Reflection

Although I was skeptical at first, this blog has been a great way for me to keep track of all of the children's books I have read this semester, and what I thought of them. Reflecting on different things, whether it be books or my own performances, has always been difficult. This has been a great way for me to do this, in less of a high stress situation. The blog for me, at times, did seem to get a little repetitive. I felt like I kept commenting on similar characteristics of the books I was reading.
Reading has always been something that I have enjoyed doing, so I am so happy that I got the opportunity to begin to explore many different types of great literature. It is difficult to find time to read children's books, without a valid reason, due to all of the other required readings I have to do. The choice and availability of so many books has been wonderful and really eye opening. I think there is a perfect, high quality book out there for every student, it just may take some time and effort to locate it.

I'm Gonna Tell Mama I Want An Iguana by Tony Johnston

This book of poems is a different from the other ones I have read also. This one does not just contain poems that rhyme. It has different styles, and shows how spacing can play into the way a poem is read and interpreted. This book has a lot of short poems, that do not necessarily have anything that "make" them poems. I think this book has the ability to inspire children to believe that they can write poetry, because they can turn anything into a poem. Because of this factor, it reminds me of Love That Dog. Poetry is a great way that a lot of people express themselves, so I think a book like this can be very beneficial, because it does a great job of showing this, unlike many other children's poetry books. Although it is not on serious matters, it does show that there are different ways to write poetry and that poetry can be about your thoughts and feelings.

I Brought My Rat for Show-and-Tell and Other Funny School Poems By Joan Horton

The first poem in this book is great, but I really enjoyed all of the other ones as well. One of the poems is on cafeteria food, and how every Wednesday they get spaghetti that looks alive. I think all kids now the days that they need to bring sack lunches, because the food is questionable. I love the illustration for this poem. The girl is looking at the spaghetti in disbelieve, as it is smiling at her. Off in the corner is her lunchbox that she has vowed to bring every Wednesday so she doesn't have to eat the spaghetti that is alive, but she does not know that that is staring at her too! I think that this book of poems is great for all beginning and struggling readers because it uses very simple text, unlike the other books I read.

I Brought My Rat for Show-and-Tell and Other Funny School Poems By Joan Horton

This poem reminded me of the book Rotten Teeth that I blogged about a couple of weeks ago. In both books they are discussing what they are going to bring or brought to show-and-tell. I think that this poem has the ability to relate to a lot of kids, because show-and-tell is something we have all experienced, for better or for worse. I do not think that many kids would be able to talk about their rat getting lose in the school, but they can talk about how their hamster got out of it's cage at their house, or what they did bring for show-and-tell. I think this topic is so fun to talk about with kids, and this poem is a great way to start that conversation!

Bees, Snails, & Peacock Tails by Betsy Franco

I think this book of poems about animals and nature is great for young children. Not only is there wonderful rhyming throughout, but within them they include patterns and shapes. The poems all flow very nicely to each other, even though they are separate, distinct poems. This book is a Caldecott honor medalist, so the pictures are obviously great as well. This book is filled with great, fun information that would add to any lessons on poetry, shapes and patterns, and animals.

Hippopotamus Stew and Other Silly Animal Poems by Joan Horton

This book of poems has a poem about a different animal on each page. All of these poems are very fun and they rhyme. They each have a beautifully animated picture with them. The one negative about this book is that all of the poems rhyme, which may leave the impression on students that that is the only way to write poems. My favorite poem is about the elephant. It talks about how many tissues an elephant would use if it had a sniffly nose. I think children would find this concept very funny. I think that this book would definitely be a great addition to any classroom.

Love That Dog by: Sharon Creech

I think that Love That Dog by Sharon Creech is a good book. It is written as a boy is writing these poems everyday in class, and it turns into this really great story about a boy not wanting to do a "girl" activity, but turns out to love it in the end. I think this story resonates with a lot of people, especially with boys who love to cook or write poetry.

This book really reminded me of my eating habits, and lack of variety. When my fiance and I started dating I would only eat meat and potatoes. I had never tried any other "more cultured" food, nor did I want to. Slowly but surely I had acquired numerous new types of food into my normal diet. At first I thought it was OK, then it was pretty good once in a while, now I wish I could eat new foods everyday! Jack felt the same way about poetry, but after a while he learned how good he was at it, and how much he like it. I think this book has the ability to give kids the option, and courage to try new things

Year of Impossible Goodbyes by: Sook Nyul Choi

I was very interested in reading this book and read it very quickly, as So Far From the Bamboo Grove had spiked my interest in the World War II conflict. Going into this book I was feeling like everyone were losers in this war, because it seemed like everyone was getting tormented and killed by some other group. After reading this book, I felt like I had made more of a connection to the first book, but I am not sure why. I think it may have been because this book the mom is not as strong. She broke down for weeks when her father died and when they tried to escape she was taken away. The kids, who were very young, then had to fend for themselves and survive in madness with no money, no food, and no passports. This seemed so hopeless compared to the other story.

