"The Giver" by Lois Lowry

This was my third time reading "The Giver." I read the novel once in high school and once in my early years of my current undergraduate program. However, reading it this time really opened up my eyes to some of the very interesting perspectives of this novel.

I must say, wow, after researching some things on the novel online, the book has won many, MANY awards. The awards are definitely worth while - what a great book.

While teaching this novel, I think it is important to remind students to keep an open mind. The book has a lot of lifestyle restrictions and it is crucial to look at every restriction in very dynamic ways. Such as the releasing of individuals, the concept of "birthdays," choosing job and families. Every chapter creates a new, controversial topic that some parents would be frightened to know their son or daughter is discussing in the classroom. However, what a rich conversation this could provide!

Overall, what a wonderful book. I don't have anything really to critique. Rather, I am just jealous of all of the secondary education majors that will be fortunate enough to someday incorporate this novel into their curriculum! Enjoy!

"Titanicat" by Marty Crisp

What a beautiful children’s book! I went through the book over three times just to take in all of the beautiful pages. Each page is unique and your eyes follow the story all the way to the end. The colors contrast so well and create very unique pages.

Also, the words throughout the book describe what is happening so well. There is such great verb choice and you can just picture exactly what is going on. The book does not incorporate much suspense to the Titanic; however, it provides some historical insight at the beginning and a great story throughout. There are some little girls I am close to that would be just tickled pink to repeatedly read this story. The book is truly magnificent, such a great read!

"Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

This is a great book to read with a child who is just learning the alphabet. The letters are very bold, bright and easy to follow. All of the letters are racing up the coconut tree and end up falling down – “chicka chicka boom boom!”

I have heard of this book used various times in the College of Education at Iowa when working with young readers. They think the book is so enjoyable and it gets kids excited about doing the alphabet with you, which is a perk, because it is so fun to see the kids get so excited about learning and reading!

Even though the book was written in 1989, it will be around for years to come! It is definitely a classic that will be kept on my shelf forever!

“Monkey Business” by J. Otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh

Out of all of the children’s literature books I have analyzed in my blog so far, this is probably the one that I like the least. Overall, it is just a somewhat odd children’s fantasy book. I think some little boys would truly be able to find some enjoyment out of it, however, I just did not enjoy reading it. Also, the illustrations are very different and not realistic enough for my liking. I am sure that some people truly enjoy the book and some kids find it great, however, it is just not one that I would pick up to read again!

"Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse" by Kevin Henkes

This is the second Lilly book I have read – and it is just a cute as the first! This picture book talks about when things just do not go right; there is always another day. Lilly wants to be JUST like her teacher and one day she is misbehaving in class. The teacher takes away her “purple purse” and all of the other business that goes along with her razzle dazzle! She is anything but happy and leaves a mean note for the teacher. In the end, the book also acknowledges that this is never appropriate to do. The teacher was truly looking out for little Lilly and she needed to obey.

I think this would be fun to read with little kids, because they would giggle at some parts. There are also a lot of other side comments to the pictures that are hilarious to look at. I will definitely have this book in my classroom or home for my kids in the future!

"it's Not Fair!" by Amy Krouse Rosenthaland Tim Lichtenheld

This book is one that after you read the first time, it is a must to go back through and read again to find some of the hidden pleasures. Inside the front cover and back cover is a fake “complaint at law” going over all of the things that were not fair in the book. It has a very sarcastic humor to it that adults would really get a kick out of when reading to a young child. The one problem is that it doesn't discuss at the end how the characters in the book are eventually happy over something else. I think it would provide a good insight for kids to see everyone get equal cookies or for the little girl to overcome her chicken pox! Just a personal opinion...

The context of the book also provides a good message for kids to discuss with adults. Especially if children are having a difficult time with sibling or close friends. The message is simply – everyone feels as if life isn’t fair sometimes! Even spiders, planets and pigs! It would be a great opportunity to just talk to kids and say, “hey! It’s okay, it will all work out. You’ll get it next time!”

I thought it was a really great picture book, because it was humorous, the pictures were fantastic and it provided a great opportunity to talk to you kids.

