Novel

"Locomotion" by Jacqueline Woodson

Rating: I would give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars.

This is an amazing novel that pulls on your heart strings. The entire time I was reading this book I really felt for Lonnie. It made me feel good to know that he found comfort in writing. I know he is a fictional character but his problems are ones that real children may be experiencing or experienced. I want to incorporate writing into my classroom to hopefully provide children the same safe haven Lonnie found in writing.

For the first fifty pages of this novel I thought Lonnie was a girl. This could be due to my schema with the name Lonnie. Every Lonnie I know is a girl so I was fairly surprised to find out that she was in fact a he. I could not imagine the pain that this young boy is feeling. He lost his mother, father and in a way his sister. He knows that not many families want to adopt or house a boy who is his age and he was bounced around from church family to church family until there were no more families. He lives a with a women who tells him to be quiet which is what turns him toward writing. Miss.Edna does, in a way, show Lonnie love. She continues to house and feed him and allows him to come along on her trips to see her sons. I believe that Miss Edna's son, Rodney, has a great influence on Lonnie's life. He has no adult male figure to look up to and Rodney is very accepting of him calling him his little brother.

I am surprised that the foster care system would not do its best to keep Lonnie and Lili together. They are lucky they live relatively close to each other. She is the only family he has left. I love the innocence of Lili's thought process. She believes that if he finds God they will be together. If Lonnie can finish the bible and find Him they will be allowed to see each other everyday. Little does she know life is more complicated then that.

"The Giver"

"The Giver" by Lois Lowry

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. Unlike most people, I had never read this book before so I did not know what to expect. I sat down to read the first couple chapters and I found that the book was hard to put down. I was captivated by the live that Jonas was explaining. Those who live in a civilization such as the one we find ourself living in, could not even imagine what living in this particular culture per say would be like. A culture that sees in black and white, where all children have the same birthday celebrated by a special ceremony and after the ceremony of twelve age is simply forgotten. Each ceremony is similar to our cultures birthday parties, each child receives a "gift" or a new priviledge in society. For example, nines get their bicycles which is their equivalent of a car and as you progress through your years you get a new jacket or get to take down the braids in your hair. In our society, when children turn 16 they may receive their drivers license which will most likely lead to a car and at each birthday celebration children receive various gifts such as bikes or clothes. In their society you are not to ask questions or to be rude. Apologies are scripted and spoke with no meaning, and apologies are expected to be accepted immediately. This is something that does not occur often in our society. It is okay for you to be mad at someone and to sometimes not accept their apologies. 


One thing that surprised me was that people did not see in color. I did not understand the scene with Jonas and Asher playing with the apple. I didn't understand this concept until later in the book. I also think that Jonas's placement was more of a punishment instead of an honor. The elders make it seem like such an amazing and important job when in reality it is an extreme burden. Jonas begins to feel things that no one else in the society can feel, he knows pain and love and killing. This is a lot for a young boy to feel and he has no one to talk to besides the giver. He begins to be unable to relate to his peers and family because he sees what life could be like when it is filled with love, family and genuine happiness and freedom. This brings me to another point in this book that shocked me. I could not imagine a life without love. While Jonas's parents admit to enjoying his presence, there is no love shown between parents and parents and children. Also, the fact that there were no extended families. No aunts, uncles, cousins or grandparents to share memories with. All throughout the book I was skeptical about the release process, so it was not surprising when my thoughts were varified. 


The concept of "sameness" is something that this society highly values. The population not being able to see colors allows this concept to take flight. There are some things that even black and white can't hide. Jonas has light eyes, which is something that is never spoken of but it is a difference that can be seen with their vision. 

Lois Lowry

I was also very disappointed with the ending of this book. I am someone who likes a clear cut ending, whether it be happy or sad. I choose to believe that Jonas and Gabe live to find a society that is similar to ours. I believe that everything Jonas did was for what he believed was right and that he did find happier days. Overall, this is an amazing book and hopefully one that I will get an opportunity to use in my classroom. 

5 Picture Books

"When I Was Young in the Mountains"
by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Diane Goode

Rating: I would give this book 4 **** out of 5 stars.
This book is a Caldecott Honor winner.

Summary: This is a story about a young girl and boy who live in the mountains. She explains all of the things she and her family would do on a daily basis. For example, her grandmother making dinner and going to the local store to buy butter. She also shares the most vivid memories she holds close to her heart. At the conclusion of the book, she states that when she was young she never wanted to be anywhere else except the mountains.