Also, the ending in this one happens pretty suddenly and it is not as in depth as So Far... Once they crossed the lines they were helped, but the Japanese kids still had to keep fighting and working to survive.

I think they are both great books to bring the realities of war and the dynamics of World War II into the classroom. There are so many different emotions and feelings that come up, that I am sure kids will formulate an opinion and their own responses to the books. They may be difficult things to talk about, but they are necessary.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove by: Yoko Kawashima Watkins

I really enjoyed reading this book. I had so many emotions going through my head as I read this book. I felt scared, hopeful, sad, disgusted, among many others. The biggest thing that stood out to me in this story of courage and determination in light of horrible conditions and treatment, was the value of family and school. Although so many horrible things were happening in this book, they looked after each other, and even new moms, babies, and the elderly, before thinking about themselves. In those hard times I am sure it would have been easier for them to drink all of the water themselves and use all of their blankets to keep warm, but they were giving. To show these amazing characteristics in such horrible times really says a lot about their values and personality. Sharing is something kids tend to have a problem with, and after reading this book, I think it is something that not many do enough.

I read this book about a Japanese family who lived in Korea during the Japanese occupancy of Korea before I read the differing viewpoint of a Korean family who lived in North Korea during the same time. I think that if I had read the book about the Korean family first, I would have went into this book with more hatred towards the Japanese family. Instead, I felt like everyone was at-risk and being tormented by the war. It was very scary to read how close Countries and towns were to each other, yet they all had such different circumstances and treatment of people.

In Our Mothers' House by Patrica Polacco

I enjoyed reading this book, although I am not sure how much kids would like it. This book is about a family that has 2 moms and 3 adopted kids in it. They are all very close and have a great time together, but they have one neighbor who doesn't like them. The parents plan a block party for their neighborhood and everyone designs a game for their yard and food. During this party the neighbor comes up to the moms and yells at them. The kids did not understand why, and the parents just said she did not agree with their choices. The ending was about how the kids grew up and got married, and their moms grew old together and died within a year of each other. The brother now lives in the house with his family and they still celebrate the good times in the same house they grew up in.

I think the message of the book and story line is great, but the way it comes across, especially the ending, is kind of boring. I felt like it was very predictable, making it less enjoyable to read.

This book very much reminded me of The Graves Family by Patricia Pollacco. They also moved to a neighborhood where they were the "weird" ones, who did not fit in. Some of the parents did not want them to play with the graves children, because their house was painted bloodred and their parents were different. I think some kids can definitely relate to this, and see in the end having a strong family is all that matters.

A Very Big Bunny by: Marisabina Russo

A Very Big Bunny is about, well a very big bunny. This bunny was named Amelia had not friends and no one would play with her, because she was to big. Then, a new student came to the school named Susannah, and she was really small. No one would play with her,because she was to small to do anything. Susannah discovered Amelia sitting by herself and would come up to her every recess to see what she was doing. Finally, it was picture day and Amelia was dreading it, but Susannah came to the rescue and had them make tiaras and wear necklaces so they could be the star of the show. Amelia loved it and all of the other students thought they were great, from then on out they each had a friend and they found ways to make things work.

This story is very cute, although the front cover is kind of scary. Amelia is on the front and her head looks huge and her eyes are the size of a pencil eraser. This book reminds me of a lot of other books that are about teasing. Usually they will either find one really good friend, or the bully's learn their lesson by getting bullied themselves. I think that it gives a good message, and kids will enjoy learning what Amelia does when she is off by herself. I like that she is constructive with her time and finds good things to do. A lot of times it could be that she is negative, or even bullies other students, because she gets bullied. Instead though, I like that she practices spelling words that begin with p, and counts clouds.

Henry Aaron's Dream by Matt Tavares

I think this is a great book that not only teaches about baseball, but also the treatment that African Americans had to go through before the Civil Rights Movement. This book works so well in the classroom, because it has the ability to connect to a lot of boys who do not want to read about history. Like we discussed in class the other day, children's books are mostly geared toward girls, so it is good to find an enjoyable, educational book that boys would be drawn to.

Henry Aaron's Dream is about the famous baseball player who was one of the first African American players in the MLB. It talks about his struggles and obstacles that he had to overcome in order to reach his goals. He never gave up, even though he could not practice on a real field when he was young and received death threats when he started to achieve success. This message is a great one for young readers, especially since it is a true story about America's favorite pastime.

Cinderella Retold by Lynn Roberts

I find it extremely fascinating reading and watching different versions of the same story. When I came across this version of Cinderella, I was excited to read it. One thing that I noticed right away was that the depictions were very unusual. After looking at the book closer, I noticed it said on the cover "An Art Deco Love Story." The illustrator, David Roberts, created this story to look like it came out of the 30's or 40's. I, personally, did not like this style as much much as the "normal" version, if there is such a thing. I found the people to be kind of creepy, as they had very pointy, odd shaped heads. Cinderella is supposed to be beautiful and charming, but I think she was just as ugly as her evil step sisters in this book. I did really like that they had her vacuuming in this version, as opposed to scrubbing the floors. I think the modern twist helped to make it a little more relatable.

