The Mildred L. Batchelder Award - International Literature

The Mildred L. Batchelder Award is given to an American publisher.  The book recognized is originally published in a foregin language in a foreign country.  The book is later translated into English and published in the United States.  The 2009 winner of the Batchelder Award was Tiger Moon written by Antonia Michaelis.  Michaelis  is from Germany but has lived and taught in India, thus her knowledge of tigers and Indian fairy tales.  Tiger Moon was orignally published in German and then translated into English.

Yes, I know I am 43 years old but I still love fairy tales(even though I've previously mentioned that they are sexist)  and that's exactly what this story is - a fairy tale.  Raka is being held prisoner (the damsel in distress) as the time for her arranged marriage approaches.  To help pass the time, Raka begins to weave a story about a thief and his tiger (kind of sounds like Aladdin, doesn't it).  As the story continues the reality of Raka's situation and the tale she is spinning become difficult to distinguish.  This book is more appropriate for upper middle school or even high school readers as there is the mention that Raka has been sentenced to death as it is discovered that she is not a virgin.

The Hans Christian Anderson Award - International Literature

The Hans Christian Anderson Award is the most prestigious award given for international children's literature.  The award is given to an author and an illustrator and is awarded every other year bythe International Board on Books for Young People.  The 2010 winning author was David Almond.  The honored illustrator was Jutta Bauer.

Some of David Almond's works include

I reviewed Kate, The Cat, and the Moon.  This is basically a bedtime story as it is bedtime for Kate.  A white cat appears to Kate just as she is about to drop off to sleep.  Kate and the cat take a nighttime adventure into the neighborhood.  The magical feature in this book is that Kate becomes a cat for the journey.  David Almond is known for his magic realism that captures the imagination of young readers.  I'm really looking forward to reading The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon.  I will be looking for it on my next trip to the public library.

One Crazy Summer - Diversity

One Crazy Summer has been honored with numerous awards - it was a Newbery Honor recepient, a Coretta Scott King winner, and the Scott O'Dell award for historical fiction to name a few.  I really enjoyed this book - a lot!  Three young girls - the oldest being just eleven- are put on a plane to Oakland, California.  Their father thinks it is time that they see their mother.  Delphine, the oldest, is really the only one with any memory of their mother.  It's frightening to think that children travel on their own, but they do.  What makes this especially frightening to me is that this was in the summer of 1968 and these girls were African American.  Our country was in turmoil at that time and I can't imagine how scared this girls must have been.

They land safely and are picked up at the airport by their mother.  Cecile is really a mother in name only.  She didn't send for the girls and she didn't want them there.  So, as Delphine always has, she set to mothering the children.  Getting their "take-out" supper each night and going to the center every morning for free breakfast.  The center is run by the Black Panthers - which adds to the plot greatly.  Their mom is arrested while they are there and a neighbor takes them in for a while.  This was a great read for a rainy Saturday afternoon.  This book would be a great book in our school library as there are many, many students that can relate to the situation that these girls are in.  We learn a little history behind Cecile and her reasons for leaving her very own girls.  The reasons don't justsify their abandonment, but it just goes to prove that we really don't know what other people have gone through.  We all have some sort of cross to bear.

Something Beautiful - Diversity

Something Beautiful is about a little girl that lives in the projects and doesn't have too many things in her life that most people would consider to be beautiful.  However, she's able to find something beautiful in circumstances that most people considered to be dismal.  Her fried fish sandwich tastes beautiful, the apples at the fruit store are beautiful, and her baby cousin's laugh sounds beautiful.  Wyeth never discloses the little girl's name throughtout the story but readers can tell she is a determined and strong character.  In order to make her neighborhood more attractive, the little girl takes it upon herself to clean up the trash from the courtyard and scrub hateful words from the front door.  At the end of the story the little girl is making plans to plant flowers and give the homeless lady a real home and a real bed.  This was an amazing picture book.  I think it's important to include in a school library because many of our students live in these conditions.  The little girl in this story proves that one person, even a child, can make a positive difference in the lives of others.

