Seperate is Not Equal in The Story of Ruby Bridges

I had read The Story of Ruby Bridges for another class I'm taking this semester, but Ruby's story is so powerful I definitely needed to share it here. This book by Robert Coles, profiles the young girl who inadvertently became swept up in the Civil Rights Movement when a judge declared that she should be sent to William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans in an attempt to integrate the school in 1960.

Ruby came from a family of humble means and her parents had to work two jobs to support her and her brothers and sisters. This unassuming family was unwittingly drawn into the fight for African American equality by the decision to integrate Frantz Elementary and since it was such a hot button issue, Ruby's daily walk to school drew mobs of angry people who did not want her to attend a traditionally white school. As the book shows, Ruby bravely showed up to school every single day despite the angry mob. Her teacher, Mrs. Henry, taught Ruby in an isolated classroom where she was away from the other students at Frantz Elementary. One day Mrs. Henry saw Ruby stop right in the middle of the angry mob outside of Frantz Elementary, which was extremely unusual for the quiet girl. Mrs. Henry observed Ruby's mouth moving and wondered what she could possibly be saying to the crowd. When Ruby arrived in the classroom, Mrs. Henry questioned Ruby as to what she said to the protesters to which Ruby replied that she hadn't said anything. Instead she had offered up a prayer for the protesters, that they would not be judged because they weren't aware of what they were doing.

I love this book for its beautiful simplicity. The language is straight to the point and not too complex while the watercolor drawings give the book its emotions, ranging from the Bridges' familial warmth to the strength and power of the angry mob. I also love this book because like Chidren of the Civil War, The Story of Ruby Bridges demonstrates the power a child can have and the impact they can make in the world. Teachers can use this story to illustrate this point and also to provide students with a child-figure to connect with when teaching about the Civil Rights Movement. For the other class I read this book in, we created a unit in which students looked at the story of Ruby Bridges and then examined the famous Norman Rockwell painting of her. This would be a great lesson to teach in the elementary classroom to tie art and literature together. Regardless of the way it is used, The Story of Ruby Bridges is an invaluable resource to any classroom teacher.

Life in the Oceans Takes Readers Beyond the Deep

Oceans have been on my mind a lot recently because my fifth graders are learning about them in science, so when I found Life in the Oceans at the library, I figured I should read up on this complex ecosystem on the off-chance I had forgotten any related information since I was in fifth grade. Turns out I have! Life in the Oceans was an extremely informative read and one that provides a visually pleasing mix of illustration and picture to support the text.

Author Lucy Baker provides readers with a great overview of the basic facts associated with oceans. There is a page dedicated to how the oceans are divided, one on wave power, multiple on the species of the deep and on the life cycle in the ocean including a highlight on the food chain. Particularly of note is the section on ocean resources, how they are being threatened by human impact and how people can intercede to help stop the damage. This could be a useful resource for teachers looking to teach students about human/environmental impact as one of the themes of geography or in a unit on environmentalism in science. The book overall could also be used as a resource in an report or presentation on the ocean ecosystem in general and the life that exists in them. The text is easily accessible for younger readers (grades 1-2) and could also be used for upper elementary readers, so it provides a great teaching point on how to approach non-fiction texts.

Children of the Civil War Helps The Past Come Alive

For many teachers, the issue of making the past come alive for their students is a common one. Historical events can seem too distant to be relevant in students' lives, especially in the age of video and computer games. However, Children of the Civil War by Candice Ransom can help students connect to the ways in which children were impacted by the important events surrounding the American Civil War.

The book profiles the lives of both northern and southern children before, during and after the Civil War. The text is accompanied by a wide variety of photographs and drawings from the period, exposing students to primary documents and making the realities of being a child during wartime tangible. The before period provides students with a quick overview of the relevant facts from the 200+ years of American history leading up to the war. The accompanying pictures of children playing outside of a plantation home juxtaposed with slave children  and their families send a powerful message regarding the stratification of society at the time. The second chapter, "A War-Torn Land," is the meat and potatoes of the book, profiling child soldiers, women and children left behind by men gone off to fight and slave families yearning for freedom. Ransom does a great job comparing and contrasting how children in the North and South were affected by the war, both in very different ways. Finally, the book concludes with a look at the extent to which life resumed after the war and reflects the changes in light of the terrible conflict that had just occurred. One quote from a Louisiana girl, Celine Fremaux, really highlighted for me the cost of the war, "Childhood had slipped away from me, never to return."

This book was eye-opening, even for a history major. The pictures spoke the realities of war and the text was extremely informative and easy to read. I would use this book as a read-aloud to give my class a child's perspective on the issue and to help students connect to a unit on the Civil War. I would also use this book to help students learn to interpret primary documents, a valuable skill necessary for higher level comprehension. Older students would not have an issue interpreting the text and pictures on their own but younger readers would need a bit of help processing.

