The Battle of Jericho by Sharon M. Draper

This is a very interesting chapter book about a young African-American adolescent boy named Jericho. He is offered the chance to pledge for an elite school club called the Warriors of Destruction. Jericho agrees to pledge because that means being a part of the popular crowd, wearing cool clothing, going to great parties, and being admired by other students in school. However, what Jericho doesn't know is that he is going to have to be part of some activities that he doesn't fully agree with. I really enjoyed reading the book, and I feel that all school media centers should have this book as a part of the collection. Draper wrote a book that focuses on all the problems of peer pressure and the desire to fit in. All children have to make difficult choices at some point in their lives, and The Battle of Jericho expertly depicts what it is like to be torn between what you believe is right and doing what other people want you to do in order to gain acceptance. It brings to attention the important message about making good decisions, and all children can benefit from reading this book.


I Love My Hair by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley

This book focuses on a young African-American girl who has to go through a nightly ritual of combing the tangles out of her hair. She cries when it hurts, so her mother tells her stories about why she should be thankful that she has such beautiful hair. Her mother gets very imaginative and makes up stories about what her daughter can do with such beautiful hair. The pictures in this book are very lovely, and they help emphasize the lesson being taught about celebrating yourself, your heritage, and your differences, no matter the situation. I Love My Hair is a very special book the focuses on self-acceptance. It should be found in every school library media center because all children feel out of place at one point or another in their lives. This book will help children understand that it is okay to be different and to celebrate your uniqueness.

The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit

This is a collection of stories by Julius Lester that depict the adventures of the book's main charcter, Brer Rabbit. There are a total of forty-eight stories in the book. Each story illustrates the daily experiences of Brer Rabbit's life. Many times, he has to use his wits and abilities to trick others in order to stay out of trouble. Brer Rabbit's main nemisis is Brer Fox, and there are many stories where Rabbit fools Fox in order to get out of a sticky situationor to avoid being eaten. Brer Rabbit also tricks Bear, Lion, and Man in the book as well. Julius Lester tells these stories in a very conversational style. He includes slang and words that are referred to as "contemporary southern black English" which helps the stories seem like something that would be told to children as bedtime stories or for entertainment. From reading these stories, Lester has made a collection of African-American folktales come to life through his words and the funny antics of the main character. Each tale is told in chronological order of how they happened in Brer Rabbit's life, so they are all linked together in some way. This is a collection of wonderfully funny folktales that all children would enjoy.

Other books by Julius Lester:
1. Two Love Stories
2. More Tales of Uncle Remus: Further Adventures of Brer Rabbit, His Friends, Enemies, and Others
3. How Many Spots Does a Leopard Have and Other Tales
4. Further Tales of Uncle Remus: The Misadventures of Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Wolf, the Doodang, and Other Creatures
5. The Hungry Ghosts
6. The Man Who Knew too Much

Other Books by Laurence Yep

1. Golden Mountain Chronicles
2. Dragon's Gate
3. Dragonwings
4. The Chinatown Mysteries
5. Child of the Owl
6. The Rainbow People

The City of Dragons

This book by Laurence Yep is one that I think will speak to many young children. The main character, a young Chinese boy, was born with the saddest face in the world, and he was ostracized because of his appearance. The people in his small village asked his parents to make him wear a hat that covered his face so that he wouldn't make other villagers sad when they looked at him. They boy felt alone because of this mandate, and he ran away from home. Eventually, he came across a band of giants whom he befriended. He is able to help them with a problem because of his appearance. Later, he returns to his village feeling needed and special. Laurence Yep has written a very special book that is directed towards the idea of feeling outcast and different than others. Everyone feels this way at one point in their lives, including young children, and it is a good book to help children feel like they are all special for different reasons. Teachers can also use this book in the classroom to discuss individual differences and how people have different talents and abilities and should be accepted as they are.

