In the Night Kitchen

In the Night Kitchen, written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, is not a book that is controversial in its' message like the other books I have discussed, but rather, it is the illustrations that hold concern with parents and teachers. In the story a boy is transported into the night kitchen in the company of some cake making bakers. The story while, already a little strange at this point, gets even weirder as the boy is depicted completely nude, displaying a pair of testicles and a penis, as he swims in cake batter and milk. This is one of the only controversial books that I must say is a bit too much. I did a bit of further research on this book, and I found a couple of google sources that explained Sendak depicted him nude, so that the cake batter would not get on the boy's pajamas. I really do not buy this explanation, there are so many perspective and graphic tactics that Sendak could have done to avoid putting full on frontal child nudity into a children's picture book. To be perfectly frank, the book was just plain weird, and a little pointless.

Oliver Button is a Sissy

Oliver Button is a Sissy, written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola, is a story about gender identity and being different. This book might upset some parents, because it does portray a boy who likes to tap dance and be artistic, but the message of this book is just something that kids will have to learn, that everyone is different. A lot like the character Joe from James Howe's The Misfits, Oliver Button is a male role model that shows how the male gender identity can be interpreted in different ways. I love how brave and strong the character Oliver is, it models how even though he doesn't like to do "boy things", he still has the strength and stamina to be himself, a lesson all kids can benefit from hearing.

The Lorax

The Lorax, written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. This is a classic children's book that conveys the message of sustainable development and conservation. The reason that this book has been labeled as controversial, was that parents in California thought that the book was too anti-industry. I think that to say this book is too anti-industry is taking the message to an extreme. This book is about conservation, yes, but also talks about responsibility; the Truffula tuft trees are shown to make great things, and are a great resource, but it's over using that we need to be careful about. I think this is a very important story to tell kids, because ultimately kids are the ones who are going to be responsible for the Earth in the future, and if we can get them thinking more about sustainability, then maybe they will be able to solve some of today's most pressing issues on energy, pollution, and hunger.

And Tango Makes Three

And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, is a beautiful story that took place in the New York Zoo, in which two male penguins were given an egg to hatch and raise as their own, and that penguin chick that was born was named Tango. In the story the reader follows Tango's family as they show him everything about being a penguin. I really like this book, because this book shows how love is perfectly natural, extending kids views on the world and alternative life styles. I think that it is silly that parents might find this book controversial, I mean it is a true story, this story of love and family actually happened in the New York City Zoo. I think that if the reader really looks at this book, they will see that it is about family, and how family is always there for each other and loves each other.

The Misfits

The Misfits, by James Howe. Oh my goodness! I know that we only had to read about half of this book at a time, but it was so good! I ended up finishing it in about five days. I thought it was really interesting that Howe chose to write the story from the perspective of the "fat kid" of the four misfits, as it seems to be a marginalized perspective when writing about kids who don't fit in. I thought that it was really cleaver how the author inspired the gang of five to come up with the no-names party for their school election. This is an issue that kids still face in school today, and this is a really clever way to get kids to start thinking about what they call other and what they themselves get called. It really made me think when Bobby made his speech, and finally came out about his mother and why he ate those sandwiches during the third grade. I felt a real connection to Bobby's situation as I have lost my father just last year. I myself made six stockpots of my father's home made chicken noodle soup for my wedding as a kind of way to heal, so I have a strong connection to this character. The characters of this story have the potential of being that connection for kids who may be going through similar situations. I think that it is absolutely abhorring that there are parents who think that this book is inappropriate for kids, if anything it should be a required reading in sixth grade, if not for connection sake, but to prepare kids for middle school, show them that there are people out there different than themselves, and that they need to be understanding and caring individuals to their classmates in order to create a positive school experience for everyone. Kids also need to know that it's okay to be brave, as Bobby tells his classmates at the end of the novel.