Soar to Infinity and Beyond with The International Space Station

While astronomy is not covered on the elementary SOLs, many of the students in my cooperating classroom are interested in space and space travel. So when I found the book The International Space Station by Frank Branley my interest was immediately piqued. Much like Gail Gibbons' Polar Bears, The International Space Station presents scientific facts while highlighting them with detailed illustrations.

The International Space Station was first launched in 1998, when two astronauts, one from Russia and one from America, fastened together the first two parts of the Station. However, that was just the beginning. The International Space Station is still under construction to this day and is expected to be completed in the next one to five years. The Station is constructed by astronauts called "spacewalkers" who work in orbit, where there is no air or gravity. Spacewalkers wear specialized space suits to regulate their oxygen levels, temperature and pressure. They  must also be tethered to the Station by ropes or else they would float away into space and be lost forever! The International Space Station is a place for collaborative research among scientists from Russia, the United States, Japan, England and up to sixteen other countries so that we may learn more about outer space in preparation for further research.

I would definitely recommend The International Space Station as an excellent edition to any classroom library and as a great resource for helping students learn more about a pretty dense subject. The book explained the facts on an easy to understand level and the illustrations aided the text without making the reader feel overwhelmed. Teachers could also use this book as a part of a unit on technology or international collaboration.

An All-American Read

I'm not going to lie, I am a MAJOR history nerd, particularly when it comes to early American history. So when I found Heroes of the American Revolution by David Adler on the library shelves, I was immediately interested. As I read further, my interest was heightened. Not only does this book contain stories of  popular American heroes like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Paul Revere, it does a wonderful job of highlighting the accomplishments of lesser known figures of the Revolutionary War.

The book is divided up into mini-vignettes on each of the heroes profiled, 12 in all. Each hero gets their own biography and accompanying illustration. Some of the stories I found the most interesting were those of patriots I had never heard of! For example, Lydia Darragh, an Irish native living in Philadelphia, spied on British general William Howe, when he and his troops occupied her home. Hearing plans of a surprise attack on patriot forces, Darragh snuck out of her house and walked 13 miles to notify American forces, thwarting the British attack. I was also captivated by the story of Haym Solomon, a Polish Jew living in New York City during the Revolution. Not only did he work to smuggle injured troops to his house among British troops occupying the city, he also helped finance the struggling American army in 1779 when troops refused to fight after serving for months without pay.

I loved that this book highlighted often overlooked participants in the war, like women and ethnic and religious minorities. It would make a great teaching point for teachers to show students that history is FILLED with heroes of diverse backgrounds and might help students identify further with these heroes and the historical events associated. Readers might recognize author David Adler as the name behind the Cam Jansen series, but a visit to his website shows that Adler is the author of many social science-related children's books. Adler's books would be a great addition to any classroom library as they provide children with a great overview of many important historical events. I would definitely recommend Heroes of the American Revolution to history buffs young and old!

Take a Plunge with Polar Bears!

Non-fiction gets a bad rap for being rather a dry, heavy and emotionless genre of book so for my non-fiction blog entries, I wanted to find books that kids would actually find interesting. While non-fiction has never been my personal favorite, I think I've found a few selections that defy the stereotype. The first one  is Polar Bears by Gail Gibbons. I selected this book because Gibbons is a prolific children's book author, whose many books I have fond memories of reading as a child. Gibbons writes on all subjects but pays particular attention to holidays and scientific topics, so Polar Bears is a great example of her work.

Polar Bears is filled with tons of useful and interesting facts about the majestic creatures, all highlighted by Gibbons' beautiful drawings. Polar bears can be found in the Arctic tundra and they are most powerful and biggest of all Arctic animals. These bears belong to the scientific family Ursidae and have been living on earth for about 100,000 years. Polar bears can grow to be up to 10 feet tall and weigh up to 1100 pounds! Females are about 2/3 of the size of males. They can run 30 miles an hour (short distances though) and swim for at least 40 miles. They have special adaptations like warm fur, thick pads on their paws, webbed paws and even an extra eyelid to help them survive in the Arctic's freezing climates! Polar bears eat seals and have a very keen sense of smell enabling to smell their prey from up to 3 miles away! They hunt by waiting by breathing holes for seals to come up for air, swatting the seal with its paws and pulling it from the water with its teeth.

