Neighborhood Mother Goose

Crews, Nina. 2004. The Neighborhood Mother Goose. Greenwillow Books. New York, New York. ISBN 0060515732

This book of traditional Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes is full of rhymes that readers will recognize as well as some that are less known. The collection will allow readers to identify with rhymes (such as Hey, Diddle Diddle and Little Miss Muffett) as well as being exposed to new ones (such as Bow, Wow, Wow and Once I Saw A Little Bird). I love the photography in this book. The photographs accentuate the poems and put them into a different perspective than the traditional illustrations. Even though these are traditional rhymes that many have in anthologies on the shelves of their library this is still a valuable purchase because of the photography and change of setting.

Fold Me a Poem

George, Kristine O’Connell. 2005. Fold Me A Poem. Harcourt Books. Orlando, FL. ISBN 0152025014

The dust jacket of this book reveals how George got her ideas for this book. After watching a boy make animals out of paper she was struck by the similarities of poetry and origami. ; “how a few rods, carefully chose, can bring a scene to life, and how a few small folds, artfully made, can bring a sheet of paper to life.” This collection of poems deals specifically with origami and the folds that need to be made as well as the creatures that can be made from origami paper. The illustrations capture the details of the printed origami paper as well as the intricate folds made by the origami artist. This is a beautiful book that will capture the attention of poetry lovers as well as origami enthusiasts.

Scien-trickery

Lewis, J. Patrick. 2004. Scien-Trickery. Harcourt Books. New York, New York. ISBN 0152166815

Lewis creates a fun set of science riddles in this book. The readers listen to or read the poem and have to guess what science term is being described. The illustrations are great clues to help readers if they can’t figure out the term by listening and are fun to look at because they are colorful and eye-catching. Most of the poems rhyme which creates a great read aloud. At the back of the book is a “Notes” page where more information about the terms is included. This would be a great way to start a new science unit and have students make a list of the facts they learned from that poem. Then as the unit progresses students could add to their list. This would also be a great review of science terms before TAKS since the terms mentioned in the poems are learned throughout the elementary years.

The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury

Prelutsky, Jack. 1999. The 20th Century Children’s Poetry Treasury. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York, New York. ISBN 0679993142

The 20th Century Poetry Treasury is a collection of 211 poems written by 137 poets. An introduction written by Jack Prelutsky explains that he had not experienced children’s poetry before he began writing and his editor told him not to until he was sure he had a good grasp on his style. Since then, he has acquired over 4,000 volumes. He states that he feels that “Children’s literature in general has blossomed in our time (20th century), and poetry in particular has entered a ‘golden age’.” This collection features such outstanding poets and would be a great addition to any library, classroom, or home. There are all types of poems on all different subjects that children can relate to. The pictures are detailed and yet simplistic revealing the joys of childhood.

Dona Flor

Mora, Pat. 2005. Dona Flor: A Tall Tale About A Giant Woman With A Great Big Heart. Random House. New York, NY. ISBN 0375823379

This tall tale is about a giant girl who uses her uniqueness to help the people in her town. Dona Flor makes tortillas, helps kids to school, reads books aloud to all who will come to listen, and rids the city of a “roar” that has become a nuisance. Pat Mora seamlessly blends the English text in Dona Flor with a splash of Spanish phrases. This blending style lends itself to a great lesson on using context clues to determine the meaning of words since she always gives enough clues to help the reader figure out what each Spanish phrase means. The illustrations in this book are very distinct. Each illustration looks as though the pixels on a graphic have been magnified and blended together. The distinctiveness of the illustrations are eye-catching and include many different designs and textures.

Noah's Ark

Pinkney, Jerry. 2002. Noah’s Ark. Seastar Books. New York, NY. ISBN 1587172011

The religious story of Noah’s Ark is beautifully painted with watercolors and detailed with pencil and pen lines. The illustrations are detailed and authentic. The Bible verses are quoted from the beginning endpapers to the very last set of end papers so that the story keeps its distinctive language and authentic representation. The continual pattern of the story as the boat continues to be built is echoed through the pictures which become increasingly busy and full of life. This traditional tale is a wonderful read aloud that will visually appeal to readers of all ages.

