Lovin' Literature

Growing up in church

2010-09-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today Caden's Sunday School teacher told me that she has the same routine each Sunday and after the story but before the craft they always pray. Today in class she forgot to pray and Caden yelled out "Ms. Mitra, you forgot to pray!" and proceeded to lead the class in their pray time! I love that 3 year old!!!!
Nate is having trouble with a boy at school. The little boy has been "telling on him" and saying things that he isn't doing. Nate was telling me in the car earlier this week about the boy. He said he told them that he should treat people the way they want to be treated. The boys response was not very nice back and he told Nate "so what?" Nate told him that God said that so he should listen. The little boy proceeded to tell Nate that there is no god and that is dumb. Nate stopped his story and said, "Isn't that sad mommy? It makes me sad! He doesn't know God loves him!" Oh, how I hope he stays this tender hearted and in love with God. We continued to talk and decided that Nate would be nice but that he did not have to play with the little boy as long as he explained that he didn't want to play because the boy kept saying things that were not true. Then Nate decided he'd like to pray for the little boy that he will believe in God and begin to be nicer. Every night since then he has prayed for the little boy. Caden even asks Nate each day on the way home if the boy was nicer each day. Oh how I love my sweet boys!

Let's just say... I am not a kindergarten teacher!

2010-09-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

This year at school we have a new principal and vice principal. Both are amazing Godly women! I am SO blessed to get to work there. They have been so encouraging right from the start!
Right before school started we had 28+ kids in each kindergarten class and were told that we were going to have to add a teacher. The teacher was to be determined but we needed to go ahead and pull those kids together into their own class before the year started. So my friend Lisa and I agreed to take on this class together until they found a teacher. Lisa and I had both taught first grade (she has been teaching first grade for a long time and now is a reading pull out teacher) and so we thought how hard can it be? Ha!! Lucky for us, and those poor kindergartners, we only had to be the teachers for the first three days of school. Lisa continued to be the teachers helper for the rest of the week just to get the kids settled. With this new experience I confirmed that I am not made to be a kindergarten teacher. This week I was back in my library. It was a great week. I am so blessed to have my job and my co-workers. So far it has been a great year. I can't wait to see what lies ahead.

A fresh start...

2010-09-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

This was a great summer! I enjoyed time off, cuddling my boys, spending time with my hubby, and finding refuge at a church. I went into the summer with worry. What were we going to do about Adam's job? Would we have to relocate? How was I going to have a blast with my boys all summer with a budget of $0?
We also had some excitement... With all that we had been through at church, what could God possibly have next for us? We had several options come about that we prayed over and kept seeking answers. Fellowship of the Parks kept Adam busy. He led worship at both of their church plants and also led their Sunday evening service a couple of times. I even got involved in Summer Spectacular (VBS) and got to hang with a great group of third graders.
At one point things started to fall into place for a local church and we were getting really excited but as fast as the opportunity came-it went. Disappoint, yes. Discouraged, getting there. Defeated, not at all. Slowly, we began to come to grips with the fact that God really wanted us at Fellowship of the Parks for the time being. Through our time there we really did get refuge and comfort. After visiting their church plants I realized how ready I am to get back into the church planting scene. I fell in love with the Haslet campus! It had the excitement of a new pop up building and more construction to come. It wasn't perfect... there were way too many children in little rooms in a house yet my kids loved it. Until this moment every time Adam mentioned getting back into church planting I felt uneasy. There are so many ups and downs in planting, its hard work, and constant evaluation...who am I kidding? Church planting pushes you to evaluate your faith everyday and to trust even when you don't think you have it in you. I love that church planting pushes you out of your comfort zone and keeps you from complacency. So what is God doing?? We had two churches begin talking about planting in the next 2 years... funny how God does that... we are excited and already praying... we will see where that goes...
The next big thing that came out of Fellowship of the Parks for me was a break down. In just one simple comment made by the speaker God began to reveal to me how broken and bitter I was. I know that sounds crazy but I didn't feel like I was harboring any of that. Boy was I wrong. So God beat me up a little and redirected me. A good friend of ours that goes to FOTP gave me a book to read A Tale of Three Kings: A Study in Brokenness. With some reading, reflection, and prayer God began to restore my relationship with him and carried me out of that place.
So what's next??
As the summer began to draw to a close Adam received a phone call from the church we just left in June. They asked him to come back and and take on a full time job in their worship ministry. (This began happening while I was dealing with the brokenness I spoke of above) so when Adam came home I told him I just wasn't sure about that...we would really have to pray and God was going to have to really show us that we needed to be there. Through a course of conversations with some friends from that church who did not even know the opportunity we had just been given and some crazy events God revealed himself again. With the revelation, healing, and restoration we agreed to go back. I feel like this may be a spot of preparation, for how long- I am not sure, because I do believe that God is preparing us to plant again. So the next step is a mystery for now.
Last week was our first Sunday back and it was wonderful! It was great to see our friends that we had been missing and great to see Adam on stage and in his element. He also is part of a three person worship team that includes a friend he already worked with before at CPC and an old friend Kim (McCurdy) Wells. It has been great to see them working together again. So we are back and Adam has a dynamic team to work with. So we have a fresh start at a familiar place and we are excited to see what God is going to do.

Endings?

2010-05-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

I always love sappy girl movies... the ones that make you cry and all end up happily ever after....Lately I am dealing with too many endings I think... I have been stressed, grumpy, and hard to live with! My poor family... I guess its good being the only girl in our house at times like this...

Adam's job is winding down... part of me is ready and thankful and the other part is heartbroken. Falling in love with a group of teenagers is challenging and yet so rewarding. We have so many kids that we adore and saying goodbye is going to be SO hard! Anytime we have had to leave a church family behind it has been horrible but we have always known what God had in store next and at least had something too look forward to. Two years ago this weekend we were walking in to Center Point for the first time as the new youth pastor. It was all I could do to focus on the new students and not think about what the kids were doing at Journey and how the adult service was going... We were hurting and excited all at the same time... Right now not knowing the next step is making this harder and I feel more hurt than anything. On a brighter note, some opportunities are coming in (some more exciting than others) and they always come in and the right moment. About the time we are the most discouraged Adam gets a phone call or an email... I guess its just God's way of reminding us that He is still in charge and He knows what we need... Today as I was thanking God for another pick me up I was reminded that He is always on time-rarely early and never late so I will continue to wait for just the right time.

My mom is struggling with her health. She has had some big health scares in the last two weeks and I have been reminded of our mortality. I have struggled with the fact that someday I am going to want to call her and tell her about my crazy day (like I so often do) and she won't be there.... what a scary thought... for now I will hold her a little closer and continue to pray for her and her doctors that some of the mysterys will be solved and a remedy will be found.

Another school year is winding down. My oldest is about to finish Kindergarten!!! Wow, I can't believe it! The picture above was taken at field day! He had a blast! He has so many great memories of Kindergarten! As much as he has loved kindergarten though we are SO ready for summer!!! Our current principal is leaving and I had the opportunity to be a part of the selection process for our new principal. I am so excited about the person we picked and I know we made the right deicision. It is wierd though since I have had the same principal since I started teaching. The change should be fairly smooth so although this is going to be a transition I am excited about it for our school and for the outgoing/incoming principals.

Finally, the doctor has recommended a procedure that would prevent Adam and I from having any more children... which I really felt like I didn't want any more until that! The idea of not being able to rather than choosing not to is a rough reality. I am not sure I want to play God like that... Adam and I have been debating it back and forth and for now I am going to seek a second opinion and try to hold off... its too big of a decision with too many other things going on right now.

I am sorry this has been so down unfortunately I am staying down more than up right now. I've always known I wasn't good with change but ALL of these changes at one time is making me a bit crazy! Keep our family in your prayers and I will try to keep you updated. I know that God is at work in us right now. He keeps shwoing us little things to remind us. Today we had several cool God things happen that I can't share just yet... I hope to see them all the way through and then I will bursting with excitement and oozing all of the juicy details about God's amazing work... but until then I will have to leave you in suspense!

Heaven, Death, and What to wear

2010-03-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

At the Green house some days are good and some are not. Lately both boys have been tired and grumpy and our house has not been a lot of fun. However, when I get discouraged God always provides me with what I need. In this case I needed a good laugh and some sweetness! I am so glad HE is always faithful!
Sunday morning I was driving to church and Nate was talking in the back seat about heaven. He then proceeded to ask if I would go to heaven first or if he would. I told him that hopefully I would because Mommy's should always go before their kids. He asked when that would happen and I said that I hoped that it would be when he was a lot older. He replied "Yeah, like when I am fat and old... that will be a good time... I will be a grandpa, you can go then." I just laughed and then he said, "Mommy, I will make a note for you. I will put it with you. It will say that I love you very much and I will miss you. It will say that I will see you when I get to heaven" He proceeded to go on about other things he would write in the note for me. I told him that I wanted him to know that no matter what when I was gone I wanted him to remember that I loved him very much and I'd be sending him hugs and kisses from heaven! Such a sweet boy... I needed that reminder this week!
For those of you who don't know we had one of our dogs (Trixie) die a few weeks ago so death has been a big part of our conversations lately. So Sunday night Caden coughed so hard that he made himself throw up. As he was getting sick in the toilet he looked at me with a sad face and said, "Trixie threw up and now she is dead! That means I am about to be dead too!" I hugged him and reassured him that he was fine and that Trixie was just really sick before she started throwing up. I have to admit I held back my giggles though. It cracked me up that he put all of that together and that it was a real worry for him... poor baby!
Finally, my good laugh...
Each night I set put clothes for Nate to wear the next day. When Nate gets up in the morning it is his job to get dressed. Sunday night I set out a windsuit for Nate that has a jacket to go with it. Monday morning Nate was dressed when I came out of our room ready to go. He had his jacket all zipped up so we headed out the door. When we got to school I told him he ought to take his jacket off or at least unzip it. Nate made a funny face at me and said I don't have a shirt on under this.... Apparently, he decided the jacket was enough or didn't see the shirt that was laying on top of his pants. Luckily, I had a good friend that was going home and coming back. She was nice enough to bring my son clothes. The nurse and one of the teachers told me that Nate came up to them and unzipped his jacket and showed off his chest! What a silly boy! At the end of the day my wonderful Asst. Principal, who had heard Nate's story, came up to me with her jacket all zipped up to let me know that she didn't have a shirt on underneath either. Her sarcasm was enough for another great laugh!
I just want you all to know that I DO have enough clothes for my children, I DO set them out for them, and from now on I WILL do a wardrobe check before we leave!

The charmer

2009-11-14T22:36:00.000-08:00

On Thursday we had picture day at school. My kindergartner was SO excited as all kids are about this day. For those of you who don't work in an elementary school let me let you in on a little secret... I don't know what it is about picture day but for some reason the kids act like it is the day before Christmas break. They are everywhere and by the end of the day all of the teachers look frazzled and like they NEED it to be Christmas break.... OK so now that I have filled you in I need to share my story.