“The Babysitters Club – Kristy’s Great Idea”

I chose this graphic novel to read, because I have recently read the original “Kristy’s Great Idea,” and I wanted to compare and contrast the two books. First of all, I thought for sure the graphic novel may omit parts of the original book or critique it a bit, however, it is exactly the same as in the original book (which I found to be great). Also, the front cover shows all of the main characters, just like the original book. The reader is able to pick out which character is which very well, which is fun to look back at after you have read the novel, because it helps to paint a picture in your mind of just what these teenage girls look like!

I have read some simple comic book, but I have never taken the time to delve into a graphic novel. I think I am going to pick up something off the best sellers list and see what I think of it. Reading through “Kristy’s Great Idea” again provided myself with a quick, fun read. It allowed me to get more into what the characters were thinking and feeling, because I had little images of them and their facial expressions directly in front of me. Also, at times, it made it somewhat more humorous, especially when Stacey and Charlie meet. I started to giggle, because I remember the teenage giddy days.

Overall, great and fun read. The books are so much alike – the only difference is one is a graphic novel and the other is a novel!

"Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak

This book is such a classic! I remember reading it when I was younger and it was certainly in my collection of books. I remember my Grandmother reading it to me when I was younger and telling me never to run off into an adventure like the little boy does in this story.

This book truly allows imaginations to run wild. I do not have much to critique because it is so wonderful! What could I possibly comment on – the entire book, front to back, is fantastic? I think that if anyone has the opportunity to pick this book back up, they will be allowing themselves to travel right back to their childhood.

"It's A Secret" by John Burningham

This is a very new, spunky children’s picture book in the curriculum lab. I came across it while searching for other fantasy books.  What I loved about the book the most were the illustrations and how great they are for children. They are somewhat unusual, but extremely colorful and really jump off the page. They are unusual, because it seems as if the Burningham used watercolors as well as colored pencils/regular pencils to do the illustrations. It is so unique.

This would be a great book to have students act out in a small group. The costumes in the book are fun and would be easily accessible if teachers are used to incorporating drama in the classroom. I highly recommend using this book in the classroom!

"Hedgie Blasts Off" by Jan Brett

This is not my “typical” choice for children’s literature. Although the book keeps you interested, I usually do not personally choose science fiction books. The book incorporates animals as the main characters that have to solve a problem in space. The pictures are entirely engrossing, but I had a difficult time staying involved with the book. However, that does not mean that younger boys and girls that are interested in this type of literature would not love it!

It would be a good book to incorporate into a science lesson. You could talk about all different facets of space and what is going on in the pictures. Perhaps someday I will be able to use this in my classroom, until then, I will just leave it on the shelf!

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

Not only do I remember repeatedly reading this book when I was little (and watching the film), but my younger cousin Isabel went through countless “snowman” stuffed animals. She used the snowman as her safety net (I think she still has it to this day, but don't tell anyone!) We would go through the illustrations together over and over again. I do not know what it is about this book that I love so much, but I remember my imagination just running wild and how I couldn’t wait to read this book during the Iowa winters. It made me want to run outside and build a snowman of my own.

I think the illustrations are just beautiful and you truly feel for the little boy when the snowman is gone for good. His imagination has been running wild with the snowman and then he has melted away.  This will be a book that I will forever hold close to my heart!

Olivia Saves the Circus by Ian Falconer

I think the Olivia books are so much fun! The illustrations just crack me up! I love how the Falconer has incorporated random little pictures throughout the book. It makes you wonder who the picture is actually of and what the relation is to the author. Also, it was interesting to see at the end of the book that it was devoted to his mother. I thought that was sweet. This also makes you wonder what types of troublesome activities Falconer was up to when he was younger!

I think this would be a great story to read in a classroom or in individually with a child. There are various Olivia books out there and I personally love each and every one of them. They add a mysterious, silly twist to children’s picture books that are not only involved but also extremely enticing. 

"This Year's Garden" by Cynthia Rylant

I do not think that there is anything better than a book with great illustrations from front to back! There are gorgeous outdoor pictures of animals, sunsets, flowers, vegetables and families throughout the book. I loved it.

