Author/Illustrator Kevin Henkes

I recently completed a research study on the children’s author and illustrator Kevin Henkes!  Click here: Author/Illustator Study – The Wonderful Kevin Henkes or on the page in the menu above to view!!

Love, Ruby Lavender by Deborah Wiles

Deborah Wiles has captured the essence of childhood with yet another Aurora County Book!  Love, Ruby Lavender is the story of a nine-year-old girl who learns life lessons when her father is killed in an accident, her grandmother moves away for an extended stay with relatives, a new friend comes to town, an old friend is made an enemy, and raising chickens becomes her most time-consuming hobby!  Although the novel has an overall light-hearted feel with a fast pace, it deals with serious issues and matters of the heart.  Readers will learn about self-discovery, courage, forgiveness, and friendship in this country-fied tale of Ruby Lavender!

It is understanding to me that “realistic fiction is the most popular genre of children’s literature with readers” (Hancock, 2004).  These books grab the reader’s interest with personal connections.  In Love, Ruby Lavender, the reader is invited to revisit their past and reminisce about a time when they had difficulty with a relationship.  There were two main ways that the reader could connect and relate to the main character in this story; one being the loss of a close relative (through them leaving) such as a grandparent, aunt or uncle, or perhaps even an older brother or sister, that the reader might have been very close to.  Ruby is extremely close to her grandmother.  She trusts her with everything and has faith in every word that comes from her (Miss Eula’s) mouth.  They see each other every day and are a regular and significant part of each other’s lives.  The other way that the reader can connect is through relating to difficult relationships with friends/peers.  The relationship that Ruby has with Melba is a very dysfunctional one throughout most of the story.  They do not communicate efficiently with each other and both place some blame on the other for the death of a loved one.  They hold grudges against one another (Wiles poses an excellent discussion question concerning the grudges that they hold in her discussion guide.  See Love, Ruby Lavender Discussion Guide, question # 7) that are not entirely justified but are not able to communicate effectively enough to resolve these issues.  Every person has dealt with peer relationship issues at some point in their lives.  Therefore, students can relate to this book in many different ways.  “When children can slip into a character’s life because it parallels their own or that of their peers, they are more inclined to read a book” (Hancock, 2004).

When considering the three types of realistic fiction, this novel can be reflective of two categories; “Becoming One’s Own Person”, and “Coping With Problems of the Human Condition”.  The former is applicable in that Ruby is learning lessons that are a part of transitioning from a child to an adult.  Learning how to cope with things as an individual (not depending so much on her grandmother), and discovering her own courage.  The latter can be applied in that not only Ruby, but many of the characters are learning to cope with the death of a loved one.  There is quite a bit of loss and heartache in the story; the kind that everyone has to endure at some point in their lives.  

Literary elements are thoughtfully and intentionally developed in this book.  We have discussed the use of synergy created by the artistic fusing of text and illustration.  I believe that there is a level of synergy created when the setting, characters, and plot cause the reader to be transported into the story.  Deborah Wiles drew me in to Ruby’s existence by creating elements of story that were perfectly coalescent.  Her use of descriptive language, dialogue, and  grammatical elements (such as simile) allowed me to envision the scene and character before me.  For example, at the very beginning of the story, as we are just learning who Ruby is, Wiles gives us a picture of her “bare feet [slapping] the dirt road, and her ponytailed red hair [leaping] all over the place, like a fire chasing her down the hill” (p. 4).  Through this one sentence, we are able to see a portrait of a red haired girl, slightly frazzled, in a hurry, on an inclined dirt road with no shoes.   I can picture it in my mind!

I have considered the different ways that I could use this novel with my students.  Even though it was written for upper elementary, and could certainly apply to that age group, I believe using it as a read-aloud in K-2 could provide students with exposure to some serious issues at a safe distance.  Hearing the story of a girl who deals with so many emotionally tumultuous events and seeing how she learns about her own courage, strength, and ability to forgive can demonstrate these attributes to students in a character that they can relate to see themselves as becoming.  I can particularly see the advantages of engaging students in a discussion about friendship, and how likenesses and differences play into relationships (Kindergarten Social Studies, Comp. Goal #1 and #3) using the discussion questions #5 and #6 provided by Wiles in her Guide (see link above).  Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I believe that my young students would as well!

Questions for Deborah Wiles

Thank you so much for being willing to blog with us and answer our questions!

1) Are you currently working on book two of the Countdown Series?  I am anxious to read what is next!

2) How much of a role did you play in the choice of artistic media for the illustrations in Freedom Summer?  What lead you and the illustrator to making this choice?

3) What message would you want to present to our early elementary students?  What about the older ones?

4) What was your favorite part of growing up in the sixties and seventies?

Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles

Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles was heartwarming and yet heartbreaking at the same time.  This is the story of a young (white) boy living in the early 1960’s who has a black friend.   The black boy’s mother works for the white boys family, and the two boys are very close, spending most of their time together.  The book describes the activities that the two boys participate in together and also includes references to the discriminatory  circumstances surrounding their friendship and home in that time period.  The black boy (John Henry), is not allowed to accompany the white boy (Joe) into the general store, nor is he allowed to swim with Joe in the town pool.  There is not much description as the either of the boys’ feelings on this matter, they simply find other things to do together.  When the law is passed disbanding segregation, Joe’s parents tell him that the town pool will now be open to everyone, no matter their skin color.  Excited, the two boys get ready first thing the next morning to go swimming in the pool together.  However, when they arrive, they find that the pool is being filled in with asphalt.  It is here where we are given a glimpse of the emotions that the two boys have… John Henry being very sad about not being able to do the same things that his friend can do, and Joe being confused and not understanding why things are the way that they are.  The two boys decide to go into the general store together to buy popsicles at the end of the story.  The reader is left wondering what kind of outcome might have occurred from this.