Besides the basic facts, Polar Bears also taught me two very important things about the bears that I never knew before. The first is that in the spring, when all the ice melts, polar bears eat musk oxen and carribous and scavenge for berries, mushrooms and seaweed. I had never thought about what polar bears do when it isn't the dead of winter before! Secondly, did you know that in 1970, there was great concern for the existence of the polar bear? Hunting had reduced the bear population to just 5,000. After a ban was placed on hunting, the species repopulated to a population of about 20,000 to 40,000. But the bears are still threatened by drilling for oil and natural gas in the Arctic and global warming.

I found Polar Bears to be an informative and interesting read. The book gave a lot of detailed information while the accompanying pictures held my attention the entire time. I could definitely see using this in a science lesson on either habitats, adaptations or bear species.Students could use this book as a resource for  a research project or teachers could use it as an informative read-aloud, maybe even as a teaching point for non-fiction literature. Further, teachers seeking to integrate science and language arts hould check out all of Gail Gibbons' books to see if she has written one on their particular subject (I'll bet she has!). As a precaution, I would use this text in an upper elementary classroom since it is so detailed. Many younger students will have a hard time processing the information presented. However, older elementary students will be captivated by this frosty read!

Fantasy Lovers, Get Savvy!

Mississippi Beaumont and her crazy, zany family have a secret. Despite the fact that they seem like your typical American family on the surface, this secret makes them truly unique.The secret? They each possess a "savvy" - a special power revealed upon their thirteenth birthday which enables them to do the supernatural. Her grandpa can move mountains and her great aunt Jules could step back twenty minutes in time every time she sneezed. Olive, a second cousin, has the ability to melt ice with a glare. Momma is perfect and her older brothers Rocket and Fish can create electricity and hurricanes respectively. Mississippi, or Mibs, is awkward, gawky (as so many pre-teens are) and eagerly awaiting her thirteenth birthday to learn her savvy. But then two days before her special day, her father is in a car accident and rushed to the hospital. Mibs, on a mission to see her father, sneaks on to a bus that she believes is headed towards the hospital. It is soon apparent that the bus carrying Mibs, Rocket, Fish and two of the local pastor's children, is actually headed in the opposite direction of the hospital! Mibs and her companions find themselves on the ride of a lifetime that will teach them not just about their savvies but about the realities of growing up.

I loved this book for many reasons. The characters were so unique and endearing - its as if your best friends from when you were younger were infused with the abilities of your favorite superheroes. They were also extremely realistic and human - two qualities I don't normally associate with fantasy characters. There is a great interview with the author, Ingrid Law, on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Savvy-Ingrid-Law/dp/0142414336/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290552911&sr=8-1)  in which she says that she sought to create a different sort of fantasy novel in Savvy. "I wanted to create a different kind of magic—one that called to mind the feel of a modern American tall-tale. I wanted to break away from the traditional tales about magic and find roots in the soil around me. What would magic look like if it sprang up in the small towns of America?" To me this perfectly encapsulates Savvy. The characters can be role models for readers because of their reality.

I originally picked up this book because nearly every student in my cooperating classroom is obsessed with this book. So much so that one of my students who is a struggling reader was practically begging my cooperating teacher to let her read the book, despite the fact that she had ruled it out as a "just right" book. To me, if any book can cause children to a) pick it up en masse or b) beg to read it, it HAS to be good. And I was not disappointed. While I would recommend this book for students ages 9-11, Stonehouse has this book featured in its Battle of the Books program and rightfully so in my opinion; It is a bit challenging and lengthy for most students. However, I feel that Savvy's message is great for all ages -  a celebration of idividuality and remaining true to yourself, is applicable and valuable to students of all ages.

Travel to the Past with The Watsons Go To Birmingham

To be perfectly honest, I was SO excited when I realized that this was the week to read historical fiction. I have always loved history, social studies and historical fiction - you name it I loved it if it had to do with the past. I was so overwhelmed with the possibilities of which book to choose - that is until I saw The Watsons Go to Birmingham in Dr. Johnson's class. I remember being so jealous of my best friend in 6th grade because her English class got to read this book while mine focused on a different text. This was finally my chance to read the book I'd wanted to read for the past ten years!

Let me tell you, Christopher Paul Curtis' book did not fail to disappoint. The Watsons Go to Birmingham was both heartwarming and heartbreaking, a story that perfectly portrayed an African American family caught unwittingly in the turbulent events of the Civil Rights Era, specifically the16th Street Baptist Church bombing of 1963. The precious voice of the book's nerdy 8-year old narrator, Kenny Watson, endearingly captures the innocence of his youth, his earnest desire to fit in with his older brother Byron and his friends, and his struggle to understand the senseless nature of the violent bombing that rocks his family's world. The story begins in Flint, Michigan where the Watsons are originally from. They are a family chock full of personalities. There's Dad, the mischevious patriarch, Momma, the heart of the family and a Southern transplant from Alabama, Byron, the older brother who fancies himself a rebel without a cause, Kenny, the quiet, studious narrator and Joey, the lovable little sister. It's never a dull moment around the Watson house - the first chapter opens with the entire family huddled together on their couch wearing every layer of clothing they own to keep warm and ends with Bryon's lips glued to the frozen side mirror of the family car after trying to kiss his own reflection.