The book reminded me of when I was little. My grandparents called me their “little pea picker.” I would always go out and help pick the pea pods. It was easier on my back than theirs. I could spend hours in the garden helping my grandparents. I remember the first year that they did not plant the garden. They were beginning to get much older. It was so sad. I was just like the main character in this book, I looked forward to the garden every summer!

This was a really great picture book with beautiful illustrations and a great ending. I think it would bring a smile to anyone’s face. It was definitely a worthwhile read!

"A Was Once an Apple Pie" by Edward Lear

The illustrations in this book (by Suse MacDonald) were incredibly intricate and reminded me of Eric Carle. Especially the bear on page two. The book is focused around the alphabet. Every page introduces the letter and has something that is associated with that letter.

This is not a book that I would recommend for kids to read alone. Two reasons; first being, the book has a lot of rhyming that is not actual words. Such as, “beary, wary, hairy beary, taky, cary, little bear!” A new reader is going to look at the words and say, “WHAT IS THIS!!” Secondly, it does not have an exact story plot of them to follow. More advanced readers would have an easier time with this, however, younger kids would have a much more difficult time. I think it would be a great book to sit down with a child, read the story and talk about the illustrations. They are simply wonderful!

It was an overall okay book. Even thought I enjoy rhyming, I really think it is essential to have it with words that are actually in the English dictionary. 

"Bed Bugs" by Megan McDonald

This is about a little girl with a WILD imagination. She thinks of a variety of different ‘creatures’ that are taking over her home and bedroom before bedtime. In the end, you see all of them intertwined into the story. It was a read that was fun to use with all of the expression involved in the story.

It may be difficult for some students to follow while reading on their own. The dialogue between the girl and the father seemed a bit confusing for kids. After each phrase, the author has not indicated who is talking; instead italicized writing differentiates the father. It also may be more intriguing for some boys because of the intricate drawings with the animals (not that girls would not be interested, but I have some particular boys in mind that would LOVE the illustrations of the animals).

"The Bee Tree" by Patricia Polacco

One of my teachers this semester recommended Patricia Polacco as a read aloud with students. She was right! The illustrations are beautiful and they take up the entire page.

It starts out with a little girl who doesn’t want to read and expresses her boredom to her Grandfather. They go off on a bee chase that ends up including the entire town. The end result was they found the beehive that had all of the honey. Moral of the story, reading is just as adventurous and sweet as chasing bees to their beehive.

I think this would be a great read aloud for an entire class, working with just one student, or even for your own home. It has a great ending that hopefully would motivate most kids to open up a book and find the suspense and adventure from cover to cover.

"Breathless" by Lurlene McDaniel

When choosing this week’s novel, I went ahead and did some research on adolescent literature that shines a light on childhood cancer. It is something that I am very active with and it has played a huge part in my life. I came across this novel; it was brand new to the curriculum lab and the short description seemed incredibly intriguing.

I do not want to give away too much of the novel. It is about a teenage boy that gets diagnosed with bone cancer and his entire world is turned upside down. From the sports he is involved with, his younger sister, girlfriend, and best friend. One day he is an ordinary kid and the next day his entire world is turned upside down.

The book shows various sides to cancer. It brings into perspective the actual treatment for patients, what friends and family have to go through and most of all, how emotionally detrimental it is for the patient.

The book is intended for upper high school students. I say this, because it deals with euthanasia. The boy gets to a point where he just does not want to go on and end up living on life support with a feeding tube. There are certainly some touchy issues that a mature student would have to think through in a very understanding, positive light.

Overall, great novel. I would read it again any day. Definitely a tearjerker, but overall, an amazing book on childhood cancer.

“Puppy Mudge Has a Snack” by Cynthia Rylant

I had a child read this book to me. I think it is a great starting point for early readers. The pictures follow along with the story and are very clear. The words are either written at the top or bottom of the page in very black, bold print. It has a continuous theme throughout the story that is cute and the book allows kids to smile and giggle from the beginning to the end.

