Hansel and Gretel

This well known fairy tale is retold by Rachel Isadora. She sets the fairy tale in a lush African Forest and the a poor woodcutter needs to abandon his two children in the forest because he can no longer feed them, and their step mother wants them out. Hansel over hears his parents plan for their children and goes out in the middle of the night and collects pebbles. The next morning they are taken and left in the forest. But because Hansel dropped the pebbles he knew just where their house was and had a happy homecoming with their father, however, their stepmother was not too happy.

The next night they were left in the even darker and deeper part of the woods, but the birds ate the bread that they left to find their way home. Hansel and Gretel searched for three days, they finally came upon a house built of cake and sweets and started to eat it. An old woman came out and brought them inside and fed them a big meal. When she started to cook them, Gretel kicked her in the stove so she would burn and lite on fire. Then the two of them found their way home and rejoiced with their father, their stepmother died....

The illustrations in this book were absolutely gorgeous. They were really what made this book what it was for me. I thought that the way the illustrations were drawn really add to the over all story. I know I would defiantly have this story in my classroom in the future.

Yay!

I thought this book was the awful. I hated it and thought there was no point to it whatsoever. Something good would happen and the boy would say YAY! and then something bad would happen and the boy would say OH!...I really did not like this book and don't recommend it. 

Holes

Everybody has bad luck at one point or another, and this is no exception for Stanley Yelnats. He was blamed for a crime that he really didn't commit and sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention camp. The conditions of the camp are awful. The boys have to be in the hot desert sun all day digging holes and looking for something the warden wouldn't tell them what they were digging for. In the end Stanley is relieved of being at the camp and the truth comes out that he didn't commit the crime. Also, all of his bad luck seems to have worked out and he is in the clear for a while. 

This book covers a lot of important concepts that can be discussed in a classroom setting. For example, racism. Since Katherine was white and Sam was a black man and they fell in love the towns people were furious and in the end Sam is killed because of his color. Everyone was against this even the sheriff of the town who was suppose to be the safe haven. It would be interesting to see how students thought about this novel and the topic of racism presented in this way. 

This novel was also turned into a movie with a popular actor. This idea of popular culture may play a role in motivating students to read this longer text and get them excited to discuss the differences between the movie and the book.

Harry and Willy and Carrothead

This is a story about three different boys. One was born with no hand, the other red hair and the other was what some people like to call, "normal". They all were teased and sometimes mad fun of, but in the end they all realized no matter what they look like, they all have the same interests and become best friends. 

I choose to read this book because I have reddish hair and was teased by some people when I was younger. I think that a lot of the times when we are younger we all want to look the same and be like everyone else. For example, I hated my hair and wanted to dye it a different color. But as I grew older, I realized that my hair is what made me who I am and different from everyone else. I think this book does a great job of showing how important it is for kids not to judge other kids on their appearance. It can be really harmful and traumatic to some kids. 

The Retired Kid

 This is a cute story about an 8 year old boy who is sick and tired of doing what kids do. He didn't want to go to school, soccer practice, eat vegetables or play the violin everyday. He sat down his parents and told him that he was going to take a break and retire. His parents then threw him a retirement party and he left for Florida and lived in a retirement community. At first he loved everything about it, the naps, the games etc. But after awhile he realized it wasn't as fun and the "older people" were all talking about the good old days. He decided he missed all the things that made him a kid and decided to go back home and be a kid again. 

I thought this book was a cute one which had a good lesson. Be happy with who you are and what makes you, you! However, this book did display the old people as typical larger, white haired and slower, which isn't always true. 

Pinkalicious

This is a really cute book about a young girl who loves the color pink. One day her and her mom make pink cupcakes and she ends up eating all of them. When she wakes up in the morning she is pink! She loves being pink, but soon she starts turning darker and darker and finally realizes she needs to listen to the doctor and eat green foods to help her turn back to her "normal" color. After she does this, her brother ate a lot of the pink cupcakes and turns pink as well. 

There is a good lesson behind this book, of being thankful for what you are given, but don't ask for too much of it. Although I know that this book is popular in classroom libraries for little girls, I have many issues with it. I look at the characters in the book and it is a typical white upper middle class family with no diversity what so ever. The fact that it is so popular with little kids today and making other books like purpleicous etc, they are sending a message to kids that these colors are gender specific and people who like these books look a certain way. 

Although I have learned in classes that it is important for students to choose in their readings, I don't think that this book has a lot of knowledgeable content for students to take away. I would categorize this book under one for pure relaxation and enjoyment. 

Stop, Drop and Roll

This is a very good book to have on hand when students are learning about fire safety and what to do to be fully prepared when dealing in case you encounter a fire. I really liked this book because I could personally relate to Jessica the main character. I was always a real anxious kid and was worried about practically everything. When I went to my family about certain things they would most of the time ignore me or tell me not to worry, just like Jessica's family did to her. 

This book covers a lot of great information that kids could take away and really use and save their lives in a situation with a fire. Also, it makes them think about their own houses and whether or not their house is the safest it can be from fires. 

The illustrations in this book are perfect for this type of book. They are sketches and since the book is more about the "what if" and "be prepared" for a fire, there aren't scary pictures of fires that will make children nervous. I think this is a good idea because a lot of time children might see scary pictures and avoid the whole subject, which they shouldn't at all. 