My little guy did not want to wear a nice button down shirt but after a trip to Kohl's and a convincing talk about how handsome he was going to look he decided to give into my demands. So the morning of pictures he gets dressed and comes into me to report that he needs a flower. What???? So I asked him, "why do you need a flower?" to which he responds that it will make him look handsome. Again, What???? He proceeded to tell me that his daddy gets dressed fancy and goes out and when he comes home he always has a flower pinned to his shirt.

(Let me clarify just to be sure you understand, he is on staff at a church and has done several wedding recently. That would be the reason for the flowers- no girlfriends or other crazy scenarios...) So my little guy goes into the closet and finds one of his daddy's flowers that was a silk flower and tucks it into the pocket of his shirt. He comes in proudly smiling and revealing his lovely fuchsia rose that is sticking out of his pocket. I began to giggle.... and said "Honey, that is not necessary for picture day today." We had to have a long discussion before I could convince him to leave the flower at home.

So then later that day one of my best friends calls laughing hysterically. It seems that as my little boy's class walked out or maybe back from the portable to get their pictures taken my little guy spotted a flower on the ground he could pick. You know the kind I am talking about??? The lovely yellow weed?

He decided to pick it up and stick it into the pocket of his shirt and made sure the flower was sticking out. So I am not sure what his picture will look like. Maybe it will just be my handsome boy or maybe it will be the little charmer with a yellow weed sticking out of his pocket... time will tell. Rest assured that IF his picture has the yellow flower sticking out you will be able to see the lovely picture posted on this blog.... until then we will have to wait and see!

After he got back to his classroom our super assistant principal spotted my little one and said hello to him. My little guy loves her and often stops into her office to talk to her. (So far that has been his only visits to her but I am sure he will get to have a very different kind of visit with her at some point) My boy, the charmer, smiled at her-pulled the lovely weed from his pocket-and handed it to her! Oh my! Just wait until this one is a teenager!

Monsters!

2009-11-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

I know that all little kids have a fear of monsters. I can remember being younger and being afraid to go down the dark hallway to my room and out of my parents sight. I remember sometime walking until my parents couldn't see and then running in and out as fast as I could.

Today I had such a flashback as my youngest went in his room to get a toy. He came barreling around the corner and mumbled, "The cookie monster didn't get me!" The cookie monster? Really? That's the monster he is afraid of??? I laughed and called him over. I told him he didn't have to be afraid of the cookie monster.... he only liked cookies and there aren't any in the bedrooms. My youngest looked at me as serious as could be and said well then "we really need to be afraid at Christmas!" I laughed and said why... "because he'll take Santa's cookies!" So I think on Christmas eve when we set out our cookies for santa we will have to set out an extra set for cookie monster and a note that asks him not to eat Santa's cookies.

I just found all of this so funny! If my boys are going to be afraid of monsters I guess cookie monster is the best to have around!

Little Bit is turning 3!!!

2009-10-16T21:46:00.001-07:00

We are having a birthday party for our youngest this weekend! I can't believe he is almost three! He loves Lightning McQueen, cars, dogs and babies. He is so tender hearted. The teachers at his preschool says he always makes sure everyone is included and taken care of! I am so thankful for his sweet spirit and tender heart! I am praying that this year will be wonderful for him. It is so great to se ehim chnge from year to year! What did I do to deserve such amazing boys. I am blessed beyond measure!

Funny Boys

2009-10-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

So we were leaving school yesterday and my oldest turns to my AP and says, "Bye, we are going to Barnes and Oval"! Then as we leave he says, "What's at Barnes and Oval???" So excited and he doesn't even know why....

Today at Preschool, my youngest was rubbing a baby's head. He turns to the other kids and says, "It's ok... you can touch him.... he's real!"

My tender hearted boys

2009-10-08T15:50:00.000-07:00

My youngest was at school today and they were playing with a litebrite making letters, counting etc. When they turned off the lights one of his friends began to get upset because he was scared. My little one turned to his friend and said "Please Mason, don't be scared! There are no bears in here! We are safe even when the lights are off. Its ok I will sit right beside you so you will feel better." Awwww... I am so thankful! At times my boys are relentlessly fighting so it is so good to know that deep down we are raising who will be sweet, tenderhearted young men!

My oldest finished his first six weeks of school! Kindergarten has been a blast! Last week they studied fire/police men. My boy loved that the home center had turned into a fire station. They topped off a week with a visit from the city firemen.
This week they have talked about space and darkness. Today they had dark day where they did everything with flashlights. He has been having so much fun! He did manage to get an S in conduct which I think is pretty good for the first six weeks of school. I was surprised at his letter assessment though. The teacher said he only knows 48 out of 54 letters (they have two different a's and g's that they test). I was surprised because at home he seems to know all of his letters! Oh well... I guess we have some practicing to do!

Three weeks down...but who's counting???

2009-09-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

We just finished week three of school. My oldest is doing pretty good! He is enjoying kindergarten and his amazing teacher. Mrs. F is a perfect fit for him! She has high expectations and knows how to equip her students to meet them. I am so thankful for such a great first experience for him.
We also have a new music teacher that Nate LOVES! This week Mr. P even let them play drums! I think he is brave to put drums in kindergarten students hands but my little man thinks it was the best decision ever!
I asked Nate what the three best things about this week were and he said:
Being King of the day! (Thanks, Mrs. F)
Playing the drums (Thanks, Mr. P)
and getting to visit the outdoor garden (Thanks again, Mrs. F)

My top three favorite things included
watching the PE teachers sing and dance to "5 little monkeys jumping on the bed" with K students
eating lunch with my little man
and the funniest moment...after losing my little man finding out that the reason I couldn't find him was becuase the boys bathroom locks weren't working so he decided to go in the girls bathroom because his mommy takes him in there when we are at the store.... Oh goodness... let the retraining begin!

Finally, on a more serious note...
We have a new teacher at school that is really wonderful. She is great with the kids but also an amazing woman. About a year and half ago she lost her four year old daughter to cancer. She, of course, is very sad and clings to the memory of her beautiful girl. After hearing her talk about it, I decided to go check out her blog. I sat and cried as I read of the heartbreaks this family has encountered and yet was amazed at what awesome memories they created for themselves. She is just a really incredible mom! Even more than that, as I began reading I discovered that her precious one that she lost far too early has the exact same birthday as my little man. She should be walking the halls at our school, finishing her third week of kindergarten, playing, running, etc. It made her pain feel that much more real for me. As she talks of losing her I imagine what my boy and I were doing, as she talks of her fears and worries I think of how many times I have not spent enough quality time with my boy. As she talks of how people don't treasure every moment and don't notice the little things their kids notice I realize that I am that mom! I get so caught up in the everyday life that I fail to notice the little things... so I am stepping back. I am determined to enjoy the moment, appreciate the little things, and create life long memories because in an instant one of these boys could be gone. So for my many readers (ha ha), I hope you'll hold me accountable. I hope you'll push me to enjoy each day and be thankful for the blessings that I have. I in turn, hope to inspire you to do the same!

First Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

This year at our annual convocation for school our superintendant talked about parents who would be bringing their children into a school that was filled with strangers and trusting them to take care of their baby. I sat there and thought about how blessed I am that I do know all of the wonderful teachers at my son's school. Little did I know how hard it would be to drop off my baby even knowing what capable, warm, laoving hands I was leaving him in.

My oldest started Kindergarten today! He is just so big!!! He has an amazing teacher and I can't wait to see all the fun he is going to have. Today I took him to school. I stopped outside the classroom and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Which made him make a face and wipe it off!) Then I tooh him into class and got him to his seat. I asked for a high five and he gave me one and then he turned, smiled, and said "Bye mom!" I guess that's my cue to leave, huh??? I was so thankful that I do know his teacher but leaving him was still not fun! Luckily, there was plenty to do at school to keep me occupied!

After school Daddy picked up our new kindergartner and took him for ice cream. They stopped in to see me and my little man told me all about his day. He seemed to have a good time! His teacher also assured me that he had a good day! Thank goodness he has her fooled so far! After school my fabulous AP came by to tell me a story about my little man. She told me that she had spotted my little on spinning in the line in the cafeteria. She went over to correct him and found him singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy". So not only was he spinning, he was praising Jesus. Who knew he was so charasmatic???

Torrential Rain and Sweet Prayers

2009-06-12T13:45:00.000-07:00

For all of my faboulous readers...(ha ha) I think I have two followers and love them both dearly...anyway.....for all of my fabulous readers who don't live in DFW you missed quite the storm this week. On Wednesday one of my best friends came over to watch my boys as Adam and I met with our realtor. My oldest boy proceded to scream at her from his naptime bed because she refused to give into his fit and go pick up his blanket......finally he was so tired he fell asleep. Now please know he is about to start kindergarten and we are working on getting rid of the nap but friends don't make friends endure either boy without a nap...and yet the nap was the worst part for her.....storm #1....she survived and I think we are still friends!
Storm #2...meeting with the realtor...We have been trying to sell our house since December to no avail! We are overpriced and we know it and the housing market has dropped which would help when we get ready to buy but not sell! Our realtors are friends of ours and have been really great but today was tough! Basically we need to be prepared to have $20,000 to get out of this house and into the new one. Now I don't know about you but I don't have that sitting somewhere. So what to do now???? Rob a bank???? probably a bad idea..... Sell my first born??? at times tempting..... Let our house foreclose? that integrity thing gets me everytime... Any other ideas??? Looks like we may have to stay put. I love my house but HATE the new three story apartements that loom in back yard and cast shadows across it all afternoon (they are really that close). I also hate that it takes 911 an hour to come to my house AFTER they call me back when I leave a message on their 911 answering machine!!!! So much for help in an emergency! Please keep us in your prayers... we are trying to make the right, godly decision and we believe that going into debt to pay off debt is just not smart! I just need to win the lottery that I don't play!
Storm #3...the real thing...so I get home to my wonderfully compassionate friend and we share yucky stories together, begin making corn dogs for dinner (a dinner of champions, I know) and make plans for white cake with thick chocolate frosting (how else do you deal with such awful news?). Then the sky turned black and the clouds began to move like crazy... The news forecaster had shear (spelling?) markers everywhere. The neighbors had shingles standing striaght up on their house, trees were splitting fences were falling, I wasn't taking any chances. My friend took the boys to the walk in closet while I got pillows. I put the dogs in the bathroom and grabbed the pan of cooked corn dogs, ketchup, mustard, four cups and the pitcher of tea and took them to the closet where we had a corn dog picnic and waited for the storm to pass. Then for the rest of that night and all morning the next day the rain poured down and the thunder and lightning were relentless! I was thinking about Noah in the bible and how awful that must have been when my good friend called and said "I am so glad God did not call me to be Noah! I don't think I could have been obedient to Him." I agree wholeheartedly!!!!
So I hope these storms of life shall pass... I hope to gain clarity and peace in what to do about our house and the safety I want it to bring to my family.
Finally, I love to listen to my kids pray...... My youngest thanks God everynight for his mommy, and daddy. Sometimes he even throws in his brother. My oldest has begun praying more specifically for people that he knows are sick or need safe travel. During the storms he was praying God would make the thunder, lightning, and rain go away. But a few nights ago as he finshed praying he finished with this..."and God do people like superman, spiderman, and the transformers help you with all their work? I know they are good helpers and could really help you...amen!"

