What the Elephant Told by Barbara Brenner and Illustrated by Akemi Gutierrez

I was first drawn to this book by the cover illustration.  I read the cover sleeve and found that Akemi Gutierrez has actually worked on many animated films for Disney.  I decided to get the book and I am really glad I did.  It was a fictional story of a boy befriending a young elephant that learned about each other.  There are true facts put into a fictional story that works!

Ten in the Meadow by John Butler

Ten little adorable animals playing hide and seek.  This is a very simple book that can help little kids learn the names of animals and where they are typically found in nature.  There is a bear, rabbit, badger, beaver, squirrel, porcupine, mole, mouse, raccoon and fox.  I would read this to preschoolers and kindergartens but no older.  

There are so many more stories that teach children a lesson, explore new places, and take you on adventures, etc.  This story does not do that.  I think this simple story line is for a younger audience therefore as a college student i feel very removed other than the exquisite illustrations.

Are You Going To Be Good? by Cari Best and Illustrated by G. Brian Karas

This is a story I totally loved!  I was totally a typical story about a kid being taken to a party with all adults and family.  Robert just captured my heart because he was just having fun and doing as he please and it turned out that, that was exactly what made his grandmother's 100th birthday special!  I would recommend this book to parents to read to their children.

Captain Duck by Jez Alborough

This is a picture book that is part of series.  Duck the main character always gets into trouble and brings his other animals friends along.  The book is illustrated like a series of scenes.  This makes it different from other pictures books with similar plots.  My child study student for Block A loves these books especially for the illustrations because they are able to follow along with every aspect of the story regardless of being able to read all the words.  These stories are always full of action and keeps your attention.  Also each page is laid out differently yet the words are always under the scene.  There is consistency yet variability.  It is not one of my favorites but I think that the story and the illustrations are ones the children enjoy.

Frindle

This was a children's novel by Andrew Clements that won the Christopher Award. Clements' imaginative characters bring the story to life. I love the idea of one kid being able to change the world given one idea. The word frindle changed the way everyone in the country saw a pen.

I Never Knew Your Name by Sherry Garland

This book was illustrated by Sheldon Greenberg. The illustrations in this book seem to reflect the two different boys. One page will be brighter colors and the next is darker representing boy who kept to himself. I think this book was considered controversial because the topic of suicide is delicate, personal, and brings about many feelings. This a book you have to be careful who you read it to because you never know whose life suicide may have affected. It is a difficult subject even for 4th graders and older kids.

Freedom's Fruit by William H. Hooks

Talking about spells and magical fruits when discussing slavery can be frowned upon because magic was not really used as a way to get out of slavery. Though is book is fiction I think people think that since slavery is such a serious topic it is important to write only realistic fiction about the time period. There is no way you could eat a fruit and then ultimately gain your freedom and start your life anew as a free person. That is no where near realistic.

Hair in Funny Places by Babette Cole

This book is obviously about puberty and dealing with all the changes that happen to both girls and boys during puberty. The pictures in the book can be seen as too graphic even though they are cartoonish. The book is for kids that are ages 7 and up. I think parents maybe concerned that reading about puberty in a book is not the proper way to educate their kids. I think it is a cute way to talk about a subject that can be hard to approach. It will always be an uncomfortable or funny topic for kids but at least this gives adults another way to approach this topic with children.

Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray

This picture book is geared to ages four to eight but the subject matter of farting and flatulence is not an appropriate subject. I don't think that children that age can think of it as anything else but funny. Also it goes into great detail about holding in farts for example which even makes me uncomfortable as a college student.

My Two Uncles by Judith Vigna

This book is considered controversial because it talks about Elly have an uncle who is gay. There are family members that do not approve of this therefore there is turmoil within the family. This is definitely a prevalent topic in today's society considering more gay people are coming out to their families and friends. Being accepted and people being open minded can be a rarity so the message of this book is important for children to understand that there are many different perspectives on topics such as being gay or lesbian.

