Pennypacker, Sara. 2006. Clementine. Illus. by Marla Frazee. Scholastic: New York. ISBN: 978-0-545-03619-1.
Sara Pennypacker introduces readers to a new third grade heroine, Clementine. Clementine has a knack for getting herself into troublesome situations and making them worse. Her week long misadventures lead her to believe that her parents are having a party to celebrate finally getting rid of her. In a touching moment, she realizes how much she is loved by her family and friends. Clementine’s overall positive demeanor is not marred by her mistakes and choices. She is determined and inventive. In her own unique way, she is always trying to make situations better. Ms. Pennypacker’s straightforward writing and authentic dialogue creates pleasant and plausible characters. The story is enhanced by Ms. Frazee’s ink drawings that are embedded in the text. Clementine’s emotion is translated beautifully in these simple illustrations. Within her family, Clementine is not known as the “easy one”, but this book is an “easy one” to enjoy and read again.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Module 5: Judy Moody Predicts the Future
McDonald, Megan. 2003. Judy Moody predicts the future. Illus. by Peter H. Reynolds. Candlewick Press: Cambridge, MA. ISBN: 076362343-1.
It all started with a mood ring. Megan McDonald writes another entertaining and endearing tale for our third grade heroine Judy Moody. Judy eats enough cereal to find the mood ring in the box. Through a series of manipulated events, she convinces her brother, Stink, that she can predict the future. Using her ring, she works to convince her classmates that she can predict the future. Her classmates are skeptical but are won over when Judy predicts the romance of her teacher to a visiting artist. Judy Moody lives up to her name. Readers experience the Judy’s third grade happiness, anger, disappointment, and contentment through Ms. McDonald’s simplistic sentence structure, dialogue, and word choice. Ms. McDonald effectively writes as a third grader thinks without oversimplification and poor grammar. Mr. Reynold’s charming, black and white illustrations are inserted into the text. They give readers a deeper glimpse into the mind and soul of Judy. This book would be an excellent addition to any library.
It all started with a mood ring. Megan McDonald writes another entertaining and endearing tale for our third grade heroine Judy Moody. Judy eats enough cereal to find the mood ring in the box. Through a series of manipulated events, she convinces her brother, Stink, that she can predict the future. Using her ring, she works to convince her classmates that she can predict the future. Her classmates are skeptical but are won over when Judy predicts the romance of her teacher to a visiting artist. Judy Moody lives up to her name. Readers experience the Judy’s third grade happiness, anger, disappointment, and contentment through Ms. McDonald’s simplistic sentence structure, dialogue, and word choice. Ms. McDonald effectively writes as a third grader thinks without oversimplification and poor grammar. Mr. Reynold’s charming, black and white illustrations are inserted into the text. They give readers a deeper glimpse into the mind and soul of Judy. This book would be an excellent addition to any library.
Module 5: Replay
Creech, Sharon. 2005. Replay. HarperCollins: New York. ISBN 978-0-06-054020-3.
All the world’s a stage. And all men and women are merely players. These words from Shakespeare describe the manner Sharon Creech used to show scenes from the life of Leo and his immediate and extended family. Leo’s family is full of intriguing and complex characters. His sister is transforming from a caring older sister to a moody, adolescent girl. His father is not the same since his heart attack. Leo has an aunt that no one will talk about. Using stage cues and writing dialogue as a script, Sharon Creech cleverly relays the story’s events as if they are a sequence from the theatre. While Leo is learning his lines for a school play, he finds a box of his father’s childhood mementos, including his father’s autobiography. As Leo reads the autobiography, he begins to analyze how people change as they grow up and what events cause changes. The scenes of Leo’s daily life are interrupted by scenes from Leo’s imagination. These imaginative interludes reveal Leo’s desires and dreams. At the end of the story, Leo’s school play script is included. Ms. Creech has written an original story in an innovative manner about family.