That is, until, Bryon's troublemaking ways get to be too much for Momma and Dad to handle and the entire family ships down to Birmingham, Alabama, Momma's hometown, to spend sometime with their maternal grandmother. Their visit chillingly coincides with the horrible attack on the 16th Street Baptist Church in September of 1963. Before the bombing, Kenny nearly drowns in a swimming hole and has a vision of his sister Joetta (Joey) as an angel. Just a few weeks later, the family learns that the church where Joey is attending Sunday School has been bombed. Kenny runs down to find his missing sister and steps into the still smoking ruins of the church, but is unable to find Joey. He returns home to find Joey safe but is so disturbed by what he saw at the bombed out church, he sinks into a depression. Eventually he heals, thanks to the surprising help of his older brother.

Given the senstive nature of some of The Watsons content, I think it goes without saying that this was an extremely emotional book. However, I think it is important for children to read to understand the themes of love, loss and recovery. These are complex emotions that can be hard to work through if you are a child, so seeing a character who is very similar to themselves experience them and work through them could be an invaluable teaching experience. I would be sensitive to the age group and maturity level of your classroom but I think this could really work with upper elementary grades, specifically 5th and 6th graders. This book also won the Coretta Scott King Award and was a Newbury Honor Book, so it is widely known and recognized for its excellence. Scholastic has a great guide to the book featuring an interview with the author, comprehension questions, related activities and related reading (http://www.scholastic.com/kids/homework/pdfs/Watsons.pdf)

As a result of this popularity, there are plenty of lesson plans, study guides and reading comprehension questions available on the Internet.  I could also see some connections to modern day events, particularly if students have learned about the Civil Rights Era before and could connect it to civil rights issues of today. Teachers could also direct connections between the bombing of a church to modern events like September 11th or if students have experiences from the on-going war. Obviously these are not subjects to be handled lightly and require sensitivity but the book could be an interesting jumping off point to discuss connections between past and present. I would definitely recommend The Watsons Go to Birmingham as a touching and thought-provoking historical read!

Because of Winn-Dixie: A Small Read with a Big Heart

As my title suggests, Because of Winn Dixie is a tale that will certainly tug at your heartstrings! It tells the tale of India Opal Buloni, a ten year-old narrator with the same honest and endearing qualities of Scout Finch, who moves to Naomi, Florida one summer with her preacher father and learns more about life than she ever bargained for. Opal's mother, a free spirit with a dark past, abandoned the family when Opal was just 3. Opal and her father are close but her father remains emotionally distant when it comes to the past, hiding the pain of his lost love. When Opal and "the preacher" (as Opal calls her father) move to Naomi, life as they know it is turned upside down because of Winn Dixie, an ugly mutt of a dog with a tendency towards the mischievous who adopts Opal almost upon her arrival. Winn Dixie's astounding ability to make friends everywhere he goes, Opal encounters a town full of personalitie, including an ex-con who charms his pet store charges with his guitar to the neighborhood "witch" whose musings are profound, all of whom help Opal through this coming of age.

I absolutely loved Because of Winn Dixie. Opal reminded me SO much of Scout Finch, one of my favorite literary heroines, that I immediately warmed to her. Her naive yet wise voice spoke volumes and drew me in, so much so that I was nearly brought to tears over the course of the novel and I didn't want it to end! Each chapter sort of reads like its own short story - all have a clear message of their own but also weave together to build towards the larger plot. This is something that I believe really speaks to the story-telling skills of the author, Kate DiCamillo.Because of Winn Dixie was the first book published by the much-lauded author DiCamillo, the mind behind contemporary major children's books like The Tale of Desperaux and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

Avid movie-goers might also recognize the title because it was made into a movie in 2005 by the same name. One potential activity associated with the book could be to read the story and then watch the movie and compare and contrast what was the same in both versions and what was changed in the adaptation. This activity would give students practice at making double bubble maps and comparison. Scholastic.com also has some great activities that could be used for enrichment or extension, including a "Watch the Story Grow" section where students can read and compare the various drafts that Kate DiCamillo developed throughout the writing process and an interview with the author on how she develops a story. This could provide a lot of inspiration to children who don't like to write or who are bogged down by the at times lengthy nature of the writing process. You can check out all of the above activities at http://www.scholastic.com/winndixie/. The author's website also supposedly has a teacher's guide for Winn Dixie but since opening it made my computer freeze twice and nearly cost me this blog post, check it out at your own risk.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough. Judging from my fifth grade class, it seems to be popular with a lot of girls but I think boys will definitely identify with a lot of the issues Opal deals with and the adventures that she and Winn Dixie embark upon together. If you are looking for a great realistic fiction read that will keep you wanting more, check out Because of Winn Dixie.

