Extra Credit: Graphic Novel/Reader Biography Project

I mentioned this idea in class, but I'm working on an activity/assignment for next semester in which I'm going to ask students to tell a story about a reading memory that will help others understand who they currently are as readers.

To help us think about design/composition, I'm going to ask people to do this in graphic novel/comic book style.

I'm going to post the comic strip that gave me the idea for the project in the Extra Credit folder on Angel. (I don't necessarily think I would ask people to do a two-page spread, but it will give you an idea.) Take a look at it and, if you think you might be interested in helping with this, drop me an email!

Session 10: Biography and Nonfiction

For session 10 we'll be talking about two genres of books: non-fiction and biography! To prepare for class, please:

• Read Chapter 9 (Biography) and Chapter 10 (Nonfiction) in C & G. What are the similarities and differences between the genres?
  
• Read "The Truth about Helen Keller". What is the author's critique of the way in which Keller is depicted in children's biographies? How does she use the example of Helen Keller to make a larger argument about the genre?
• You'll see that the syllabus says to bring a biography to class. This is optional! I'll be bringing a range of books to look at.
  

Remember that the second part of facilitator and artistic responses to Esperanza Rising are due before class.

Extra credit ideas

Here are a couple of upcoming events/extra credit opportunities:

• Safe Schools Seminar: Viewing and discussion of "For the Bible Tells Me So", a documentary that explores the relationship between Christianity and sexual orientation. Thursday, October 30th, 4:30-6:30, Erickson Hall 252. (Pizza provided.)

• Visit the MSU museum and explore either Visual Griots of Mali and/or Our Journeys/Our Stories: Portraits of Latino Achievment.

In either case, your 1-page write up could focus on what you learned, how the events connected to course content, new questions they raised for you, or how the film/exhibits worked as pieces of art that were designed to have a particular impact on an audience.

Other ideas related (broadly) to themes or content in the course? Run them by me!

Esperanza Rising

For Esperanza Rising my role was Artistic. Some of you might have seen that I was showing my group the presentation on the computer. I wanted to let everyone know this was a very fun way to do my project because I am not good at drawing so it allowed me to be creative. If anyone else is not a great drawer either I created this project at scrapblog.com. Below is the link if you want to look at my project.

Link to presentation

Book Reviews

I really enjoyed the Midterm books discussion that we had in the small groups. I liked giving our presentation in a smaller group versus a larger group. It made me feel more comfortable. Everyone's reviews that they did made me want to go out and check out the books. Is our final exam going to be like this?

Has anyone found a really cool bookstore to draw the children's section for our Library/Bookstore assignment? Any suggestions of one?

Big Words

This is the eighth hilarious picture book by the #1 New York Times bestselling teams of Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell and they help out little people to learn communicate words in a big person’s world through this book.
The genre of Big Words for Little People is realistic fiction with illusion of reality. Events in this book could happen in real world, characters seem real and also contemporary setting. The setting in Big Words for Little People is briefly presented with words and is detailed in the illustrations with a narrative. This contemporary setting is with children who are very wild in one family and these kids start to learn words of communicate in a big person’s worlds. With the very first page, we as readers can realize that characters such as children of a family in this book will go wild. The theme, which is easily identified and understood by young readers, is established by the text and extended by the illustrations. Young readers can see the excitement to learn “big words” and it is able to be compared to their ordinary life. The sequence of action in Big Words for Little People is straight forward, clear and logical. This plot brings young readers’ emotions and sympathy. Curtis generally selects one point of view and sticks with it throughout the story. And its point of view allows readers to know a great deal about what all the characters are thinking and doing. Artistically, all of illustrations are colorful. Its composition is very detailed; especially, arts and key words that an author is focused on are well-balanced. As this family in the book has many children, it is described such as wild enough in each piece of art works. I liked each person has his/her own expression on face also.

In this delightful book, Curtis explains to students through the usage of excellently written poetry the meanings of words that are all grown up. The 22 words are used, and they are not easy for 4-8 age children to learn, but a team of Curtis and Cornell performed their task to explain these words seem easily. It is also good point that the illustrations perfectly support the text, and the text supports actually explaining the meanings of the word rather than defining them.

Mid term post on Saint George and the Dragon

This Caldecottwinning book is a fantastic folklore. A young knight set out on his first quest, by the Queen of the Fairies, to face a deadly monstrous dragon; also joining him on his quest is a princess named Una, and a dwarf. The story takes places in England many centuries ago when monsters and giants lived. The author also uses boarder’s throughout the book to really add to the feeling that is book might have been past down all these years and know you get to read it. The author also uses color to set mood throughout the book in times of peace in the book there is light sky and all the clouds are white, but the more danger the darker the clouds and sky and colors become. The author also use the size of the image to show the power that image has for example the dragon is the book is HUGE. In the book the Knight, also known as, Red Cross Knight, as some very grim battles he must face, but with is persistence sans courage is able to reach his goal, and he becomes know as St. George, the patron saint of England. In Saint George and the Dragon there are two type of writing styles. One is of the narrator, in what one would call modern English. The other is in Italics and has a very different ring to it, and is in different voices. Book teaches about overcoming adversity through persistence and courage.