The Star Maker - Laurence Yep

The Star Maker tells the story of Artie, a young Chinese American boy growing up in San Francisco during the early 1950s.  The narrator relays that his family lives in Chinatown where all Chinese familys must live.  This story is not so much about the discrimination that Chinese Americans  faced but more about their daily lives in Chinatown - the very ordinary happenings that were typical in a Chinese American family.

The main character, Artie, is the youngest in his family and takes a lot of teasing because of that.  Artie finds an ally in his Uncle Chester.  Uncle Chester was the youngest of his generation and he understands exactly what Artie is going through.  Uncle Chester even agrees to help Artie out of a bind by supplying him with firecrackers for everyone to celebrate Chinese New Year.  Artie was the star maker of the family when everyone set their firecracker off.

I enjoyed learnng about some Chinese traditions and was impressed that Yep included a bibiography at the end so that readers may investigate some of these traditions on their own.

Goin' Someplace Special - Jerry Pinkney illustrated book

     Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia C. McKissack is a book  that I love to use when discussing segregation with students.  The story is beautifully done and is recalled from experiences that McKissack had growing up in Nashville, Tennessee during the 1950s.  Pinkney's watercolors bring the pages to life.  

     The story details Tricia Ann's journey from her home to downtown where her "Someplace Special" is located.  Along the way, she encounters rude stares, ugly comments, and embarrassment.  This was of course during the time of Jim Crow laws (blacks had to sit on the back of busses, drink from specified fountains, etc.)  Tricia Ann finally arrives at her "Someplace Special" and it is the Public Library!!  Above the front of the building are the words etched in stone "Public Library:  All Are Welcome."  That statement sets the tone for how I want all students to feel about the library this year.

     I always share the dedication and other special pages with my students as well because there is usually valuable information there.  In McKissack's note at the back of the book, she shares that in the late 1950s, Nashville's public library board of directors voted to integrate all of their facilities.  The downtown branch of the Nashville Public Library was one of the very few places that people of color did not have to endure the humilation of Jim Crow signs.  Pinkney was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award for this book in 2002.

Mr. Popper's Penguins - book/movie comparison

My daughter and I saw Mr. Popper's Penguins last night.  Let's just say that I was pleasantly surprised.  The movie was really cute and family friendly.  There were more differences between the book and movie than there were similiarities.  A major difference was that Mr. Popper from the book was a painter that struggled to make ends meet, especially during the winter months.  Mr. Popper from the film, Jim Carrey, was a real-estate developer and money apparently was not an issue for him.  Both Poppers had two children, the book version of Popper was a married man, and the film version was a divorced father of two.

In the book, Mr. Popper's Penguins, Mr. Popper had written to Admiral Drake - a world famous explorer whom he admired a great deal.  Admiral Drake sent him a penguin.  The film version's Mr. Popper's father is an explorer and has passed away. Mr. Popper's  inheritance is a penguin. Of course the penguins cause many disruptions to the Popper family and Mr. Popper's livliehood.  In the end, the penguins repair the rift in the Popper family and Mr. and Mrs. Popper's love is rekindled (awwwwwwwww).  Just as in the book, the penguins are returned back to their polar home where they belong.  The book has Mr. Popper going to the Antartic with the explorers to return the penguins and the film version has the entire Popper family going to the Antartic. 

I have to honestly say that I enjoyed the film version very much - even more so than the book.  I know, I know.  The book is a classic and I am glad I read it - it's a favorite of my daughter.  I love Jim Carrey and was very impressed that the movie was so family friendly.  The film was very nicely done.  Two flippers up!

