Final Reflection

I have always greatly enjoyed reading and writing, and I can honestly say I had a lot of fun in this class and learned a great deal about children's literature. I really liked how we were given the opportunity to read a wide variety of children's literature (everything from graphic novels to poetry). Personally, my favorite aspect of the class was doing my API Study on Chris Van Allsburg. I enjoyed having the chance to research, read, and study one of my favorite authors. Also, I really liked the paired texts activities where we read So Far From The Bamboo Grove and The Year Of Impossible Goodbyes. I feel that the paired texts and the API Study helped to keep the course fresh and interesting, and it was enjoyable and engaging to use children's literature in that sort of way. I feel as if I gained a great deal of knoweldge about children's literature from this class, and I never thought I would have learned so much about children's literature through this class. However, by critically reading and discussing 45 picture books and 9 novels I feel as if I was able to attain a strong knoweldge base on children's literature that I will take with me into my career as a teacher.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

At first glance, I was very uninterested in reading this book and I did not think I would enjoy it very much at all. However, I was quite wrong, and this ended up being one of my favorite books I read all semester. One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is that I feel as if certain sections of it stand alone and could work by themselves, outside the context of the overall story. Also, the book was extremely fun and easy to read, and I read it from cover to cover in one sitting. I really enjoyed the inclusion of some of Jack's favorite poems at the end of the book as well (such as Love That Boy and the apple poem). I really liked how Jack comes to love poetry, and really enjoys writing it and uses it as an outlet for himself. Overall, I thought this was a wonderful book and I would certainly use it in my classroom. I think this book has some great potential to facilitate discussion and questioning about poetry and what poetry means to different people.

Hop On Pop by Dr. Seuss

The first thing that struck me about this book was how simple and easy it was to read. This book is certainly geared towards very young readers, as the rhyming scheme and story are both extremely elementary, yet fun. Throughout the book, there are many rhyming words used (such as day and play, night and flight, etc.). I think this book would be perfect to use to introduce the idea of poetry and rhyming to very young readers. The illustrations are very lush and colorful, in typical Dr. Seuss form. Also, like most Dr. Seuss books, the characters are simply drawn up straight from the author's imagination. The story is very short, and this books is a very quick read. However, I would certainly recommend this book to young readers (especially as an introduction to poetry and rhyming).

Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

The first thing that struck me about this book were the extremely vivid, colorful, surreal illustrations (such as the purple elephant). Also, I really enjoyed the theme, and message, that this book had to offer: that a any person's journey through life will have trials and tribulations, but success can be achieved if it is worked for. I think this is a wonderful message for children, and I liked the way Dr. Seuss went about presenting the message in the book. Like most Dr. Seuss books, the story is extremely easy and fun to read, and has a classic rhyming scheme that makes it read like a simple song and/or poem. My favorite part of this book is how the main character, simply called "you", perseveres in the face of challenge and rises above defeat. I really enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to any reader. I think this would be a perfect book to use as a read aloud in the classroom.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

I have always considered Dr. Seuss to be an extremely original and engaging poet and author. He has produced some of the most beloved and respected children's book of all time, and this one is no different. The first thing that struck me about this book is the author's relentless use of non-words, that somehow work perfectly to tell the surreal story in a rhyming scheme. For example, some of the names of the characters are the Yop and the Yink. Children will love the strong sense of imagination and freedom in the writing, and I greatly enjoyed everything this story had to offer. The illustrations, in typical Dr. Seuss book form, are extremely colorful and a joy to look at. The book is quite short and easy to read, but it would be perfect for younger readers (especially as an introduction to poetry).

How The Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss

I have always been a fan of Dr. Seuss, and this is one of my favorite picture books of all time. I really enjoy the different take on a common theme: Christmas. The Grinch has long been one of my favorite characters, and I really enjoyed re-reading this book for the first time in a while. The illustrations are very stark, yet have a wonderful and original look and appearance to them. I'll never forget the first time I read this book or saw the cartoon version of the movie. I have always adored the original movie, and make it a point to watch it at least once during the holiday season. However, upon re-reading the book I realized just how excellent, and in most respects better, the book is than the movie. Dr. Seuss' sometimes bizarre, yet interesting and fun , creations of characters and settings help to lend the book a surreal feeling that works perfectly in this book especially. I also love the ending, and The Grinch is one of my favorite characters in all of literature. This is an excellent book that I would recommend to any reader.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

POETRY PICTURE BOOK

The first thing that struck me about this book was the very simple, effective, and fun to read rhyming scheme. The book is perfect for younger readers, and is extremely enjoyable and easy to read. The story line is very simple: a bunny is saying goodnight to a number of objects and things. The illustrations have a very soft, washed over appearance that work perfectly for this pre-bedtime story. I remember reading this book when I was a young child, and it is one of the first books that I can recall reading or having been read to me. This book is perfect for younger readers, and works excellently as a story for a child to read before bedtime.