Module 6: The Little Pea

Book Summary: This is a little book about how a Little Pea and his short story.  The Little Pea has to eat candy before he can have his desert, which is spinach.  He gets very upset that he is forced to eat 5 pieces of candy, but is super excited when he gets his desert surprise. 

APA Reference of Book: Rosenthal, A. K., & Corace, J. (2005). Little Pea. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Impressions: I really like how the book is short and sweet.  "This is the story of Little Pea, Mama Pea, and Papa Pea".  There are very simple illustrations and simple text that is easy to read and understand.  The pages are plain white and are not distracting to the kids.  This book almost seems to be using reverse psychology to get the kids to like eating spinach.  "Spinach! squealed the Little Pea.  My Favorite!" Very cute book for young readers and I love the silliness of it.

Professional Review: Peas, the oft-reviled legumes that can make dinnertime a battle, take center plate in Rosenthal's (Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, for adults) silly picture book about food choices--and picky eaters--turned topsy-turvy. Little Pea enjoys an ordinary life with his parents and pea pals playing, reading stories and getting lovingly tucked into bed. But the one thing Little Pea has trouble with is candy, the icky entrée that his parents insist he eat for dinner each night. As Mama and Papa Pea say, "If you want to grow up to be a big strong pea" or have dessert, candy must be eaten. Once Little Pea whines through his required five-piece serving of sweets, he's happy to top off his torture with a special treat-spinach! Young readers will take glee in Little Pea's absurd yet familiar predicament, while parents will surely identify with Mama and Papa Pea's universal struggle. Newcomer Corace's warmhearted ink-and-watercolor paintings plays up the most of ample white space, which plays up the vibrant greenness of the Pea family. Images of tiny, bouncing peas playing hopscotch, and Papa Pea flipping his boy off the end of a spoon are especially memorable. Kids are likely to view their veggies with new eyes when mealtime rolls around. Ages 3-up. 

Little Pea. (2005). (Book Review). Publishers Weekly, 252(19), 69.

Library Uses: I would use this book to talk about an alternate reality.  We could talk about what would happen if everyone had to eat candy in order to get to their vegetables and be excited about it.  I would talk to them about being creative and what else they do that's backwards and funny.

Module 5: Esperanza rising

Book Summary: This is a book about Esperanza.  She and her wealthy family are forced to migrate from Mexico to the United States.  Her family goes from having everything to working in the fields.  This book describes the struggles of migrant workers and the sacrifices their families had to make to adjust to their new lives.

APA Reference of Book: Ryan, P. M. (2000). Esperanza rising. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Impressions: This book opened my eyes to what happens in other countries and how people coming over to the United States are treated.  I know this is not a true story, but to me it felt very true.  I read this book with my students and many of them could relate to the character, as some of them also had to leave Mexico because of the violence and come here to search for asylum.  Esperanza is humbled throughout her experiences and I think that it shows that she becomes a better person because she has to work hard for the things that were given to her freely before.

Professional Review:  Gr 6-9 --Ryan uses the experiences of her own Mexican grandmother as the basis for this compelling story of immigration and assimilation, not only to a new country but also into a different social class. Esperanza's expectation that her 13th birthday will be celebrated with all the material pleasures and folk elements of her previous years is shattered when her father is murdered by bandits. His powerful stepbrothers then hold her mother as a social and economic hostage, wanting to force her remarriage to one of them, and go so far as to burn down the family home. Esperanza's mother then decides to join the cook and gardener and their son as they move to the United States and work in California's agricultural industry. They embark on a new way of life, away from the uncles, and Esperanza unwillingly enters a world where she is no longer a princess but a worker. Set against the multiethnic, labor-organizing era of the Depression, the story of Esperanza remaking herself is satisfyingly complete, including dire illness and a difficult romance. Except for the evil uncles, all of the characters are rounded, their motives genuine, with class issues honestly portrayed. Easy to booktalk, useful in classroom discussions, and accessible as pleasure reading, this well-written novel belongs in all collections.