I really enjoy this book. The illustrations accompany the words on the page exquisitely. This book would be great to use with children in first or second grade. You could use this book to teach students about what life is like in the mountains compared to the rural and city neighborhoods. This book could also be used to teach students about what life was like 50-100 years ago. Such as, how the children pumped the water from the well and warmed it for their baths or how the bathroom was in a special house outside of the home. This book also introduces new vocabulary to students such as Okra, johnny-house and hoe. The topic of religion and baptism is also discussed in this book. This book could be considered controversial due to this reason, but I believe it is important for students to see how different religions existed at different points in time. Therefore, I would still read this book to my class. You could also relate this book to the different landscapes of the United States, which could relate to your students home landscapes or what their favorite vacation spots look like. This would be a great addition to your students writers notebooks! You could also ask students to make this entry in their writers notebooks (if they choose): "When I Was Young in the...." have them fill in the blank and write a page to add to a class book.

"Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge"
 is written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Julie Vivas.

Rating: I would give this book 4 **** out of 5 stars

Summary: This story is about a little boy who lives next to and old persons home. He has a special and unique bond with each person who lives there, especially Miss Nancy. One night he over hears his parents say that Miss Nancy has lost her memory. He asks all of his old friends what a memory is, goes home and fills a box with his memories and shares that box with Miss Nancy which brings back her memory.

This would be a great book to read with students who are in third or fourth grade. You could discuss with children what they think a memory is and if they have one that is especially special and if they do to write about it in their notebooks. This could also give students the opportunity to create their own "memory box". They could bring things in from home that represent fond memories they have stored away in their minds and can share with the rest of the class. This book could also help teach students about the structure of stories and transition words such as next and then. You could also incorporate a lesson about how friends can be any age. It does not matter if you are six of ninety six.

"The Lotus Seed"
by Sherry Garland and illustrated by Tatsuro Kiuchi

Rating: I would give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars.

Summary: The Lotus Seed is about a young girl's grandmother's story about her journey to America. Her grandmother keeps a lotus seed with her to remember he home land by. One night, her younger brother planted the seed and Ba found the flower days later. Once the seed blossomed into a pod she gave her grandchildren a seed to remember her by. The young girl put the seed in a safe place to hopefully give to her future children.

The Lotus Seed is an incredible story that would be great to use with students from first to fourth grade. This book needs a little pre-reading activity. Anything that will activate and or broaden students schema. You would need to find out what students already know about the Chinese culture. This would be a great book to use while talking about the different cultures of the world. You could use this book along with other books about various countries. You could read these books, have children research some facts on their own and have a day to celebrate all of the countries with their traditional dress and food dishes. This is also an amazing way to teach students about diversity and to incorporate diversity into your classroom. Since this topic is a little more complex then most books this is a great book to use while teaching children about asking questions. After reading the story once through, the class can make a chart with any questions that came to mind during the reading. You can also incorporate how to find answers to these questions by labeling each question with a T for text, I for inferring and OS for outside source. (Miller 2003).


"Goldilicious" by Victoria Kann

Rating: I would give this book 3 *** out of 5 stars.

Summary: This book is about a young girl and her imaginary friend named Goldilicious who is a unicorn. Pinkalicious and Peter, her younger brother, go on many adventures with Goldilicious until she flies away in a hot air balloon. Thinking Goldilicous is lost, Pinkalicious is sad but finds her waiting in her bed that night.

This book is appropriate for children who are in first or second grade. I like the complexity of the language this book contains but I do not think it would be a book I would use for a mini-lesson. It does encourage students to have imaginary friends and to use their imagination during play and school. You could recommend this book to students with siblings because Pinkalicious and her brother don't get along at the beginning of the book, but through playing and imagining all of the adventures Goldilicious would take them on they become much closer. This would be a good book to suggest to students who are having trouble finding a topic to write about in their writers notebook.


"Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes

Rating: I give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars

Summary: Chrysanthemum is a young mouse who loves her name, until she begins school. Her classmates make fun of her name and she wishes she could have a simpler name. Until one day the music teacher Mrs. Twinkle told the class she was also named after a flower and if her baby is a girl she was going to name her Chrysanthemum. Everyone wanted to be named after a flower and Chrysanthemum finally appreciates her name.

I am in love with this book. It is so beautifully written and illustrated. The summary that is written above does not do the book justice. I highly recommend this book to teachers in first to fifth grade classrooms. This is a rather long book, so if you are going to use it with younger children it is best that you read it to them a few times. The vocabulary in this book is out of this world, this book will definitely broaden children's knowledge of words. You could also use this book to learn about children's names and where they came from (again, another great entry in the writers notebook!). This book can also be used to encourage children to love everything about themselves and why it is important to not tease each other. This would be a great book to use in the beginning of the year. You can learn about your students on a personal level and also reinforce the concept of building a community in the classroom.