Hodges, Margaret. Saint George and the Dragon.

Boston, London, Toronto: Little, Brown, and Company, 1984

only one you

I chose the book “Only One You” by Linda Kranz for my midterm book talk. It is about a little fish named Adri, and his parents teaching him the wisdom they have gained on how to live a happy life. The lessons they teach Adri would appeal to young children, as it is very simplistic, but even as a twenty-year-old college student I loved hearing what they had to say to their son. This fiction book takes you on a journey to each and every life lesson in which the parents want to ready their son for through a third person objective point of view. The Author obviously wants the reader to feel empowered after and while reading this book, because she is empowering the reader through the directions of the parents to the child fish. It is a man vs. Nature conflict- or in this case- fish vs. nature? It’s illustrated with real pictures of the sea for a background, and inspirational-style painted rocks as fish. – a spongebob-esqe approach- but it fits the book very well. It gives it a more rlaxed-carribean type theme. The book is inclusive to children of various backgrounds, which is very important when you are reading something to a large group of children. All in all, I fell in love with this book. I guarentee it will be a staple in my household and classroom someday in the future.

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears

Aardema, Verna, Illustrators: Leo Dillion, and Diane Dillion. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears. New York, NY: First Pied Piper Printing, 1975.

This West African tale takes place in a jungle and answers the question: why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears. The tale begins with mosquito telling iguana a lie causing iguana to put sticks in its ears to block out the nonsense. As iguana walks through the jungle a snake notices iguana and greets him but iguana does not respond. Snake immediately feels that iguana is planning mischief against him. This assumption quickly sets off a chain reaction and panic through the animals of the jungle. The animals’ panicking ultimately ends with mother owl so distraught she can’t wake the sun. King Lion quickly brings all animals to court to solve why the jungle is in a state of panic. Mosquito listens to the upset animals nearby which leads it to buzz in people’s ears asking if everyone is still angry at it for starting the chaos.

Every page has a stained glass appearance using watercolors and airbrush with each character outlined in white. The illustrations give you a sense of each animal’s personality. Lizard always has a grumpy look, monkey has a wild and troublesome, and mosquito is annoying. The background on each page will tell you whether it is night or day. Another feature to look for is a bird on each page which seems to represent a reader.

Teach Us,Amelia Bedelia Book Talk

Parish, Peggy, and Lynn Sweat. Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1977.
Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia is a mixture of fiction and fantasy. It is fiction because the events in the story, though some of them are very far-fetched, could possibly happen. I consider this work to be in the category of fantasy because when I read this book, this is how I imagined every student wanted their classroom to function. This book is about a woman who is asked to relay a message to the principal of the school but somehow gets the job of substitute teaching for the class. This is a problem because the main character, Amelia Bedelia, takes everything literally and always seems to mess up what others see as simple tasks. The illustrator, Lynn Sweat, uses cartoon art in order to add to the comical mishaps of Amelia Bedelia in this book. The pictures depict the literal meanings of Amelia Bedelia’s actions throughout the book. The text, along with the pictures in this book, effectively relay the message that Amelia Bedelia takes everything literally. I feel that this is socially relevant because children are always told to follow directions, and sometimes the directions are not as explicit as they could be for young minds to comprehend. This book makes it a comical situation instead of what some children may be used to when they make mistakes.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

By: Judith Viorst 

Illustrated by: Ray Cruz

  In Judith Viorst’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” she accurately describes one of those days as a child when nothing seemed to go your way. From the moment that the main character, Alexander wakes up, to the moment he goes back to sleep that night, his day is filled with a series of adolescent atrocities that not only ruin his day, but further fuel his ambition to move to Australia.

The genre of this book is solely a children’s graphic novel, with an underlined theme of we all have bad days, but it’s all about how you deal with it. The unfortunate events that take place with Alexander and his responses to them generate the comical backbone of this text.  The novel is told from Alexander’s point of view, it is set in many various locations, all relative to Alexander’s life. The other characters are Alexander’s family, classmates, and Dentist.

Only the cover of the book was given color, the rest of the artwork is done in black and white, with an interesting shadowing technique throughout the book. Ray Cruz the illustrator created artwork that precisely described what was happening in the text.  There are an equal number of pages with a full-page spread, versus pages with a one-page picture, while the other has a reaction of Alexander underneath the text, leaving plenty of room for Alexander to entertain readers.

The author effectively illuminated her title in the content and the artist portrayed each occurrence precisely. Ms. Viorst seems to have a that’s life, deal with it, kind of attitude, which I can relate to, and appreciate. There are no hidden messages, just everyday calamity. Appropriate for ages 5 and up. 

