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.

API Reflection

For my API study I chose my favorite children's book author, Chris Van Allsburg. I've always been a big fan of all of Van Allsburg's work, and greatly enjoy reading his books. I read many Van Allsburg books for this course, and I can honestly say that I enjoyed all of them. Some of my favorite Van Allsburg books are the following: The Stranger, The Polar Express, Ben's Dream, and The Wreck Of The Zephyr. His books tend to have very surreal and dream-like settings and themes. Most of his books also have a child as either the main character or a secondary character. Van Allsburg's illustrations are always extremely surreal and complement his strange and mysterious stories perfectly. I really enjoy the variety in his illustrations as well, as most of his books tend to have a very original and singular look and theme to the illustrations. I greatly enjoyed reading Van Allsburg's books, and I would certrainly recommend the author to any reader (young or old).

The Year Of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi

This is an engaging book that takes place at the tail end of World War II. I really enjoyed this book, although it can be quite hard to read at times due to its mature, and sometimes depressing, themes and plot. For example, the main character Sookan works in a sweatshop sock factory while her brothers work in Japanese labor camps. Another very interesting aspect of this book is when the Russians occupy the village Sookan lives in and attempts to convert to their language, customs, and communism. The most engaging and interesting part of the story is when Sookan and her family attempt to escape South Korea. The young girl and her brother are separated from their mother and forced to try to escape by themselves. Overall, I thought the book was extremely well written and a worth while read. I would certainly recommend this book to older readers such as 6th graders, and I think it would work perfectly in connection with a history unit about World War II.

The Composer Is Dead by Lemony Snicket

One really interesting thing about this book is that is packaged with a C.D. of an audio recording of the story by Lemony Snicket himself, and music performed by the San Fransisco Symphony. This was the first Lemon Snicket book I had ever read, and I was quite excited to read a book by renowned children's author. I really enjoyed the original, unique illustrations which worked well with the eccentric story line and plot. There were also a lot of introductions to a wide variety of orchestra instruments such as woodwinds, bass, strings, percussion, etc. The book has some very well done, subtle humor as well. For example, one line that made laugh out loud was the following: "The inspector was a very handsome and intelligent person, not unlike myself." There are also some very detailed descriptions of instruments and their role in an orchestra. The violas state bitterly that "We play crucial counter melodies nobody hears." This was a very enjoyable and funny book that would be perfect for older readers such as 4th or 5th graders (due to the amount of text).

Jazzmatazz! by Stephanie Calmenson

The first thing that struck me about this book was the way it was written in a sing-aloud format. For example, one of the lines in the book is the following: "You'll scoot him away, but he's got pizzazz, he jumps on the keys...and starts to play jazz!" The very colorful and simple illustrations work to complement the easy reading story written for younger readers. A mouse sneaks into a family's house and starts playing jazz on the piano. Before long the whole family has joined in and are playing music. This book works well to provide a basic introduction of instruments to young readers (piano, drums, fiddle, etc.). Overall, this book was very fun and easy to read and would be perfect for younger readers.

Chuck's Band by Peggy Perry Anderson

This simple story for younger readers is about a boy, named Chuck, who forms a band with his barnyard friends. The illustrations and story introduce both the characters, or musicians, and instruments> For example, Tuck the dog plays guitar and Nip the cat plays harmonica. The very simple, colorful, bright illustrations that appear as if they were done in crayon perfectly complement the simple story geared towards younger readers. The story has a very simple rhyming scheme that makes it fun to read in a sing along format ("Here she came, the old goat Flo, she heard Chuck play his new banjo."). There are lots of instruments introduced throughout the book such as a mandolin, fiddle, bass violin, etc. Overall, this was a very simple, enjoyable book that introduces a wide variety of musical instruments to children.

Forever Young by Bob Dylan

I immediately fell in love with this book because I consider Bob Dylan to be one of my all time favorite musicians and I have listened to him and immensely enjoyed his music for years. The book is the artist Paul Rogers' interpretation of Dylan's classic 1974 song Forever Young, which he penned about his own son. The illustrations are inspired by Dylan songs and pieces of his life and career. I really enjoyed all the subtle winks to Dylan's songs and life in the illustrations (such as Woodie Guthrie records, a Highway 61 sign, etc.). Fans of Dylan will not be disappointed by this engaging and colorful homage to a truly great song and artist. The story itself is quite simple: it is the lyrics to the song Forever Young. I've always enjoyed the extremely uplifting message of this song ("May you always do for others, and let others do for you"). My favorite part of the book is a section at the end titled "Illustrators Notes." This afterword has a list of some of the images found in the illustrations and how they were inspired by Dylan's songs and life. I loved this book, and it was one of my favorite children's books I read all semester.