Conversations on The Cat in the Hat/The Lorax

I grew up reading all of the Dr. Seuss books, but for this assignment I had to go back and read it again. I had never read it from a literary standpoint, trying to determine the book's theme or main idea, so I checked it out from the local public library. While reading the book, I noticed that there is an interplay of sense and nonsense, with the cat usually talking Sally and her brother into allowing him to play some sort of "game." Sally and her brother, the narrator, represent logic and common sense while the cat in the hat represents silliness. He is always trying to talk the children into doing something, and when they give him an inch, he takes a mile. Another book that I read as I was growing up was If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff. It seems to have some of the same tensions presented in The Cat in the Hat. The main character in the book, a mouse, is wanting a chocolate chip cookie, but when the child gives him a cookie, the mouse wants a glass of milk. Then he'll want a straw to drink with, and so on and so on. When the child gives the mouse an inch, he keeps wanting more and more and more, which is exactly like the cat in the hat. The book also has a lot of nonsense and silliness in it, just like The Cat in the Hat. Readers are always wondering what the mouse is going to ask for next or what the cat is going to do next, when reading the book. I think it is this aspect that makes both books appeal to children: the sense of playfulness and silliness that keeps children guessing.

With The Lorax, Dr. Seuss considered this book his best. However, it did not go over well at

the time because of its didactic portrayal of environmental and ecological issues (trying to teach some kind of moral/political message). The Lorax is considered didactic because it clearly teaches its readers the consequences of taking advantage of the environment. Even though The Lorax was written many decades ago, there are still didactic children's books being published today. Some examples are Fibbed Big by Berkeley Breathed and Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. Both of these books are meant to teach a lesson to children in addition to entertain them.

Newbery Vs. Caldecott

Now that I have read and blogged about two Newbery Medal and five Caldecott Medal award winners, what does this distinction mean and what, if any, is the difference between the two? Both the Caldecott and Newbery Awards are yearly awards given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a branch of the American Library Association (ALA). These are separately awarded every January to a children's book that had been written the previous year. The Newbery Medal is named after John Newbery, a British bookseller during the 18th century. It is mainly given to a children's work of short fiction and was first awarded in 1922. According to the ALA website, the Newbery award is given to the "author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." Although there is only one Newbery Medal winner per year, there are a few books each year that are chosen as Newbery Medal Honor books, which is similar to a first-runner-up award. The Caldecott Medal is named after Ralph Caldecott, an English illustrator during the 19th century. This award is limited to children's picture books, and it was first awarded in 1938. According to the ALA website, the Caldecot award is given to the "artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children." Like the Newbery Award, one book is chosen each year to be the Caldecott Medal Winner, but other books can be chosen to receive Caldecot Medal Honor awards.
Reference:
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/literaryrelated.cfm

The Hello, Goodbye Window

This is a Caldecott Medal Award winner, written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Chris Raschka. The pictures in this book were very interesting. They looked very child-like and were done in paint and watercolor. The story was told from a child's point of view too, so the illustrations corresponded very well with the story being told. I really enjoyed reading the story. It talked about a special window in a small girl's grandparent's kitchen that is a sort of magic getaway. Everything important in her life happens near it, through it, or beyond it. The book is so captivating because it celebrates the common wonders that define childhood, things that we usually forget as we grow older. It also focuses on the special relationship between a grandchild and her grandparents. The Hello, Goodbye Window was very touching and a wonderful children's book.

My Friend Rabbit

This was an extremely cute book by Eric Rohmann. The two main characters were a rabbit and a mouse, and the rabbit was always unintentionally getting into trouble. He gets his toy airplane stuck high in a tree, and he comes up with this elaborate plan to get it down, involving a pile of other animals. Eventually, the airplane is freed, but the rabbit once again finds himself in a pickle. It's a very cute story with very colorful illustrations to go along with it. Any young child would enjoy reading this story.