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace was written by Mary Hoffman and illustrated by Caroline Binch. In the genre of realistic fiction the things that take place in this book can most certainly be done everyday by young adventurous children in the home as well as in the classroom. The stories setting is at first in Grace's home in her backyard where she acts out all the characters in her favorite stories next the setting moves to the ballet where her grandmother takes her to see an African American star ballerina and the setting ends in school where Grace acts out Peter Pan even though her friends told her she could not be him for various reasons. The theme in this story is simple and concise you can be and do anything that you put your mind to and never let anyone tell you different, no matter who you are. The art in this story is phenomenal Mary Hoffman uses water colors to depict Grace using her imagination and using things she finds around her home to act out her favorite characters. The placement on the page at times places Grace on the cover of her favorite stories. The literary and artistic elements are very effective in this story they convey the meaning very well and the author both uplifts and entertains the reader. This book will always be socially relevant because there will always be someone who tells you cant do something and you have to believe in yourself and show them you can.


Works Cited :(Hoffman, Mary. Amazing Grace. London England: Dial Books , 1991.).

Please, Baby, Please

Lee, Spike and Lee, Tonya Lewis. Please Baby Please. Illustrated by Nelson, Kadir. New York. Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers. 2002

The book Please, baby, please by spike lee and Tonya Lewis Lee falls into the category of realistic fiction. Textually, it is realistic fiction because it has a strong sense of actuality and it’s about people and events that could actually happen. In the story the characters illuminate life presenting social and personal concerns of a mother and child in a fully human context. The literary elements support this in many ways. On each page the time is given and the place is shown are vivid, realistic, and could possibly exist. The mother, daughter, and father reflect human beings we know and are authentic, fully developed, change throughout the story, and are influenced by the plot. The point of view reflects the mother’s day-to-day process. And finally the theme reflects and important issue of contemporary society of the relationship between a mother and child and child care. These themes are intrinsic situations that matters to young readers lives.

The art of this picture book was illustrated by Kadir Nelson, a Caldecott award winner whose oil paintings and realistic art helped to convey the story. Through use of warm colors he helps to put the reader into the story as well as reminding readers of a mother’s love. The pictures also a good use of the artwork on the page taking up the entire page and leaving no empty spaces. The line, shape, texture, color, and design work to highly define objects and give them a realistic feel.

Seven Blind Mice

Young, Ed. Seven Blind Mice. New York: Puffin Books, 1992.

The 1992 Caldecott award winning “Seven Blind Mice” is an exquisite children’s book that tells the story of how seven tiny creatures use their sense of touch to figure out what “strange something” has come to their pond and each come up with a different answer. This story is told by the point of view of an outsider and is a perfect combination of textual and artistic elements to make the reader fully understand the moral of the story.

The illustration is what makes this book such a great read. The whole book has the same backdrop of black that gives the reader the feeling of being blind like the mice. Each mouse has its own bright color and the mouse’s thought of what the “strange something” is has the same color as well. It is Ed Young’s use of a textured, cut-paper technique to help the readers see how an elephant’s tail just dangling there can be mistaken for a rope and an elephant’s sturdy trunk can be mistaken for a spear.

So all these elements aide in the moral of the story which is the theme of most fables and that moral is “Knowing in part may make a fine tale, but wisdom comes from seeing the whole” (Young 39). Ed Young tells a fantastic story that children can understand with the aide of the pictures and gives them something to think about at the end.

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Munsch, Robert. Love You Forever. Ontario, Canada: Firefly Books Ltd., 1986.
Illustrated by Sheila McGraw

Love You Forever is a realistic fiction book about the relationship between a mother and her son. She has a special song that she sings to him every night when he falls asleep. As he begins to grow up he causes a lot of trouble but every night his mom is still there for him, holds him, and sings the special song. Even when he grows up and moves out she sometimes drives to his house at night and sings to him. The mother then gets old and sick and her son takes care of her and sings the song to her. He then begins to care for his newborn daughter with the same love his mom had for him and he sings the song to his daughter.
The pictures also play an important role in this book. Each picture goes along very well with the descriptions of what the son is doing. The writing is always on the left side of the book and the picture to go with it is on the right. If you were to look solely at the pictures you would probably come up with a similar story of the love a parent has for a child no matter what they do. You might not know that the mother sings to the child every night, but the pictures are so detailed and descriptive that the main point of the story would be understood. Also, the colors of the pictures go with the context as well. All of the pictures of the mother in her son’s room are more dull and soft colors. It portrays love and caring. The pictures of the son causing trouble, being a crazy teenager, and moving out are all bright colors. That portrays more craziness and the chaos of a boy’s life. You can really sense the different emotions between the crazy days of the son and the loving relationship that the mother has with her son at nighttime. Also, in all of the pictures with the son during the day he is the center of the picture. The picture seems to be centered on his actions, whether they’re causing a disaster, being dirty, or even living in a new house without his mother. The illustrator does a great job of focusing on the son. This is a great story for children of all ages and even adults, especially if read with their child(ren).