Child of the Civil Rights Movement by: Paula Young Shelton & Raul Colon

I thought this book was really neat, especially since it was from the perspective of the child that went through the Civil Rights Movement. She used some of the information that she remembered during that time, and also stories from her other family members. This historical fiction book does a good job portraying famous figures as normal, hardworking people. One thing that is kind of a negative of the book is that it is quite long and wordy. There is obviously a lot of information to cover when writing anything about history, but I think even I was beginning to feel overwhelmed with all of the names, dates, and places

My favorite part about this book was definitely the illustrations. They are all done in really vibrant and rich hues of browns, blues. It looks like there is a grainy texture to the pages, which almost made everything look like it was in 3-D. After being so drawn to the images I was fascinated to learn what technique the illustrator, Raul Colon, used. To get these beautiful images, Colon had to go through many steps, 5 in all. I think that they are so good, they would be able to tell the story, even without the words. The cover of the book is definitely eye catching, so I am glad the story in side is a positive, educational book for students to read and to learn from.

First Pooch The Obamas Pick a Pet by: Carole Boston Weatherford

This book was just recently published in 2009, and was, obviously, based on a true story. It is crazy to think that this story is already made into a book, because it seems like just yesterday that we saw the entire thing unfold. I think this book is well written and the illustrations are wonderful portrayals of the actual people and of Bo and the other dogs.

Pets are a huge favorite of elementary students, so I think that many of them would love to read this story. They may learn a thing or two about getting their parents to agree to a pet. I think if any child does as much work and is as giving of their time as those two girls, then they would earn the rights to a pet as well.

The Lion's Share by Matthew McElligott

Very fun, educational book. This book is very unique, as it has a lot to do with math and the signs of division and multiplication. I think kids would really get a kick out of this sill story line, where each animal, starting with the biggest, takes half of the cake to eat for themselves, but by the time it gets to the ant, he is not able to cut it in half. Because of this, he insists on making the lion, the king, a whole cake to eat tomorrow. All of the other animals felt like the ant was sucking up, so beginning with the next smallest animal, they double how many cakes they are going to bring the king to eat tomorrow. The elephant ends up having to bake and bring 256 cakes to the King.

Beatrice Doesn't Want To by: Laura Numeroff

This books illustrations made me laugh. The main characters in the story are dogs, but they are dressed up as people. I think it is funny and cute, and I think kids would have the same reactions. This book shows the importance of making connections to the stories you read. Beatrice does not like books and is upset that she has to sit in the library and wait for her brother to finish his report before they can go home. One day though, her brother takes her to a room where a librarian was reading a book. Hearing this book, and being able to see the reaction of the other kids got Beatrice interested and she started to listen to the book. When she noticed that the main character was doing something she loved, she began to relate to the story and really enjoy it. Throughout the entire book she did not want to do anything her brother told her, except go home. In the end of the book, after she discovered the story that she loves, she repeats "I don't want to", when he tells her it's time to go home.

Mrs. Muddle's Holidays by Laura F. Nielsen

I love this book! After all, who doesn't love celebrating holidays?Mrs. Muddle moves into this new neighborhood and all of the children discover that she is always celebrating new, unique holidays. The children love celebrating them with her, and decide they want to make up a holiday of their own. They end up calling it Mrs. Muddle Day and they decorate their whole neighborhood with bright colors, lights, and balloons. Mrs. Muddle is very surprised and the kids are happy with their new holiday.

I think this book would be a great addition to any classroom. It is very practical and could be used as a great tool to spark imaginations and creativity. I could definitely see myself using this book as an opener to a language arts lesson, where I would have the students, individually or with groups, each create their own holiday. They could describe the date, reason, colors, food, music etc... that goes with their holiday. There are so many great holidays out there, and most children do celebrate at least one, so it is something that everyone can relate to. Very fun way book, that all can enjoy!

A Good Day by Kevin Henkes

A Good Day by Kevin Henkes is a little bit different than the other books I have read by him. Although this book is still good, it is much more simple than the others. I think this book is much better suited for beginning readers to read, as there is very few words and sentences in this book. When the book is opened to the pages, one side is filled with a picture, while the other side has the sentence on it. This makes the book much less overwhelming and conquerable for children learning to read. Although this book is simple, I think it still portrays a good message and is a fun book.

Owen by: Kevin Henkes

Another great book by Henkes! Once again this book is about a common thing that children go through, giving up their beloved "comfort" item. Owen is attached to his blanket named Fuzzy. He does everything with it and takes it everywhere he goes. Since Owen is starting school soon, his parents try different tactics to try to get ride of Fuzzy, but nothing works. Finally his mother comes up with a great idea, and she begins to work on the blanket. She turns his favorite blanket into small handkerchiefs that he can do a lot of the same things with, but not get ridiculed for.

Like Sheila Rae, Owen's problem represents many that kids go through. My step sister did not want to give up her special blanky and I remember how difficult it was to try to change her mind, and convince her that she would be fine without it. This book may be able to inspire some children to give up or allow alterations to their comfort item, which is something many parents would appreciate!