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.

Mr. Popper's Penguins

John Newbery Medal Honor Book 1939

Citation:

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard & Florence Atwater.  Illustrations by Robert Lawson.  (Little, Brown and Company, 1939).  139p. Fantasy Junior Book.

Summary:

Mr. Popper receives a large crate from Antarctica that alters his life forever. 

Critique:

a.         The story unfolds as Mr. Popper’s desire is granted when he receives a penguin from Antarctica.

b.         The lively and entertaining story engages the reader in the dreams of Mr. Popper and the antics of his penguin, Capt. Cook and how it affects the Popper house hold.  The story evolves with the addition of Greta and eventually the chicks, and the actions and tricks continue to evolve and grow.  

c.         Capt. Cook needed a place to nest so he was given the refrigerator and the food was removed (p. 29) and the cellar was turned into a frozen haven for the Popper Penguins (p. 75) were only a few of the changes that the Popper’s endured for their pets. The way of life the Popper’s were used to was just beginning to change.

Curriculum Connection:  

Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a timeless classic that will entertain and intrigue young readers to see what the Penguins will do next.  The book could be used to introduce seasonal changes or the different climates required for arctic animals, while engaging the student.

The Unsinkable Walker Bean

From Mild Geek to Courageous Explorer

The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Renier.  First Second A Aaron Renier Book, 2010).  195 p.  Graphic Novel Junior Book.

Voyage, Creatures, Treasure, Journey, Curse, Courage, Pirate, Expedition, Explosive, Together

Walker together with his friends courageously embarks on an expedition.

Walker’s crew goes on a voyage to return a cursed treasure to the creatures that sought the skull.  Their journey places them with pirates and challenges to meet and defeat including avoiding the curse and surviving the creatures.  The explosive culmination of Walker’s journey is both riveting and sad.

Athena Grey-Eyed Goddess

School Library Journal Best Books Winner 2010

Citation:

Athena Grey-Eyed Goddess by George O’Connor.  (First Second A Neal Porter Book, 2010).  77p. Graphic Novel Junior Book.

Summary:

Athena, a descendant of the Fates, life and relationships are explored visually.

Critique:

a.        The pictures engage the reader in the story of the Greek Goddess, Athena.

b.        The frames and speech bubbles give a comic book feeling to the story which assists in engaging the student in reading the learning the history of the Greek Gods.  The information pages at the culmination of the book are also written with young readers in mind with limited words and brief explanations.

c.         Athena’s battle with Pallas over the affection of Zeus altered Athena’s life in a way she could not have envisioned at the start of the fight (p. 20 – 24) expresses her anger, determination, and sorrow within the context of individual frames.  Information pages include sacred symbols and legacy and other key information.

Curriculum Connection:  

Athena Grey-Eyed Goddess is a story that will engage young readers and peak their interest.  This would be a good book to use in the third grade study of ancient Greece or in the introduction of mythology.

Turtle in Paradise

John Newbery Medal Honor Book 2011

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm.  Random House, 2010.  191 p.  Historical Fiction Junior Book.

Adventure, Discovery, Family, Challenges, Depression, Swindler, Heritage, Treasure, Journey

Turtle’s adventure begins when she discovers life with family.

Turtle is sent to Florida during the Depression to live with family where she discovers her heritage.  She endures challenges and embarks on journeys that allow self discovery.  A long lost treasure is found and divided until the Swindler takes it, which leaves Turtle with the best treasure of all – family.

Someone Named Eva

Junior Library Guild Spring Selection 2007

Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf.  Clarion Books, 2007.  200 p.  Historical Fiction Junior Book.

Nazi, Identity, Reunion, Brainwash, Removed, Hidden, Memories, Family, Treasure, Aryan

Milada’s Aryan features elicit removal from her family by German Nazis.

The Nazi’s change Milada’s identity to Eva.  Subsequent trainings and brainwashing encourage Eva to become a good German girl, but she keeps memories of her Czech family hidden.  Milada hides and wears a pin her grandmother gave her and holds on to the treasure until she is reunited with her mother.