Resource used:
Galda, Lee., and Bernice E. Cullinan. Literature and the Child: Sixth Edition.Australia: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006.

Chanticleer and the Fox- Martin Erickson

Martin Erickson
TE 348 Sect. 002
10/21/08
Chanticleer and the Fox

Retold by: Fulton Roberts
Illustrated by: Marc Davis

This story, originated by Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and adapted by Barbara Cooney in 1958, was redone extremely well by writer Fulton Roberts and the legendary illustrator Marc Davis. This enchanting fable is about the vain rooster Chanticleer who rules the village as the appointed Mayor with pompous severity until the sly fox Reynard arrives with the intentions of ending the rooster’s reign and eating all the beautiful hens. Fun and mayhem take over the city under Reynard’s influence and Chanticleer soon loses all his friends and supporters, until the fox finally crosses the line. In the end, Chanticleer learns that “no one in the village is more important than anyone else” (31), and the townspeople also realize that they need Chanticleer because they “do not get up by [themselves]. [They] still need Chanticleer to wake [them]” (31). This story of how Chanticleer learns a valuable lesson, and how the villagers come to appreciate his true talents, show how vanity and pride can destroy even the best of relationships with the people you care most about.
The colorful characters portrayed by animals in this fable really bring the book to life. The book is written in third-person objective-omniscient like other classic Disney tails. The artwork, done by the famous Disney cartoonist Marc Davis, is very unique in the way that it is somewhat rough, yet very detailed and colorful. The details of the characters shine in this book and are in classic Disney form that children of all ages will appreciate.

Works Cited
Roberts, Fulton. Chanticleer and the Fox 500 South Buena Vista St., Burbank, California
Disney Press, 1991

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR

Wood, Audrey and Don. The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear. Illustrated by Wood, Don. Singapore. Child’s Play Int, 1984.

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The BIG HUNGRY BEAR is a wonderful children’s book that excites the reader and gets them involved in the story. The story begins with a little mouse who is about to pick a very red ripe strawberry. The reader then goes into conversation with the little mouse warning him against the danger of picking the strawberry because there is a big hungry bear who likes red ripe strawberries that have been picked. The story continues through showing how the mouse proceeds to protect the strawberry and keep it safe from the awaiting bear’s claws. Alas, the reader comes up with a solution that all his problems can be solved if the mouse shares the strawberry with him.

This story is a great way to make kids laugh and become an all time favorite. Reader’s have the option to change the pitch in their voice and make scary noises to add fun to the story. Most likely to be categorized under fantasy, the little mouse in the story is a clever little hero who is as cute as a button and easily brings joy to children. Written in 1984 by Don and Audrey Woods and illustrated by Don, the simple text is greatly complimented by the detailed illustration and puts most of the story into the artwork and less in the words. The light shading on the background and the hard defined lines of the mouse and the strawberry help readers pay close attention to the plot of the story. This book is a great example of anticipation and is one of the many stories that children can carry with them for years to come.

The Red Book

The Red Book by Barbara Lehman is a wordless picture book yet tells a very interesting story. In this book the author takes a unique perspective on the way books work. It is often used that books can take you places and can help you travel to far away places. This book uses this phrase in a whole new and different way. In this book a girl finds a book in the snow and when she opens it up she sees a boy you has a matching red book and he sees her in the pages of his book. It personifies the fact that when you read books they can show you places that you have never been before.
In this book the author uses watercolor to make this book a unique and bright look to it. The book really stands out with its very vivid red color and central focus point of the book. In this way, the illustrations draw your eye right to the book and you know that it is important.
Being a wordless picture book, it can be enjoyed by any age. With its fun pictures it can be fun to look at for young children and with its powerful meaning about how books can take you places it can be enjoyed by teens and adults as well. It’s a book about and promoting books which it does through a very creative plot and story.

Lehman, Barbara. The Red Book. Houghton Mifflin, 2004

Life Doesn't Frighten Me

Life Doesn’t Frighten Me is a narrative poem by Maya Angelou, with accompanying images from Jean – Michel Basquiat and edited by Sara Jane Boyers. The poem focuses on everyday images or noises that can make us scared, such as “shadows on the wall / noises down the hall / bad dogs barking loud.” On every page of the book we can see Angelou’s words paired with a painting by Basquiat, similar in tone and context. With every scary event described by Angelou she always ends with the bold, self-encouraging statement of “life doesn’t frighten me at all.”

In this poem, it places the reader as the main character and is told through his or her point of view. The combination of Angelou and the young modern artist, Basquiat was an odd choice when it comes to children’s books. However, Basquiat’s use of stick figures and vibrant colors provides insight into the mind of a child and this is exemplified when paired with the text. Basquiat originally created these images using paint, oil stick, pastels, and ink.