All the world’s a stage. And all men and women are merely players. These words from Shakespeare describe the manner Sharon Creech used to show scenes from the life of Leo and his immediate and extended family. Leo’s family is full of intriguing and complex characters. His sister is transforming from a caring older sister to a moody, adolescent girl. His father is not the same since his heart attack. Leo has an aunt that no one will talk about. Using stage cues and writing dialogue as a script, Sharon Creech cleverly relays the story’s events as if they are a sequence from the theatre. While Leo is learning his lines for a school play, he finds a box of his father’s childhood mementos, including his father’s autobiography. As Leo reads the autobiography, he begins to analyze how people change as they grow up and what events cause changes. The scenes of Leo’s daily life are interrupted by scenes from Leo’s imagination. These imaginative interludes reveal Leo’s desires and dreams. At the end of the story, Leo’s school play script is included. Ms. Creech has written an original story in an innovative manner about family.
Module 5: So B. It
Weeks, Sarah. 2004. So B. It. Laura Geringer Books: New York. ISBN 0-06-623622-3.
Sarah Weeks creates a touching story of love, devotion and discovery. The first person that a child loves is his/her mother. Heidi It is no exception. However her mother, who calls herself So B. It, has a “bum brain” and is completely dependent on Heidi and a neighbor, Bernadette. So B. It has a limited vocabulary of 23 words. Sarah Weeks skillfully uses each of these simple words as a title for each chapter. The story is always seen through the uncomplicated eyes of So B. It and Heidi. Eventually, Heidi is haunted by the word soof, the only word her mother says that she can’t identify. Heidi’s stubbornness and determination drives her into a solo bus journey across the country with a roll of mysterious photographs in her hand, a notebook full of questions, and soof. As Heidi discovers the truth about her mother’s past, she realizes the true meaning of love, soof. Sarah Weeks created clever and fallible characters that remind readers of the meaning of unconditional love.
Sarah Weeks creates a touching story of love, devotion and discovery. The first person that a child loves is his/her mother. Heidi It is no exception. However her mother, who calls herself So B. It, has a “bum brain” and is completely dependent on Heidi and a neighbor, Bernadette. So B. It has a limited vocabulary of 23 words. Sarah Weeks skillfully uses each of these simple words as a title for each chapter. The story is always seen through the uncomplicated eyes of So B. It and Heidi. Eventually, Heidi is haunted by the word soof, the only word her mother says that she can’t identify. Heidi’s stubbornness and determination drives her into a solo bus journey across the country with a roll of mysterious photographs in her hand, a notebook full of questions, and soof. As Heidi discovers the truth about her mother’s past, she realizes the true meaning of love, soof. Sarah Weeks created clever and fallible characters that remind readers of the meaning of unconditional love.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Module 4: Here's a little poem: A very first book of poetry
Yolen, Jane and Andrew Fusek Peters. 2007. Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry.. Illus by Polly Dunbar. Candlewick: Cambridge, MA. ISBN 978-0-7636-3141-3.
This charming anthology of poems for the youngest children radiates joy and simplicity. All of the poems are centered on topics that young children can relate. Time for Bed, something children avoid, and Who Lives in My House?, the first people a child learns to interact with, are two subcategories of poems within the collection. In Mum is Having a Baby, a young child tries to understand why his mother is having a baby: /What’s she want another one for: / WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH ME!? Although every poem does not follow a strict rhyme scheme, each poem has a cadence and rhythm that will appeal to young children. Each poem is accompanied by a brilliant watercolor illustration. These illustrations will assist in the interpretation of these poems. The index of poems and poets will simplify the task of finding that perfect poem for a specific situation. Readers, young and old, will fall in love with poetry after reading the true to life rhythms.
