Final Reflection

Well I have my tweed jacket on, drinking Starbucks and I made my way to an Internet Cafe to do my bloggi.......oh wait, blogging isn't just for the yuppie types. I do have to say that this class was a great eye opener as far as what I have learned about children's literature. the amount of information gained while discussing various texts really opened up my eyes to just how many different types of books there actually are. I now have the confidence to say that I do know Children's Literature and I will not be the teacher who conforms with the norm. A great book is not just one on the top ten seller list or covered with awards, a great book is great if it is great to just one person. That's not to say that other will not like it, but why do we care what other's really think. As long as the reader enjoys, learns, talks about or is happy with a book then who am I to tell them if it is good or not. This idea even more so applies to children's books. There are so many different books out there that will match perfectly with the wantings of an elementary schooler, and that's what makes books great. It's not like kids have to make a tough decision when it comes to books because there are soooo many different genres and stories out there that they are bound to find one they can relate to.

Something else I learned from this class is the power blogging has. Not so much for me with the power of getting my voice heard, just the idea that i could easily set up one of these for my class and allow parents the opportunity to look into the classroom whenever they want.

So here's to Children's Lit and here's to Blogging !!!

Cheers!

So Far From the Bamboo Grove

Is this really controversial? The book to me seems not very controversial at all......then again I am an American who doesn't really know anything about the Korean war and to me it just sounds like it was really rough. I most definitely liked this book better then the other one we had to read. the reading was much smoother and the story had a continuous flow from page to page. The author does a really good job of setting up the environment in which the characters are participating in. the end just seemed a little to ho hum for me. I mean the Brother was searching for a long time for his sisters and then BAM.....found them. It makes for a semi-happy ending despite the fact that mother dies in her daughters arms. I guess I don't know why she really died anyway. Was it because she had just given up hope that her family and relatives were still alive? I think that might have been the case. This was a very fast read as the author did well to keep the action up and the pages turning. you found yourself connecting more and more as you read, well as much as i can connect to a teen Japanese girl running from her life from soldiers during one of the most brutal wars we have seen, all the while not knowing if her father and brother were still alive, but yeah I kinda connected.

Year of Impossible Goodbyes

WoW.....well let me start by saying if your attention span is no longer then the sentence I am writing now you may want to skip the first 10 chapters and get straight to the good stuff. The Year of Impossible Action...err ...Goodbyes was an extremely slooowww book to start off with. that's not to say the the ending really took off and made up for chapters 1-9 or whatever one it started getting good at, but my goodness it was a tough read. I am definitely the type of reader who needs constant stimulus while reading so I knew this book might not be right from me off the bat, but one can still hope. The whole premise and setting was excellent, don't really understand why it was controversial, I guess because someone got peed on? If this is the case then boy has controversy changed over the years, if you wait long enough I'm sure you will see controversy in the Ped mall at some point throughout the night in Iowa City then, maybe even an after hours. Anyway, The ending did make up for the slow start, I compare this book to a roller coaster, going up the hill is slow and boring, but once your off running you feel exhilarated, just like the last couple chapters.

Subway

This book of actions describes a trip on the subway. Hop, down, ride and rock are just some of the words used by Anastasia Suen to describe a families journey on the subway. The illustrations are great here too. Very bright and engaging. Many different shapes, patterns and colors used throughout every page. Could use in an elementary art class or just in a general classroom. I would definitely have this book in my library as it is bursting with color on every page.

Snow Flowy Blowy

A single word is used to describe the months of the year. This book is alright. Some great pictures, but is definitely geared towards really young kids. September was described as Droppy. Don't really get it. Looks in the picture that apples are dropping from the trees so I guess that's what they mean. Sneezy was for November cause I guess people get sick in November. The illustrations really make the book otherwise it would be a little below average. P.S. that's not the cover of the book. That image came up when I googled Snowy Flowy Blowy. Don't know why. Can anyone chime in on why this came up. The smiley face always reminds me of the CD cover to the soundtrack of Dazed and Confused. Maybe that movie has something to do with it.