The paired artistic styles of both artists provide both a place where adults can revert to their childhood and where children can mature and battle their own fears. Both young and mature readers can find meaning behind the poetry and the images within this book.

 

Angelou, Maya, and Sarah Jane Boyers. Life Doesn’t Frighten Me. Illustrates copyright © The Estate of Jean – Michel Basquiat. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1993. 

Realistic Fiction

Shannon, David. Alice the Fairy. New York City:

The Blue Sky Press, 2004.

Alice the Fairy, written and illustrated by David Shannon, is about a girl named Alice who has a very strong imagination; she is a fairy, although just a temporary fairy. This story is told from Alice’s perspective. As she transfers everyday experiences into magical events. “But, a fairy must be very careful with magic. Once I accidentally turned my white dress into a red one. That made the Duchess so mad she locked me in the tower forever! (I got away, though).” However, there are a lot of things Alice needs to work on like turning her bathwater into strawberry Jell-o. In order for Alice to become a permanent fairy, she would have to attend advanced fairy school and take a lot of tests to get really good at all the things a permanent fairy does.

The illustrations reveal the reality behind Alice’s perspective. For example, from the quote I stated above the drawing depicts the scene. Alice spills a drink on her white dress with her magic wand, accidentally turning it red. Also, the Duchess is her mother who locks her in the “tower” otherwise known as her bedroom. Each illustration dances on the page like Alice herself is dancing in front of you. Shannon uses creative pictures that fit the text to tell his story; each design adds depth. One example is when Shannon draws Alice in the middle of the page right in front of the tree waving her magic wand in the air with leaves falling all around her. His illustrations are playful and have a very distinct attitude. The illustrations will keep you giggling on every page.

Corduroy

Freeman, Don. Corduroy. Illus. Don Freeman. New York: Viking Press, 1968.

Corduroy, written and illustrated by Don Freeman, is a fictional story about a teddy bear and a young girl's new-found friendship. Day after day, Corduroy sits on a shelf waiting to be "adopted" by a child. One day, a young girl named Lisa comes to buy Corduroy, but her mother points out he is missing a button and drags her away. Corduroy, determined to replace his missing button, sets out on an adventure for a new one once the mall closes. He sneaks around the mall until he is caught by the night guard. The next morning, Lisa returns with money from her own piggy bank, purchases Corduroy, runs home with him, and lovingly sews on a new button.

The book is written from Corduroy's point of view and the story takes place in a busy toy store in a mall. The illustrations, primarily done in brightly colored watercolor and ink sketches, take on a scribbled, cartoon-like quality. Each picture takes up most of the page and depicts images that are familiar to children, such as a toy store filled with shelves of toys. The illustrations specifically depict the characters emotions, through detailed facial expressions and illustrate exactly what is written on the page, making it possible to understand the story even without the words. The idea of a toy coming to life at night and going on an adventure is appealing for children of all ages. Corduroy is a heart-felt tale of friendship and has remained a classic over the years.

"Where is Home, Little Pip?"

“Where is Home, Little Pip?” is a heart-warming fantasy fiction picture book published in 2008 by the best-selling author-illustrator team Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. The book follows a young penguin, Little Pip, who knows not to stray far from home. One day, she accidentally finds herself in unfamiliar territory and we follow her as she encounters all kinds of Antarctic creatures on her quest to get back home to her “pebbly nest by the stormy sea”. Little Pip knows where home is by the song that her parents taught her to remember, but everyone she runs into is singing a different song.  Just when she fears she’ll never make it home, Little Pip learns a valuable lesson about family and where home really is.

            This book is rich in its artistic elements with every page canvassed in rich detail and textures. The painted illustrations of this book are what make it captivating and make the written text come alive. Jane Chapman wonderfully compliments Karma Wilson’s story by creating visual representations that create the warmth of a family, or the cold disparity of being alone that Little Pip feels on her journey through the Antarctic land. Appropriate for ages 3-7, this book would lend itself to wonderful lessons about family values, family differences, and ultimately that home is where the heart is.

Wilson, Karma. Where is Home, Little Pip?. Illus. Jane Chapman. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2008.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Steig, William.  Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.  New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1969.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is a story about a young donkey named Sylvester who one day finds a red, magic pebble that can make his wishes come true.  As he is walking home, pondering what to wish for, he encounters a lion.  Out of panic, he wishes that he were a rock, but soon realizes that he cannot turn himself back into a donkey.  After months of sitting on the hill as a rock, and much worry to his parents, Sylvester is able to turn back into a donkey with a bit of luck.  The pictures, drawn with thick black lines and colored with watercolors, reflect the story in the text well.  They are also slightly quirky, which supplements the fantasy aspect of the story.