Goldsmith, F. (2000). Esperanza Rising (Book Review). School Library Journal, 46(10), 171.

Library Uses: The kids would discuss the challenges in their lives that they themselves may have faced and talk about how these challenges have changed them and if there are things that they would have done differently knowing what they know how these things have affected them.

Module 5: The first part last

Book Summary: A
book about teenagers having babies.  Not
your typical book though.  The father of
the baby is the one taking care of the baby from the day she is born, yet he is
madly in love with the mother of the baby, Nia. 
Nia is just as crazy about him. 
Yet there’s something that keeps them apart, and it’s not their parents.



APA Reference of Book: Johnson, A. (2003). The
first part last. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.



Impressions: At
first, I wasn’t too excited about the book. 
It seemed choppy and I really didn’t like the way it was written.  Had it not been an assignment, I probably
would have put it back on the shelf. 
Once I got about ten pages in, I was slowly sucked in this gut wrenching
story.  I read the book in a couple of
hours because I just had to know what was going on.  I think the writing is different from
anything else I have ever read, but in the end, I liked it.  The story had a major twist that I did not
see coming at all.  My only regret is
that I wish the book was longer and that it would go on to tell me what happens
after.  Really easy to read and the typical
teenager may get intrigued from the word go.



Professional
Review: Brief, poetic, and absolutely riveting, this gem of a novel
tells the story of a young father struggling to raise an infant. Bobby, 16, is
a sensitive and intelligent narrator. His parents are supportive but refuse to
take over the child-care duties, so he struggles to balance parenting, school,
and friends who don't comprehend his new role. Alternate chapters go back to
the story of Bobby's relationship with his girlfriend Nia and how parents and
friends reacted to the news of her pregnancy. Bobby's parents are
well-developed characters, Nia's upper-class family somewhat less so.
Flashbacks lead to the revelation in the final chapters that Nia is in an
irreversible coma caused by eclampsia. This twist, which explains why Bobby is
raising Feather on his own against the advice of both families, seems
melodramatic. So does a chapter in which Bobby snaps from the pressure and
spends an entire day spray painting a picture on a brick wall, only to be
arrested for vandalism. However, any flaws in the plot are overshadowed by the
beautiful writing. Scenes in which Bobby expresses his love for his daughter
are breathtaking. Teens who enjoyed Margaret Bechard's Hanging on to Max
(Millbrook, 2002) will love this book, too, despite very different conclusions.
The attractive cover photo of a young black man cradling an infant will attract
readers.



Doyle, M., Jones, T. E., Toth, L., Charnizon, M.,
Grabarek, D., & Larkins, J. (2003). The First Part Last (Book Review). School
Library Journal,49(6), 144.

  
Library Uses: I
would have the students predict what happens to this young family in the
future.  They would write a story about it and then share with the class
the ending that they think the next book should have.

Module 4: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village

Book Summary: This book is set up more like a play.  There are numerous characters and every page or two gives a glimpse of what each one is like.   At the beginning of each short story or monologue, there’s a name for the character as well as their classification.  This book is set back in England, in 1255.  Not only are there stories, but there’s also songs with music that is helpful if you play an instrument. 

APA Reference of Book: Schlitz, L. A., & Byrd, R. (2007). Good masters! Sweet Ladies!: voices from a medieval village. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Impressions: Not a book that I would have chosen to read on my own.  It a bit choppy for me, since all the stories are so separate from each other.  I can see how this is fun for students, since they could easily do a play and each would have many lines t o read.  To me, maybe it was the illustrations that were off putting.  It just does not look like a book that says pick me up and read.  It’s more of a “you have to” read me for a history assignment.  There were some cute stories, but overall, not my favorite.  Some of the words were confusing and I am not a fan of the footnotes.  I don’t enjoy books that make me feel dumb…

Professional Review: 

Gr 4-8-Monologues capture the spirit of young people in a vividly imagined, picturesque 13th-century English village, where childhood is fleeting and survival is a daily concern. Pastel panels frame the pages and anchor the minutely detailed, earthy, ink-and-watercolor rural scenes. Notes and sidebars offering fascinating asides make this a perfect mix of fiction and nonfiction.  Winner of the 2008 Newbery Medal.