The City of Ember - book/movie comparison

Shhhhhh.  Don't tell anyone, but I can be a little bit of a nerd sometimes.  I absolutely love this book series by Jean DuPrau.  I've read all of the books except The Diamond of Darkhold and that's on my estival reading list.  I read The City of Ember several years ago so I had to quickly read it again to refresh my memory a bit.  As a reward for my students we watched the feature film the last week of school.  They were mesmerized - especially the boys.  I remember when the movie came out that the reviews were not all that great, but I really enjoyed it.  I'm glad I waited for it to come out on DVD though - it wasn't $7.50 great.  There were many, many differences between the two works.  For example, when the main characters, Lina and Doon, make it to safety they throw the instructions for getting out of Ember down attached to a rock.  In the book, Lina's caretaker (a lady) finds the instructions.  However, the movie version has Doon's father finding the instructions.  Another difference is the inclusion of a giant mole in the film - strange.  The giant mole is eventually the demise of the crooked Mayor of Ember played by Bill Murray.  One of the grossest parts of the movie is where the mayor is gorging himself on canned sardines - he's almost chubby and the townspeople are scrawny and starving.  Murray's character is hoarding food while the citizens of Ember are starving as supplies are beginning to run low. The general story line is the same.  The generator that produces the town's electricity is well past it's prime since the "Builders" intended the people of Ember to come out after 200 years, and it is nearly 50 years over.  Overall, if you like the book series I think you would enjoy the movie.   My students did.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Movie/TV comparison



It doesn't get much more classic than How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss.  My children have nearly all of the Dr. Suess books and this is definitly one of our favorites.  At our house the roast beef is commonly referred to as "roast beast".  The television version that we all eagerly wait for each December is very similar to the book, if not word by word.  We learn from the book and the TV version that the Grinch is so angry and sullen about Christmas because his heart is "3 sizes to small".  There must be some reason his heart is too small, there are no bad grinches, just bad memories.  This is where the movie verson featuring Jim Carrey comes into play.  You might say that the beginning of the movie provides a prequel and helps the audience understand what's happened to turn the grinch into well, a grinch.  The feature film is very different from the book and television version.  It's quite raucous  with some naughty humor that makes it oh so much fun to watch.  My family howls with laughter everytime we watch it.  I would love to have been working in the costume department for the making of the movie - loads of fun!  All three versions (the book, the TV special, and the feature film) get two thumbs up.

The Hello, Goodbye Window - Caldecott Winner 2006

Well, another book that brought tears to my eyes - good tears.  An adorable, sweet book that reminded me how blessed I am that my children have amazing grandparents!  The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster is delightful and lighthearted.  All characters in the story have wonderful imaginations and wit.  Chris Raschka's illustrations are bright and cheerful, but at first glance they look like one big hot mess!  After reading the book and thinking about it for a day or two, I realized though that the carefree (some might call it messy) illustrations are appropriate for the free spirits the characters seem to be.  "You can be happy and sad at the same time, you know.  It just happens that way sometimes."  So true, so true.

The Three Pigs - Caldecott Winner 2002

     The 2002 Caldecott winner went to David Wiesner for The Three Pigs.  Wiesner must be some kind of genius to have come up with the concept of the pigs taking control of the story.  Not only did the pigs take control, they found their way into other favorite nursery ryhmes and stories.  The use of speech bubbles was pretty cool as well.  

    I truly love any three pigs story - my alltime favorite being The True Story of the Three Pigs by Jon Scieszka.  TheThree  Little Pigs is the bedtime story my daughter repeatedly asked for each and every night - not for me to read, but to tell complete with knocking on the door with my knocking on the headboard.  I appreciate the creative thinking that went into the making of this book, but it is not my favorite Wiesner piece - that distinction belongs to Flotsam.  I do beleive that children would love this book and that it would be one that they would spend a lot of time with looking at each illustration very carefully.  The details are amazing.