I think this book is perfect for a classroom library. Students will be able to relate to Jessica and her feelings of anxiousness. Students should know that they shouldn't feel bad if they don't have a fire plan, but they should make one and start thinking about what to do in emergencies. Preparation is key. 

Year of Impossible Goodbyes

I am really glad that I had an opportunity to read this book. I had never done this in my elementary years, but I think that it was really a eye opening experience to read two books on the same topic but different sides. I could definitely see these books being the topics of a huge debate or discussion in class. Reading them together also proves to readers that there are two sides of every story. Unlike So Far From the Bamboo Grove, the characters in this book were Korean and are the other prospective of the war. From reading these books I have learned so much about the different cultures and their ways of life. 

The first couple of chapters were a struggle for me to get through. I didn't know how I was going to be able to read the whole thing. However, as I kept reading, I became more and more attached to Nuna and her family. I wanted them to survive the war so badly. After reading it, it reminded me of how similar the two sides who are fighting against each other actually are. They are both children being strong and growing up so fast to provide for their family and survive the war, while also keeping up with the many traditions of their countries. The whole scene at the school when the little kids were making the weapons really made me angry. The children are so innocent, and yet here they are making devices to kill the enemy. 

Both of these books make readers appreciate what they have and the world we live in today. I have especially been touched by these books and I know that I'm probably not the only one. In today's society, with our country actually at war, I think it is even more important for younger grades to pick this difficult subject of war up and openly talk about it and get their feelings out. 

Who Wants a Dragon

This book is a nice rhyming book for young readers. This is a story about a young dragon who needs to find someone who will love him and cuddle with him. He tries to find people or other animals to take care of him, but everyone is either really scared of him or for some reason doesn't want to be around him. Finally, in the end he finds his mother who will do all the things he was looking for someone to do. 

The illustrations are bright and beautiful. They pull the reader in and keep them hooked on what will happen next. This book is a good way to teach correct expression in some one's voice. With many different question marks and exclamation points, it is easy for young readers to be able to acknowledge the differences and read in a voice that is appropriate. This book is also perfect for little ones because the print is a lot larger than a normal book and the vocabulary is a lot simpler. I think I would have this book in my classroom for younger readers to read and go to during independent reading time. 

Home Lovely

This is a story about a little girl and her mother who have to move into a trailer by themselves. Her mother can't afford a babysitter and she needs to work, so the little girl Tiffany had to stay in the trailer all by herself for a couple hours a day. One day when Tiffany was taking out the trash, she discovered something that looked like seeds that were starting to grow. She moved them to the front and watched them grow. They grew into beautiful plants and flowers. Her garden was admired by all including the mail man. In the end it made her home lovely. 

I wasn't really a fan of this book. I thought it was trying to cover too many topics for one book. The topics I thought it was covering were poverty, plants and single families. I think that this book could be considered controversial because it doesn't really portray a message that we want to teach our students of staying by themselves in a home for long periods of time. 

Slugs In Love

This is a warm hearted love story about two slugs falling in love. Marylou, a slug, has always been attracted to Herbie, another slug. One day she decides to start writing him love poems on different things in the garden. Herbie of course is flattered and writes poems back to his secret admirer Marylou. However, all of Herbie's poems get destroyed before Marylou can find them. After many different poems Marylou finally shows herself to Herbie and they live happily ever after with their tiny slug babies. 

The story line and illustrations make this book interesting and fulfilling to all readers no matter their age. Since the slugs write love poems back and forth to each other this book deals a lot with different rhyming words. This would be a good book to have out when students are learning about poems or in a classroom library, or maybe even during Valentine's Day to show the theme of love in a different way. I don't think it would be a good book to read aloud just because I can see it not appealing to everyone in the class. 

Marsupial Sue

As I have learned from my child study in block A, I am at one point or another going to come across a reluctant reader. For example, my child that I am working with doesn't like to read. It wasn't till the fourth week that I learned she like to sing. Immediately I thought to bring this book by John Lithgow. Marsupial Sue is a fun book that readers can sing along to. It comes with a CD in the back of the book to help provide the tune, however, when I brought it to the elementary school we didn't use the CD. I will defiantly have this book in my classroom and even use it as a read aloud. I think it would be a fun way to encourage students to interact with the text. It also has a wonderful message of be who you are. The illustrations also make this book wonderful for young readers.

It is about a marsupial who doesn't like doing what kangaroos do. So she tries to fit in with other animal groups, but realizes that it is best to just be who she is and do what she does best. I would recommend this book also for teachers who are teaching rhymes and music in the classroom.

Arthur Babysits

This is another great Marc Brown Arthur story. All of the Arthur books are a great read for elementary level students. I'm not sure if I would end up reading this book out loud in class, but I know I would have it in my classroom library. It may also be a good one to have around for maybe a author study or a book report. There is an easy, recognizable plot line and kids can easily relate to it.

Arthur gets stuck babysitting for the worst behaving twins and is not looking forward to it. D.W. doesn't help his confidence either becuase she keeps reminding him what an aweful time he will have. However, Arthur gets the boys to calm down by telling them a scary story and making them nervous that a monster is coming. In the end, Arthur enjoys babysitting for the twins and agrees to do it again. This is a great lesson for readers, no matter how much other people talk and have opinions on someone or something, it always depends on your own personal expeience. Arthur learned this lesson when he babysat for the Tibble Twins.