Go Big or Go Home

A meteorite blazes the way to extreme adventure

Citation:

Go Big or Go Home by Will Hobbs.  (HarperCollins  Publishers, 2008).  185p. Science Fiction Junior Book.

Summary:

After FRED, a meteorite, crashes into Brady’s bedroom, he begins to experience physical changes.

Critique:

a.         The effects that Brady experiences after his encounter with Far Roaming Earth Diver (FRED) unfold leaving the reader experiencing feelings of excitement and concern.

b.         The encounter with FRED has side effects that Brady initially welcomes and eventually leaves him in jeopardy.  The supernatural, extreme adventures involve Brady and his cousin, Quinn who enlist the help of others within their Black Hills community.

c.         “ ‘That’s how Brady got the Mars bacteria into his system.  Well, Attila dropped in his tracks only a matter of hours after Brady did…So maybe Attila’s only dormant!’ Buzz cried” (p. 171) provides an extraterrestrial twist to young boys who revel in all things extreme.  

Curriculum Connection:  

Go Big or Go Home is extreme.  It is extreme in descriptions, adventures, and celestial experiences.  This book could be used in a science lesson about space travel and meteorites to discuss and test the possibility of reactions to foreign objects. There are several references to caverns, stalactites and stalagmites, and topography that it could also be used to compare the book descriptions to actual opportunities of a field trip to Luray Caverns or the Caverns at Natural Bridge.

A Suitcase of Seaweed

Claremont Stone Center Recognition of Merit Award Winner

Citation:

A Suitcase of Seaweed and other poems by Janet S. Wong.  (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 1996).  42p. Poetry Junior Book.

Summary:

A collection of poems representing the multiple facets of growing up multicultural within America.

Critique:

a.         Wong’s introduction before each cultural section of poems helps the reader make personal connections regardless of ethnicity.

b.         Separating the cultural poetry references – Korean, Chinese, and American – helps Wong compartmentalize her poems while making familial connections anyone can relate to.  The poems are simple yet telling about Wong’s childhood memories.

c.         “Our family / is a quilt / of odd remnants/ patched together/ in a strange/ pattern,/ threads fraying,/ fabric wearing then--/ but made to keep/ its warmth/ even in bitter / cold” (p.42) is easily related to regardless of ethnicity or culture and explains Wong’s heritage and family connections in one simple, easy to read poem.  

Curriculum Connection:  

A Suitcase of Seaweed is a book of poetry that would be a nice addition to a middle school English classroom that is studying the various styles of poetry and how feelings and memories can be conveyed in a few simple words.

Among the Hidden

ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Citation:

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. (Aladdin Paperbacks, 2000).  153p. Science Fiction Junior Book.

Summary:

Luke, a third child, lives hidden and in fear of being discovered by the Population Police until he befriends another “third.”

Critique:

a.         The story of Luke, a shadow child, pulls at the heartstrings of a parent of multiple children and reels in the reader with the feelings of fear, sympathy, and hope.

b.         The plight of Luke unfolds as the narrator shares his feelings of being alone, hopeless, scared, and brave as he searches for a life outside of the shadows.  When at his lowest point of self-pity, Luke makes a discovery that consumes his thoughts and eventually alters his life and future.  The author describes Luke’s feelings with such detail that the reader can envision him in situations and sympathize for his circumstances.

c.         “He took a deep breath, looking forward toward the Sports Family’s house, then back again toward his own.  He thought about returning home – trudging up the worn stairs, back to his familiar room and the walls he stared at every day.  Suddenly he hated his house.  It wasn’t a sanctuary.  It was a prison” (p.55) is the exact moment that Luke’s life changed in a way he never could have expected or fathomed.  

Curriculum Connection:  

Among the Hidden is a story that a middle school student could read when expected to understand laws that limit personal liberties or how a few people can make a difference.  The story may be interesting to upper elementary age students as well, but the graphic descriptions may be too much for them, unless it is being used as a follow-up to the Social Studies Trail of Tears lessons.