When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat by Muriel Harris Weinstein

This books is an engaging, fun to read tribute to Louis Armstrong and the singing style he invented known as "scat." The illustrations are very colorful and exaggerated and perfectly complement the story about jazz and scat. Also, a lot of the text and story is written in scat, so readers are given a first hand account of what scat sounds and looks like. I really liked how Louis Armstrong was an actual character in the book. This inclusion of one of the greatest jazz musicians to ever live helped to make the book a very fun and interesting read. There are lots of rhyming schemes in the book as well. For example, one of the lines in the book is the following: "Hey, you wanna scat? Scat like a purring cat?" In the end, music has a widespread effect on the community as the main character, a little girl, gets everyone in the neighborhood scatting and singing. My favorite part of the book is a section at the end of the book (after the story) with facts and information about Louis Armstrong and scat. I found this book to be an extremely enjoyable and fun read.

So Far From The Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

I found this to be a well written novel that can be hard to read at times. The story takes place during World War II, and is about a young Japanese girl named Yoko who is forced to leave her home in Korea and travel with her family to Japan. I really liked the character Hideyo, Yoko's brother. In fact, I thought the best parts of the novel were the sections that told of Hideyo's struggles in attempting to reunite with his family. The book has some very intense moments and contains some mature themes. For example, Yoko learns of her grandparents death on the same day that her own mother dies. The book is centered around the themes of the brutalities of war and loss of family. The book does have a somewhat uplifting ending, with Yoko winning an essay contest and being published in a newspaper. Overall, I found the book to be a good, yet difficult, read. I would reccomend this book to older readers such as fifth or sixth graders, and I believe it could be used best in conjuction with a history lesson on World War II.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

I really enjoyed this book because I found it be a very original Christmas story that is unlike any I have ever read before. The story is about a boy who boards The Polar Express train bound for the North Pole on a Christmas Eve night. The illustrations are extremely lush and vivid, and are a joy to look at. They work perfectly to convey the atmosphere of a snowy Christmas Eve night. I really liked how the boy's friend insists "there is no Santa", but the boy believes his friend is wrong. I also enjoyed how the children go to the North Pole and actually meet Santa and his elves. Interestingly, the boy receives the "first gift of Christmas" from Santa himself, yet he loses it short afterward. I found the ending to be a perfect and uplifting message of the power of believing in something. This is an extremely enjoyable book that is also perfect to read during the holiday season.

Ben's Dream by Chris Van Allsburg

Chris Van Allsburg is my favorite children's author, so I was excited to read this book. It is a very surreal story about a boy named Ben and a dream he has when he falls asleep while studying for a Geography test. The illustrations are extremely unique, and unlike any other illustrations in any Van Allsburg book I have read thus far. All of the illustrations are done in black and white, and are very detailed with lots of texture and lines. Over half the book, the entire dream sequence, is told strictly through illustrations without any text whatsoever. I found this to be an extremely original and interesting way to convey a dream, and I was extremely impressed with the illustrations (some of Van Allsburg's best work). For example, there are some incredible drawings of a sinking Statue Of Liberty and Golden Gate Bridge that perfectly communicate the surrealism of a dream. Overall, I thought this was an excellent boook with some great imagery and illustrations.

The Magic Rabbit by Annette Le Blanc Cate

This story is about a friendship between Ray the magician and his best friend, a bunny assistant. The illustrations are extremely detailed, yet they have a cartoon aspect to them that complements the simple story about friendship perfectly. The illustrations are done in almost all charcoal pencil, and there is a very sparse use of color throughout the book. For example, the only colored objects in the entire book are yellow stars, otherwise the rest of the illustrations are done in black and white. The story itself is about when Bunny gets lots from Ray downtown in the city while they are performing their magic show together. The story is very simple and short, yet quite enjoyable. It would be perfect for younger readers such as second or third graders.

Music Over Manhattan by Mark Karlins

The first thing that struck me about this book were the very descriptive, original illustrations done in what looks like colored pencils. The illustrations make excellent use of light and shadows to convey the mood and theme of the story. The story is about a young boy, named Bernie, who is intimidated and feels under-appreciated compared to his "perfect" cousin Herbert. However, Bernie eventually learns to take solace and find individuality in music. He begins to play the trumpet and take lessons from his Uncle Louie. Being a huge fan of all types of music, I really enjoyed how this book was about the magic and importance of music. For example, in one scene Bernie and his Uncle Louie float over the city while playing the song "Moonlight Over Manhattan". Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable book about the power and importance of music.

Cat, You Better Come Home by Garrison Keillor

This is an interesting and unique picture book because the story is a fable. I enjoyed how the story had a very simply rhyming scheme that made it fun and easy to read. For example, the last words of each line rhyme (cried and outside, etc.). The illustrations are very rich, lush paintings that work to complement the story perfectly. The main character of the story, Puff the cat, leaves home because she is "dissatisfied" with her owner. Puff moves to Greece and proceeds to become a very diva-like cat who dates owls and dumps dogs. The story is quite humorous and very entertaining to read. The lesson of the fable is made clear by the ending of the story: it's better to be yourself than try to be someone else. I found this book to be a very enjoyable read with an important theme.