It also gave something for the child to talk about after we were finished with the book. We were able to talk about our own pets and if we had any personal stories of pets acting in the way Mudge does. When I met with the child again a week later he asked, “Are we going to read another book about Mudge?” He truly enjoyed the book and was hoping we were going to be able to share the same type of story together again. I will definitely use this book with other kids in the future; it was a great and fun read!

"The Babysitters Club" by Ann M. Martin

Ahh, the memories of adolescent literature. I remember reading this book when I was younger, probably in junior high or something. I probably thought to myself, “man, I should create my OWN babysitters club.” That obviously never happened. Therefore, I’ll just live through Kristy’s eyes of how amazing the babysitter;s club actually is.

I think books like this are important. Some of adolescent literature today sends young adults the wrong message. This is a great book that teaches young girls about family issues, the true meaning of friendship, keeping up with schoolwork, earning your own spending money and even health issues.

I know that back when I first read the first babysitter’s club book, I was hooked for the rest of the series! The book is a really great, easy read and that keeps you totally tied into what is going on. Thank you, Ann Martin! You created a great series that has been around for generations!

"Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire" by Diane deGroat

This book has A LOT jam packed into twenty-six pages. It includes history, problems between students, self-confidence issues and why it is important in today’s society NOT to announce anything about something being on fire in a classroom. What a disaster if the school had to be evacuated for no reason!

The synopsis on the book is rather simple; Gilbert does not want to participate in the school play, but eventually ends up memorizing his lines. He thinks someone has stolen his hat, when really he has just left it at home. He shouts, “liar, liar, pants on fire,” and someone tells the teacher that the school is on fire! By the end of it, apologies are accepted among the other students.

The book has an overall good intentions, it is just not my preferred style of writing for children’s literature!

"Fish is Fish' by Leo Lionni

I originally chose this book after skimming through it and looking at all of the beautiful and interesting illustrations. Even the cover of the book is extremely eye-catching. The illustrations almost remind me of Eric Carle’s work, however, I think this is done with colored pencils with texture or some sort of drawing technique, not a collage.

The book is written about a minnow and tadpole that are friends. Eventually the tadpole turns into a frog and leaves the water. The minnow, which turns into a fish, is so sad and lonely. He wants to be able to explore the world as well. He attempts to get out of the water and can’t breathe once he finally escapes. The frog saves him and places him back in the water. The fish says that he loves his home and doesn’t understand why anyone would want to leave!

The book is educational about water life about fish and teaches kids about friendship. It is a beautiful and interesting book. I would highly recommend for any teacher to incorporate this book into their classroom curriculum. I think students would really enjoy it!

"Curious George Goes Sledding" edited by Margaret and H.A. Reys

When is Curious George not up to trouble? Well, when George goes sledding, he finds himself in quite the pickle after he tears the hill down with a huge snowball. As he is running from the trouble he has found himself in, he notices that another little boy is in danger on a sled. He hops on, moves the sled to avoid hitting a tree and saves the boy’s life. Their parents are overjoyed. The people who were originally hit with the snow ball find George, see that he saved a life and he is congratulated rather than punished!

I love, love, LOVE Curious George books. I do not think that I have read this one since I was very little. They are so entertaining for kids and really get them to smile and giggle. He is quite the troublesome monkey, but he always finds himself the best way to get out of trouble!

"Bad Kitty" by Nick Bruel

I thought this book was really funny and cute. I caught myself smiling and giggling through parts of it. It almost felt as if a child was telling you the story of all the things that the kitty was doing wrong around the house. The illustrations followed the story line great and before turning each page and I took a little extra time examining each one.

Also, the book is very educational for pre-school to first grade students. It would be great to help kids understand the alphabet and get them started on reading text on their own. The writing is big and bold, it would be easy for a child to either begin reading or help you read with them. I am going to use this children’s book in the future, it is too much fun not use!

"A Far-Fetched Story" by Karin Cates

This was an interesting piece of children’s literature. I do not really know what to say or know how to organize my feelings about the book. I did not really like how the grandma continuously felt as if every one of the family members was ‘lying’ about what happened to their clothing. Is this supposed to be humorous for children?