Crazy Connections

2009-04-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

My oldest son will be 5 next week. Last week we were driving down the road and we drove past a neighborhood waterpark and of course he asked if we could go. I told him no, that it was still far too cold to go to waterpark. He got quiet for a few minutes and then responded, "Mom, do you know I have God in my heart?" I was shocked... I said "What do you mean?" He said, Well when I was at the water park I went all the way under the water." And so I am thinking where is he going with this??? Next he says, "But really mom! He thumps in there, so next time you drink that coke in church...I think I'll need some." Then it all comes clear to me and I am cracking up! So I said to him, "I think you are going to need to be little order before you are able to have some of that 'coke in church".
You see we have been in a church plant until this last year and all of our baptisms happened in backyard pools or waterparks. Then when we switched churches last summer we had a baptism service at the waterpark. Each time we talk about what that means. Then, at Christmas Eve service my oldest sat in "big church" with me and we took the Lord's Supper. (which he couldn't have and he was NOT happy about that) SO after church he had asked a lot of questions and I had answered them as best I could. So now he has put it all together. He understands the steps he has to take but doesn't quite get why we do them. I think that next time I take the Lord's Supper it will be hard to not giggle though as I drink my "coke".

I am thankful...
I am thankful that my oldest is learning and putting things together. After celebrating Easter all day we climbed onto one of the boys beds and began to pray. My youngest thanked God for Easter and the eggs and the bunny. My oldest's prayer was so simple. "Thank you God for my mommy, daddy, and brother. And thank you that Jesus came and died and went to live with the devil and then came back three days later." I am not sure where the went to live with the devil for three days part came from (we still have a few things to work out...) but he IS getting it! For Him church is becoming more than just a place to see his friends and he is asking us the questions he needs to so he can get it all together. Being a mom is so great! Just when I think Go has made a mistake trusting these sweet little boys in my care of me to mess up-we have these kind of conversations! I am SO thankful for His reassurance!

Easter!!!

2009-04-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

Today we colored Easter eggs with our two little boys. They were in awe as the eggs turned colors. They kept putting them in and taking them out. Their fingers were so many different colors. At times this excitement led to much frustration for Adam and I as the dye would spill, or eggs were dropped. But all in all, it was a great time! I love their excitement over such a little thing!
Easter is one of my favorite holidays! It is a time when we get to celebrate without the awkwardness of opening presents while everyone watches and just hoping your expressions really show how much you appreciate something or someone. It is a time when there isn't the pressure of what to do, or who to invite, or what you should say in your cards. I love that I get to focus on my family at this time of year and there aren't expectations. But most of all, I love what this holiday means....
Christmas is nice because I get to celebrate my Savior, Jesus', birth. Yet, to me Easter is even better. Because Easter is about making Jesus my Savior. Before he sacrificed His life, after living it blamelessly, he was just another man. Many people say a good man, a man who did great things. Some people called his great things miracles, some called them coincidences. But when He was killed and put in a sealed and guarded tomb; yet, somehow managed to come back to life and live back on the Earth for 40 days before he ascended to heaven- that made Him extraordinary and divine. You see many people worship great men, Muhammad, Buddha, etc. And I must admit they were great men, but they weren't set apart like Christ was. They didn't die and come back to prove that they were who they said they were. And they didn't get beaten, and mocked and ridiculed and still forgive as they gave up their lives for people who didn't know that they needed him.
So tomorrow, as I celebrate Easter, I will be forever grateful. Because even when I didn't know I needed Him, He gave His life up for me. Even when I try to do things on my own, he stands by me and helps me anyway. Even when I don't understand why things are the way they are, or when I question Him, he remains forever patient with me. Because He is who he says He is, because He loves even when I am unlovable, because He made a way for me when I didn't deserve it- I will live for HIM!
Happy Easter everyone! I hope that this day means as much to you as it does to me.

TLA

2009-04-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a three day trip to Houston. I was there for the Texas Library Conference. I am always amazed to talk to librarians from across the state. I feel refreshed and ready to go!!!
First, I want to post the Texas 2x2 list. These are books that are chosen by a panel of librarians that are the best books published from 2008 for 2 year old through second graders. For those of you who have children in this age group these are some great books to check out!
A Visitor For Bear by Bonny Becker, The Littlest Llama by Jane Browning Buxton, Quinito, Day and Night, Quinito, Dia y Noche by Ina Cumpiano, On the Farm by David Elliott, Ten Little FINGERS and Ten Little TOES by Mem Fox, How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham, Chicken Said, “Cluck!” by Judyann Ackerman Grant, What’s Up Duck? A Book of Opposites by Tad Hills, Uh-oh! by Rachel Isadora, Sort it Out! by Barbara Mariconda, Let’s Eat! ! A comer! by Pat Mora, Baseball Hour by Carol Nevius, Jack Wants a Snack by Pat Schories, No Babysitters Allowed by Amber Stewart, Roadwork by Sally Sutton, What Can You Do With a Rebozo? by Carmen Tafolla, Grumpy Cat by Britta Teckentrup, The Doghouse by Jan Thomas, Duck Soup by Jackie Urbanovic, and 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World by Melanie Walsh.
You can go to this website http://www.txla.org/groups/crt/2x2intro.htm for more information or activities to do with your child. There are some really great books on the list this year!
Finally, while at TLA I got to meet several authors which is always fun. My favorite quote of the week came form one of the authors' presentations. Jeanne DuPrau, the author of City of Ember, said something that really sums up many of the children's authors. I am not going to put it into quotes because I was writing while she talk and I don't want to miss quote! She said something like:
I don't write books for children because I like children, although I do like some children just like I like some adults, I write because I love to write.
To me this was so funny because there are many children's authors who love to write books for this age but are not fond of children, don't know how to speak to them, or are just flat out terrified at the idea of having to entertain a group of children.... Let this be a warning to you....if ever you take your child to meet an author be ready for anything! Of course there are MANY children's authors who write because they LOVE children and they are fabulous with them. :) I personally, loved Jeanne Duprau's Ember's series and thought she really was a good speaker. I was thankful for her honesty and how genuine she really was.

Giving in....

2009-03-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

So I have decided that I am going to transform this blog... I have always been terrible and journaling and so I have been reluctant to blog.... I mean who cares what I am thinking or what I have to say about life. But after increasing pressure I am giving in. I have this blog because I needed it for my children's literature class. I intend to still post book reviews some because I am also being pressured about that but I am also going to add information about our family on here. So here goes....
This week was crazy. We had some friends get married this past weekend and Adam got to perform the ceremony! It was such a proud moment for me!! Then C got pink eye and my dear mother got to take him to the doctor since we were busy with the wedding. So the week gets going and N trips on his shoes and falls on the floor and hits his elbow and forearm. He says it hurts and won't move it- this is not surprising since he is my little drama king. So we decide to give it a day or two. He goes to school the next day and falls on it AGAIN!!! This time it swells up and he appears to have lost his elbow. Or as N says "My bone fell out!" So we get to go get X-rays which are still confusing because they say he might have a crack but they aren't sure give it a few days and see if the swelling goes down and he can move it.... As of today, Saturday. he can move it but when he bumps it he still has to give a little bit of a dramatic presentation! THEN on Friday, the school calls me to tell me that N has pinkeye now.... thank goodness the week is over. I hope next week is much better!

Sports Illustrated Kids: SIKIDS.com

2008-04-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

Huey, John. (Editor-in-Chief) April 2008. Sports Illustrated Kids. Time Inc. New York, NY. SIKIDS.com

This magazine is a perfect addition to a young sports fan’s reading repertoire. Each issue comes with a color poster pull out, sports trading cards, sports pro interviews, and pictures. Many sports are included in each magazine. In the April 2008 issue sports that are covered include horse racing, hockey, gymnastics, baseball, basketball, and rock climbing. Boys and girls sports are both represented making this a magazine that any young sports fan will enjoy. All ads that are included are appropriate for young readers. The website SIKIDS.com is interactive and a fun addition to the magazine subscription. Many poll results, funny photo captions, and magazine comments that are submitted online are published in the magazine. The funny photo caption section is funny even for those who are not sports fans. A still picture of a sports figure in action is placed online and readers write creative captions. I found the comments to be extremely entertaining. I also enjoyed the section “What’s the Call” where the reader reads about a situation and decides what the official’s decision should be. Later in the magazine the answers are revealed so readers can check their officiating skills. This subscription is a “must have” in any children’s library.

THE TOP OF THE WORLD

2008-04-27T20:13:00.001-07:00

Jenkins, Steve. 1999. The Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York, New York. ISBN 0395942187

This book gives fact about Mount Everest, statistics about the climbers that have set records, shows the gear needed to make a climb like Everest, and explains the thrills and dangers of climbing the tallest mountain on Earth. This non fiction book is fascinating for anyone who has ever thought about what it would be like to climb to the top of a mountain, especially Mount Everest. The pictures in this book are essential and are made of paper collage. Many of the pictures are diagrams of the mountain to help readers understand the distance that the text is referring to.

HIDING FROM THE NAZIS

2008-04-27T20:12:00.001-07:00

Adler, David A. 1997. Hiding from the Nazis. Holiday House. New York, NY. ISBN 082312881

This biography tells the story of the Baer family and their quest to hide from the Nazi’s. Lore’s grandfather is taken away and was never seen again. I like that this story tells of the heartache this family encounters without going into gruesome details that are too mature for a young audience. When the Baer family becomes too afraid to all hid together they send Lore off to live with another family. When her parents are finally freed from the concentration camp Lore hides from them because it has been so long since she has seen them. After a few days Lore warms up to her parents and goes to live with them but it takes her many years to learn to trust them again. The end of the story explains how the war ended and the Jewish people were free from hiding. This is a great book to help elementary age students identify with this part of history. The illustrations show the Jewish and Nazi symbols which will be good for young readers to see and gain better understanding of that time. Signs in the background are also written in German. The author’s note tells the details of the families depicted in this book and where they are now.

FRIDA

2008-04-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

Winter, Jonah. 2002. Frida. Arthur A. Levine. New York, NY. ISBN 0590203207

This biography tells the story of Frida and how painting saved her life. Frida loves to paint and when her leg is hurt from polio she begins to paint on photos. Later she is in a terrible bus accident and she will only be able to walk with a cane and is told her body will hurt. Frida paints even more to keep from being sad. The author’s note included in the book is much more descriptive about the details of the story making this book a great resource for young readers and older readers. The illustrations are done in the Mexican folk-art style. The pictures help accentuate the mood of the story. For example on the page that shows Frida’s bus accident there are imaginary creatures running form the bus with sad and fearful faces. This biography is an easy read and is filled with interesting facts about a great artist, Frida.

