Book Review Part 2

American Library Association Schneider Family Award Go to Book Links

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklinks/index.cfm 



Schneider Family Book Award is an award presented to books that feature and promote people with disabilities.  The article about the award also offers several books that have been award recipients for multiple grade levels from pre-kindergarten through high school.

ALA Book Links magazine contained articles and information on just about everything related to literature.  There are interviews with authors and summaries of various books.  They have included information on increasing understanding of material, ways to implement and engage students in novels, involve readers of other languages, and enjoy poetry.  There are several books that I written down so that I can reserve them at the library, specifically Do unto Otters:  A Book about Manners by Laurie Keller.  Additionally, Someone Named Eva by Joan Wolf is a book that can provide the story of a Jewish child that was raised as German because of her physical features, and this is a part of history that I have never heard. 

Read Roger: Horn Book

http://readroger.hbook.com/index.html

This blog was a little confusing for me until I read several posts and then I realized that he is posting his thoughts.  While there were a few posts that mention the Caldecott and Newberry Awards that included links, there were no posts that directly mentioned the Schneider Family Book Award.  Aside from clinking on the links to other sites, there was information about a Jan Brett contest, and a you tube video that illicit a discussion of the Tiger Mom article.

Heavy Medal

http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/heavymedal

Turtle in Paradise

Heavy Medal blog mentions the Newbery Medal in almost every post.  It discusses books that are on the 2012 list, and winners from previous years.  Shiloh was discussed in passing as part of a list of fantastic middle grade books from the 1990’s.  While I am unfamiliar about several of the books in the list, Shiloh is familiar and a very good book so I am thinking of checking out several of the other books to read and compare my opinions.  I have of course; already put a request in to my library for Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm.  There was no direct mention of the Schneider Family Book Award so I decided to use the search feature to see if it was hidden somewhere.  Alas, there was no match made. 

Planet Esme

http://planetesme.blogspot.com/

Esme mentions both the Newbery and Caldecott Awards, and offers her predictions of medal winners (some of which were correct).  She proclaims that she is a “professional readiologist” and encourages others to join her.  Planet Esme seemed more alive (although not updated since the Meal Winners were announced) by including pictures of the book covers or interior pages.  There was no mention of the Schneider Family Book Award on her blog which was a little disappointing considering she is a “readiologist.” 

Laura’s Life

http://www.lauramitolife.blogspot.com/

 Laura is a 5^th grade student and is obviously a book enthusiast.  She set a reading goal for herself, met that goal, set a new goal, and continues to read books regularly.  I love that she has found pleasure in attending the ALA discussions and wants to attend the upcoming one in New Orleans.  Laura mentions the Newbery Award and has personal reviews posted of the books, but does not mention the Caldecott Award nor the Schneider Family Book Award.  I enjoy reading classic tales with a new twist, and although Laura was not a proponent of Rapunzel’s Revenge I will have to read it simply to satisfy my curiosity.

Book Review Part 1

I selected "My Friend Rabbit" by Eric Rohmann. 
"My Friend Rabbit" was the 2003 Caldecott Medal Winner.

American Library Association Booklist http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist_online/booklistonlinecom/booklistonline.cfm
I was able to find my selected book along with a brief summary of the story.  The listing also provides a review on the illustrations which garnered Eric Rohmann the Caldecott Medal in 2003.  Overall, the site was fairly easy to navigate using the search tool to locate a specific title or author.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/
My Friend Rabbit as not listed on this site that I could find.  A paid subscription was required , but there was a free download available for a list of books recommended for gift giving.  The site was a little confusing to navigate when looking for a specific book, but did have links to Blue Ribbon Award archives.
School Library Journal
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
There was a search bar that made it simple to find a specific book or author, but unfortunately My Friend Rabbit was not one that was included.  I was able to find a summary of the multimedia series version of My Friend Rabbit that was televised on PBS. 
Horn Book
http://www.hbook.com/
The Horn Book was easy to navigate and had several options of publications to search.  If my book selection were the winner of the current years medal awards a review would have been accessible.  There were reviews listed for the ALA Awards 2011, but not available for previous year winners.
Connections: Connecting Books to the Virginia SOLs
http://itweb.fcps.edu/connections/index.cfm
I loved this website!  My selected book was not included, because the content would apply more to the social and emotional aspect of child development.  This site could be used to find books that relate to specific curriculum connections for multiple grade levels or to direct where specific books connect with the curriculum.  The site was easy to navigate and is definitely being added to my favorite list! 
Children’s Literature Web Guide
 http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dKbrown/
This site was helpful.  There were several great links with information that can be used  with literature experiences like the Reader’s Theater.  Unfortunately a large number of the links received error messages of broken links or incorrect address.  While the site contains useful information, I am leery of revisiting the site because of the outdated links.
 Barnes and Noble & Amazon
Barnes and Noble had a list of books titled “My Friend Rabbit” but my specific book was listed number four on the list.  Once I selected the book I was looking for, it provided me with the price of the book, other books that have been purchased by customers that considered my book, and reviews.  The reviews included were from customers that provided a star rating as well as a written opinion on the side, and from formal literary reviews at the bottom.  Amazon had a similar set up with the exception of customer reviews could be read bit it required clicking on an extra tab. The navigation and search feature were easily implemented on both sites. 