The Misfits by James Howe

CONTROVERSIAL BOOK

Prior to reading this book I had read some of James Howe's picture books before, but this was the first novel of his I have read. I really enjoyed how all five of the "misfits" (the main characters of the book) were engaging, realistic, and well fleshed out characters. In fact, nearly all of the characters felt quite real to me, and I rarely felt as if the characters or the story was unrealistic in any way. I also enjoyed how the characters took a stand for what they believe in throughout the story. For example, when Addie refuses to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance because she believes America doesn't respect minorities rights. I also liked how the "Freedom Party" was created to run in student government and perfectly paralleled a real third party. My favorite part of the book, however, is when Joe reveals to Skeezie and Bobbby that he is gay, and he gets a very subdued and undramatic reaction to the news. I liked how James Howe showed a completely different side of what it is like to be a homosexual in high school, rather than a typical portrayl. I would think this booko would be considered controversial because the main character is gay and it's a realistic representation of the social context of school. I really enjoyed this book, and found it quite enjoyable to read. I would certainly use this books with grades 5 and above.

Nappy Hair by Carolivia Herron

CONTROVERSIAL BOOK

I found this book to be very interesting and fun to read because of the style of the story. The story is told in the way an African American family talks to each other and has a very loose and rhythmic feeling to it. For example, one of the lines in the book is the following: "It's your hhair, Brenda, take the cake yep. And come back and get the plate. Don't 'cha know." The story itself is about a little girl, Brenda, and her unbelievably "nappy hair." The story also deals with issues of slavery and reflects on the way "mothers and fathers were sold for a nickel and a dime." The illustrations complement the story perfectly, as they have a very original and loose look to them and appear to be done in chalk. I would think this book would be considered controversial because it deals with isses of slavery and the story is written in slang. However, I found the book to be very fun to read an would certainly reccomend it for 4th or 5th graders.

Sami And The Time Of The Troubles by Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland

CONTROVERSIAL BOOK

This book is about a ten year old boy, Sami, and his family who live in Beirut, Lebanon during "the time of the troubles" (war, guns, bombings, etc.). It is revealed early on in the story that Sami's father died in a bombing at a market. The plot is very serious and contains quite a few mature themes and ideas. For example, in one scene Sami and his friend Amir play with pieces of wood that look like guns and "...pretend to shoot, we pretend to die." The family has been forced to take reguge in the basement of Sami's uncle home from all of the bombings and gunfire. The illustrations are extremely rich, expressive paintings that complement the story perfectly. I think this book would be considered controversial because it deals with the brutality of innocent casualities of modern day war. However, I enjoyed this book and would certainly use it with older grade levels like 5th or 6th graders.

Smoky Night by Eve Bunting

CONTROVERSIAL BOOK

This story is about people, and cats, that are brought together in a city during a nigh of intense rioting. The book displays the violence of riots, as people are raging in the streets setting fires and looting. In the story the mother attempts to explain a riot to her son Daniel by telling him "It can happen when people get angry." The book also deals with issues of race and racism. For example, the mother and child don't go to Mrs. Kim's marker because, as the mother explains to Daniel, "...it's better if we buy from our own people." Finally, a fire breaks out in the family's apartment building and they are forced to stay in a shelter for a few days before being allowed back in the building. The illustrations are extremely original and unique, and they are expressive paintings that could easily stand alone as art work. I think this book would be considered controversial because it deals with race and rioting in an urban environment. However, I really enjoyed this book because it had an excellent story and wonderful illustrations. I would certainly use this book with 4th or 5th graders.

Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya

CONTROVERSIAL BOOK

The first thing that struck me about this book were the extremely stimulating and colorful illustrations of Japan that resembled water colors. Also, I immediately realized that this book has an involved and complicated story with quite a bit of text. This book deals with a controversial aspect of history, and centers around a time when Japan was at war and being bombed. The Japanese army commanded zoo-keepers to poison and kill animals so they would not escape if bombs were to wreck the zoo. This book has some very dark aspects and themes. For example, in one scene zoo-keepers are starving an elephant to death over the course of seventeen long, painful days. However, eventually the zoo-keepers take a stand and begin feeding the remaining two elephants. The books is obviously controversial because it deals with war and the intentional, and brutal, killing of animals. I would use this book with 4th or 5th grade readers (perhaps in connection with a History lesson), as I found it to be a very informative and well written and illustrated book.

Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting

CONTROVERSIAL BOOK:
This books is about a young boy and his dad who are homeless and living in an airport. The story has some very somber and serious themes and characters. For example, there are a pair of homeless drunks that get caught living in the airport and are kicked out. Also, the boy's dad is a janitor who is only currently working on the weekends and making very little money. The family used to have an apartment before the boy's mother died, and the boy wishes for life to be back to "the way it was, before mom died." The very simple illustrations work well to convey the serious subject matter and airport setting. I really enjoyed the use of light and shading in the illustrations. I believe this story would be considered controversial because it centers around a homeless family and the death of a mother. However, I found this book to be very engaging and would certainly use it with grades 4 or above.