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village. (2008). (Book Review). School Library Journal, 5440-42.

Library Uses: I would have the students read the book as it was written, in monologues.  They would be the star of the show.

Module 4: The Tale of Despereaux

Book Summary: This book is about a few characters.  The main one is Desperaux – the mouse that is unlike any other mouse.  He was the only surviving mouse of the litter, and born with ears that are too big, a body that is too small and his opened way too early in his life.  He begins to talk to humans and threatens the existence of mice as we know it.

APA Reference of Book: DiCamillo, K. (2006). The Tale of Despereaux. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Impressions: The book is funny and cute and makes you smile throughout.  This is a great adventure story that keeps you on your toes and I liked that all the characters are connected in the end.  The book is very descriptive and uses vibrant words to make you understand the circumstances and the characters better. 

Professional Review:  Despereaux Tilling is not like the other mice in the castle. He's smaller than average, with larger than average ears. He'd rather read books than eat them. And he's in love with a human being--Princess Pea. Because he dares to consort with humans, the Mouse Council votes to send him to the dungeon. Book the First ends with Despereaux befriending a jailer who resides there. Books two and three introduce Roscuro, a rat with a vendetta against Princess Pea, and Miggery Sow, a young castle servant who longs to become a princess. Despereaux disappears from the story for too long during this lengthy middle section, but all the characters unite in the final book when Roscuro and Miggery kidnap Princess Pea at knifepoint and Despereaux, armed with a needle and a spool of thread, makes a daring rescue. Framing the book with the conventions of a Victorian novel ("Reader, do you believe that there is such a thing as happily ever after?"), DiCamillo tells an engaging tale. The novel also makes good use of metaphor, with the major characters evoked in images of light and illumination; Ering's black-and-white illustrations also emphasize the interplay of light and shadow. The metaphor becomes heavy-handed only in the author's brief, self-serving coda. Many readers will be enchanted by this story of mice and princesses, brave deeds, hearts "shaded with dark and dappled with light," and forgiveness.

Sieruta, P. D. (2003). The Tale of Despereaux. (Book Review). Horn Book Magazine, 79(5), 609-610.

Library Uses: I would have the kids do some research on what a mouse should be like and then make a comparison chart of how Despereaux is different.  I would then have them discuss if they think that being different is a good thing or a bad thing?

Module 3: My friend Rabbit

Book Summary: Very cute story about a rabbit that always seems to find trouble and his friend mouse who loves him regardless.

APA Reference of Book: Rohmann, E. (2002). My friend Rabbit. Brookfield, CT: Roaring Brook Press.

Impressions: This book is adorable!  It put a smile on my face.  The images are wonderful and the short text leaves a lot to the imagination.  This would be a great book to give to a friend, whether young or old.  

Professional Review:  A simple story about Rabbit and Mouse, who, despite Rabbit's penchant for trouble, are friends. When Rabbit launches his toy airplane (with Mouse in the pilot seat at takeoff) and it gets stuck in a tree, he convinces his friend that he will come up with a plan to get it down. He does so by stacking animals on top of one another (beginning with an elephant and a rhinoceros) until they are within reach of the toy. The double-page, hand-colored relief prints with heavy black outlines are magnificent, and children will enjoy the comically expressive pictures of the animals before and after their attempt to extract the plane. The text is minimal; it's the illustrations that are the draw here.

Lacoste, K. (2002). My Friend Rabbit (Book Review). School Library Journal, 48(5), 126. 

Library Uses: I would use this book in the library to talk about what true friendship means and have the kids tell a story about their best friend.

Module 3: Cinderella

Book Summary: A different version of the all familiar tale of Cinderella.  The princess goes to the ball, loses her slipper and marries her prince.  In this book, Cinderella goes to two balls, and loses her slipper at the second meeting with the prince.  The prince then sends his men to have all the women try on the slipper, starting with the highest ranking and on down to the girl in rags.