Caldecott vs. Newbery

     The Caldecott and Newbery Awards are both given yearly by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) which is a division of the American Library Association (ALA).  The Caldecott Award was first awarded in 1938 while the Newbery had a bit of an earlier start with it's first appearance in 1922.  The Caldecott is named for the 19th  Century English illustrator, Randolph Caldecott and goes to an artist for outstanding illustrations in a children's book.  John Newbery was an 18th century English publisher of juvenile books.  The Newbery Award goes to an author for noteworthy writing in children's literature.   Basically, the Caldecott is awarded based on the illustrations in a children's book, and the Newbery is awarded based on the text, or story of children's literature.  Either way, the books make for some fine summer reading.
     A few of the common criteria required of both Caldecott and Newbery winners are that the work must be intended for children, the artist/author must be a citizen or resident of the United States, and the book must be a self-contained entity (not part of a multi-media presentation).  A person may prefer to read Caldecott books over Newbery books, but one award is no better than the other. 
    

The Higher Power of Lucky - 2007 Newbery Winner

     When a half gallon of rum, Johnny Cash, and a dog's scrotum were mentioned on the very first page I knew I had a keeper!  This book was a riot!  A little girl, Lucky, spends her free time eavesdropping on all of the 12 step anonymous meetings held in the small town of Hard Pan.  Lucky earns a little money by cleaning up the front porch of the Museum (that would be the Hard Pan's Found Object Wind Chime Museum and Visitor Center) where all of the groups meet.  Lucky's job is to sweep up the cigarette butts from the AA meeting before the Smoker's Anonymous get there.  She has to clean up the candy wrappers before the Over Eater's Anonymous group gets there.  She has to clean up the beer cans from the Gambler's Anonymus group before the Alcoholics Anonymous group comes back.  You get the picture.  Lucky wants to find her "Higher Power" like all of the 12 steppers have claimed to have found.  The characters are charming and you can just hear and imagine their words and actions. 

    There was some controversy over Susan Patron's use of the word scrotum.  The book was censored in some school libraries and even banned in others.  I'm pretty sure the word "scrotum"  could be used as a selling point to get middle school age students to read though.  I enjoyed The Higher Power of Lucky very much.

The Graveyard Book - 2009 Newbery Winner

I tried as long as I could to avoid the Twilight series movies.  I was flipping channels one day and to my delight the Starz channel was FREE for the entire weekend.  Well, I was sucked into the craziness of Bella's world.  I spent the next week researching vampires and werewolves on the internet.  The Graveyard Book was just as much fun if not more.  I've even sent it home with my mom to read - she's enjoying it too!

     I found it interesting that it took Neil Gaiman twenty years to complete this book.  Gaiman got the idea for the story when his son was very young and was riding his tricycle in a cemetery.  The story begins with a family being slaughtered in their own home - ewwwww.  The baby of the family, the book's main character, has escaped his crib to explore.  In doing so, he also escapes the fate the rest of his family did not. He toddles up the hill to the village cemetery and is taken in by the ghosts that make it their home.  The toddler is given the name Nobody Owens and is given guidance, love, and protection from all of the inhabitants of the graveyard.

     The story is suspenseful, unpredictable, and lots of fun.  Of course, I cried at the end when it was time for Bod (short for Nobody) to move on.  I loved this book and I think the older students in my school would as well.

Flotsam - 2007 Caledecott winner



Wow!  I love this book.  I've actually spent more time with this book (there are no words) than any of the other Caldecott books I've read for this blog.  I remember growing up as an only child that I would spend hours in my room with puzzles and books.  One of my favorite activities was to study and analyze the pictures in every book I read - and I read lots of books, over and over again.  Flotsam, by David Wiesner is an amazing work.  The boy in this story, I must say, went very well prepared to investigate the beach.  His buckets are filled with specimens he has collected and he has both a set of binoculars and a microscope.  I'm rethinking what I will pack in my beach bag come July - forget the ipod, I need to take some shovels, nets, and buckets.

I think students would love this book as much as I - there are so many ways to view the story, and so many questions to ponder.  Geography - where all has that camera been?  History - investigate the clothing each child in the different pictures was wearing and match it with a time period,   and what is that cylinder shaped object he bought to put into the camera (film - today's students will not know).  Science - use of microscopes.  Fantasy - the backs of starfishes actually being islands, the electric eel providing the light source in the octupus' living room.  General - why is that lady wearing a sweater when everyone else on the beach is clearing wearing swimsuits and short sleeves?  You see why I spent hours in my room studying pictures????  I could go on forever.