My Friend Rabbit

My Friend Rabbit, written and illustrated Eric Rohmann. This is a story with minimal text, but the story is rich with visual dialog as Rabbit tries to get his friend mouses' airplane out of a tree, with the help of the other animals in the forest. I was told by a very trusted librarian from my elementary school days, "Don't be afraid to go for the simple books, they can be great spark books." This is a silly story that kids love to add their own words to, and the thick thins make the illustrations makes these pictures just pop into your mind. Rabbit did get that plane, however Mouse and Rabbit ended up in the tree with the plane, but don't worry, Rabbit has an idea! So I guess the question I would ask my students concerning this book would be, how would you get the plane down? How can we think differently? Thinking outside the box is what I would want my students to gain from this story.

When the Root Children Wake Up

When the Root Children Wake Up, retold by Audrey Wood and illustrated by Ned Bittinger. Oh my goodness! I love the illustrations in this book! I tried to find out more on Ned Bittenger, but all I could find was that he has made his career as a portrait artist, but the illustrations speak for themselves. This story is about a personification about the four seasons and how the root children behave as Aunt spring comes and goes, just to be followed by cousin summer, and then Uncle Fall. What a great way to talk about different literary devices with young children. I read this story to my reading case study child, and she absolutley loved this book, she made wonderful predictions and pointed out great things in the illustrations like the hidden wildlife.

My Mei Mei

My Mei Mei, by Ed Young. This is a great story for kids that talks about the excitement that comes when a family decides to bring a new child to be part of their family. In the book, little Antonia desperately wants a baby sister, or a Mei Mei. But when the family goes over to China to adopt a baby girl, the situation is not quite how Antonia pictured it. The illustrations in this book are really amazing; the artist uses wallpaper to clothe the figures. This is such a sweet story, eventually Antonia settles into her new role as a big sister, and the two sisters grow close. I tried this story as a reading miscue analysis for my reading case study student, and it proved to be a great success.

The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship

The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship, retold by Arthur Ransome and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz. This is an old Russian folk tale, that portrays the message, "God loves a fool". This book is a bit more challenging than some of the other ones that I have discussed on my blog, but it gives kids a wonderful opportunity to learn new terms from other cultures; terms like czar and moujik would be introduced to kids young. The illustrations are Caldecott award winning and are amazing. The pictures are done in ink and water color; perfect relation to the text. I know this story does not exactly have a theme that parents try to teach their kids, but it is a nice message none the less. I think that sometimes kids get so overworked that they need to have a sense that sometimes everything works out in the long run. The second message, that anything is possible, is also a great touch to spark kids' imaginations and maybe boost their enthusiasms. Overall, a very fun legend to tell kids.

The Polar Express

The Polar Express, written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. What can I say? I have never been a huge fan of The Polar Express, the idea is cutsie enough, but I never got past the fact that a train that was supposed to go around the world to pick up children to meet Santa,, that is was filled entirely with white children, usually blonds. I do not think that I would share this book to children, I mean the main idea is about preserving childhood innocence, and that might be a cool and all as a "just for fun" story, but I think there are better stories that don't focus on Aryan supremacy, but still convey the same message. It could be a story to read to kids, but I personally would not think that I would be comfortable reading it in a public school district. The policy on stories about Santa probably vary from district to district, but still I do not think I would be comfortable, just based on all of my training in the University so far on teaching in the public school setting. Now to the positives of the book; the illustrations are wonderfully clean and vivid, very fancifully, but still an idealized version of children who are privileged enough to enjoy a Christmas.

The Giver

The Giver, by Lois Lowry, so I read this book back in the sixth grade, but I genuinely enjoyed rereading the story as an adult. I though that Lowry was able to express in a really smart way how one should be grateful for one's pleasures and misfortunes that life gives us. Lowry does make quite the point when the Giver shows Jonas the difference between superficial pain and real, honest pain. The contrast of no pleasure without pain to compare it to is simply beautiful. The theme of the novel is so complex, but is one that kids can understand so easily. My favorite part is when Jonas is contemplating the idea of love; it seems so insane to think about not being able to feel love, for friends, for parents, or even your children, but Lowry proves to us that love is a privileged emotion for those who are willing to sacrifice comfort and security. It is so painful for the reader to watch how the community can so easily destroy children like Gabriel, just because he is more like an infant from our world. The end of novel is one of the most difficult parts of the story that I think kids will need to grasp in order to comprehend the story. As a kid, I remembered members of my reading group getting mad at me when I indicated that I thought Jonas and Gabe had died at the end of the story; I thought maybe I had misunderstood, and that rereading the book would give me a chance to maybe catch something that perhaps I had missed, but sadly, I see the same outcome as before. Perhaps it is the reader who creates the outcome merely based on how they believe the outcome of a world of sameness will result.