Babymouse Queen of the World

2008-04-11T20:18:00.001-07:00

Holm, Jennifer L. 2005. Babymouse: Queen of the World. Random House. New York, NY. ISBN 0375932291

This imaginative graphic novel has a few different stories embedded in Babymouse’s fantasies. Readers will recognize the Cinderella and Frankenstein stories. The illustrations are done with thick black lines and white and pink coloring. The thick black lines make the illustrations jump off the page and stand out from the text. The graphic novel format makes this an easy read for younger students as the pictures tell most of the story. In this story Babymouse learns that the old cliché, the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence, is all too true. She wants to go to Felicia’s party and finally gets invited by allowing Felicia to take her homework as her own. When Babymouse gets there she is bored and finally leaves to go and hang out with her friend, Wilson.

The Books of Ember

2008-04-11T20:15:00.000-07:00

DuPrau, Jeanne. 2004. The City of Ember. Random House. New York, NY. ISBN 0375822747
This first book in the series tells of a city that does not have any natural light. The city is always in darkness except for the generated light. Slowly, the city is running out of food and the generator is seeing causing power outages. Lina soon discovers pieces of a document filled with clues to get out of their city. She partners with a boy named Doon to try to solve the mystery and save their community. DuPrau created an excellent plot; however, the book is a slow starter as she tries to get the details laid out. If a reader will persevere through the first few chapters they will be greatly rewarded with a story that is so compelling it is hard to put down. I am having to push the patrons at my library to not give up and so far I haven’t had a child that stopped after reading just the first book of the series.

DuPrau, Jeanne. 2004. The People of Sparks. Random House. New York, NY. ISBN 0375928243
The People of Sparks is the continuation of The City of Ember. The people of Ember have received the message from Lina and Doon and have escaped their doomed community. As they begin a new life they run into a whole new set of troubles in Sparks where they are not welcomed guests for long. Lina sets to saving her people again as she discovers the truth of what war can do to a world. This book has some heavy themes that are handled with delicacy and grace and without too many gory details. Readers in the second book will not be disappointed as the adventure continues and captivates them again.

DuPrau, Jeanne. 2006. The Prophet of Yonwood. Random House. New York, NY. ISBN 0375975268
The Prophet of Yonwood is the prequel to The City of Ember; however, it really could be a stand alone title. The only connection to The City of Ember is in the last section of the book, “What happened afterward”. In this book a young girl, Nickie, goes with her aunt to help clean out and sell her great-grandfather’s estate. While visiting Nickie decides she wants to live in Yonwood but soon learns that the “grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence”. A vision by Althea Tower has caused the townspeople to become paranoid and “righteous” leading to a whole series of misunderstandings. By the end of the book even dogs have been banned because “they take some of the love we are supposed to give to God”. After a long trip to look for her dog, Nickie learns that Althea has been misunderstood and slowly the town is set right again. The plot on this story is intriguing and will keep readers engaged. I felt at the end of the book that it would have been a better stand alone book.. I was disappointed that The City of Ember was tied so loosely to it. I had hoped to see the creation of Ember and the events that led up to it.

The Giver Series

2008-04-11T20:13:00.001-07:00

Lowry, Lois. 1993. The Giver. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston. ISBN 0395645662
The Giver is the story of a community that wants sameness among the people. Occupations, spouses, and even children are assigned to the people. When Jonas is selected to be “The Giver” or the memory for the people he begins to doubt that the decision for sameness is what is best. He learns of many injustices in the community just to keep everyone the same. He is certain that it would be a good thing if people were allowed to have choices. In a conversation that Jonas has with The Giver about a baby he says, “what if we could hold up things that were bright red, or bright yellow and he could choose? Instead of the Sameness?” The Giver responds, “He might make wrong choices.” Then Jonas responds “Oh I see what you mean it doesn’t matter for a new child’s toy. But later it does matter, doesn’t it? We don’t dare let people make choices of their own.” This is the turning point for Jonas in his thinking and from then on he begins to have doubts about this “perfect” community. This book is captivating and though provoking. The end of the story is filled with hope as the reader is allowed to finish the story on their own.

Lowry, Lois. 2005. Gathering Blue. Bantam Books. New York, NY. ISBN 0553494783
The second book in The Giver Series, Gathering Blue, is not a continuation of the first book. It is about a new community and a new group of people with secrets and a desire for physical perfection. This book begins with a great hook as we find Kira sitting in “the field” with her recently deceased mother. This story has several twists in the plot and readers begin collecting clues to solve some mysteries in Kira’s life. The plot is easily followed and has a continual drive. Readers will fall in love with Kira and her desire for the simple life as well as her love for weaving. Along with Kira; the characters Thomas, Christopher, and “little tykes” Joe and Matt are well developed and so lovable. Lowry has created another compelling and thought provoking community in a story that will entertain readers from beginning to end.

Lowry, Lois. 2004. Messenger. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston. ISBN 0618404414
The final book in The Giver Series, The Messenger, is a continuation of the second book. In this book the story centers around Matty and “Seer” (Christopher). In this book Matty is still living with Seer and their village wants to stop new people from coming in. Matty is sent through the forest back to Kira to bring her to her father before it is too late. This is the book where readers will understand the gift that Kira has in her weaving as well as the gift that Matty has. This final book is filled with suspense, wonder, amazement, and love as Lowry brings this series to a close. The vivid descriptions of the forest, Kira, and their journey are amazing and will allow readers to connect to the story. This series of books is a must for all elementary, middle, and high school collections. It is a great series for teaching kids to think and to stand up for what they believe in.

The Earth Dragon Awakes

2008-03-29T19:14:00.001-07:00

Yep, Laurence. 2006. The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. HarperCollins Publishers. New York, New York. ISBN 0060275251

This book has fictional characters but is based on actual events from the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Laurence Yep created two families of different cultures to easily represent different cultures and areas of San Francisco. The story is written like a journal revealing the events of each day at each character’s house. At the end of the book there are some actual photographs that help the reader to understand how San Francisco looked after this tragic event. I liked that the author included footnotes to explain a few things in the book. I was amazed at the number of people that fled the city and then I read the footnote that this was the largest number of people that had to leave a city due to a natural disaster until Hurricane Katrina. This fact that was included in a footnote helps readers put this disaster into perspective with a natural disaster that we just witnessed in our own lives. This book is a great addition to any children’s library as it puts a historical event in a story form that kids can understand and relate to.

Cracker: The Best Dog in Vietnam

2008-03-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

Kadohata, Cynthia. 2007. Cracker: The Best Dog in Vietnam. Antheneum. New York, New York. ISBN 1416906371

Cracker, a beloved dog of a young boy named Willie, must be given away due to a recent move to an apartment with pet restrictions. Willie and his family agree to donate this German Shepherd to a military canine unit where he will help sniff out booby traps in the Vietnam war. Cynthia Kadohata effectively reveals the love between the boy and his dog leaving readers heart broken when Cracker is taken off by the military. Cracker is resistant to the change initially but soon begins to take to his handler, Rick.

Island of the Blue Dolphins

2008-03-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

O’Dell, Scott. [1987] 1960. Island of the Blue Dolphins. Bantam, Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers. New York, New York. ISBN 0440439884

This is the story of a young girl, Karana, who lived all alone on The Island of the Blue Dolphins for many years. It is based upon the real life story of a 12 year old girl who was left on an island for eighteen years. She was left alone when her tribe jumped aboard ships and migrated away. Karana was on the ship until she noticed her brother was still on the island and no one would go back to get him. She knew she couldn’t leave her brother all alone so she jumped off and headed back. Soon after they were left all alone Karana’s brother was attacked and killed by the wild dogs. Karana waits for the day that another ship will come and rescue her but in the meantime she makes friends with wild animals, avoids her enemies when they come ashore to hunt otter, and sets up her own house with all of the things she needs to survive. This is an amazing story of courage, perseverance, and love.

Bud, Not Buddy

2008-03-29T19:07:00.001-07:00

Curtis, Christopher Paul. 1999. Bud, Not Buddy. Scholastic. New York, New York. ISBN 0439227534

Bud, an orphan, sets out to find his father with clues his mother left when she passed away. This book takes place during the depression and in a time period when it was very difficult to be a successful black man. Bud tries to walk two hundred and seventy miles to get to where he thinks his dad might be but he is stopped by a man named “Lefty” who gives him a ride to where he needs to be. The person Bud thinks is his father, Herman E Calloway, later turns out to be his grandfather. This story has several events that take place to show the racial tension such as when Lefty picks Bud up off the side of the road and explains how dangerous it is for a black boy to be walking the streets in the middle of the night, and the fact that Mr. Calloway has land that he owns that is under a white man’s name because black people can’t own property. This story is intriguing and causes readers to continue reading in hopes of seeing Bud succeed. This story has won some prestigious awards including the Coretta Scott King Award and the John Newberry Medal. The author states that the story is fiction but is based upon some real people and events of this time period.

Gooney Bird Greene

2008-03-09T13:16:00.001-07:00

Lowry, Lois. 2002. Gooney Bird Greene. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York, New York. ISBN 0618238484

A new student, Gooney Bird Greene, with her own unique style joins a new second grade class after a recent move. Gooney Bird is a captivating storyteller that soon mesmerizes her entire class with her “absolutely true” stories. Lois Lowry created a great visual of the classroom by describing the actions of every student in the classroom and giving them each a personality. Readers will enjoy the school setting, storytelling format, and Gooney’s uniqueness. Gooney Bird’s story titles will cause readers to try to predict what will happen in the story since it has to be absolutely true. This easy chapter book will capture the attention of young readers.

Attaboy Sam!

2008-03-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

Lowry, Lois. 1992. ATTABOY, SAM!. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston. ISBN 0395615887

This story is heartwarming as Sam, a preschooler, desires to make a present for his mother’s birthday while helping his sister, Anastasia, with her poem for their mom. Sam’s homemade perfume is a disaster and so are all of the other homemade presents his family worked on. In the end, Sam saves the day with a kitten he snuck into the house and is able to give his mom for her birthday. The black and white illustrations by Diane de Groat are a great accent as the homemade perfume is created. With each drawing the reader is able to visualize and understand the odd concoction Sam is brewing. The plot is humorous but I wonder how much a chapter book reader will enjoy a book about a preschooler’s escapades.

So B. It

2008-03-09T13:13:00.001-07:00

Weeks, Sarah. 2004. So B. It. HarperCollins Publishers. New York, New York. ISBN 032943067X

Heidi, born to a mentally disabled woman, knows nothing of her family, father, or even her birthday. She was taken in by a woman, Bernadette, who lived connected to their apartment. Heidi finds a few clues of her mother’s past and is insistent to leave and go to New York to check out a place that her mother had a picture of. Heidi’s natural luck allows her to get bus tickets to New York and back and Bernadette allows her to go after several arguments. The trip is not what Heidi bargained for but she is desperate to know more about her life. This is a heartwarming story about a girl’s love for her mother and a deep desire to understand her and the life she had before. This book is engaging with a plot that is continually driving the reader to turn to the next page. Sarah Weeks has created lifelike characters that will draw readers in emotionally as they connect to Heidi’s life experiences and questions.