APA Reference of Book: Perrault, C., Bell, A., & Koopmans, L. (1999). Cinderella: a fairy tale. New York, NY: North-South Books.

Impressions: This book is not the story that I remember as a child, nor is it one that I would pick if I had a choice.  The story seems very rushed and incomplete.  There are not many descriptions, just words.  "This time her fairy godmother gave her an even more beautiful dress, and rich jewels" is as descriptive as the books gets.  I remember the original book having many, many vivid details that let the imagination go.  This book may have lost something in translation.   There are beautiful pictures in the book, but the text is a little dry for my taste.

Professional Review:  Lovely marbled endpapers introduce yet another "Cinderella."  Goode's translation informalizes the text somewhat, losing the sense of a time long ago and a place far away.  However, the plot remains intact, including the moral venerating innner beauty, which would have had more impact if Goode's Cinderella, soon to become Princess, didn't look so smug in the last two illustrations. The illustrations, set in nth-Century France, contain all of the elements necessary for a successful Cinderella. Her ballgown is beautiful, lusher and more spectacular than her stepsisters' or t;he other guests. The transformation scenes, especially the lizard into footman, are visually satisfying. The bright watercolors add the proper sparkle, and attention is not drawn away from the main characters by distracting borders or designs. Young readers will be pleased with this edition (especially if it is accompanied by the cassette recorded by Jessica Lange), but scholars will continue to prefer Doré (Perrault's Fairy Tales [Dover, 1969]) or Le Cain (Cinderella: or, the Little Glass Slipper [Penguin, 1971]).—Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library.

Radtke, K. K., Jones, T. E., Gale, D., & Suhr, V. J. (1989). Cinderella (Book Review). School Library Journal, 35 (6), 79. 

Library Uses: I would use this book for creative writing   There are many more details that could have been added to the book to make it more interesting and enticing and I would ask the kids to fill in the missing parts for the author.

Module 2: The Little House

Book Summary: The book is about a little house that was built out in the country and then the country became the city.  The house was left untouched as everything around it changed, and eventually the house got to return to the country where it belongs.

APA Reference of Book: Burton, V. L. (1942). The little house. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin co.

Impressions: This book gave me the chills and I had a hard time reading it the first time I read it.  I really felt bad for the little house and all the things that were changing around it and how people have forgotten all about it.  “More houses and bigger houses…  apartment houses…  schools…  stores…  and garages spread over the land and crowded around the Little House.  No one wanted to live in her and take care of her anymore”.  This made me so sad.  I think that the kids will also feel bad for the little house, and this book would be a great book to use when talking about others and how we don’t always realize how our actions distress others.  Overall, I think this book is an easy read and has many great points in it.  “There said the great-great-granddaughter, that’s just the place.  Yes it is, said the Little House to herself”.

Professional Review:  A pretty little house is nestled in the countryside. As the seasons change and the years go by, the little house finds itself in the city, surrounded by elevated trains and skyscrapers. Salvation comes when the great-great-granddaughter of the original owner moves the home back to the country, where it belongs. Burton’s 1943 Caldecott Medal Award winner is capably read by Hammond in clear tones and a steady pace. Background sounds, including chirping birds, crickets, and honking horns, complement the changing setting, while country-style music changes tempo as life around the little house reaches a hectic pace. Page-turn cues are optional; a door knock signals a page turn. This delightful read-along package includes a paperbound book and a bonus track featuring Burton’s Maybelle the Cable Car. 

Sawyer, L. (2008). The Little House. (Book Review). Booklist, 104(9/10), 106.

Library Uses: Have the kids talk about something that they have seen change over time and tell whether they like the changes or wish that it would go back to the way it was before.

Module 2: Make way for ducklings

Book Summary: The book is about Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, the ducks that were looking for a place to live in the Boston area.  After trying several different places, they settle on the Charles River.  After their ducklings hatched and learned the basics of being a duck, the whole family returned to the Public Garden and settled on a small little island that they loved.