Sylvester’s trouble with feeling like he would be a rock forever and never be found touches on the fears of being forgotten or getting lost and not being found- fears that many children have.  Parents can also relate to the fear of losing their only child.  The resolution of the story teaches the reader not to give up hope, even when their biggest fears seem to have come true.  These important themes, paired with the storytelling and pictures, earned Sylvester and the Magic Pebble the Caldecott Medal in 1970.

The Lorax

The Lorax is a fable written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss that deals with the themes of industrialization, and the negative effects it has on our environment. Published in 1971, the book created some controversy, particularly with people involved with the lumber industry. The story is narrated by the Once-ler, who tells a young boy about a business he ran with his family. The business grew rapidly despite warnings by the Lorax, a local creature who spoke for the forest and its creatures, and soon the forest became extremely polluted. One by one, the animals are forced to leave their once thriving environment. Finally, the business uses all the forest's resources, and the Lorax himself departs. The Once-ler then realizes the consequences of his greed, but offers hope to a young boy in the form of a tree seed that might help rebuild the once beautiful land.

The book was progressive for its time. Many people are just now turning to the notion of thinking green and protecting our land. Seuss does a great job of creating a story line that is easy for children to understand, while still delivering a message that resonates with adults. As the book progresses, the illustrations show the trees to grow scarcer, and the sky to turn black. On the last page though, Seuss brightens to sky, to show the reader that with change we can turn around our environment.

Geisel, Theodor Seuss. The Lorax. New York: Random House Children Books, 1971.

BRAVE IRENE

William Steig introduces “Brave Irene” which is a story of a young girl’s bravery and determination. Irene is delivering a dress to the duchess although; when Irene goes outside she is faced with snow in her face, coldness in the air, and walking through the snow. Irene is carrying the dress in a box and suddenly the dress flies away and Irene is devastated. Irene continued overcoming obstacles including falling in a hole, twisting her ankle, and being buried in the snow. Irene decided to use the box as a sled when she sleds to the bottom of the hill the dress was clung to a tree. Finally, Brave Irene delivered the dress and everyone was excited because Irene traveled through the storm to deliver the dress. The characterization of Irene is impeccable because she demonstrates qualities of determination, strength, bravery, willpower, loyalty, and heroic because her thoughtfulness to help her mother, and the hardships of overcoming a snowstorm, and finally making the duchess happy with delivering the gown. “Brave Irene” offers literary elements including the characterization of Irene and a suspenseful plot. “Brave Irene” includes artistic elements demonstrating illustrations that are two thirds of the page which help to visualize and interpret the struggles Irene overcame as well as amplifying her bravery. “Brave Irene” offers readers a sense of courage and power because connecting with Irene they grasp her characterization of determination and bravery because of the hardships she overcame in the snowstorm.

Steig, William. Brave Irene. China: Sunburst Edition, 1986.

Maus: A Survivor's Tale, I: My Father Bleeds History

Art Spiegelman’s Maus is a work of historical fiction that uses very unique illustrations and writing style to tell the story of a holocaust survivor. This piece is very unique in that it takes the form of a graphic novel, but is still dealing with a very serious issue. The story begins with a son, Artie, asking his father, Vladek, to dictate his experiences of the Holocaust from Poland in 1939. Smoothly transitioning from modern times to the actual story being told by the father, the reader can see the toll that the war has taken on Vladek’s life and how he is still surviving.

The art in Maus is an extremely important element because it is the only detail the reader gets to clarify character’s emotions and experiences. The most notable artistic choice in this book is the author’s decision to use animals instead of human beings to be the characters. In the novel, the Jews are mice, the Germans are cats and the Polls are pigs. . It is essentially depicting the world as a game of ct and mouse. Using animals provides clarity for the reader so there is no guessing who the bad guys are and the novel does a great job personifying these characters by using dramatic facial expressions and detailed settings. Spiegelman is able to tell his father’s story in a very unique way without losing any of its meaning or severity.

Spiegelman, Art. Maus: A Survivor’s Tale: I: My Father Bleeds History. New York: Pantheon, 1973.

The Polar Express, Midterm

Van Allsburg, Chris. The Polar Express. Boston, M.A.: Houghton Mifflin, 1985.

The 1986 Caldecott award winning “The Polar Express” is a faith inspiring book that tells a fantastical story of a boy’s trip on a train that picks up children on Christmas Eve, and takes them to the North Pole to meet Santa. On this Christmas Eve, Santa chooses this boy to receive the first gift of Christmas, in which the boy modestly asks and receives a silver bell from Santa’s sleigh; however on the way home he loses the bell. To his surprise on Christmas day after opening all his other gifts, the boy finds the bell neatly wrapped under the tree and when he rings it, his parents cannot hear it, only him, his sister and those who believe can hear its beautiful sound, believing and having faith is the resounding theme to this story.

