Cataloging - The Invention of Hugo Cabret

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick was published in 2007. It won a Caldecott Medal and was a National Book Award finalist. Selznick describes the book as "not exactly a novel, not quite a picture book, not really a graphic novel, or a flip book or a movie, but a combination of all these things." Although the main character is a young boy (Hugo Cabret), the story involves the silent filmmaker Georges Melies. The story is told through pages of textless illustrations (in a beautiful black and white art style that perfectly complements the subject matter) and pages of traditional text. The illustrations do not merely mirror the text, they actually move the story forward. Attention to both the illustrations and the text is necessary to follow the unfolding story.

Tags: adventure (37), automata (35), caldecott (124), caldecott winner (42), children (45), children's (128), children's fiction (45), children's literature (65), clocks (117), fantasy (86), fiction (289), film (59), france (106), graphic novel (207), historical fiction (129), illustrated (69), illustration (36), inventions (32), juvenile (44), juvenile fiction (40), magic (46), movies (84), mystery (100), orphan (46), orphans (108), paris (181), picture book (41), read (41), robots (38), young adult (136)

http://www.librarything.com/work/1729243/book/62416787

RSS Feed - Comics Worth Reading

Graphic novels and comic books can be great tools for librarians and teachers to use with their reluctant teen readers. Although some educators initially questioned their appropriateness for the classroom, graphic novels and comic books are being incorporated more and more into our schools. The child who is reading a graphic novel or comic book is truly reading, making sense of the story, encountering familiar and unfamiliar words just as in any other book. Literary elements such as character and plot are easily taught using graphic novels and comics. Perhaps most importantly, graphic novels and comics can provide a positive reading experience to children and teens who think they "hate to read". The website www.comicsworthreading.com offers regular news and reviews about comics and graphic novels. I perused the reviews and found several titles that I would definitely be interested in including in my library!