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.