APA Reference of Book: McCloskey, R. (1941). Make way for ducklings. New York, NY: Viking Press.

Impressions:  I thought the book was cute.  I know it's an award winning book, but I don't know if I would agree.  The story was very simple, and I am not quite sure that I understand the point that the author was trying to make in the book.  I did enjoy reading about Boston, since I have been there before, I like all the real references that are in the book.  "So they flew over Beacon Hill and round the State House, but there was no place there.  They looked in Louisburg Square, but there was no water to swim in".   The book mentions many of the landmarks of Boston, and I love that when you do go to Boston, there is a sculpture of the ducklings and their momma.

Professional Review: In this Caldecott Medal-winning book, McCloskey uses hued lines and minimum shading to render key elements of the composition and keep us focused.  The white of the page becomes a backdrop of sky, water, or land, and vantage points change from page to page as the artist positions the viewer far away, up-close, in the air, and across the street. These changes in the viewpoint create dramatic compositions and affect how small or large things are drawn, how detailed something is, and what we see, such as the top of a building or the tire of a car.  In this scene, traffic stops and we look on in amazement as Mrs. Mallard and her eight babies are helped across a busy street. The smallness of the ducklings is emphasized as one of them hesitates before jumping off the curb. Their tiny size is further accentuated by being placed inches from the monster cars, whose grills and headlights appear to be looking on. McCloskey brought ducks home to live with him in bis New York studio so he could observe and make sketches of the way they moved and interacted. It was this preparation and familiarity with his subjects that allowed McCloskey to make the final drawings in lithographic crayon directly onto the zinc plates used for printing.

Erbach, M. M. (2006). Classic Caldecotts by Decade. (Book Review).

Book Links, 15(6), 16-20.

Library Uses: Great for a read aloud with the kiddos and their mommies.  While reading the book, the kids could demonstrate what the ducklings were doing and this would get them to move around and enjoy the story more.

Module 1: On the night You were born

Book Summary: The book describes all the different things that had happened on the night the baby was born.  All sorts of wild life was out celebrating and dancing "On the night you were born" and the moon stayed up in the book throughout the night.

APA Reference of Book: Tillman, N. (2006). On the night you were born. New York: Feiwel & Friends.

Impressions: Love the ease of the read of this book and these books are more sentimental than anything else. A terrific story for the students to read with their parents, grandparent or any other person that is important in their lives.  I am not sure that, in a school library at least, these would get checked out as much as it would in a public library where the parent sees it and grabs it to read with their kids.  I happened to see some parent in the library checking out books.  They saw this book and sat on the floor with their youngster and read the book to the child.  It made me want to run home and read it to my son.

Professional Review:

Originally self-published, this debut from a new imprint celebrates the message that each child is a unique wonder: “Never before . . . has the world . . . known a you.” Like Debra Frasier’s On the Day You Were Born (1991), the text, directed straight to children, describes how the world, from the smallest ladybug to the sky’s smiling moon, welcomes its latest arrival: “You.” The computer-generated, collage artwork is sometimes blurry, and some of the compositions lack clear, dramatic shapes and figures that will pull a young audience. In addition, children may miss the symbolism in the images: musical notes meant to represent the sound of a child’s name, for example. Still, children will enjoy finding the reassuring face of the moon on each page, and the rhyming, rhythmic text includes lines that beg for participation: “The sound of your name is a magical one. Let’s say it out loud before we go on.” Many parents will welcome this opportunity to tell their children how special and loved they are.

Engberg, G. (2006). Review of the book On the night you were born. (Book Review).  Booklist, 103(7). 

Library Uses: A great use of this book is to show students how important details are in books.  The colors, the drawing and the consistency of the night sky and the moon are all important in this book.  It's a constant theme that follows throughout the book, hence the title of "On the NIGHT you were born".  We can talk about some of the other things that they notice in the books that are constant.