Shel Silverstein's poems and drawings invite children to explore "Where the Sidewalk Ends"

In Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends, readers will find a collection of funny, entertaining and whimsical drawings and poems sure to delight both children and adults of all ages. The anthology begins with a poem, “An Invitation,” that I want to somehow incorporate into my classroom décor because it has such a great message that leaves a lasting impact on the reader:

If you are a dreamer, come in,

If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,

A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer…

If you’re a pretender, come sit by my fire

For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.

Come in!

Come in!

In this initial poem, Silverstein has captured the anticipation that book-lovers feel before diving into a good book and a feeling that I would like to impart onto all of my students. The rest of the anthology is filled with the types of poems that have become Silverstein’s trademark: always silly and zany, some written just for fun and some with a lasting take-away message.

I’ve found that the silly ones are the best to read aloud and often the most memorable for kids. One of my favorites from this book is called “Sick.” It tells the story of a girl, Peggy Ann McKay, who claims she cannot go to school because of a variety of symptoms that would stump even the most experienced medical professionals…That is, until she learns that its Saturday, upon which she is miraculously cured. I remember being so thrilled by this poem that I memorized the entire thing in third grade. To this day I can still recall a few sporadic stanzas!

Other poems in Silverstein’s anthology are meant to inspire and encourage, like the short but sweet “Listen to the Musn’ts”:

Listen to the MUSN'TS, child,
Listen to the DON’Ts
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS,
The IMPOSSIBLES, THE WON'TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me -
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

These two excerpts are just examples of the diverse literature awaiting readers of Where the Sidewalk Ends and really capture Silverstein’s uncanny ability to create fantastical and time-tested works that appeal to both children and adults.

Upon researching Shel Silverstein further, I was not surprised to find that before he was a children’s author, he wrote for adults with works appearing on stage in New York City and published in Playboy Magazine. He also was an accomplished musician, writing song for Johnny Cash and Dr. Hook. He even won a Grammy in 1984 for Best Children’s Album with his recitation of Where the Sidewalk Ends. (http://www.shelsilverstein.com/play.asp) 

Since even his works for children contain a more serious edge to them, you can easily see the adult influence in them. Hence, readers should be aware that Silverstein’s poems and drawings border on the macabre and adults should be cautioned to use their better judgment when reading them to younger readers. A lot of the illustrations for the poems in Where the Sidewalk Ends are wacky and psychedelic, like a head with two faces or a person with their head on the backside of their body. Older readers who are mature enough to handle the zaniness will be fascinated by this element of his work. I remember being both horrified and intrigued by Silverstein’s poetry, particularly his description of Peggy Ann McKay’s horrible symptoms in “Sick” or the sandwich in “Recipe for a Hippopotamus Sandwich.”  

In sum, a classroom library is incomplete without at least one collection of poems from Shel Silverstein and I would recommend his first anthology, Where the Sidewalk Ends as a great place to start. In the modern world, where children are exposed to various forms of computer and video games upon entrance into the world, Silverstein’s collections remain a refuge where children are encouraged to live within their brains, to explore, to imagine and to create.

Experience African American history through Her Stories

In Newbury Award-winning author Virginia Hamilton’s Her Stories, readers will find a wonderful collection of folk and fairytales focusing on the oft-overlooked cultural tradition and experience of African American women. The book is divided into five sections (Her Animal Tales, Her Fairy Tales, Her Supernatural, Her Folkways and Legends, and Her True Tales) and each section contains four or five short stories, accompanied by beautiful illustrations and a short paragraph on the story’s historical context.  Hamilton does a great job at amassing tales which previously were passed down through the oral tradition only and manages to give each story a distinct and individual narrative voice. Not only will children love these tales for their plotline, the book also serves as a great historical piece on the journey of African American women from slavery to the present.