This charming anthology of poems for the youngest children radiates joy and simplicity. All of the poems are centered on topics that young children can relate. Time for Bed, something children avoid, and Who Lives in My House?, the first people a child learns to interact with, are two subcategories of poems within the collection. In Mum is Having a Baby, a young child tries to understand why his mother is having a baby: /What’s she want another one for: / WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH ME!? Although every poem does not follow a strict rhyme scheme, each poem has a cadence and rhythm that will appeal to young children. Each poem is accompanied by a brilliant watercolor illustration. These illustrations will assist in the interpretation of these poems. The index of poems and poets will simplify the task of finding that perfect poem for a specific situation. Readers, young and old, will fall in love with poetry after reading the true to life rhythms.
Module 4: The Neighborhood Mother Goose
Crews, Nina. 2004. The Neighborhood Mother Goose. Illus by Author. Greenwillow Books: New York. ISBN 0-06-051574-0.
The photographic choices this author made urbanize and rejuvenate the classic Mother Goose rhymes that have been enjoyed for decades. Readers are greeted with a title page photograph of a regal looking goose. This could be Mother Goose. The clever photographs illustrate the rhymes in a current setting. Jack be nimble is jumping over a candle that is sitting atop a cupcake. A real cat appears to be playing a fiddle. Mary, Mary quite contrary is watering flowers in her urban garden. The children in the photographs reveal the meaning of the rhyme and are current and authentic models. They could be from anyone’s neighborhood. The alphabetical table of contents allows readers to find that perfect rhyme. This book makes Mother Goose relevant to another generation.
The photographic choices this author made urbanize and rejuvenate the classic Mother Goose rhymes that have been enjoyed for decades. Readers are greeted with a title page photograph of a regal looking goose. This could be Mother Goose. The clever photographs illustrate the rhymes in a current setting. Jack be nimble is jumping over a candle that is sitting atop a cupcake. A real cat appears to be playing a fiddle. Mary, Mary quite contrary is watering flowers in her urban garden. The children in the photographs reveal the meaning of the rhyme and are current and authentic models. They could be from anyone’s neighborhood. The alphabetical table of contents allows readers to find that perfect rhyme. This book makes Mother Goose relevant to another generation.
Module 4: Pio Peep! Traditional Spanish Nursery Rhymes
Ada, Alma Flor and F. Isabel Campoy. 2003. ¡Pío Peep! Traditional Spanish Nursery Rhymes. Illus. by Viví Escrivá. Harper Collins: New York. ISBN 0-688-16020-4.
This bilingual collection of traditional Spanish rhymes highlights Spanish oral folklore. The colorful illustrations wrap themselves around the Spanish and English translation of the poem, binding the two versions together. Having both translations is essential to understanding the poems. Several poems seem irregular when read in English, but when the original Spanish is read, the flow of the poem is recaptured. Readers will enjoy the poems while learning about another culture. Many English-speaking children have played London Bridge. A powerful realization can be made when Sea Serpent introduces the Spanish equivalent: Sea Serpent/sea serpent/pass on through/ gates swing open just for you/ Those in front must run through fast/gates will close upon the last. Several poems blend learning about a new culture with realizing one’s existing knowledge on that culture. The words of The Piñata, /hit it/hit it/ swing it around/ ready/aim/smack!/-- treats fall to the ground/, spark memories in many children. The introduction and the table of contents are in English and Spanish. Readers in English and/or Spanish will revel in the light rhymes and carefree fun of this anthology.
This bilingual collection of traditional Spanish rhymes highlights Spanish oral folklore. The colorful illustrations wrap themselves around the Spanish and English translation of the poem, binding the two versions together. Having both translations is essential to understanding the poems. Several poems seem irregular when read in English, but when the original Spanish is read, the flow of the poem is recaptured. Readers will enjoy the poems while learning about another culture. Many English-speaking children have played London Bridge. A powerful realization can be made when Sea Serpent introduces the Spanish equivalent: Sea Serpent/sea serpent/pass on through/ gates swing open just for you/ Those in front must run through fast/gates will close upon the last. Several poems blend learning about a new culture with realizing one’s existing knowledge on that culture. The words of The Piñata, /hit it/hit it/ swing it around/ ready/aim/smack!/-- treats fall to the ground/, spark memories in many children. The introduction and the table of contents are in English and Spanish. Readers in English and/or Spanish will revel in the light rhymes and carefree fun of this anthology.