Downward, downward, faster and faster. Suddenly he was aware with certainty and
joy that below, ahead, they were waiting for him; and that they were
waiting,
too, for the baby. For the first time, he heard something that he
knew to
be music. He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances
of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music
too. But perhaps it was only an echo.

(Lowry, 179-180). I believe that the echos were the final memories leaving Jonas, and that the memory of singing to be memories long gone in the after life waiting to embrace Gabe and Jonas as memories themselves, or perhaps they are a mark of the Giver dying as he did keep those as his favorite memories to himself, but I guess it is up to the reader to intemperate.

Smoky Night

Smoky Night, written by Eve Bunting and written by David Diaz, is a very interesting design layout that deals with one of human behaviors most controversial events. The story is about a young boy who watches (what I presume) the L.A. riots from his apartment window with his mom and cat. In the story Daniel sees the rioters stealing from a woman's store with whom neither him or his mother particularly like; even the cats feud with one another. But when the rioters set Daniels' apartment building on fire, fear and disaster bring everyone together as neighbors and friends. This story is a bit scary, but it reflects events in real life; I like this, because if children are taught about these kinds of events and what happened, then maybe they can do better than those before them. The art work in this story is amazing! Thick lines of bold acrylic paint overlap a collage of materials that help further reflect the events of the story and the chaos in the streets of the story. I would recommend this story to anyone trying to find a way to introduce human equality and controversial topics to their students.

In My Momma's Kitchen

In My Momma's Kitchen, written by Jerdine Nolen and illustrated by Colin Bootman. This is a story that I have shared with my reading case study student. The student was drawn to this story when she saw that the story was told though the view of a small black girl about the students' age, creating a portal through which she placed her own self image. The reason I had chosen this book for my case study student was because it had a portrayal of modern black families that was positive and fun, plus the little girl on the cover does look like my case study student. The book is about different mini stories that had happened in the family kitchen; some of the stories are funny, some are exciting, and some are just the small fond moments we have with our families. The pictures in this book are amazing, extremly life like illustrations. This book also allows an opening for a conversation about memories and family traditions.

Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are, written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, is one of the best examples of classic children's literature. This was one of my favorite books as a child, and still today, as I reminisce through the pages I find that I still love this book. With the upcoming live action movie of this version coming up, I thought that I would take the time and enjoy the original illustrations that inspired the movie some twenty years later. The monsters are so original in their visual representation, and the story seems to be one that kids enjoy imagining as their fantasy life. What would kids do if they were the ruling Kings and Queens of the wild things? What kind of rulers would they be? These are just a few lead in questions that could probe students to write their own personal wild things story. There are so many lesson possibilities for this book, it's a very exciting nugget in children's literature.

Two Moral Tales: Just a Pig at Heart & Sly Fox's Folly

Two Moral Tales, written and illustrated by Mercer Mayer, is an interesting storybook. Not only is this book wordless, but there are two stories within the one book. The stories are quite literally back to back, and upside down relative to one another. The stories themselves are valuable in moral , but overly simple and dated. The first story is about a sly fox who sells a couple of ladies some live fashion accessories that fly away, the end is that the fox is punished and karma is served. The second story is a literal interpretation of the saying "you can put lipstick on a pig, but it will still be a pig". Literally two pigs get dressed up and fancy for a romp in the mud. Like I said, good morals, but very literal in illustration and with no further use of imagination beyond construction. Good for the illustrations.