I would not necessarily recommend the book to anyone. The illustrations are beautiful and filled color. The ending is full of happiness – it is just leading up to the ending that is too repetitive and tedious. 

"Just Juice" by Karen Hesse

This novel provided an interesting insight for students who come from a lower socioeconomic status. Juice has 4 other sisters, her father is illiterate and her mother is pregnant with another child. Juice struggles to read and truly hates school. The classroom and her teacher intimidate her, because she feels as if she is not smart and there is no hope. On a continuous basis, she skips school to spend time with her father; her parents are helpless in stopping her from doing so.

I liked the novel and I think it is a pretty easy and intriguing read. However, it did not give students that do have trouble reading any sort of inspiration. I wish it was an influential book that a teacher could read to a class of struggling students or that a parent could read at home. In the end, Juice’s family is getting back on the right track and Juice is required to go back to school, but it does not show her excited about going back to school. Once she gets there she turns into a success, but the book does not focus on that.

I enjoyed Hesse’s style of writing and I think it was fun novel to read. It includes various pictures throughout the text that relate to what the characters are going through during that time of the book. I hope to read more from Hesse in the future.

“Tomatoes From Mars” by Arthur Yorinks

 This book is rather interesting. The main focus of the story is that tomatoes are invading the planet and going to take over Minnesota, then eventually taking over the world to make it all red!

I think this would be an interesting text to use when talking about outer space or planets in science class. It would be humorous for older grades and allow their imaginations to run wild throughout the book while trying to solve the mystery!

The illustrations are very inquisitive. Why? Because they show various parts of the world, they are incredibly colorful and the expressions on the character’s faces allow one to imagine just how they feel when the tomatoes are crashing into earth! Definitely a fun book, just very different.

"The Lorax"by Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss is one of my favorite authors, however, I had not read this book yet so I thought I would snag it off the shelf and enjoy it – and I surely did enjoy it!

I do not have much to say about this Dr. Seuss book. As always it was a fun read. However, it would need to be used with 2^nd to 3^rd grade students. I think it may be to complicated and long for younger children to follow.

The book is filled with fun illustrations, wonderful rhyming and an interesting ending. 

“Madeline’s Rescue” by Ludwig Bemelmans

When I was a child, I do not have a clear memory of reading the Madeline books. I wish I would have a memory of them – they are so much fun! I love how the book rhymes from cover to cover.

It would be a great book to incorporate in the classroom. It talks about having a new pet, loosing a pet, and having to share animals with other family members and friends. Since there are 12 girls living in small quarters, they were so excited to bring the dog home after she saved Madeline’s life!

This book would be able to bring up a lot of different areas of discussion with a classroom. For instance, some students may not understand why so many girls would be living together, or what would happen if a scary situation happened like Madeline falling into the river. Many of the students may have their own personal stories to share with the classroom or to write in a journal.

Overall, the book was a fun and quick read. I really enjoyed it.

“Alice the Fairy” by David Shannon

This book is intended for little girls who love the glitz, glamour and the “pinkness” of being a princess. This is not a book that would be used in the classroom, because boys would not be interested at and I feel as if they would not be able to pay attention or become engaged in the story.

However, using this book at home, one-on-one in an after school program, or while babysitting would be a great idea. This book would allow one’s imagination to run wild! Also, it has a lot of interesting vocabulary words that would be great to go over while reading to a young child.

Lastly, the illustrations are unbelievable! They take up the whole page and are very interesting to look over again and again. They are filled with pink, fun animals and bright colors!

“Eat Your Peas, Louise!” by Pegeen Snow

This book has a great rhyme, attempts to get kids excited about eating vegetables, teaches them manners and has a vocabulary list at the end of the book. By taking a glance at the front cover, you can tell the book is based on a rhyme. I love to read books that rhyme with kids. It gives them an opportunity to guess what is next!

I cannot even count the number of kids I have been around that do not like to eat vegetables! This book is a great tool to get kids to eat vegetables and start them out at a basic reading pace.

I thought the book was a fun, quick read for children. I enjoyed reading it and could see myself using it in my own home or classroom in the future.