Module 4: Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems
George, Kristine O’Connell. 2001. Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems. Illus. by Kate Kiesler. Clarion: New York. ISBN 0-618-04597-X.
Whether in the backyard or in the wilderness, many families enjoy camping. Memories are made as the family bonds during shared experiences. Toasting Marshmallows follows a family’s camping adventure. Many of the sights and events are captured by a poem. The simple and straightforward poems bring the reader into the campsite. When camping, the first one must pitch a tent. The first poem, Tent, does that for the reader: First/ smooth dirt/…Next sharp stakes, poles/ strong, nylon rope. Shake, snap/. When reading Campfire, Warm front/ Cold back/ I turn around/ warm back/ cold front, I turn around/, the reader can feel the warmth of the fire and the chill in the night air. The amazing illustrations ease the readers into interpreting and analyzing poetry. Whether one is an outdoorsman or not, one will feel as though one has spent time communing with nature and her beauty with the company of loved ones after reading this book. This would be an excellent addition to a poetry collection.
Whether in the backyard or in the wilderness, many families enjoy camping. Memories are made as the family bonds during shared experiences. Toasting Marshmallows follows a family’s camping adventure. Many of the sights and events are captured by a poem. The simple and straightforward poems bring the reader into the campsite. When camping, the first one must pitch a tent. The first poem, Tent, does that for the reader: First/ smooth dirt/…Next sharp stakes, poles/ strong, nylon rope. Shake, snap/. When reading Campfire, Warm front/ Cold back/ I turn around/ warm back/ cold front, I turn around/, the reader can feel the warmth of the fire and the chill in the night air. The amazing illustrations ease the readers into interpreting and analyzing poetry. Whether one is an outdoorsman or not, one will feel as though one has spent time communing with nature and her beauty with the company of loved ones after reading this book. This would be an excellent addition to a poetry collection.
Module 4: Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems
George, Kristine O’Connell. 2004. Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems. Illus. by Barry Moser. Harcourt: New York. ISBN 0-15-202325-9.
This journal of poems follows the journey of one hummingbird as she becomes a mother, nurtures her babies, and watches them leave her nest. This magical event was accidentally witnessed by an established human family. The reader can sense the author’s awe as the events unfold. In Empty Nest, the author can’t believe the events are over: This is how/ it’s supposed to be/so why do I keep watching/this empty nest in this empty tree. This awe is accompanied by expectancy in Nest Check: Can’t resist, have to check/ just once more today/. This is followed by lightheartedness as readers understand what the cat’s feelings might be in The Cat’s Remarks: I’m locked in jail/can’t go outside/…I’m a prisoner-/ because of a bird. The Author’s Note reveals further background information and details. The author also provides additional factual information about hummingbirds and provides resources for further research and investigation. The fantastical text is coupled with soft and detailed illustrations. This combination creates an irresistible view of life’s journey.
This journal of poems follows the journey of one hummingbird as she becomes a mother, nurtures her babies, and watches them leave her nest. This magical event was accidentally witnessed by an established human family. The reader can sense the author’s awe as the events unfold. In Empty Nest, the author can’t believe the events are over: This is how/ it’s supposed to be/so why do I keep watching/this empty nest in this empty tree. This awe is accompanied by expectancy in Nest Check: Can’t resist, have to check/ just once more today/. This is followed by lightheartedness as readers understand what the cat’s feelings might be in The Cat’s Remarks: I’m locked in jail/can’t go outside/…I’m a prisoner-/ because of a bird. The Author’s Note reveals further background information and details. The author also provides additional factual information about hummingbirds and provides resources for further research and investigation. The fantastical text is coupled with soft and detailed illustrations. This combination creates an irresistible view of life’s journey.
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