Frog Goes to Dinner

Frog Goes to Dinner, written and illustrated by Mercer Mayer. I remember enjoying this story as an elementary student, not because the the story was well written, but because there was a silence provided by the author which allowed me to make up my own story. Frog Goes to Dinner is a "silent" picture book; in it the reader is left only the images to help decipher the actual plot of the story. Growing up this story seemed very humorous and thrilling, but looking at it today it seems a little stale and cliche. Kid's may still enjoy this book, but overall, it is not the most memorable wordless story, but it is out there and fun at the right age.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: A Graphic Novel

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: A Graphic Novel, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and adapted by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir, illustrated by Kevin Cornell, is best known today through the major Hollywood Brad Pitt film version. This comic is an interesting exploration in the what if of human life, and how the concept of age dictates our place and expectations in society. The pretense of this story is brilliant, I mean, haven't we all wondered about what happens before birth? This story seems to attempt to answer this conundrum. The illustrations are appropriate to the text, as well as humorous and intense.
I thought that it was kind of ironic, if not satirical, how as Benjamin aged, not only did his physical appearance become more childlike, but so did his attitude and behavior. The ironic part is in how wise and intelligent he was at birth, like saying that we are the most intelligent at birth, and that time and age robs us of that brilliance and insight.
The most chilling part of this story is how the Benjamin's end is represented; at first he just forgets different things, more and more, becoming smaller and smaller, until finally he simply forgets everything and simply exists to be. I would recommend this book to anyone who has wondered about exsistance before and after life.

Juma and the Magic Jinn

Juma and the Magic Jinn, written by Joy Anderson and illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak, is revival of a classic legend about jinns, traditionally called genies, and the complex issues of putting ultimate choice into human hands. The story is written around a young boy named Juma, who is sick of sums and script in school and instead fantasises about writing poetry and creating art. This is an interesting story for a few reasons, first is the cultural setting on the Lamu Island, near the coast of Kenya. This is a primarily Muslim culture in which the author has visited before and studied the cultures as inspired to write the story. This already pleases me a great deal, especially after the over simplified Nanta's Lion, Anderson includes the traditional phrases used in the culture, and does not dumb anything down in the text. The moral of the story is the best part, to be happy in the world you live in is a wonderful lesson for kids to learn, plus the use of a common folk loreof other cultures is great for social science relevancies!

Poor Carl

Poor Carl is a picture book written and illustrated by Nancy Carlson. Poor Carl is a cutesy story about being a big brother, comparing the pros and cons of being a baby and a big brother. This is one of the first stories were I have not been too crazy about the illustrations, it's not that they are not good, they just seemed to lack a greater depth of meaning for me. This story is all about the text, coming up to the realization that Carl is lucky to have a big brother like Victor. While this book may be a nice tool for a parent to help rev up a child for a new baby, I really did not get all that into it. There just didn't seem to be that spark that said 'I need to read this to every child I meet', not like Stellaluna or Harold and the Purple Crayon, but it was a good enough book for its intended purpose.

A Lot of Otters

Barbara Helen Berger's A Lot of Otters, has tapped into a magical image...ready? it's a lot of otters! Finally a book that has it all. The story line is simple, mother moon can't find her moon child, and so she cries tears into the sea. Without the pictures in this book, there would be no story, and some wile otters catch the moon tears, following and protecting the moon child, eventually leading mother moon to be reunited with her beloved moonlet. Sweet and simple, playful and sad; this story offers a childlike insight to the power of unfathomable love. I think that this would be a really cool way to show kids how personification is used in literature, maybe challenge them by asking kids what the moon child represents. Are the otters representing the worlds' happiness, showing mother moon where her love lies? These are fairly challenging questions for elementary school kids, but I think that fourth grade and up might be able to have a really cool discussion in small groups about the meaning behind the mystical characters in this book. It's always better when you add a LOT of otters.