This story is told from the first person point of view of the boy. The setting starts out at the boy’s house, and then goes to being in the train to outside of the train following it while it travels to its next setting, at the North Pole. The big almost two page sized pictures that just seem to live and breathe in this book have an amazing atmosphere, are flooded with detail and textures, and create an imagery that gives this book a truly epic and majestic feel to it. This book can easily be fuel for dreams for those around the intended ages 4 to 8, but the story is truly ageless.

Chrysanthemum

Henkes, Kevin. Chrysanthemu. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1991

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes is a children’s fantasy where the main character, a mouse named Chrysanthemum, deals with bullying, self doubt, and issues of self-esteem. Before attending school, Chrysanthemum was fond of her name. However, on the first day of school, Chrysanthemum faces the relentless teasing and bullying by her peers. Her classmates giggle when her name is called during role. They poke fun at her name because “it scarcely fits on her nametag” and because it’s the name of a flower. The main bully is Victoria. Chrysanthemum starts to loathe her name and school. Instead of being proud and loving her unique name, Chrysanthemum wishes she had a “normal” name like her peers. The bullying continues until the students attend music class and learn that their music teacher is also named after a flower. This makes all the students to envy Chrysanthemum’s name, and the teasing stops.

The setting of the book takes place mostly in Chrysanthemum’s house and at school. The illustrations are brightly colored with fun details that are appropriate for the age group this book is targeted towards. Chrysanthemum’s dad is shown reading books about “childhood anxiety” and “understanding identity” after hearing about her day at school. The illustrations show facial features of Chrysanthemum as she’s being bullied, so the reader can tell she’s hurt. There’s a major contrast in her expression after the bullying stops. The pictures go hand in hand with the text so it is easy for young readers to follow along.

The Stinky Cheese Man

Scieszka, Jon, and Lane Smith. The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales. New York City, NY: The Penguin Group, 1992.

The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales consists of many short children’s stories. Written by Jon Scieszka, and illustrated by Lane Smith, created a story about a stinky piece of cheese, that a little old woman created into a little man, and put him into the oven to cook him. As you read this Fantasy, you are introduced to many new characters as the Stinky Cheese Man comes to life and travels the wilderness. As the book comes to an end the Stinky Cheese Man encounters the Sly Fox which brings him to the end of his long lasted journey.

Lane Smith, the illustrator of The Stinky Cheese Man, uses unique oil colors to illustrate this wild and adventurous children’s fantasy. While flipping through the pages you are surprised by the ordering of the words on the page and the unique placement of the illustrations throughout the story. Throughout the story the off the wall characters are illustrated in brighter colors, to make stick out of the dark gloomy background. Children will never have a problem finding the Stinky Cheese Man, because he is always being followed by the stinky scent that he carries with him where ever he travels, it almost makes you want to plug your nose and run away from him too!

For a closer look at more unique illustrations visit http://www.lanesmithbooks.com/

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt

Deborah Hopkinson takes the reader back to a time in our history when slavery ruled the south in her picture book Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. This historically fictional book follows Clara, a young slave girl, as she tries to figure out a way to get back to her mother and reach freedom in the North. She is moved to a new plantation where she becomes close to her Aunt Rachel who treats her as her own daughter. Aunt Rachel teaches Clara how to sew and with the help of those around her Clara sews a quilt together with a map of all the different ways of reaching the North sewed on in different colors. She leaves the quilt with her Aunt Rachel before taking off on a journey to the North so that those who are left behind can follow her patchwork and eventually reach freedom also. The illustrator of this book, James Ronsome, took each page and made it into a beautiful piece of art work through paintings that shows what life would have been like through a slave’s eyes. They show the emotions of the characters like you are looking at an old portrait. I think that the author was using those sewn stitches in the quilt to portray those from the Underground Railroad who helped lay the land out for slaves trying to escape slavery. They followed the North Star and the sewn stitches and with the help of others along the way reached freedom.

Works Cited: Hopkinson, Deborah. Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993.

Deep in the Forest

Deep in the Forest (1976), by Brinton Turkle, is a wonderful wordless picture book with a unique take on the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  This fantasy portrays a young bear sneaking into a human’s home in the woods and tasting and trying the food and the furniture until he finds the one that he likes best.  When the humans come home, they find a disaster in the house with things thrown everywhere, and a surprise of the bear sleeping in their bedroom.  The narrator, who is the reader, interprets the pictures and the story by means of imagination.  They conjure up how the story is told while the pictures are there to guide the reader to Turkle’s overall message:  one should not use things without the owner’s permission.  This follows the theme of personal and social growth among children. 

The pictures in the book are simple but strong.  Turkle’s use of pencil in the drawings creates a cool sense of realism.  Although the pictures are impressionistic, the movement created by lines gives the reader a sense of direction, as if they know where the story will lead to next.  The lines also create a sense of rough texture among the pictures.  This texture makes the objects stand out more and seem more real, which in turn makes the story seem more plausible to the reader.  The story is relevant to people of all ages, for this book can teach a simple lesson, even without words.  