My favorite story in the collection was that of Annie Christmas. Anne Christmas is the female answer to John Henry and Paul Bunyan – a woman whose story became larger than life in southern Louisiana culture. Annie was supposedly “coal black and tree tall.” A keel-boat operator on the Mississippi, she was “the biggest woman in the state of Loo’siana, the strongest that ever lived in New Orleans-town.” In this version of Annie’s tale, she falls in love with a paddleboat captain after he demonstrates bravery in the face of danger during a rough storm on the Mississippi. The captain does not return her love and Annie wishes “big trouble” upon him. In the face of this rejection, she jumps overboard in her prettiest satin dress, never to be seen again. The captain and his crew mysteriously disappear as well. The captain is said to haunt that part of the Mississippi while Annie is said to occasionally appear from the mist of the river near New Orleans, singing a river-boat tune. I loved this story the most because of its strong heroine character and the high intensity and drama of the whole tale. I also loved the narrative voice Hamilton gave this story. This is by far her strongest writing technique, so much so that she reminded me a lot of Toni Morrison, except for a much younger audience.

Further research on Hamilton really surprised and impressed me. I hadn’t previously heard of her before picking up Her Stories, but her life and its achievements were so impressive, I can’t believe I haven’t encountered her sooner. The descendant of slaves, Hamilton grew up on a farm in Ohio that her grandfather bought and owned after escaping from Virginia on the Underground Railroad. Hamilton studied at Ohio State University before moving to New York, where her literary career really began. Over the course of her career she wrote 41 books within a variety of genres, mostly focusing on the African American experience. Not only was her work groundbreaking, she also has the distinction of having won every possible award for children’s literature, according to her website (http://www.virginiahamilton.com/biography/). Regardless of the fact that I came upon Hamilton's works a bit late, I think I will definitely try to incorporate her works into a future classroom library to provide my students with a variety of American perspectives and experiences.

Reach for the Stars with Sheep Blast Off!

In Nancy Shaw's fun and clever Sheep Blast Off, a group of unassuming farm animals find themselves aboard a rocketship headed for space! It all begins innocently enough, when a spacecraft lands in the sheep's yard and they meander over to examine. After some tinkering, the bumbling sheep end up blasting off into the stratosphere and beyond! They encounter some technical difficulties including a scratch on the space shuttle and a near death experience after the autopilot fails but they are saved thanks to the help of some alien sheep friends. They return home, tired but exhilarated after their little space adventure.

Sheep Blast Off is by far the silliest book I've reviewed for this blog thus far but this doesn't mean that its value should be discounted. The book does utilize rather large vocabulary words for a picture book, including "stratosphere" and "weightlessness" so it would be great for younger readers as either a read aloud or a challenging practice for guided reading. The illustrations by Margot Apple are eyecatching and colorful, sure to hold children's interest and make them laugh out loud. My research into this author/illustrator pair found that they have published seven other sheep-related books together, so they would be a great way to introduce the concept of a book series to younger readers. Whether you read these books as a series or just Sheep Blast Off, they promise to be a fun and amusing read that will hold children's attention the whole way through.

When I Was Young in the Mountains: A "Wild and Wonderful" Read

Evoking the simple and gentle pleasures of country living, When I was Young in the Mountains by renown children's book author Cynthia Rylant invites readers to share in a piece of her Appalachian childhood, growing up with her grandparents and without indoor plumbing. "When I was young in the mountains, Grandfather came home in the evening covered with the black dust of a coal mine. Only his lips were clean and he used them to kiss the top of my head," begins Rylant's first book. She continues, describing how her grandmother would make homemade country food and walk her to the "johnny-house" when she ate too much okra. Much like Donald Crews in Bigmama's, Rylant highlights the quiet simplicity of a rural upbringing: summer days spent lazing in a swimming hole, attending church in the one room schoolhouse and sitting on the porchswing at night. The reader is left with a sense of quiet contentment and a wish that they could enjoy such a satisfyingly simple life.


Further research shows that Rylant was initially inspired to write this first book thanks to the works of Southern writer James Agee. She points to her West Virginian upbringing as particularly influential, saying, "The inspiration for this book came from memories of my childhood in Appalachia, when I lived with my grandparents and other relatives in a four room house in Cool Ridge, West Virginia. We children had to make do with each other and what we found in the mountains, and do you know, I was never bored!" But this inspiratio stems beyond a deep-seated nostalgia. In an interview with Scholastic.com, Rylant says, "I get a lot of personal gratification thinking of those people who don’t get any attention in the world and making them really valuable in my fiction — making them absolutely shine with their beauty”(http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3288).

I think that young readers will be soothed by this tale; Rylant repeats the phrase "When I was young in the mountains," about every other sentence and the result is a soothing sing-songiness that children will love. Not only do Rylant's words have an unassuming grace about them, illustrator Diane Goode's simplistic folk-inspired watercolors are the perfect compliment. In fact, they suited the text so perfectly, the book was nominated for a Caldecott and received a Caldecott Honor award in 1982. This book would serve as a great jumping off point for further class discussions about rural life or even a historical lesson on coal-mining. Teachers could also use this text to introduce the concept of biography and have students write their own mini-autobiographies in response. If you are looking for a simple, soothing read that also serves an educational purpose, When I Was Young in the Mountains is the perfect fit.