When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry...

Caldecott Honor Book 2000

When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry..., by Molly Bang.  Scholastic, 1999.  Traditional Picture Book.

Family, Angry, Smithereens, Volcano, Red, Blue, Calm, Solitude, Nature, Home

Sophie becomes angry and leaves so that she can calm down.

Sophie gets angry at her family.  She wants to smash things into smithereens when she feels like a volcano ready to explode.  The red color of her anger is evident, but as she calms down you notice more blue.  Sophie needed solitude in nature to calm down before she returned home.

Black? White! Day? Night!

Citation: Black?  White!  Day?  Night!   by Laura Vaccaro Seeger.  (Roaring Book Press, 2006). 18p. Concept Picture Book.

Summary: A flip open book of opposites that is filled with pictures that start as one thing and evolve into the opposite.

Critique:

a.         The colorful illustrations and descriptions turn into the opposite with the lifting of a flap. 

b.      While it is the vibrant colors that draw the reader in, it is the imaginative way that one thing transforms into its opposite while incorporating the original picture.  Every page in the book contains an opposite pair, some traditional and others less conventional. 

c.       It looks like a picture of a black bat, but when you lift the flap, the bat becomes part of a white ghost (p.1).  Brown and pink together help create a mountain? Or is pink and brown really a valley (p.9)?    

Curriculum Connection:  Opposites can be connected to science and math or language arts.  Black?  White!  Day?  Night!  has so many curriculum connections and so little time that it is a must have for a classroom library.

My Friend Rabbit

Caldecott Medal Award 2003

Citation: My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann. (Roaring Books Press, 2002). 33p. Traditional Picture Book.

Summary: The friendship and misadventure of Mouse and Rabbit are told with colorful illustrations and bold lines. 

Critique:

a.       The timeless story of friendship using few words and detailed pictures.

b.      The illustrations manage to progress the story without using words.  The adventure of Rabbit allows creative thinking which is reinforced without words using illustrations.

c.       The pictures telling the story of Rabbit and Mouse horizontally and vertically express the necessity of the situation.  The words used through the book are told by the narrator, Mouse who brings the reader in with his thoughts and feelings imploring the reader to view the situation from his perspective.  The Rabbit and Mouse are friends, and even with the misfortune of Rabbit affecting Mouse, they are still there to help one another.

Curriculum Connection:  Classrooms can have discussions about problem solving and friendship after reading this book.

Tops & Bottoms

Caldecott Honor Book 1996

Citation: Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens, (Scholastic, 1995). 32p. Concept Picture Book.

Summary: The tale of Bear and the Hare family’s business arrangement is described and altered over the course of several planting and harvesting seasons.   

Critique:

a.       The illustrations are what captivates the reader and brings them into the story.

b.      The illustrations are vibrant and engaging holding the audience’s attention.  On several of the pages there is a large brown text box with the written story which can draw the reader away from the illustrations.

c.       The illustrations in the book are to be viewed vertically on each page.  This practice adds to the nature of the story and reinforces the concepts of top and bottom.  When Bear is given the option of the top or bottom during planting season and the Hare family always agrees to Bear’s choice and honors the agreement, it never seems to work out for Bear.  “Now, Hare, you’ve tricked me.  You plant this field again- and this season I want the bottoms!” (p. 16).

Curriculum Connection:  Tops & Bottoms can be used within a science curriculum to demonstrate vegetables that grow above ground and underground.  The delightful misfortune of Bear’s laziness and the Hare family work ethic demonstrate that work and study skills can benefit you in all aspects. 

Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin

Caldecott Honor Book 1996

Citation: Zin!  Zin!  Zin!  a Violin by Lloyd Moss.  Illus. by Marjorie Priceman, (Simon & Schuster, 1995). 27p. Traditional Picture Book.

Summary: A rhyming, counting journey as each instrument takes its turn in the symphony.  The verse of the story and the detailed illustrations present unfamiliar information in an easy to recall presentation.

Critique:

a.         A wonderfully written quatrain that introduces all of the instruments necessary for a symphony and how that instrument works together with the one before it.

b.      Each instrument is introduced with a rhyme, and how that instrument adds to the one before it to create a new numerical group.  The illustration of each new instrument is prominent with the previous instruments included in the background.  The addition of each new musical device provides the formal symphonic names based on the number in the group.

c.       “With steely keys that softly click, Its breezy notes so darkly slick, A sleek, black, woody CLARINET Is number SEVEN – now SEPTET” (p.14) provides a description of the instrument and how the addition of the clarinet changes the name of the group. Just like a symphony, “If we clap loud and shout, ‘Encore!’  They may come out and play once more” (p.26). 