Nanta's Lion

Suse MacDonald's Nanta's Lion, is a search and find picture book. I like the set up of the illustrations and how each page help build up in the background to create the missing lion, which ironically, Nanta never found, making the story purely a visual affect. There were a couple of things that I didn't like in the book, it seemed like some of the word choices used were a bit demeaning or stereotypical;

Nanta went inside her hut. She found a gourd filled with milk to take with
her.

(MacDonald) The fact that Nanta lives in a hut seems ridiculous, one would think that the author would have just gone ahead and used the real name for the dwellings of the Maasai people, which is a inkajiijik. I just don't believe that anyone is doing kids any favors by over simplifying terms, go ahead and use the real word, that's how kids are going to learn. I also thought that it was kind of weird that a lion would go after the villiage's cattle when there is apparently all this abundant prey running around just a few miles from the camp, woudn't a lion rather do that and avoid humans? While the book has some flaws it does have some cool illustrations that celebrate the richness of Maasai culture and treat the eyes and mind to a fun hunt for the lion.

Goodnight Moon

Goodnight Moon, written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd, is a childhood classic. A beautifully written and illustrated bedtime story, the rhyming lyrics of this story do an amazing job of lulling the reader into a soft world of familiarity. The pictures in this book are very familiar, very whimsical; how silly it would seem anywhere, but a dream for a family of bunnies to own pet kittens with mittens. I know this may seem like kind of a short blog, but what can you say about such an understated childhood favorite? I guess I could share my favorite quote from this story,

Goodnight comb
And goodnight brush
Goodnight nobody
Goodnight
mush
And goodnight to the old lady
whispering "hush"
Goodnight
stars
Goodnight air
Goodnight noises everywhere

(Brown) it' is a lot like a child trying to avoid going to sleep.

The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide

Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black's The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide, is the first book in The Spiderwick Chronicles. This magical book is readable for all ages, with beautiful illustrations sprinkled throughout the novel. While this book had the kid friendly novelty of magical imps and fairies, it was the tough topics of broken families, poverty, and moving that were the most intriguing aspect of the book, at least for me. This book deals with a runaway father from the child's point of view, it maybe a small part of the novel, but it may be a nice connection for other kids who may be dealing with these kinds of issues so that their voices may not be so marginalized in children's literature. The mystery in this book was especially fun, and takes the reader on a magical adventure, discovering boggarts, brownies, pixies, and fairies. My nephew is especially fond of these stories, a large reason why I chose it, and he is constantly talking to me about pixies, trolls, and gnomes; he even created his own field guide, which is great for his writing skills and imagination. This book is also a quick read with short chapters, which makes it great for kids with shorter attention spans, encouraging them to read and be enthusiastic about reading without getting frustrated about not being able to finish a book that is too long. Overall it is a good book, but as I said before, fairly simple to read which might bore more advanced readers.

Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave

"Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave", told by Marianna Mayer and illustrated by K.Y. Craft, is a classic Russian fairy tale told in a way that is exciting to children cross culturally. As a child, I loved to hear stories about the evil hag, Baba Yaga, who lived in her hut that walked on chicken legs. The story is a lot like Cinderella mixed with an only child, teenage Hansel and Gretel. The story follows a pretty basic plot, widowed step mother sends her step daughter, Vasilisa, to a cannibalistic forest hag to retrieve a light. Embodiments of night and day come with warnings for Vasilisa about approaching the hag. In the end Vasilisa's work ethic and cunning knowledge saves Vasilisa from being eaten by the Baba Yaga. The art work in this picture book is reminiscent of etchings done in the time of the Renaissance age, a wonderful art history lesson potential. There are lots of Vasilisa and Baba Yaga stories, each one showing a different trait of Vasilisa, beauty, bravery, intelligence, each one championed traits in the Russian culture, linking this book to social studies. There doesn't seem to be too many good representations for Russian folk lore, but this is a prime example that kids are guaranteed to love.