Penderwicks

2008-03-09T13:11:00.001-07:00

Birdsall, Jeanne. 2005. The Penderwicks: a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy. Knopf Distributed by Random House. New York, New York. ISBN 0375831436

This book will be a favorite of older elementary and younger middle school girls. The plot of this story is a Penderwick family vacation at the large estate of the Tifton family. The story is filled with mishaps, secrets, and humor as the four girls interact with the Tifton’s and the workers in the Arundel estate. What makes this story so appealing is the real life situations the Penderwick sisters find themselves in (examples include: falling in love with a boy, standing up for yourself to an adult, losing a pet and a sibling, helping a friend in need) and the characterization that Birdsall creates. Each girl has a specific personality trait that makes them different from their sisters. These character traits are carried out throughout the entire story making the story flow together so readers can easily follow the plot. By the end of the book readers will be cheering for Jeffrey and begging Birdsall for a sequel so they can see what happens next.

Neighborhood Mother Goose

2008-02-27T19:16:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-27T19:13:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-27T19:12:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-27T19:10:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-16T19:40:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-16T19:37:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-16T19:36:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-06T19:10:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-06T19:08:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-06T18:53:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-06T18:52:00.001-08:00

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.

THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET

2008-01-21T19:52:00.000-08:00

Bibliography
Selznick, Brian. 2007. THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET. Scholastic Press. New York, NY. ISBN 0439813786

Plot Summary
A boy named Hugo Cabret is orphaned at a young age and must live in the walls of a train station helping his uncle take care of the clocks as his apprentice. When his uncle leaves also Hugo is stuck stealing trying to feed himself. Hugo finds the automaton his father died trying to fix. Hugo is determined to fix the machine and through a series of events finds out much more about the invention and its creator.

Critical Analysis
This book, the Caldecott winner for this year and Bluebonnet nominee for 2008, is breathtaking. The pictures drawn with simple black lines are exquisitely detailed. Selznick weaves cinematology, narration, concise characterization, and breathtaking illustrations to weave this one of a kind story together. Selznick uses foreshadowing on page 176 when Hugo is reminded of the story his dad told him about the movie in which “he had seen a rocket fly right onto the eye of the man in the moon”. Foreshadowing is also used when we see the heart shaped key is around Isabelle’s neck Hugo asks her about it on page 222 but nothing else is mentioned about it until Hugo takes it off of her to try it on the machine. THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET is a superb fiction novel that I think many children are going to enjoy from start to finish.

Review Excerpt(s)
From School Library Journal
“Each character possesses secrets and something of great value to the other. With deft foreshadowing, sensitively wrought characters, and heart-pounding suspense, the author engineers the elements of his complex plot:”From Publishers Weekly
“Here is a true masterpiece—an artful blending of narrative, illustration and cinematic technique, for a story as tantalizing as it is touching.”

Connections
*This book could be used to teach foreshadowing.
*This book can be used to discuss trying the invention of movies and how it changed the world.
*The illustrations could be used to talk about the Caldecott award.
Bowser, Elieen. THE TRANSFORMATION OF CINEMA 1907-1915. ISBN 0684184141
Marcus, Leonard S. A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION: SIX ARTIST AND THEIR PATHS TO THE CALDECOTT MEDAL. ISBN 0802786588

Green Eggs and Ham

2008-01-19T13:35:00.000-08:00

Bibliography
Seuss, Dr. 1988. GREEN EGGS AND HAM. Random House, Inc. New York, NY. ISBN 0394900162

Plot Summary
Sam, one of Dr. Seuss’ imaginary creatures, offers green eggs and ham to a stubborn, grumpy character. The character insists that he does not like green eggs and ham. Sam is determined to get the creature to try this new food and so he offers it ina variety of places. In the end, the character finally decides to try it and does like the unusual dish after all.

Critical Analysis
This story told in simple sentences and rhyming prose is an easy read. Readers are attracted to the sing song dialogue that reads “You may like them. You will see. You may like them in a tree!” Children can easily identify with the plot as many of them are afraid to try something new. I am grateful that in the end the character does try the dish and likes it showing readers that trying new things is a good idea. I love that the characters are imaginary and so is the setting with trees that are yellow and grass that is red. The color choices make the pictures pop out of book and also add to the fantastical world of Dr. Seuss. This is one of the Dr. Seuss books that I really like for beginning readers because it uses real words and not the made up words that we see in many of Dr. Seuss’ books.

Review Excerpt(s)
From School Library Journal “Limited vocabulary but unlimited exuberance of illustration.”

Connections
*This book could be used to highlight and discuss rhyming words.
*This book can be used to discuss trying new things since we really might like it.
*Use the recipe for green eggs and ham to connect with the text.
Brennan, Georgeann. GREEN EGGS AND HAM COOKBOOK. ISBN 0679884408

Library Lion

2008-01-19T13:33:00.000-08:00

Bibliography
Knudson, Michelle. 2006. LIBRARY LION. Candlewick Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts. ISBN 0763622621

Plot Summary
A librarian is startled when a well mannered lion enters the library. The head librarian states that he can stay as long as he doesn’t break any rules. The lion begins to help out at the library and becomes a regular patron. One day the lion needs to go get help for a librarian and roars to get someone’s attention. Knowing that he broke the rules the lion disappears for a while. Finally, after the librarian explains that sometimes you have a good reason to break the rules the lion returns and welcomed with a giant embrace from the head librarian and many of the children.

Critical Analysis
This story is a heart warming tale of a lion that learns to obey the rules of the library and also learns that sometimes rules have to be broken in an emergency. The characterization of the large giant is incredible this ferocious beast is portrayed as “helpful”, a step stool, and “a comfy backrest for the children”. The illustrations are detailed and colored with inviting cool colors. I love the artist’s portrayal of the library as an inviting comforting place. The artwork combined with the story, told mostly in third person, is an easy read that children of all ages will enjoy and engage in. I think many young readers will fancy the idea of going to a library in which everyone, including a cuddly lion, could be accepted and enjoy storytime.

Review Excerpt(s)
From School Library Journal “Hawkes's deft acrylic-and-pencil pictures have appeal for generations of library lovers. They are rich with expression, movement, and detail. The lordly, lovable lion is a masterful mix–regal beast and furry friend–and the many human characters are drawn with animation and emotion. This winsome pairing of text and illustration is a natural for storytime and a first purchase for every collection.”
From Booklist
“This story's appealing premise is clear in the first sentence: "One day, a lion came to the library." There's the expected uproar as the lion pads through the stacks, but librarian Miss Merriweather only asks: "Is he breaking any rules?" The lion is not, and so he is allowed to stay.”

Connections
*This book could be used to help teach about the importance of obeying rules and when it might be necessary to break rules.
*This book is great to start a discussion of library behavior expectations.
*Compare and contrast this book with I TOOK MY FROG TO THE LIBRARY.
Fraser, Mary Ann. I.Q GOES TO THE LIBRARY. ISBN 0802788777
Craig, Paula; Thompson, Carol. MR. WIGGLE’S BOOK. ISBN 1577686160
Kimmel, Eric A. I TOOK MY FROG TO THE LIBRARY. ISBN 014050916X

Fiction, Fantasy, and YA - MONSTER

2007-11-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

Bibliography
Myers, Walter Dean. 2000. MONSTER. Recorded Books. New York, New York. ISBN 0788752197

Plot Summary
This is a story about a teenage boy, Steve Harmon, and his part in a crime that ended in murder. This book is written from his point of view and contains information about his life before the crime, in jail, and during the trial.. There are many flashbacks as this story is told like a script for a movie.

Critical Analysis
I found the plot of this story intriguing. I wasn’t sure throughout the entire book whether Steve Harmon was really guilty or if he was just trying to convince himself that he was innocent. Myers makes him seem like a good kid with his many references to his brother and parents and how they must feel about him in jail. The weakness of this audio book is that because of the playwright style I had a hard time following the action in the first half. The lawyers names to me even sounded similar which made it hard for me to distinguish who was asking the questions. I had to relisten to several different parts to be sure I really understood the action. I did enjoy the audiobook and felt that the narrator was an excellent choice as I felt he provoked emotion and could sound like a young African American kid who is in trouble frequently.

Review Excerpt(s)
From School Library Journal “Many elements of this story are familiar, but Myers keeps it fresh and alive by telling it from an unusual perspective. Steve, an amateur filmmaker, recounts his experiences in the form of a movie screenplay. His striking scene-by-scene narrative of how his life has dramatically changed is riveting. Interspersed within the script are diary entries in which the teen vividly describes the nightmarish conditions of his confinement. Myers expertly presents the many facets of his protagonist's character and readers will find themselves feeling both sympathy and repugnance for him.”From Kirkus Reviews
“Myers leaves it up to readers to decide for themselves on his protagonist's guilt or innocence. The format of this taut and moving drama forcefully regulates the pacing; breathless, edge-of-the-seat courtroom scenes written entirely in dialogue alternate with thoughtful, introspective journal entries that offer a sense of Steve's terror and confusion, and that deftly demonstrate Myers's point: the road from innocence to trouble is comprised of small, almost invisible steps, each involving an experience in which a ``positive moral decision'' was not made.”
From AudioFile
“The youth and innocence of Jeron Alston's voice, as Steve, summons the listener into his limited reality and serves as a counterpoint to the authenticity of the courtroom drama, presented through the voices of the prosecutor, the D.A., the defendants, and the witnesses. Flashbacks deliver the backstory and raise essential doubts in the mind of the listener. A superb recording of an intriguing work.”

Connections
*This book could be used to help teens that are struggling with obeying the law the vivid description of the jail cell caused me to hope I never have to see the inside of a jail cell.
*This book could be used for a study in politic and the way the judicial system works.
*This book would be great to assess what it would be like to be on a jury and before the verdict is read let the students talk like a jury and create their own verdict.
DeGezelle, Terri. SERVING ON A JURY. ISBN 0736836861
Hjelmeland, Andy. PRISONS: INSIDE THE BIG HOUSE. ISBN 0822526077
Stewart, Gail B. TEENS IN PRISON. ISBN 1560063386

Fiction, Fantasy, and YA - CRISS CROSS

2007-11-02T20:23:00.001-07:00

Bibliography
Perkins, Lynne Ray. 2005. CRISS CROSS. Greenwillow Books. New York, New York. ISBN 0060092734

Plot Summary
This is the story of a small town girl as she grows up. She wants something to happen to her as all girls do as the age from just a girl to a teenager. She is interested in boys and independence. Throughout the book the reader sees her begin to become a young lady. She helps out an older woman and even manages to save her life. She has her first love and he moves back to his family. This story is a tale not only of her but several of her friends at this age and their paths cross many times as they grow and mature.