Barn Cat

Carol Saul uses this book as a book for counting. A barn cat makes hi sway throughout the farm and sees many different animals along his journey. The pictures are very intriguing and do a good job of actually showing the numbers and the animals on the page. This story is a good one for younger children as it introduces numbers 1-10. I would definitely read this to younger children as the pictures are engaging and the author does a good job of incorporating unique animals like dragonfly's and grasshoppers.

Cowboy Camp

Tammi Sauer introduces us to Avery, a cowboy to be all mixed up. He hates grits and beans, is allergic to horses and gets rope burn from lassos. It is obvious that Avery is not cowboy material but events take place that just might change that. This is a cute story about an unlikely hero who just might end up saving the day. The illustrations are very well done also and also pull the reader into the story. I always thought it would be cool to grow up during the Old West.....then I thought about my bed, Wig and Pen, football and cars and I thought,"uhhhhh not so much"

The Giving Tree

What can you say about Shel Silverstein? His children's books are timeless. I remember reading them when I was younger and I see them today in every elementary classroom. I think that his stories are the equivalent to comfort food for me. Every time I see Light in the Attic or Where the Sidewalk Ends I immediately start flipping through for my favorite stories. The Peanut Butter one where the guy eats so many peanut butter sandwiches is my favorite. What Silverstein does with the Giving Tree is intertwine life between a boy and a tree. Almost in a way the tree represents god, if your religious or parents if your not. The tree constantly gives guidance and help to the boy asking nothing in return. A great story which every kid should have read to them by an adult , parent or loved one.

Frog's Best Friend

Marion Bauer writes a chapter book for a 1st or 2nd grader according to the reading level. I feel that this story would be a great way to also introduce Kindergartners to chapter books. Forest animals come alive as Baby Bear tries to befriend the other animals. Turtle stays strong in his shell and the other animals help turtle get away from baby bear. I kind of felt sad for baby bear. The book had other forest animals throwing rocks and stuff at baby bear which really doesn't show friendship very well. I wouldn't really recommend this book because it shows bears in a negative light, which really doesn't matter for me except that all baby bear was trying to do was make a friend of his own.

My World of Color

The first thing you will notice when opening this book are the breathtaking illustrations. Loretta Krupinski, the illustrator must be recognized for the vibrant color. I found myself looking more at the pictures then the words when I first read this story. I would flip to the other page just to see what the next picture looked like before I even read the page before. Margaret Brown writes a story that follows mice as they make their way through an adventure full of color and surprises. I recommend this book to anyone who loves art and color.

Meet My Staff

This is definitely an odd book, but it is fun all the same. A boy has his personal staff, which does everything from kiss his great aunt for him, fix his toys, do his laundry and crazy stuff like that. He has names for his helpers too. Gum Guy saves his gum for him when he goes to bed, Mozart the cat practices his piano and Homework Helper does his homework. The more I read this story the more I laughed at the people he had helping. Adults and children alike will find this an entertaining read. The picture are also a good laugh as they really delve into the helpers unique characteristics. I guarantee a laugh at Sir Yes, But.

Floating Home

David Getz gives us his take on space travel. After given an assignment to draw her house from an unusual perspective Maxine decides to do her assignment from outer space!! The story gives some actual information about what some astronauts have to do, like wear diapers and put on thermal suits. The pictures also do a great job of leading the reader through the story. The takeoff part was my favorite. The author gives detailed descriptions of what is going on. Some of the pages are really wordy so this book isn't designed for younger kids to read on their own, but it would be a great read aloud for the classroom.

Heidi's Zoo

Heidie's Zoo by Heidi Goennel is filled with wonderful illustrations. The painted pages really stand out with color and that is what drew my attention to this book. She tackles two letters at a time per page and paints marvelous pictures of animals or objects that start with that letter. It is definitely for younger children, but older children should appreciate the art work as well. This would be a great book to introduce to Kindergartners when talking about the alphabet.

Witch Mama

Witch Mama by Judith Caseley is a cute Halloween Story. It tells about a brother and sister, the sister's birthday is actually Halloween day, who spend Halloween having fun and Trick or Treating. There isn't much action going on in the book. The little brother is scared, but big sister helps him through it. In the end they find the Mom dressed up as a witch in the school trick or treating parade. Like I said cute book for younger students, but there are definitely more exciting ones out there.