Tuesday

"Tuesday", written and illustrated by David Wiesner, is a beautiful picture book about what happens to frogs when the day is over. This book is wordless, so that means the audience must interpret the plot of the story, which when frogs go flying around peoples homes after dark, can lead to all sorts of fantastical ideas about what is happening, especially while sharing the book with kids. I absolutely love this book because of its' beautiful, surreal illustrations, it would be so fascinating to hear kids versions of the kinds of motives the frogs are acting upon. I think that it would really be fun to design an art lesson around this story, liturature has always been a common element that has appeared in art for centuries, it would be a real treat for the kids to share their own "Tuesday" picture and story, maybe prompt them to tell what strange event would happen on, say a Friday, it would generate lots of cool ideas.

Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondance

"Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence", written and illustrated by Nick Bantock, is an amazing transpondence between Ms. Sabine Strohem and the artist Griffin Moss. Sabine is a follower of Griffin's art, and a strange pen pal alliance is formed. This book is amazing! There are actual letters for kids to take out of envelopes to read, mind blowing post card art work, and the mystery of the relationship between Griffin and Sabine. The most incredible element of this book are its pictures, if the reader cannot manipulate a letter out of an envelope, the they can think upon the meaning of the vivid and surreal elements of the beautiful post cards. This book is rather complex in its story plot, but the images will stir the imaginations of any aged reader; My four year old niece loves to look at the pictures in this book and make up her own story and read her own letters as she sees them, proving that this is not a book that would be lost on young readers. And as always, this brings to my mind a really cool idea for an excuse to make art, kids could make their own post card art and write letters to one another, so you see art really does have a place in about every discipline!

Just Go To Bed

In the picture book entitled, "Just Go to Bed", written and illustrated by Mercer Mayer, is yet another classical 80's children's bedtime story. The same basic formula is followed as "Froggy Goes to Bed", except in this story, the critter boy uses his imagination to pretend that he is someone else, running away, only to be foiled by his insistent father to proceed to the next task of his bed time routine. This story is a lot like "Froggy Goes to Bed" in that the story is decorated with rich, bold illustrations, and it is also a great bedtime story. Again this book could introduce a great exercise in writing and imaginative creating for kids in school, but reading in the middle of the day may seem out of place for kids in first or second grade. I personally remember reading this book when I was a kid, and so did my husband (this is his copy I am reading), and I think what made this book so memorable was the illustrations.

Froggy Goes to Bed

"Froggy Goes to Bed" is a fun bed time story written by Jonathan London and written by Frank Remkiewicz. In this story, a mother frog undergoes a nightly ritual in which all mothers dread; putting one's child to bed. Not willing to go quietly, Froggy finds that he must search for every object needed in order to complete his nightly bedtime routine. I can imagine kids being able to see themselves as acting like Froggy when bed time rolls around. I really like the picture in this book for their vivid coloring and the dispersal of panelling as Froggy looks for his pajamas, toothbrush, sailboat, and "huggy" doll. I am unsure as to how to incorporate this story into the classroom, as it is more appropriate for a bedtime story, but this is only one of the several "Froggy" books out there, so I can imagine children creating their own adventures for Froggy to go on or maybe creating a friend for him. I think that this really could be a good writing opportunity for younger kids.

Taggerung

"Taggerung" a continuation of Brian Jacques' epic saga, "Redwall". In this legend, Jacques raises the question of nature vs. nurture. The evil Sawney Rath vermin tribe has long awaited the coming of a great ruler to lead their clan, but when all signs point to an otter babe whoes origins are unknown, chaos soon ensues between the pirating vermin and good willed Redwallers as to Tagg's true nature.
I chose to review this book series, because it was one of my favorite series as a child. Redwall is an intriguing series that transports the reader to another world set in a time that feels like that of the days of King Arthur. This is a longer book for elementary kids to read, so it typically is enjoyed by more avid readers, but the plots could be enjoyed by all levels of readers in upper elementary school. The length of the novel could also be seen as a confidence booster, encouraging kids to tackle more difficult books. This is an adventure full of courage, honor, and legend; but perhaps the most important lesson that this novel teaches kids, is that appearances are not always what they seem. This is a great challenge book for kids, and the beginning of each chapter is crowned with an illustration, inviting the reader to make a prediction of the upcoming events in the chapter.