Critical Analysis
CRISS CROSS is a book full of descriptions and emotion. Most readers will be able to identify with at least one of the characters that Perkins creates. This book is geared at middle to high school students and is a bit too mature for most elementary students. The book contains some profanity and teenage situations. Older children will enjoy this easy read because they can easily identify with characters in the book and the situations they encounter.

Review Excerpt(s)
From School Library Journal”Starred Review. The author of the popular All Alone in the Universe (HarperCollins, 1999) returns with another character study involving those moments that occur in everyone's life–moments when a decision is made that sends a person along one path instead of another.” From Booklist
“*Starred Review* Best of all are the understated moments, often private and piercing in their authenticity, that capture intelligent, likable teens searching for signs of who they are, and who they'll become.”

Connections
*This book could be used to help teems that are struggling with self-esteem and the ever changing teenage years.
*This book could be used for a character study. Students could just study Debbie or they could compare the various characters.
Danzinger, Paula. EARTH TO MATTHEW. ISBN 0385304536
Byars, Betsy. BINGO BROWN AND THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE. ISBN 0670827916

Fiction, Fantasy, and YA - THE GIVER

2007-11-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

Bibliography
Lowry, Lois. 1993. THE GIVER. Houghton Mifflin. New York, New York. ISBN 0395645662

Plot Summary
THE GIVER is the story of a community that wants sameness among the people. Children are all given certain privileges by the age they are. Occupations, spouses, and even children are assigned to people. Finally, after Jonas is selected to be “The Giver” or the memory for the people he begins to doubt that the decision for sameness is what is best. He also learns of babies and elderly who are being killed because they are not the same. He decides to fight the injustice by leaving the community and even taking a baby that will soon be killed with him. His leaving will cause the people to have feelings and emotions again.

Critical Analysis
This is my favorite book from this whole semester of reading. The ideas posted by Lowry through the community will sound good to readers at first but the more the community is exposed the more the reader sees the injustices. As a Christian I was amazed at some of the things Jonas said after meeting the Giver. I have always told my children at church that God loves us enough to let us choose Him. In this community they don’t give the people the opportunity to do right or wrong. When Jonas starts talking about a baby named Gabriel he says, “what if we could hold up things that were bright red, or bright yellow and he could choose? Instead of the Sameness?” The Giver responds, “He might make wrong choices.” Then Jonas responds “Oh I see what you mean it doesn’t matter for a newchild’s toy. But later it does matter, doesn’t it? We don’t dare let people make choices of their own.” The quote captivated me because we are given the right to choose and He (God) could control that and yet He chooses not to.

Review Excerpt(s)
From School Library Journal “The tension leading up to the Ceremony, in which children are promoted not to another grade but to another stage in their life, and the drama and responsibility of the sessions with The Giver are gripping. The final flight for survival is as riveting as it is inevitable. The author makes real abstract concepts, such as the meaning of a life in which there are virtually no choices to be made and no experiences with deep feelings. This tightly plotted story and its believable characters will stay with readers for a long time.”From Kirkus Reviews
“Jonas may be a Christ figure, but the contrasts here with Christian symbols are also intriguing. Wrought with admirable skill--the emptiness and menace underlying this Utopia emerge step by inexorable step: a richly provocative novel.”
From Publishers Weekly
“With a storyline that hints at Christian allegory and an eerie futuristic setting, this intriguing novel calls to mind John Christopher's Tripods trilogy and Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl. Lowry is once again in top form--raising many questions while answering few, and unwinding a tale fit for the most adventurous readers.”

Connections
*Have students create their own “perfect” world using idea from THE GIVER.
*Have students write what they think should come next.
*Have students think about what job the “Elders” might choose for them and what the pros and cons of that job would be.
Lowry, Lois. GATHERING BLUE. ISBN 0385732562
Lowry, Lois. MESSENGER. ISBN 0385732538

Biography: THE WRIGHT BROTHERS - HOW THEY INVENTED THE AIRPLANE

2007-10-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

Bibliography
Freedman, Russell. 1991. THE WRIGHT BROTHERS: HOW THEY INVENTED THE AIRPLANE. Holiday House. New York, New York. ISBN 0823408752

Plot Summary
THE WRIGHT BROTHERS is an account of the life that brothers, Orville and Wilber, lived together. From childhood and early curiosities to the invention and perfection of the airplane this book is filled with photographs and artifacts such as journal entries. The relationship that these two brothers shared together is evident from their pictures, writings, and even the way they work together. These two young men are different ages but their relationship is as close as twins.

Critical Analysis
The photographs that Freedman has used in this book tell the story of the Wright Brothers all on their own. It was interesting to see what they were really thinking and feeling by getting to see a glimpse at their writings, drawings, and diagrams. Freedman weaves the actual writings and journals beautifully with his own words making a seamless account of the lives of the Wright Brothers. The accuracy in this book is evident by the artifacts that Freedman uses that back up his statements. Freedman portrays the Wright Brothers as good honest men that children, especially those interested in airplanes, could easily idolize. The only question I have is if these truly were two outstanding individuals or if there is aspect of these men that would be less than glorified. CHILDREN’S LITERATURE BRIEFLY suggests that this is a stereotyping that readers should be wary of so I would like to do more research to see if there are elements of their life that are left out to portray them in a specific way.

Review Excerpt(s)
School Library Journal: “Freedman takes readers back to that exciting time, using not only the Wrights' written descriptions and the accounts of awed observers, but also a large selection of the careful photographs that Wilbur and Orville took to document their experiments. After an opening chapter to set the stage, the author creates a detailed family portrait.”
Publishers Weekly: “In understated, involving prose--skillfully laced with pertinent excerpts from journals, letters and contemporary accounts--Freedman lays out a clear and compelling history of the early aviation experiments that culminated in the legendary flight at Kitty Hawk. As with Lincoln , photographs are integral to Freedman's exposition and he makes ample, effective use of the many astonishing photos taken by the brothers in order to better document their experiments.”

Connections
*This book could be used to teach inventors and inventions.
*This book could be used to teach about airplane mechanics.
*This book could be used to teach perseverance and believing in yourself.
*This book could e used to start a timeline on the invention of airplanes.
Berger, Melvin and Gilda. HOW DO AIRPLANES FLY? A BOOK ABOUT AIRPLANES. ISBN 1571020586
Otfinoski, Steven. TAKING OFF: AIRPLANES THEN AND NOW. ISBN 0761404074

Hostorical Fiction - THE GREEN GLASS SEA

2007-10-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

Bibliography
Klages, Ellen. 2006. THE GREEN GLASS SEA. Recorded Books. New York,
New York. ISBN 978428146396

Plot Summary
This story, set in World War II in the non-existent place of Los Alamos, is an eye opener about the war and the way scientists helped in the war. This story, from the point of view of two ten year old girls allows young readers to engage in a war that happened along time ago and that seemingly didn’t affect children. This book will open children’s minds to what wars really cost.

Critical Analysis
This book is a great historical fiction. The accounts of life in Los Alamos are authentic and bring these experiences to an appropriate level for upper elementary students. The characters are well though out and developed. The characters emotions are portrayed so clearly that many times I found myself feeling like they must have felt. The plotline is easy follow and an engaging read for students who are and are not familiar with the story of Los Alamos. I love the way Ellen Klages describes the setting so that it is clear what Los Alamos must have looked. The audiobook version is read by Julie Dretzin. She does a great job of changing voices so that conversations between people are easily understood.

Review Excerpt(s)
School Library Journal: “Many readers will know as little about the true nature of the project as the girls do, so the gradual revelation of facts is especially effective, while those who already know about Los Alamos's historical significance will experience the story in a different, but equally powerful, way.”
Publishers Weekly: “…the characters are exceptionally well drawn, and the compelling, unusual setting makes a great tie-in for history classes.”
I was unable to find a review of the audiobook.

Connections
*This book could be used to teach about World War II and the life of secrecy in Los Alamos.
*This book could be used for a student who is curious about how the atomic bomb came about and how the scientists who created it felt.
*This story could be used to reveal the good and bad of science.
Taylor, Mike. WEAPONS OF WORLD WAR II. ISBN 1562398083
Maruki, Toshi. HIROSHIMA NO PIKA. ISBN 0688012973

Historical Fiction-A SINGLE SHARD

2007-10-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

Bibliography
Park, Linda Sue. 2001. A SINGLE SHARD. Clarion Books. New York, New York. ISBN 0395978270

Plot Summary
An orphan named Tree Ear is fascinated by a local potter, Min. After an unfortunate accident with Min’s pottery Tree Ear gets the opportunity to work for Min. Once his debt is repaid he continues to work for Min with the hope that as Tree Ear states to Min “you would one day be teaching me to make a pot.” Tree ear is able to help Min get a royal commission by taking a piece of pottery to an Emissary.

Critical Analysis
The characterization in this book is outstanding. Linda Sue Park has done a marvelous job of bringing her characters to life. Tree Ear’s determination, Crane-Man’s unconditional friendship and servanthood, Min’s grumpiness and perfectionism, and Min’s tenderhearted wife are so clear that the reader will feel like they know the characters and can see them. At the conclusion of the book Min’s character is still grumpy, but my heart leapt with joy at Min’s words, “How are you to help me if you do not have a wheel of your own? And how is the wheel to be made if do not fetch logs of considerable size? Go!” The end of the book evokes such emotion - among the sadness is such great joy and excitement for Tree Ear and the reward he gets for his humble servanthood.

Review Excerpt(s)
From School Library Journal “This quiet story is rich in the details of life in Korea during this period. In addition it gives a full picture of the painstaking process needed to produce celadon pottery. However, what truly stands out are the characters: the grumpy perfectionist, Min; his kind wife; wise Crane-man; and most of all, Tree-ear, whose determination and lively intelligence result in good fortune.”
From Publishers Weekly
“She charts Tree Ear's transformation from apprentice to artist and portrays his selflessness during a pilgrimage to Songdo to show Min's work to the royal court he faithfully continues even after robbers shatter the work and he has only a single shard to show. Readers will not soon forget these characters or their sacrifices.”

Connections
*This book could be used to help teach about the art of pottery.
*This book is great to show a character overcoming obstacles and making the best of unfortunate circumstances.
*This book would relate well to readers that have lost parents and have to live with someone different whether it is a family member or foster care.
*This book would also be good to use to talk about homelessness.
Gibbons, Gail. THE POTTERY PLACE. ISBN 0152632654
Potter, Tony. POTTERY. ISBN 08811023195

Nonfiction - SPACE TRAVELERS

2007-10-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

Bibliography
Simon, Seymour. 2003. SPACE TRAVELERS. Chronicle Books. San Francisco, California. ISBN 0329347489

Plot Summary
This book gives basic history and information about space travels. The book starts with raves in 1951 in which animals were sent to space and goes all the way through 1997. Space shuttle parts and satellites are also discussed briefly.

Critical Analysis
This book teaches basic information but is a good starter book for children who are interested in space and ready for a little more text. The photography in the book is gorgeous! Photos are clear and show great details. I do wish that there was some picture information throughout the book. The text discusses the picture a little bit as it deals with main points but it would be great to know more information about the photos themselves. For example one photo is on a two page spread of a female astronaut floating with a video camera. The text discusses that their days are carefully planned but never tells us who the astronaut pictured is or what she is doing.