The Stray Dog - Caldecott Honor Book 2002

There are two kinds of people in the world.  Dog people and non-dog people.  I used to be one of the non-dog people........and then one of my children brought home a lab mix puppy.  I've been converted!!!! 

     This book is a must read for all people.  It's a story about belonging.  The Stray Dog was written and illustrated by Marc Simont.  In reading the book jacket I learned that the story is actually based on a real life rescue of a stray by one of the author/illustrator's friends. 

     In the story a family goes for a picnic one Saturday and the children spend the day playing with Willy - a stray dog.  Of course the children want to take Willy home with them at the end of the day, but Dad says no.  The entire family has Willy on their mind all week long and the next Saturday they go to the park to "find" Willy again.  Willy has already been found, by the dog catcher!   The children succeed in bringing Willy home where he belongs.

    

The puppy that turned me into a "dog person".

The House in the Night - Caldecott Winner 2009

The House in the Night is a reassuring bedtime story that is based on a nursery rhyme.  Apparently there is a nursery rhyme that starts with the line " This is the key of the kingdom, in that kingdom is a city".  I've never heard that nursery rhyme before.  The author, Susan Marie Swanson, was inspired by that pattern to create The House in the Night.  It reminded me very much of my oldest son's all time favorite Goodnight Moon.  Both books contain a certain amount of repetitiveness - an element that children love.  Beth Krommes uses only three colors in the illustrations:  black, white, and yellow.  The yellow really pops off the page - which is fitting as it represents the light throughout the house.

The Moon Over Star - Coretta Scott King Award for illustrations

     The Moon Over Star was written by Dianna Hutts Aston, but earned the Coretta Scott King Award in 2009 for the illustrations done by Jerry Pinkney.  I enjoyed this book very much as it reminded me of my childhood - I was two years old when Apollo 11 landed on the moon.  Throughout the story, the children's time was spent by attending church services, completing chores, and by building an imaginary spaceship with found objects from the barn.  Those are all activities similar to the ones that made up my childhood.  The story portrays a simpler time.

     The moon landing may not seem to be a big deal to those that are under the age of forty-five or so, but it was indeed a big deal!  I remember my dad sharing with me that in one of his high school textbooks that it was stated that man would never go to the moon.  The text went on to explain that it was so far to the moon that if indeed they ever invented a rocket to get there that the people inside would die before getting there.  Today, we scoff at that statement.  Back then, though, the idea of space travel was truly incredible.

     I like the opportunity this book could provide to expose students to some historical events and people.  John F. Kennedy, Walter Cronkite, and of course the astronauts are mentioned by name.  Neil Armstrong's famous "...one small step for man, on giant leap for mankind..." is included as well.  The little girl in the story is referred to as Mae.  Other reviews of the book suggest that this story could be about Mae Jemison - an African American female astronaut.  The illustrations are very well done - the children's faces are full of innocence and all character's faces display wonder while watching the moon landing. 

     The characters are African American, but I think the diversity factor goes beyond that.  The story portrays a strong family unit - mother,father, grandmother,grandfather, siblings, and cousins.  The family works, plays, and worships together.  Not everyone in the family shares the excitement over the moon landing, but all the family members do respect the accomplishment.  This is a book about family, firsts in history, and dreams. 

    

I Really, Really do Love the Summer!

Words can't express how much I love summer.  It goes without saying that "school's out", but there's more to it than that.  Summer is a time for my family to unwind, relax, and rejuvenate for the upcoming school year.  Baseball/softball season is over and football season hasn't started yet, no early morning duty (grrrrrrr), and people can stay up all night long if they want - just a few more reasons to love summer!

My Purpose for this Blog

I've created this blog to serve as a reading journal for a class assignment.  My blog will serve two purposes:  to meet the requirements of the reading assignments AND to develop my blogging skills.