Curriculum Connection:  Rhythm and count is just as important in music as the notes.  Zin!  Zin!  Zin!  a Violin combines all three of these elements in a delightful story perfect for every music classroom.

Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type

Caldecott Honor Book 2001

Citation: Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin.  Illus. By Betsy Lewin, (Scholastic, 2000). 29p. Traditional Picture Book.

Summary: Farmer Brown receives requests and demands from his typing cows.

Critique:

a.         An entertaining story of farm animal demands.  The storyline progresses using a cause and effect situation by having the cows type their requests for Farmer Brown.

b.      Repetitive language from the cow’s move the story along that leaves the reader smiling and laughing at the cows notes.  Farmer Brown, not willing to be manipulated by typing cows, refuses the request, and as a result must suffer the consequences.  The illustrations enhance the story and help move it along.

c.       “The barn is very cold at night.  We’d like some electric blankets” (p.6) seems like a simple request even though it is a request from a cow.  The request is denied so the cows enlist the help of the hens.  “Closed.  No milk.  No eggs” (p.14).  Finally as a negotiation, Duck becomes the mediator and brokers the deal between Farmer Brown and the cows.  Now the ducks have a typed request for Farmer Brown.

Curriculum Connection:  Farm animals that type is an amusing idea, one that will hold the attention of readers both young and old.  The story is told to showcase requests, demands, negotiations, and compromise.  Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type is a necessary story for every classroom.

Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z

Citation: Eating the Alphabet:  Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z by Lois Ehlert, (Voyager Books, 1989). 34p. Alphabet Picture Book.

Summary: More than apples and zucchini.  Learn the alphabet from A to Z naming the various fruits and vegetables that begin with those letters.

Critique:

a.       Of course the regular fruits and vegetables come to mind when thinking of specific letters.  The entire alphabet is covered and is some food is unusual and surprising.

b.      A traditional alphabet book with a non-traditional twist.  Exploring the alphabet using depictions of fruits and vegetables is interesting enough to find the letter in each word while wondering what other foods are still to come.  While some examples are unfamiliar, every letter is represented with a traditional food name.

c.       Some foods are familiar and some are not.  Consider “C for corn, celery and currant” (p.6).  Imagine “K is for kiwifruit and Kohlrabi” (p.13). “X stands for Xigua” (p. 28).  I am intrigued and ready to try and eat the alphabet.

Curriculum Connection:  A wonderful addition to the library of alphabet books.  The familiar foods will allow children to make a connection with the letter.  Eating the Alphabet is a must have for all early childhood classrooms.

Feast for 10

Feast for 10, by Cathryn Falwell.  Clarion Books, 1993.   Picture Books - Counting

Numerals, Feast, Gathering, Consumer, Culinary, Relatives, Ingredients, Multicultural, Organize, Hungry

Relatives shop and prepare for a gathering and feast.

Go on a counting journey as the family prepares for a gathering and feast to the grocery store and throughout dinner preparation.  The family adventure is easily relatable for anyone that has cooked a meal for family.  Colorful pictures and family depiction enhance the counting story of the family feast.

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Writing my first annotation was difficult.  The  teaser and annotation word limit was difficult to manage.  I had to rewrite, change, and DELETE several times before finally successfully meeting the word limit.  I suppose this is a good challenge to have oppossed to not having enough to say about the story.  Hopefully with feedback my annotations will improve and I will be prepared for my first critique!

I am a Reader

From my earliest memories, I remember watching my dad read books and magazines and newspapers.  When he was at home he read something, and when he was traveling I remember books being packed in his suitcase.  I do not remember my mom reading quite as much for pleasure as my dad.  Every day she would read the newspaper, and I have vivid memories of her reading with me.
Books have always been a staple in my life.  At five years old, I remember having the Disney book and a 45 record (telling my age with that), and holding it up for my dolls and stuffed animals to see.  At that age I knew that stories and reading were important, and whether I was reading or listening I was developing the desire to be a life long story enthusiast.
Once I became a parent books were just as important.  For holidays, celebrations, and day to day books were presented to my sons.  We would read together, and their interpertations of stories would tickle my insides before they could read the words printed.  Fortunately, they continue to enjoy reading for pleasure at the ripe old ages of fifteen and twelve.  Of course, the books often reflect their current interests which is something I do not always understand, but at least they are reading and expanding their mind.
As a child, I was very much a girly girl who loved stories of princesses and happily ever after.  Cinderella, Snow White, and Lady and the Tramp were probably the most worn and tattered books I had.  Since having boys in my life and working with young children, I would say that by far my favorite children's book is "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak.  The idea that Max can have an adventure that takes him on a journey before returning home demonstrates the power of the imagination and creativity of young children.
Books and stories will always be a part of my life.  I read as a child and an adult.  I read as a parent.  I read as a teacher and student.  I will read as a grandparent - many years from now, of course.  I am a reader!