Review Excerpt(s)
From School Library Journal “Space has a mix of black-and-white and color photographs that capture the action and excitement of space travel as well as the beauty of the moon and Earth. Unfortunately, the pictures are uncaptioned.”

Connections
*This book could be used to make a timeline of space travel.
*This book could be used to introduce space travel followed up by research on satellites, astronauts, space shuttles, and the Pathfinder.
Baird, Anne. THE U.S. SPACE CAMP BOOK OF ASTRONAUTS. ISBN 0688122264
Kallen, Stuart A. SPACE SHUTTLES. ISBN 1562395696
Stott, Carole. SPACE EXPLORATION. ISBN 0679985638
Kallen, Stuart A. THE RACE TO SPACE. ISBN 1562395645
Hamilton, John. THE PATHFINDER MISSION TO MARS. ISBN 1562398318

Nonfiction - WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN SOMETHING WANTS TO EAT YOU?

2007-10-09T20:06:00.002-07:00

Bibliography
Jenkins, Steve. 1997. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN SOMETHING WANTS TO EAT YOU? Houghton Mifflin Company. New York, New York. ISBN 0395825148.

Plot Summary
This nonfiction book explains how animals try to avoid dangerous predators. Illustrations are done with cut paper collage.

Critical Analysis
Steve Jenkins creatively put together a great book to discuss animal predators and how animals are able to defend themselves. The layout is wonderful because readers read about the potential predator and prey before they see how prey manages to escape being eaten. I like that readers can make predictions before turning the page. For example on one page Jenkins wrote, “When an octopus is threatened…” then the reader must urn the page to see “it squirts a think cloud of black ink into the water confusing its attacker.” I also like that Jenkins refers to the animals by proper names not just a beetle but “The bombardier beetle”. The illustrations are filled with color from the paper collage. Animals look realistic and are textured through the use of the various papers. This is a beautiful book for introducing animals and their predators.

Review Excerpt(s)
From School Library Journal “The artist's trademark cut-paper collages on textured backgrounds show both attacker and potential prey on one page, and then a close-up of the animal escaping on the next.”From Horn Book
“Young children will delight in first guessing, then seeing, how each of fourteen unusual animals avoids becoming someone else’s dinner”
From Kirkus Reviews
“Layered cut-paper collage animals are positioned in dramatic stances against textured handmade-paper backgrounds. In a few instances, the black typeface is difficult to discern when it is superimposed on the dark green of leaf or grass.”

Connections
*This book could be used to help readers understand how animals defend themselves.
*This book could be a great supplement to a lesson on the food chain and how animals might try to defend themselves.
Mullin, Rita Thievon. WHO’S FOR DINNER PREDATORS AND PREY. ISBN 0517800055
Kalman, Bobbie. HOW DO ANIMALS ADAPT? ISBN 0865059802
Kalman, Boobie and MacAulay, Kelley. PRAIRIE FOOD CHAINS. ISBN 0778719472

Non Fiction - AMERICAN PLAGUE

2007-10-09T20:06:00.001-07:00

Bibliography
Murphy, Jim. 2003. AN AMERICAN PLAGUE. Recorded Books. New York,
New York. ISBN 1402587449

Plot Summary
AN AMERICAN PLAGUE is the account of the yellow fever that spread throughout Philadelphia. The year was 1793 and the cause of the yellow fever was unknown. This is a horrific account of the life that the people of Philadelphia encountered as the plague swept through their town and changed the city forever.

Critical Analysis
This audiobook was hard for me. The reader almost had a frantic tone to his reading even at points when frantic is not the emotion the author was trying to portray. The story itself was full of images that were hard to take in. Historically, form what I have found out through research they are accurate portrayals of the yellow fever. This is so foreign to readers now that the images in the book are critical. I think most readers are only going to know how to compare this to West Nile Virus which truly pales in comparison to the panic of the yellow fever. This story truly is frightening and leaves the reader hoping that this part of history never repeats itself.

Review Excerpt(s)
School Library Journal: “Murphy chronicles this frightening time with solid research and a flair for weaving facts into fascinating stories, beginning with the fever's emergence on August 3…”
Booklist: “Murphy re-creates the fear and panic in the infected city, the social conditions that caused the disease to spread, and the arguments about causes and cures.”
I was unable to find a review of the audiobook.

Connections
*This book could be coupled with FEVER 1793 to study the yellow fever.
*This book could be used to compare/contrast Yellow Fever with the current West Nile Virus.
Anderson, Laurie Halse. FEVER 1793. ISBN 0689848919
Margulies, Phillip. WEST NILE VIRUS. ISBN 0823942031
Abramovitz, Melissa. WEST NILE VIRUS. ISBN: 1590183436

Poetry - Please Bury Me In The Library

2007-09-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

Bibliography
Lewis, J Patrick. 2005. PLEASE BURY ME IN THE LIBRARY. Gulliver Books Harcourt, Inc. Orlando, Florida. ISBN 0152163875

Plot Summary
This poetry book is filled with poems about library, reading, and poetry. Various types of poetry are included to fit the preferences of most readers. The poetry contains some intellectual jokes that may help to include older readers.

Critical Analysis
My favorite poem in this book is “What If Books Had Different Names?” I found it humorous, as most readers will. This could be used for various activities involving changing tiles of books. “Oh, what extraordinary, merry HUCKLEBERRY FUNN!” The books illustrations are dark and cartoon like. The illustrations themselves help evoke a mood on readers.

Review Excerpt(s)
School Library Journal: “The brief selections encompass various forms, from an eight-word acrostic to haiku to rhyming quatrains and couplets. The tone is generally light, with the last few entries turning more to wonder and metaphor.”
Booklist: “Despite the picture-book format, it will take children older than the preschool crowd to appreciate the wordplay, which on occasion is quite sophisticated”

Connections
*This book could be used to introduce poetry to students, especially in the library.
*This book could be used to introduce various types of poems.
*This book could be used to get creative juices moving. Students could use the first poem, “What If Books Had Different Names” to create their own silly titles to books. This poem could even be paired with a lesson on locating books in the online catalog.
Terry, Sonya. L IS FOR LIBRARY. ISBN 9781932146448
Prelutsky, Jack. READ A RHYME WRITE A RHYME. ISBN 0375822860

Poetry - C IS FOR CITY

2007-09-30T20:32:00.001-07:00

Bibliography
Grimes, Nikki. 1995. C IS FOR CITY. Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books. New York, New York. ISBN 0688118089

Plot Summary
C IS FOR CITY depicts life in New York City through an alphabet poetry book. The book uses good vocabulary for the city life. Many of New York’s most noted features are depicted in this picture book.

Critical Analysis
In C IS FOR CITY the illustrations are bright and colorful. They are full of activity just as the streets of New York City are. One of my favorite verses of poetry is “T is for turnstile and trains full of tourists, for tough-talking boys with steel taps on their shoes. T is for taxi and two-story town houses next door to temples with hard, wooden pews.” This page is illustrated with a subway scene including crowds, a subway, turnstiles, and a musician playing. Each illustration is chalked full of items that start with the letter featured on the page just as the free verses of poetry are written with many words starting with the featured letter.

Review Excerpt(s)
School Library Journal: “Illustrations in vivid, neon colors suggest the electricity and brashness of a loud city with its hard edges as well as the teeming population.”
Booklist: “The rhymes themselves are quite clever and packed with vocabulary-expanding images. Each illustration is a hearty slice of urban life, with all its intersecting dramas and scenes within scenes.”

Connections
*This book could be used to teach the difference between city, rural, and urban communities. This is a skill that second and third grade teachers have to teach in Texas.
*This book could be used to start a class writing assignment of making an alphabet book about their own community.
*This book could be used to introduce students to poetry found in alphabet books.
Winters Productions. HOW COMMUNITIES ARE ALIKE AND DIFFERENT (DVD). ISBN 1585412732
School Videos. CITY, SUBURB, AND RURAL COMMUNITIES (VIDEORECORDING). ISBN 1585412007
Roop, Peter and Connie. A FARMING TOWN. ISBN: 1575721279
Roop, Peter and Connie. A SUBURB. ISBN: 1575721309

Poetry - OUT OF THE DUST

2007-09-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Bibliography
Hesse, Karen. 1997. OUT OF THE DUST. Scholastic Press. New York,
New York. ISBN 0590360809

Plot Summary
This novel, written in poetry, is a story about a fourteen year old girl living in Oklahoma during the dust bowl. The reader encounters the struggles of the family, the young girl, and the terrible feeling of everything covered in dust.

Critical Analysis
OUT OF THE DUST is written in free verse form. It does have some visual imagery such as, “Ma starts to quaking but she won’t let Daddy see./ Instead, she goes out to the chickens/ And/ Her anger,/ Simmering over like a pot in an empty kitchen,/ Boils itself down doing chores.” (p.41). Visual imagery is minimal and used carefully to help the reader understand what life in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl was really like. This free verse poetry is an easy read as it reads like a child’s diary. I thought that Hesse portrayed Billie Joe’s life and mood swings beautifully. Readers will be forced to feel the feelings that go through this young girl’s mind.

Review Excerpt(s)
School Library Journal: “A triumphant story, eloquently told through prose-poetry.”
Kirkus Reviews: “Told in free-verse poetry of dated entries that span the winter of 1934 to the winter of 1935, this is an unremittingly bleak portrait of one corner of Depression-era life.”

Connections
*This book could be used to teach about World War II and the life of secrecy in Los Alamos.
*This book could be used to compare a boy’s perspective to a girl’s perspective of the dust bowl.
*This book could be used to compare with other events in the depression.
*This book could be used to compare fiction and nonfiction stories of the dust bowl.
*this book could be compared with other dust bowl books to show the difference between a book written in dialogue and a book written in poetry.
Turner, Ann. DUST FOR DINNER. ISBN 0060233761
Durbin, William. THE JOURNAL OF C.J. JACKSON. ISBN 0439153069
Medearis, Angela Shelf. PICKING PEAS FOR A PENNY. ISBN: 0938349546
Stanley, Jerry. CHILDREN OF THE DUST BOWL: THE TRUE STORY OF THE SCHOOL AT WEEDPATCH CAMP. ISBN: 0517880946

PIO PEEP Book Review

2007-09-11T05:45:00.000-07:00

Bibliography
Ada, Alma Flor; Campoy, F Isabel. Adapted by: Schertle, Alice. 2003. PIO PEEP!. By Vivi Escriva. Harper Collins Publishers. New York, New York. ISBN 0688160204

Plot Summary
This book of traditional Spanish nursery rhymes is a collection of 29 nursery rhymes that are known in the Spanish culture. The rhymes are written in Spanish and then translated and adapted into English.