Lit Class

I am enjoying exploring children's literature.  I like looking at childhood classics now from a adult/teacher's point of view.  Finding new books, authors, and genres I have never been exposed to or explored is an experience in itself.  I liked learning about the various genres and having a list of books to reference.  Also I liked learning about how to analyze picture books and look at them critically.  Overall this class has been fun and interesting.

Misfits Part 2

I didn't know how i really felt about this book after reading the first half of the book.  Once I read the second half of the book it really came alive for me and i think it has many good messages within it.  My favorite part was Bobby's speech for the No-name party.  I did not care for the ending really because it was too predictable but many stories are.

One Rainy Day

This picture book was adorable.  It was written by M. Christina Butler and illustrated by Tina Macnaughton.  The little hedgehog is so cute and cuddly looking that you can't help but love this story.  It is about helping other animals when they need help.  It is about giving all you can to others and help when you can.  I think using the animals and illustrations in this book was a great way to introduce helping and caring for other to children.

Kiss Me, I'm Perfect by Robert Munsch

This picture book is a play on words really.  The did not enjoy this one as much as the others I read.  It did use a lot of dialogue, sound words, and font changes throughout it but I did not particularly like the story line.  The illustrations by Michael Martchenko were too cartoonish for my liking.  It works for the story but they are not what I personally like.

Fidgety Fish and Friends

A vibrant picture book by Paul Bright and illustrated by Ruth Galloway.  The use of bright colors, many underwater creatures, and sound effects make this book fun and visually appealing.  I truly enjoyed the individual poems about different underwater creatures.  This book was not written as a story but as a book of mini poems.  I have a huge fan of poetry and I like the idea of introducing poetry to children through picture book such as this.

At Ellis Island by Louise Peacock

This book is illustrated by Walter Lyon Krudop.  I have been very interested in Ellis Island since I went to New York and visited when I was in high school.  I was fascinated by how many people went through looking for a new life here in the US.  This book is a really good way to introduce the types of people, events, hardships, and hope that occurred during the mass migrations to America through Ellis Island.  This book tells the story a little girl's journey to America and through Ellis Island through letters she was writing to her dead mother.  

I Love You Because You're You

This picture book by Liza Baker and illustrated by David McPhail is about the Love between a mother and child.  This love in this book is between a mother fox and a baby fox.  It is about how no matter what you do you will always be loved regardless.  This shows kids about unconditional love.  

Moosetache

This is a picture book by Margie Palatini and illustrated by Henry Cole.  This  a silly book all children will love.   A moose tries to tame his big long mustache.  The illustrations really make the story come alive.  The writing, illustrations and font changes are what makes the story so good and funny.  I would definitely recommend this book.

Fish is Fish

The illustrations of this book are only on the bottom of the page to mimic being underwater.  The words are then only on the top of the page.  It is a story about how all creatures in the world are different.  Fish will always be fish.  The fish learns this through his friend the frog.  It is a story about learning and discovering.

No Kisses, Please!

This is another easy read picture book that talks about the classic trying to avoid kisses from relatives.  This book though uses a dog instead.  It is really cute all the ideas the dog comes up with to avoid a kiss.  The dog out smarts the family member.  This book is a cute book for little kids.

I Love You Through and Through

This is an extremely cute picture book about a little boy who is loved by the adults around him.  The illustrations and the parts that are loved are adorable and just make you smile.  The book uses many different background colors and various places for the print on each page.  This keeps it interesting because the little boy and his teddy bear are the only characters in the book.

Misfits Part 1

This book is unlike any book I read as a kid. I understand that these kids are the misfits the ones that band together because they are not accepted by others but I guess I wanted a story that was more engaging. I feeling like it is just documenting what is happening. I think it is awesome that the kids feel comfortable with each and talk about their insecurities and personal issues like being gay, political views, and liking different people. I think it is very mature for children their age. I liked the part where each of them listed what names they each had been called. I really think is a book that focuses on discovering yourself and becoming ok with who you are no matter what others think which I believe is an important message for children to understand.