Galda, Lee, Bernice Cullinan.  “Chapter 2:  The Art of Picture Books.”  Literature and the Child, Sixth Edition.  Thomson Wadsworth, 2006:  27-54.

Turkle, Brinton.  Deep in the Forest. New York:  Dutton Children’s Books, 1976.  

Owl Moon

Yolen, Jane. Owl Moon. Illustrated by John Schoenherr. New York. Philomel Books, 1987. 

Owl Moon, was written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by John Schoenherr. It is a realistic fiction picture book about nature and the love between father and daughter.

Schoenherr's illustrations walk readers through cold, snowy woods late at night as the bright light of the moon guides the characters in the search of the great horned owl. He uses soft and exquisite watercolors to capture the mood of the nighttime setting. He places the reader in the air, showing the father and daughter from the owl's perception.

The story begins when a young girl and her father go owl watching one cold winter night in the woods near their farm house. It is the girl's first owling adventure, and she is full of anticipation. She knows that you must be quiet and brave.

The girl remains quiet thought the hunt and is not disappointed when their first attempt to call for an owl isn't a success. All her brothers had told her "sometimes there's an owl and sometimes there isn't." When they stop to call for the owl a second time, an echo threads its way through the trees and a great horned owl appears. Their search has been a success and the father and daughter walk hand in hand back home.

This is a story about growing up--as the little girl conquers the cold and her fears of seeing an owl and the bonding experience she shares with her father. 

Grandpa, Is Everything Black Bad?

Holman, L. Sandy and illustrated by Sandy Lynne Grandpa, Is Everything Black Bad? Davis, California: The Culture C.O.-O.P. , 1998-2005

The children’s book called Grandpa, Is Everything Black Bad? by Sandy Lynne Holman, is a nonfiction book. This story focuses on an African American child named Montsho who struggles with his identity, and how throughout his life everything he has seen that is Black has been presented in a negative way. One character that helps to demolish these thoughts is his grandpa who teaches Montsho that African Americans are an outstanding race of people who have helped to develop this country. The story is told from a first person narrative, the book is mainly told in chronological order until the middle of the book where it presents a flashback to provide background information about the African American race.

The illustrator uses a lot of folk art design to help create and convey the African American culture using water colors. Throughout the first nine pages of the book the word Black is emphasized in bold letters to show how important black is. The artist has created a picture or image on every page that helps to hold the readers attention. The artist uses bright colors and some pictures of African art to help thicken the plot. The author of this book says the reason why she wrote this, was because many African American children would comment on how much they disliked the color black and their own skin color.

The Very Busy Spider

When it comes to Eric Carle’s book, The Very Busy Spider, it is a classic children’s book. This is a picture book for developmental stages, with a focus on board books and participation books. With its collage style animals and textured web, this book engages children with repetition, onomatopoeia, and feeling the texture of the web.
This book is about a spider who is so busy working on her web that she has no time for any of the animals that ask her to do things with them. Every page has a different animal, making its own sound and something that animal likes to do. For example, “‘Neigh! Neigh!” said the horse. “Want to go for a ride?’” The child learns about the different kinds of animals. The spider’s web continues to grow, until finally her web is complete and the spider falls asleep. This book is told from the point of view of an outsider watching the spider build her web and seeing the animals ask her questions.
The art is unique to Eric Carle. He uses collages of bright colors and patterns to create his artwork; he even adds texture to the web. The text is on the top of every page and the spider web remains on the same side throughout the entire book. The last page is the only one that is different, because it is night time; he makes the picture look like one whole picture with an owl and a spider.

Works Cited

Carle, Eric. The Very Busy Spider. New York: Philomel Books, 1984.

The Polar Express

 Van Allsburg, Chris.  The Polar Express.  Boston, M.A.:  Houghton Mifflin, 1985.  

The Polar Express is a beautiful fantasy of a young boy's trip to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.  Once he arrives Santa selects him out of many children to receive the first gift of Christmas.  The boy chooses a silver bell from Santa's sleigh.  On the way home he realizes he has lost the bell through a hole in his pocket.  The next morning however, it is wrapped and under the tree with a note from Santa.

The Polar Express is told through the boy's point of view in the first person which adds to the story's theme of faith and belief. Most of the story occurs on the train with time spent at the North Pole and the boy's house as well.

The illustrations in The Polar Express earned it a Caldecott Medal in 1986 and make the story captivating and somewhat majestic. Van Allsburg uses color and texture to provide unbelievably realistic contrast of warmth and cold that brings the winter season to life. With each picture taking up almost two pages it is not hard for the reader to get lost in the imagery.  This story is recommend for ages 4-8, but Van Allsburg himself says that all his stories are intended for readers of any age.