Controversial Picture Books

"Rose Blanche"
 is a controversial picture book written by Roberto Innocenti and Christophe Gallaz.
I give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars.

Summary: Rose Blanche is a school age girl in Nazi Germany. She sees the soldiers in the streets with tanks. She is very descriptive of the sights and sounds she experienced. One day she witnesses a young boy jump out of the back of a truck and try to run away. Soldiers with guns stop him (pictured below) and force him back into the vehicle. She is interested in where the tank is going and decides to follow it. She follows it to a concentration camp where she becomes friends with the children inside. Over the course of the next few days, she steals food and feeds the children. One day, Rose left school early to run to the concentration camp. She saw the soldiers driving the opposite direction from the camp, confused she runs to the camp where nothing stands. In the scene, Rose places a flower on the barbed wire and there are soldiers in the background shooting. These soldiers are dressed different than the Nazi's she is used to seeing. The next scene shows a damaged town and Rose's mother is awaiting Roses return. The seasons begin to change with no return. The last image is the flower rose once held, wilting away on the barbed wire.

This book is extremely controversial. The images are very vivid. You open the book and the first thing you see is Nazi Germany with swasticas plastered everywhere. When Rose finds the concentration camp the children are very thin and only become thinner as the story progresses. Although the images and content are controversial I believe the story it tells allows children to visualize what happened during that time period. We can teach them fact after fact but this story, although fictional, gives them a perspective from someone who would have been around their age. It is also rather educational and can be used as a "mini-lesson" when talking about this time period. Parents may disagree with your choice to use this book in your curriculum and you need to be prepared to defend your choice.





"Where Did I Come From?"
is written by Peter Mayle, illustrated by Arthur Robins and designed by Paul Walter.

I would give this book 2 ** out of 5 stars.

Summary: This book explains to children how babies are made. They begin by the mother and father loving each other very much (pictures included) and explain the act of making love. What happens when making love is over and how a baby progresses throughout the nine months they are inside the mother. This book also describes the labor process and why children have belly-buttons.

This book is helpful for parents whose children are asking questions such as where do babies come from? But I do not believe this book has a place in an elementary education classroom. The content is not vulgar but the pictures that accompany are a little inappropriate for children in first or second grade to see. This book may also send some parents into an up roar. Parents may not be ready to tell their children about this process and may believe that a classroom at this age is not appropriate either. This book would be helpful for children of all ages who ask these types of questions but I am not sure if it is right for the classroom.

Fairy Tales and Dr. Seuss

Fairy Tales 


"The Princess and the Pea" after the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen is captured by Polly Borland and Lauren Child.


I would give this book a 4 **** out of 5 stars.


Summary: The Princess and the Pea is about a Prince whose parents are encouraging him to find a wife. He would like to marry someone who is mesmerizing, fascinating and has that "certain something". His parents only had one wish, for his wife to be of blue blood and equal in royalness. His parents held a ball where the prince found no one who sparked his interest. The Prince travelled to many kingdoms in search of a wife, but he found no such women who fulfilled his wishes. One night, a women with dark, dark hair decided to take a walk to see the moon. She soon became lost and stumbled upon the castle. The King and Queen opened their doors and allowed the young women to stay the night in the castle. The Queen put a small pea underneath a bed made up of many layers of bedding. Her test was to see if the young women would sleep well, and she did not. The women lied to the Queen in order to be polite, she went down to breakfast and locked eyes with the Prince. The two were soon married.

-I am very fond of this book. I have heard this story many times and this is a very interesting re-telling of the tale. The pictures are exquisite. They are packed with color and they include some 3D images. They are very captivating and interesting, as well as the cover. The cover is eye-catching, with bright colors and fantastic pictures. I would use this book for children who are in first grade all the way up until fifth grade. This book contains some difficult language that would challenge students in an appropriate way. This book also teaches some valuable moral lessons. This book teaches children about manners, being polite to others and taking care of each other when they are in need. This book also brings up the idea of marrying for love instead of status or money (which I know children of this age do not have to worry about but it is an important concept that is brought up often in our society).






"The Little Match Girl" 
was written by Hans Christian Anderson, retold by Christine San Jose and illustrated by Anastassija Archipowa. 

I would give this book 3 *** out of 5 stars. 

Summary: It is the New Year and a small girl is trying to sell matches to the townspeople for pennies to bring back to her father who is abusive and an alcoholic. She is unsuccessful in selling matches and is afraid to go him. She decides to light the matches and when she does she sees beautiful visions of Christmas trees, burning stoves and delicious dinners. She lit a match and saw her grandmother in heaven, she knew the image would fade if she did not light all of her matches, so she did. She begged her grandmother to take her to heaven with her and her wish was granted. The next day the townspeople find the young girls body in the street and the story ends with the young girl and her grandmother sailing off into the light.