To Grandmother’s House We Go!

In Bigmama’s, author Donald Crews takes readers on a walk down memory lane, drawing upon memories of visiting his grandmother in Cottondale, Florida to create a rich celebration of family and childhood. Crews describes how every summer he would travel with his mother, brothers and sisters on a three day train ride to Bigmama’s house in rural Florida. Upon their arrival, Uncle Slank would pick them up at the train station and take them to their grandparents’ house where “Bigmama and Bigpapa were waiting for us on the porch. There were hugs and kisses and ‘Oh my, how you’ve grown!’ and ‘How tall you are…is this you?’” Once they were through with the greetings, the kids would go inside, kick off their shoes and socks (“We wouldn’t need them much in the next few weeks,”) and explore. Crews remarks that every time they arrived at Bigmama's - despite the passage of a year - nothing ever seemed to change. The pedal sewing machine, the wind up record player, the kerosene lamps and the Sears Roebuck catalogs remained the same. Rural life created a living playground for Crews and his siblings. There was the chicken coop where “Sunday dinner’s chicken spent its last days,” the outhouse which was “okay now, but scary in the dark,” the barn where eggs were hidden, the stable with two horses, Nancy and Maude, and the pond where there was “plenty of water for fishing and swimming.” Crews describes the large family meals they would have where they “talked so much we hardly had time to eat,” which were followed up with gazing at the night sky filled with millions of stars. He ends the book on a nostalgic note, writing as a bearded man, “Some nights even now I think that I might wake up in the morning and be at Bigmama’s with the whole summer ahead of me.”

            Not only was Bigmama’s heartwarming, it really did a great job of exploring familial relations through a child’s perspective. Crews uses similar techniques as Cynthia Rylant did in The Relatives Came, remarking with childlike wonder at the hubbub surrounding a three day journey to his grandmother’s house and the resulting fun and freedom he and his siblings experienced once there. He accurately captures the feeling of independence that farm life in the summer brings with it. Crews’ description of family dynamics is also similar to Rylant’s, especially when detailing the lengthy hugs and kisses upon arrival and the seemingly endless dinner chatter. The accompanying watercolor illustrations manage to be both visually appealing and simplistic, mimicking the warm childlike tone created by his text. From all of my research and having read a few of Crews’ other books, the illustrating style is quite a departure from his usual style of bold lines and color.  I think this is intentional, representative of the emotional and sentimental quality of his memories. Overall, I think Bigmama's did a great job a recording an experience that many can identify with. Regardless of age, readers young and old will identify with Bigmama’s and surely find a bit of their childhood among its pages.

Jumanji: It’s a Jungle Out There!

             

         Many readers are familiar with author Chris Van Allsburg thanks to the great success of his 1985 classic, The Polar Express. But I was surprised to find while pursuing the bookshelves of the Williamsburg/James City County Regional Library that he also authored another familiar tale, Jumanji, which was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1981. A huge fan of the movie from when I was younger, I couldn’t remember reading the book so of course I picked it up to review for this class! Much like Van Allsburg’s other material, Jumanji did not disappoint.

            The book centers around two siblings, Peter and Judy, left at home by their parents and looking for something to do. They decide to go to the park to play and there find a mysterious game called “Jumanji: A Jungle Adventure Game.” The rules seem pretty simple but one is rather ominous, “Once a game of Jumanji is started, it will not be over until one player reaches the golden city.” Peter and Judy shrug this off and begin to play, but they soon find that they are in for more than they bargained for. Peter lands on a space labeled “Lion attacks, move back two spaces,” and finds that a live and hungry lion has been transported into his living room. He and Judy trap the lion in a bedroom and are tempted to stop playing and call the zoo. But Judy reminds Peter of the instructions’ warning – the game won’t end until they reach the golden city of Jumanji. The two continue playing the game, encountering a monkey attack, monsoon, lost tour guide, rhino stampede and python before Judy can reach the city and yell out “Jumanji!” Just as mysteriously as the animals appeared, a calm descends upon their house. The two siblings pack the game up as quickly as possible and return it to the park where they found it, relief setting in as they realize they made it out alive. When their parents return home, it’s as if nothing has happened.

