Yuyi Morales Glog



Award Winning Author & Illustrator

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The Woods Scientist

NTSA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book 2004

Citation:

The Woods Scientist by Stephen R. Swinburne.  Photographs by Susan C. Morse.  (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002).  48p. Informational Junior Book.

Summary:

Sue Morse allows the reader to listen in on her lessons of forestry knowledge.

Critique:

a.         The stories and expertise provided are useful and the photographs enhance the information being explained

b.          Personal accounts from Sue and hands on experiences of the voyager take the reader on the learning trip through the woods.  Facts about markings, seeds, and animals are explained and their connectedness to one another. 

c.         Bear claw marks on a tree are discovered along with two holes, so the question of what made them is posed to the group.  Predictions and suggestions are made, although none were correct.  Sue helped the group out by providing a hands-on example (p. 20-22).

Curriculum Connection:  

The Woods Scientist would be well suited in any classroom that studies science.  There are plenty of references and explanations about forestry and wildlife, ecosystems, and habitats that it can be used in several grade levels.

My Dog May Be a Genius

Junior Library Guild Selection 2008
First Children's Poet Laureate

Citation:

My Dog May be a Genius by Jack Prelutsky.  Illustrations by James Stevenson.  (Greenwillow Books, 2008).  160p. Poetry Junior Book.

Summary:

A collection of amusing poems for children of all ages.

Critique:

a.         The fun, imaginative prose and pictures engage the reader in multiple styles of poetry.

b.          The drawings are unadorned yet detailed enough to convey the meaning of the poem.  The imaginative words and adventures in the poems take the reader on a laughing voyage.

c.         A Letter from Camp (p.14), Because I Don’t Like Lima Beans (p. 32), and My Sister’s Taking Lessons (p. 108) are some of the poems told using from first person point of view.  The Laugh of the Luffer (p. 86) and A Problem with the Probbles (p. 102) engage the reader with curiosity of imaginative creatures.

Curriculum Connection:  

My Dog is a Genius is a collection of poems that could be used with any grade level within a lesson on poetry.

The Voice that Challenged a Nation

John Newbery Honor Book 2005
Orbis Pictus Honor Book 2005
ALA Best Book for Young Adults 2004
ALA Notable Children's Book 2004

The Voice that Challenged a Nation:  Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman.  Clarion Books, 2004.  114 p.  Biography Junior Book.

Concert, Contralto, Forbidden, Abroad, Separate, Discrimination, Triumph, Barrier, African-American, Woman

Forbidden from performing in some concerts, an African-American woman broke barriers.

A contralto singer, Marian Anderson, was renowned abroad but was required to perform in separate venues in her home country, the U.S.A.  After years of discrimination, she began to require integration in her concerts.  Eventually she triumphed and her concerts were totally integrated which aided the Civil Rights struggle.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

ALA Notable Children's Book 1974

Citation:

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.  (HarperCollins Publishers, 2004).  183p. Poetry Junior Book.

Summary:

A humorous collection of poems that a reader of any age could enjoy.

Critique:

a.         The silliness and fun of the poetry and drawings delights the mind and the heart.

b.          The drawings are simple yet provide a story to the poem.  The word choice and adventures in the poem take the reader on a giggling journey.

c.         “KERPLOP” (p. 31) describes to your mind the sound of Sky Seasoning.  “But what’s one dentist, more or less?” (p. 66) leads the reader to conclude the ending in “The Crocodile’s Toothache.  “I have a Band-Aid on my finger,” (p. 140) is just the start of the Band-Aid explosion.

Curriculum Connection:  

Where the Sidewalk Ends is a collection of poetry that offers various styles of prose and rhyme.  The diversity of form could be used in any and all poetry lessons.

Meanwhile

3,856 Story Possibilities

Citation:

Meanwhile by Jason Shiga.  (Amulet Books, 2010).  75p. Graphic Novel Junior Book.

Summary:

Chocolate or Vanilla?  The answer you give will take you on a different adventure that could lead to doom or delight.

Critique:

a.         The chance to alter the story and have a different adventure each time you read this book will engage the same reader time and again.

b.         The opportunity to follow a different path by moving up, down, left, and right is an entertaining as it is frustrating.  You may have chosen a path that ends in doom, and you have to start over taking a different path hoping to find the one that leads to happiness and delight.  The frame pictures and different color paths allow the easy navigation of your story.    

c.         “END” (p. 20, 22, 25, 38, 58) is all it says when your path has finished.  Time to start over.

Curriculum Connection:  

Meanwhile is a great graphic novel that will pull in the most reluctant reader.  The opportunity to change the ending or the middle would be a great connection to language arts lessons on alternate endings.

No Talking

Mock Newbery Winner 2007
Young Readers Choice Award -Junior Nominee 2010

Citation:

No Talking by Andrew Clements.  Illustrations by Mark Elliott.  (Simon & Schuster Books, 2007).  146p. Contemporary Realism Junior Book.

Summary:

Dave and Lynsey lead the fifth grade boys and girls in a competition to see which group can win a no talking contest. 

Critique:

a.         A challenge of boys against girls fuels the story as a battle of the adolescent sexes unfold as the reader turns the pages.

b.         The timeless tale of male versus female is told in a new updated younger version that proves that an old concept can be given new life.  The story is well written to pull the reader into the story by hoping that their choice will win, but rooting for Dave the narrator. 

c.         “And there’s a way to prove that girls talk way more than boys.  Unless you’re afraid of some competition” (p. 21) is how the challenge begins.  “She had made the contest an exact tie” (p. 145) allows the battle to rage on for future generations.

Curriculum Connection:  

No Talking will delight any adolescent reader that remains apprehensive about the opposite sex.  The competition in the story could easily be used as an introduction to the importance of body language.  The idea of Dave and Lynsey keeping a record of words could also assist in the math lesson of tally marks.