Joseph had a Little Overcoat

This is a very cute book by Simms Taback. It is a Caldecott Medal winner. It tells the story of an overcoat that Joseph has. It gets old and worn, so he turns it into a jacket, then a vest, then a scarf, and so on. What is cute about the book is it has cut-outs in the pages the shape of what Joseph is making next, so children can guess before they read about it. I also think the book teaches a good lesson on reusing what you have and not throwing something away the second it gets a little worn. It seems like that has become an unspoken rule in our society--we always want the biggest and best thing available and continue to buy buy buy instead of using what we already have. Joseph had a Little Overcoat is an excellent book to help teach children to be thankful for what they have.

Flotsam

When I first found this book, I really wasn't sure what it was going to be about. I had never heard of the word "flotsam," or atleast I didn't think I had. After looking it up online, I remembered I had heard of flotsam and jetsam, and that flotsam was material found floating in the ocean. Flotsam by David Wiesner was a Caldecott Medal winner, so I thought it must be good. I was surprised when I opened the book to read and there were NO words. It was all pictures, like a graphic novel. Very interesting...I found that as I was "reading" (a.k.a. looking at the pictures) I had a tendency to make up my own words to go along with what was happening, which I thought was kind of neat and probably what Wiesner intended for children who read the book as well. The illustrations were gorgeous and very creative. It's easy to see how children could get swept away by their imaginations while in the company of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Henry's Freedom Box

This book, written by Ellen Levine and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, was a very well-written book with beautiful pictures to go along with the story. The book tells the story of Henry "Box" Brown, a real slave who mailed himself to freedom in a wooden shipping crate from Virginia to Philadelphia. The book also talks about some of the hardships that slaves faced during their lifetimes: hard physical labor and separation from family being two major problems. I think this book is perfect for a young child just learning about slavery and American history.

Very Intriguing...

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins is probably one of the most strangely atypical books I have ever read. As I got deeper and deeper into the novel, I kept waiting for something to happen—something exciting that I would find interesting and worth reading about. Although I never really came across anything of this nature, Criss Cross did appeal to my “girliness.” The book is a collection of thoughts and feelings of a group of friends growing up in the 1960s. It mainly focuses on the life of the main character, Debbie, her wish to grow up, and how her life is intertwined with the lives and experiences of her friends. Sometimes the book is funny and other times thought-provoking. For me, though, the book did get a little lackluster at times (and I love to read). However, I think if I had been an adolescent girl, this book would have held a lot more significance. It satisfactorily covers many of the thoughts and emotions of growing up as a girl trying to find herself.

Al Capone Does My Shirts

I just finished reading this book, a Newbery Medal Honor Winner, by Gennifer Choldenko. It was a really cute book. What I really enjoyed about it was the main charcter's struggle against doing what he knows to be right and what his peers are doing. His name is Matthew "Moose" Flanagan, and he lives on Alcatraz in the 1930s after his father got a job as electrician at the prison. I also enjoyed reading about Moose's main nemesis, a girl named Piper, who just happens to be the warden's daughter. She is always trying to get him into trouble!! Add into the mix an older sister who has autism (although autism didn't exist yet) who Moose has to take care of while his father and mother work, "convict" baseballs, and Moose's own curiosity, and Choldenko has created an exciting book that will hold readers' attentions and keep children coming back for more! I would definitely recommend this book to children 8+.

Ok. This doesn't qualify as a children's literature book, but I just finished reading Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult. It's her latest book, and it was so so good. I enjoy reading her books so much because there is so much depth and "realness" to them. The characters are well-developed and the storyline is so intriguing. The surprise ending to Handle with Care was one of the most surprising, but at the same time, a little disturbing. As I got closer to the end, I kept thinking, "How is this going to be a surprise?" because all of Picoult's novels end with a twist. And it was on the cover all along!!

Labor Day Homework

It's Labor Day; it's raining; and I'm consumed by graduate school homework. I should be enjoying these last few days of summer, but the weather thinks otherwise. I've created this blog as an assignment for a Children's Literature class; however, I hope to use it for more in the future (after this class ends) after I figure this blogging thing out! This fall, I will be reading a variety of children's books and blogging about them. Enjoy!