Critical Analysis
This book is impressive. Readers get a authentic look into Spanish culture through these nursery rhymes and illustrations. The adaptations by Alice Schertle are similar to the actual nursery rhymes and they rhyme and flow like they were meant to be nursery rhymes in English. The illustrations depict true Mexican clothing, environment or surroundings, and celebrations. The illustrations, made up of watercolors, have vivid colors that jump off of the page.

Review Excerpt(s)
Booklist: “They are presented both in Spanish and in English, although ‘to preserve the charm of the original rhymes,’ the English versions are not translations but "poetic recreations."
School Library Journal: “…this stellar collection of nursery rhymes. Selected from the rich oral tradition of Latin America and the American Southwest, most of the verses are known throughout the Spanish-speaking world.”
Publishers Weekly: “This gentle lesson in patience and loyalty, balanced on the back of a hilarious set of illustrations, will leave young readers clamoring for repeat readings.”

Connections
*This book is could be used to compare nursery rhymes. Examples would be Almonds and Chestnuts “Almendras y turron” to Pat-A-Cake or Sea Serpent “A la vibora de la mar” to London Bridge
*This book of nursery rhymes is a great way to incorporate Hispanic culture into the classroom.
Opie, Iona. MY VERY FIRST MOTHER GOOSE. ISBN 1564026205
Calmenson, Stephanie; Cole, Joanna. PAT-A-CAKE AND OTHER PLAY RHYMES. ISBN 068811038X
Garza, Carmen Lomas. FAMILY PICTURES / CUADROS DE FAMILIA. ISBN 0892390506
Garza, Carmen Lomas. IN MY FAMILY /EN MI FAMILIA. ISBN 0892391383

The Lost Horse Book Review

2007-09-11T05:22:00.000-07:00

Bibliography
Young, Ed. 1998. THE LOST HORSE. Silver Whistle: Harcourt Brace & Company. Orlando, Florida. ISBN 0152010165

Plot Summary
This Chinese folktale is about a man, Sai, that always believed that things were not quite as good or as bad as they seemed. Sai teaches his son to trust in the “changing fortunes of life”.

Critical Analysis
The plot of this story is well thought out and gives the reader a chance to see how a person can respond to good and bad circumstances. The illustrations in this book are done with watercolors and collage. The watercolors allow the pictures to have lifelike coloring For example, the dark lightning filled sky has many colors of black and gray. This edition of THE LOST HORSE includes puppets that can be manipulated while telling the story orally. The puppets are jointed so they can be moved to match pictures in the story.

Review Excerpt(s)
School Library Journal: “Pastel and watercolor collages appear on two-page spreads and depict characters wearing attire authentic to their time and place. The tents and the predominantly brown scenery provide realistic glimpses into the stark landscape of the northern frontier. Striking close-up views show the son tumbling from his horse and families mourning their dead after battle.”
Publishers Weekly: “Both text and art are elegantly spare in Young's (Lon Po Po) newest retelling of a Chinese folktale, which may be among the Caldecott Medalist's finest works.”

Connections
*This book could be used to teach about life’s ups and downs.
*This book could be used to talk about Chinese culture and oral tradition.
*This story has a great sequence of events and could be used to make a story map.
Carlson, Nancy. SMILE A LOT. ISBN 0876148690
So, Sungwan. A CHILD’S DAY IN A CHINESE CITY. ISBN 0761412247

Traditional Literature: CINDY ELLEN

2007-09-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

Bibliography
Lowell, Susan. 2000. CINDY ELLEN: A WILD WESTERN CINDERELLA. By: Jane Manning. Joanna Cotler Books. New York, New York. ISBN 0060274476

Plot Summary
This book is a remake of the classic fairy tale CINDERELLA. In this story Cindy Ellen is a cowgirl that is trying to impress a rich rancher’s son by riding in a rodeo. Cindy Ellen loses one of her diamond spurs at the square dance and Joe Prince comes looking for her.

Critical Analysis
CINDY ELLEN is a catchy story with its western twang. Susan Lowell captures the cowgirl spirit in this classic story. Most will feel as though they have read this story before but will laugh out loud at the twists and turns in this story. The watercolor illustrations are realistic and vivid. I love that Jane Manning illustrated Cindy Ellen to blend in with the desert background in the beginning and then makes her jump off the page every time the fairy godmother pays her a visit.

Review Excerpt(s)
Publishers Weekly: “Savory slang adds punch to this tale…”
Publisher’s Weekly: “Illustrations lush with cactus-flower colors and pale maize gold enhance this rawhide-and-lace fantasy”
Booklist: “The smooth, hard-edged illustrations lack personality, despite Cindy Ellen's many freckles; the fairy godmother has the most spirit, in her huge sombrero and red-fringed gloves.”

Connections
*This book could easily be compared and contrasted with the original Cinderella story.
*This book could be used in a thematic unit of Cinderella stories. A great activity would be to map the different versions of Cinderella.
*CINDY ELLEN is good for sequencing events in a story.
Sanderson, Ruth. CINDERELLA. ISBN 0316779652
Daly, Jude. FAIR, BROWN AND TREMBLING: AN IRISH CINDERELLA STORY. ISBN 0374322473
Louie, Ai-Ling. YEH-SHEN: A CINDERELLA STORY FROM CHINA. (illustrated by Ed Young) ISBN 039920900X
Rebecca, Hickox. THE GOLDEN SANDAL:A MIDDLE EASTERN CINDERELLA STORY. ISBN 0823413314
Han, Oki S. Plunkett, Stephanie Haboush. KONGI AND POTGI: A CINDERELLA STORY FROM KOREA. ISBN 0803715722
San Souci, Robert D. CENDRILLON: A CARRIBEAN CINDERELLA. ISBN 068980668X

Talking with Artists

2007-09-01T20:37:00.001-07:00

Bibliography
Cummings, Pat.1992. TALKING WITH ARTISTS. Bradbury Press. New York, New York. ISBN 0027242455

Plot Summary
This book is a nonfiction picture book. It is an informational book on illustrators. Each illustrator is asked the same questions about their life and how they began illustrating.

Critical Analysis
This book is a hard read for younger readers. I think most elementary students are only going to use pieces of this book and will have a hard time getting through the text. I think readers will be drawn to the various illustrations throughout the book. This book is great to gain information on a particular illustrator. As a teacher/librarian I really enjoy this book but I can see why it gets little circulation in an elementary school library. I like that this book has the same interview format through out with the same illustrators. It would be easy to compare and contrast different illustrators.

Review Excerpt(s)
Publishers Weekly: “Brief autobiographical statements precede interviews that touch on both personal and professional concerns--working conditions, pets, and business associates. Each subject is represented by one or two samples of his or her current work and one childhood piece, usually a real charmer.”
School Library Journal: “Young artists will learn a lot; teachers and other children will also love it. Well designed and well conceived, this book will be welcomed in all those classrooms in which children's literature has become central to the curriculum.”

Connections
*This book is great for teaching about artists and how they got started.
*This book could be paired with an author/illustrator study. Readers could learn important facts about the author or illustrator while reading books that they worked on.
Van Allsburg, Chris. THE POLAR EXPRESS. ISBN 0395389496
Ehlert, Lois. FEATHERS FOR LUNCH. ISBN 0152305513
Wiesner, David. FLOTSAM. ISBN 0618194576

MC TURTLE AND THE HIP HOP HARE

2007-09-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

Bibliography
Vozar, David .1995. M.C. TURTLE AND THE HIP HOP HARE. by Betsy Lewin Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers. New York, New York. ISBN 0329054104

Plot Summary
In this rap version of the traditional story the THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE readers get sucked into the rhyming rap that David Vozar created. The illustrations are hilarious! Betsy Lewin captured the stereotype of rappers and the “gangsta” look. Backward hats, triple earrings, and even break hip hop dancing can be found throughout the pictures in this book. I think that older children will probably enjoy this story more because of the more grown up illustrations and humor. The illustrations are very cartoon style with lots of details on every page.

Critical Analysis
This contemporary version of THE HARE AND THE TORTOSIE still has the same lesson as the original story. The story is energetic even in the text . A reader cannot read the story line without rapping.
The illustrations are detailed and full of vibrant colors. They seem to be made with paint of some sort, maybe watercolors. The illustrator then went back and added detailed black lines. The illustrations [paired with the rap make this book a very funny read aloud for older children.

Review Excerpt(s)
Booklist: “Vozar’s story is bouncy fun that plays with both words and rhymes”
School Library Journal: “The cartoon-style illustrations combine close-ups, multiple images, and crowd scenes. This makes the visual presentation as energetic as the text”

Connections
*This book is great for teaching for comparing versions of THE TORTISE AND THE HARE.
*This book could be used to talk about not thinking you are good enough to do something you really want to do.
Sykes, Julie. THAT’S NOT FAIR, HARE! ISBN 0764153471
Aesop. THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE. ISBN 0893754684

Picture book review on MY FRIEND RABBIT

2007-08-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

Bibliography
Rohmann, Eric.2002. MY FRIEND RABBIT. Scholastic, Inc. New York, New York. ISBN 0439579309

Plot Summary
In this Caldecott Award Winning Picture Book a story of true friendship emerges. As rabbit gets in to trouble and even makes other animals unhappy with him Mouse stands by his side. Mouse even sees the good in Rabbit and continues to join in on adventures.

Critical Analysis
I think this book is probably classified as a wordless picture book even thought there are a few sentences in it. The pictures alone tell the story. There is not a whole lot of story line in this book. If it weren’t for the pictures this book would not be nearly as cute as it is with the illustrations. Realism is used with the illustrations. The think lines that Eric Rohmann used add some abstract qualities to the pictures. The illustrations in this book are bright and colorful. Shading is used throughout the book to give dimension to the illustrations.
Pre-k and kindergarten students will love the story, humorous pictures, and bright pictures in this book.

Review Excerpt(s)
Booklist: “Tremendous physical humor delivers a gentle lesson about accepting friends as they are.”
School Library Journal: “The text is minimal; it's the illustrations that are the draw here.”
Publishers Weekly: “This gentle lesson in patience and loyalty, balanced on the back of a hilarious set of illustrations, will leave young readers clamoring for repeat readings.”

Connections
*This book is great for teaching young children about being a good friend.
*This book could be used to talk about having friends but not always doing things that are going to get you into trouble.
*This book has a unique set of illustrations. Gather other Caldecott winners and have readers compare the different illustrations in award winners.
Lobel, Arnold. DAYS WITH FROG AND TOAD. ISBN 0064440583
Marshall, James. GEORGE AND MARTHA. ISBN 0590098446

Newbie

2007-08-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

So I am a newbie what can I say? I am new at this whole blogging thing. I have never really been interested in sharing my thoughts with the whole world but I LOVE to read other people's blogs.
I am also a newbie in my career. I just took a job as an elementary school librarian and I am only in my second semester of coursework. This coursework leads me back to the blog. I have been asked to keep a blog for my children's literature class. I will be posting book reviews and other imporatnt information about children's literature. I am really excited about this class because I enjoy childrens books and I really need to branch out from my favorites since I am now in charge of 750 students and their love for literature. So I am up for a little blogging and a lot of reading!