The Little Red Hen

Pinkney, Jerry. 2006. The Little Red Hen. The Penguin Group. New York, NY. ISBN 0803729359

This version of the beloved tale of The Little Red Hen is more descriptive than most versions. Pinkney has colored text for each character in the story that reflects the color of the animal. Each time the hen asks for help she complements an animal by telling them what they do well and how they could help. An example of this is when she is talking to the rat and the hen says, “Surely you will…You can use your tail to chop it easily.” Each time the hen’s requests are rejected until the bread is made. Then characters want to help eat the bread and the hen rejects them. I love the use of color in this book. Pinkney doesn’t just use one color for each animal instead he uses varying shade of the same color. The hen is all different shades of read, the goat is all shades of black, and the other animals are colored likewise. This use of color adds depth to the pictures and makes the animals look realistic.

Mightier Than The Sword

Yolen, Jane. 2003. Mightier than the Sword: World Folktales for Strong Boys. Harcourt. Orlando, Fla. ISBN 0152163913

This diverse collection of folktales from around that world are put together primarily for boys. It is well arranged with a table of contents, “notes on the stories”, and a bibliography. The illustrations are all done in black and white but are used to accentuate events in the story. I think these stories would best be shared aloud with boys. Most boys would have trouble with the different names and vocabulary because they do have words that are true to each culture. These stories would be best told in a storytelling rather than in a “read aloud” session.

THE PROG FRINCE: A MIXED UP TALE

Lamm, C. Drew. 1999. THE PROG FRINCE: A MIXED UP TALE. Orchard Books. New York, New York. ISBN 0531301354

This story is a mixed up fairy tale of the original FROG PRINCE. At the beginning we meet a girl named Jane who becomes disgruntled when a frog steals her muffin money. She follows the frog and is told a story by him. In this zany tale a prince and a girl, Jaylee, fall in love but the father won’t allow them to marry because she is not a princess. The king tries to give his son a potion that will make him fall out of love and instead he turns into a frog. As the story progresses Jane begins to rally like the frog and when he disappears suddenly he misses him. Then to the readers surprise Jane turns into Jaylee and the frog turns back into the prince and they, of course, live happily ever after. There are references to other fairy tale as well, like when the old woman asks Jane if she as ever heard of THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF. The pictures remind me of the classic fairy tale illustrations which is so appropriate for this story. Lamm uses alliteration to play on the word muffins using items from the prince’s palace such as “millions of murals, mirrors, marionettes, etc. This is a creative fractured fairy tale that children of all ages will enjoy.

THE OTHER SIDE

Woodson, Jacqueline. 2001. THE OTHER SIDE. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. New York, New York. ISBN 0399231161

A fence represents both the physical and psychological barriers that separate the black and white people in this book. Woodson uses the voice and action of young girls to reveal how silly racial tensions are and how forgiving of differences children can be. THE OTHER SIDE is beautifully illustrated with bright watercolors and lifelike pictures. I love that both families seem to have the same economic background and the only visible difference is their skin color. This is a great read aloud to help children understand what racial tensions use to look like and to reveal to them how similar the two girls really were.

THE SEVEN CHINESE SISTERS

Tucker, Kathy. 2003. THE SEVEN CHINESE SISTERS. Albert Whitman and Company. Morton Grove, Illinois. ISBN 0807573094

THE SEVEN CHINESE SISTERS is about seven Chinese sisters who each have their own talent. In the beginning, the reader does not know what the baby’s talents are but through the course of events her talent is also revealed. The illustrations, by Grace Lin, are bright and colorful and include many patterns. The pictures reveal accurate depictions of Chinese clothing, housing, and beliefs about dragons. The dragon in the book resembles the pictures of the Chinese dragon people see when looking at Chinese New Year information. Throughout the story we see each sister use her talents to help the family rescue the baby. The plot, problem, solution, and characters are all interwoven beautifully to create a seamless story that will captivate readers.

THE LIMA BEAN MONSTER

Yaccarino, Dan. 2001. THE LIMA BEAN MONSTER. Walker and Company. New York, New York. ISBN 0802787770


From the crafty bowl of lima beans made into a monster face on the title page to the turnip sprout at the end of the book the illustrations are humorous and a story all on their own. This is a story so many readers will be able to relate to as they too have tried creative ways to get rid of unwanted food. Yaccarino uses great word play with phrases like, “Me want some HUMAN beans!” and “Don’t eat me! I-I’m too small! Wouldn’t you like to eat someone bigger?” (A line stole straight from The Three Billy Goats Gruff.) This story has an exciting plot, a great sense of humor, and fantastic illustrations. This is a great read aloud for kids of all ages.