            A great thing about Jumanji is that it plays upon the typical childhood michevious streak that arises whenever left without supervision. The fact that the two kids are left on their own does not ever seem weird or dangerous, it seems FUN. It allows Peter and Judy to literally travel through the harrows of a jungle adventure and back, all before Mom and Dad get home. Readers will identify with the thrill that this can allow, especially given the pressure of removing a lion from a bedroom before their parents get home. Filled with suspense, excitement and imagination, children will undoubtedly love Jumanji, as they have for the past twenty plus years.  

           The text is rather dense for a picture book and thus more suitable for upper primary ages. It not only employs the fantastic, it also provides a great platform for teachers to discuss monsoons, the rainforest and its numerous animal inhabitants. Van Allsburg’s drawings have a silent intensity to them and also open the book up for imaginative interpretation. The simple black and white pictures convey a lot of drama based upon shading and content. For example, when Peter and Judy find the game and are leaving the park with it in tow, the picture is extremely dark and ominous. The same feeling can be found at the very end, when two other children are shown taking the game from where Peter and Judy placed it in the park. In the scenes where the various jungle animals appear, the white of the illustration is very white and the shading is very dark, symbolizing Jumanji’s intensity and drama. Van Allsburg also leaves a lot to the reader’s imagination, for example, never showing the faces of Peter and Judy’s parents or the lion. There is an eerie quality to these drawings and I’m sure children will feel a chill down their spines when they imagine being chased by a lion or a stampede of rhinos in their own homes. Best of all, my favorite part about Jumanji is that it provides young readers with an exciting and suspenseful ride through the surreal without the use of a computer, game console or Wii!

Dav Pilkey's Paperboy Delivers a Great Read

        In Dav Pilkey’s Paperboy, readers will find a book that artfully captures the both the nearly extinct act of newspaper delivery and the quiet excitement found in being awake when it seems the rest of the world is asleep. The book, written AND beautifully illustrated by Pilkey, follows a morning in the life of a young paperboy who awakes before sunrise along with his faithful Corgi companion to deliver the Morning Star Gazette to his neighbors. “The mornings of the paperboy are still dark and they are always cold even in the summer,” begins Pilkey’s book, capturing the familiar desire of the paperboy to remain in his warm bed. However, as a true and responsible employee, the main character of the story forces himself to arise, dress, eat his breakfast and tiptoe out of his house to deliver newspapers from a large red bag. This is a professional paperboy after all and while “it’s hard to ride a bike when you are loaded down with newspapers…the paperboy has learned how to do this and he is good at it.” The paperboy and his dog know their route by heart and even though all the world is asleep except for them, this time is when they are happiest. As the route finishes up, the sun begins to rise. The paperboy returns home and while his family slowly rouses themselves from their slumber, he creeps back to his bed and returns to sleep where he is free to dream.

I must admit that I superficially chose this book because the cover was pretty and the pictures looked much the same. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book was nominated for a Caldecott and received the Caldecott Honor award, a sort of runner-up among Caldecott nominees. This is a worthy award, given Pilkey’s paintings – one is even supposedly inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Night! Along with being beautifully illustrated, I loved this book because it accurately captures the wonder and anticipation early morning holds for many children. These days, being awake before sunrise is ungodly and something viewed more as a punishment than anything else but I can remember when I was younger, being awake that early felt like a secret only I knew. I also found it charming that the boy featured in the book was a paperboy, a former childhood profession that is now dying out, replaced by adults in cars or computer-based versions of newspapers online. I think children will identify with the paperboy’s desire to feel responsibility and the fulfillment he receives from his job. It might also inspire them to pursue smaller jobs that will give them such fulfillment.

What surprised me the most about what I learned from my research was that Pilkey is the author of the famous children’s series Captain Underpants. I knew the author name seemed familiar to me but I didn’t make the connection at the time I checked the book out of the library. I remember hating the Captain Underpants books when I was younger because they seemed so crude to me and the only people I knew who read them were boys. I must have retained that stereotype subconsciously because it shocked me both that an author could produce two such different books and that Paperboy was so beautiful in comparison to Captain Underpants. Upon further research to Pilkey’s professional website, I found that this story was inspired by both the author’s experience as a paperboy and his observations later in his adult life. Pilkey was a paperboy when he was growing up in Ohio and his website states that “although he hated getting up early in the morning, he [Dav] did like the serenity and independence he felt riding his bike around in the dark, cold mornings.” (http://www.pilkey.com/bookview.php?id=11). It turns out that he was later inspired to write Paperboy thanks to his local paperboy who “seemed so confident and happy, and he reminded me of the way I felt when I was a kid delivering papers in the quiet mornings.”( http://www.pilkey.com/bookview.php?id=11). I’m glad to say that regardless of preconceived notions of the author, Dav Pilkey has utilized both personal experience and observation to create a beautiful book that both children and adults should and will enjoy!