-This book contains some very controversial issues and illustrations. The Little Match Girl is afraid to go home without money because her father might beat her. Her father is also depicted as an alcoholic. These are prevalent issues in our society that many children experience. This book could offer those children comfort and let them know that they are not alone in their ordeals. The little girls grandmother also dies during the story. Her grandmother was very important to her. She states that her grandmother was the only one who loved her. Many children experience loss and tragedy and they may be able to identify with character and her emotions. The little girl sees her grandmother in heaven and they talk about God, the next morning the people in the village find her body in the street. This is a very dark fairy tale, it is not your typical happy ending but it does pose some real-life problems and issues children may face. I would use this book with children who are in 3^rd grade but I would keep this book in my classroom library if I taught younger children as well. I believe some parents may have issues with this book existing in classrooms but I believe it is important for children to know these things happen to everyone and that if they experience loss or tragedy they are not alone.

Dr Seuss

"The Sneetches" is written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. 

I would give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars. I would use this book with children in grades kindergarten through 4th grade. 

Summary: This book is about two groups of Sneetches, who either have stars on their stomachs or don’t. The Sneetches with stars exclude the Sneetches with stars in every activity. One day Sylvester McMonkey McBean comes along with a solution to the problem. He told the Sneetches he could give them stars on their stomachs for 3 dollars each. The star-bellied Sneetches were very angry when they could not tell themselves apart from the starless-bellied Sneetches. Sylvester McMonkey McBean tells the star-bellied Sneetches he can remove their stars for 10 dollars each. This was a constant cycle, the Sneetches were never happy while Sylvester McMonkey McBean made an enormous amount of money. He drove away saying Sneetches will never learn their lesson and that day they did. They learned that it does not matter if you have stars or not they are all the same.

I absolutely love this book, Dr. Seuss is one of my favorite authors. These books contain rhythm and rhyme and teach children valuable lessons. Children will be entranced by the rhyming words and comical drawings, and little do they know that this story is teaching them things about life that are important. This book in particular teaches them that diversity is something that should be valued and embraced. It does not matter what other children look like, they are all equal and deserve to be treated so. 

 

"The Zax" is written and illustrated by Dr.Seuss

I would give this story 4 **** out of 5 stars.




"The Zax" is a short story about two Zax's who are heading in opposite directions (one traveling North and the other traveling South) and find their paths crossing in the middle of the desert. Each Zax is set on sticking to the path they sat out on and will not move out of each others way. They stand in the same position for days and eventually years, both too stubborn to move to the side in order to continue on their travels. Eventually, the desert becomes a highway and the Zax's are still standing where they started years later.

This short story is another great story to use with children. This book has a very specific message it wants to convey. In my opinion, this book is trying to tell children that you may run into problems with people that you feel like you do not want to solve, but being stubborn does not get you anywhere. It is not productive to hold grudges with others. It is more important to talk about your issues, compromise and come to a resolution. I would use this book towards the beginning of the year, I could read this book and the class and myself could come up with things to do or say when you are having a disagreement with a peer.














"Daisy-Head Mayzie" is written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. 
I would give this book 3 *** out of 5 stars.

Summary: This book is about a young student named Daisy. She is sitting at her desk trying to complete her work when a daisy sprouts out of her head. The teacher is then in a panic and rushes her to the principles office. The principle then calls her parents and pretty soon the entire town knows about Daisy's problem. An agent enters the picture and convinces Daisy to sign with him in the hopes of one day having her name in lights. Soon after that, everyone wanted to be like Daisy. Daisy was famous! She was making a lot of money but she was very unhappy. She did not have any friends and this made her very sad. The daisy growing from her head came to the rescue, its petals began falling off saying "they love her, they love her not.." when the last petal fell the daisy said "Don't worry Mayzie, hey love you". Daisy flew home to a warm welcome. Everything went back to normal as did Daisy's head but you never know when that daisy will pop up again.


I would read this book to children who are in 1st of 2nd grade. This book, along with many other Dr. Seuss books, has intricate vocabulary and has exception lines that rhyme. Everyone in the community accepted Daisy when the flower sprouted from her head, but she was unhappy when she was famous because she thought no one loved her. This book sends the message that money is not the only thing that can make you happy. I believe children will love this book because of the illustrations and the fact that a young girl has a flower grow from her head. The lesson is something that some may catch on to and I think this is a wonderful addition to any classroom library.