I think this would be an excellent way to open discussion about the Civil Rights movement, but I would like to have my students get a little bit of background knowledge first.  I would like to begin the unit using lesson 1 from “Differences Make Us Special” so that students have a chance to explore the many similarities and differences among themselves and their own classmates in a positive light.  I want students to see how differences are not only very common (the norm, even), and how we, as citizens of a diverse community, can celebrate those differences.  Then I would have a read aloud experience with my students using Freedom Summer.  I would begin by asking students what the word brave meant.  We would get ideas/decriptions of bravery (from personal experiences), and look up the word in the dictionary.  I would ask students the following questions during reading:

1- What differences do you notice between the two boys?  Do you share some of the same differences among your classmates?

2- What activities do John Henry and Joe do together?  Do you like to do those things with your friends?

3- Why do you think John Henry wasn’t allowed to swim in the town pool or go into the general store?

4- How do you think John Henry felt about the rules?  How do you think Joe felt about them? How do you know?

5- What do you think they will do when they get to the pool? What do you think will happen next?

6- Were you surprised?  **I would like to have a discussion here about how even though the laws had changed, it took people a long time to accept the changes… so much so that the people who owned the pool would rather close it than have it segregated.

7- How do you think John Henry and Joe were feeling?  How do you know?

8- Do you think Joe or John Henry showed bravery in this story?  When and how?

9- If the author had written one more page in the story, what do you think would have happened when they went inside the store? Why?  Writing assignment:  Imagine that you are Joe or John Henry (you can choose which character you would like to be) and write about your experience inside the store as you went in together.  Write from the perspective of your character.  We will share our writings with the class and discuss.

I would follow up this activity with lesson 2 from Differences Make Us Special, and explore the Civil Rights movement through the website “Think Globally: The American Civil Rights Movement” (http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00117/civilrights.html).  In addition, I would like for students to hear and sing the song “This Land is Your Land”.   We would research the author of the lyrics to the song, Woody Guthry, and discuss his role not only in the Civil Rights movement, but some of the ways that he experience social injustices himself.  We will then read the lyrics and discuss the meaning behind them.  “What do you think he meant by asking the question, ‘Is this land made for you and me’?”  How does “freedom highway” relate to “Freedom Summer”?

NCSCOS Objectives included in this unit for second grade social studies are 3.01 through 3.06, and 4.01 and 4.02.

I must comment on the illustrations in this book; they stood out to me.  Most of the books that we have read so far have used mixed media illustrations, watercolor, and the like.  This is the first book that I recall having seen what appears to be oil-based paint on canvas.  I can see the checkered-texture pattern in some of the illustrations.  The lines are all blurry and the details are all smudged.  To me, this gives the book a dream-like feel.  I didn’t live in this time period, and I wasn’t able to feel like I was “in” the story the same way I have with other books we have read so far (Dear Primo, Action Jackson).  I felt more like I was looking at someone’s memory, or dreaming about something that happened long ago.  I wonder if the illustrator used this technique for that purpose?  What were Deborah Wiles’ and Jerome Lagarrigue’s (illustrator) intentions in using this particular artistic media?

**Another book I would use during this unit would be Freedom School, Yes! by Amy Littlesugar and Floyd Cooper… see link below!

Freedom School, Yes!

Countdown by Deborah Wiles

This book was so full of meaningful experiences that not only could a 5th grader or 11 year-old relate to, but that I could relate to when thinking back on my own adolescence!  I feel like I don’t even know where to begin… but I’ll try anyway 😉

First, Franny was a character that I felt I could completely understand the emotional stresses of.  I can remember the hardest part of upper elementary school for me and even middle school, it was social!  I was awkward, stuck in the middle of being a child and being a teenager.  I felt like my parents were too strict and that I couldn’t get any freedom and wanted it desperately, and yet at the same time I was fearful of that freedom in a way.  Franny feels like she wants to experience new things and she is constantly curious of the lives and situations of others, particularly her sister, Jo Ellen.  Yet, at the same time, she feels secure with her family (especially when they are all together).  She is fearful of “the atom bomb”, and fearful of what could happen to her father, her sister, and even her Uncle Otts.  So, I felt like she was desperate for something new and exciting, attention from boys, friends, her family, and new experiences.  But at the same time she was afraid of the changes that could take place in their lives if they were to be attacked.  This would be a meaningful discussion to have with 5th graders who are at a point in their own lives where they are in between needing freedom and being afraid of the changes that are beginning to happen in their own lives and the world around them.  I thought about this becoming a writing assignment where students could compare their greatest wish with their greatest fear.

This book is also full of factual information that is both squeezed between the lines in the midst of the fictional story and also dispersed (in what seems to me sometimes randomly) among the pages in the form of photographs, advertisements, and texts from the actual time period in history.  I must admit that I always hated my history classes… reading those mundane textbooks that seemed to me to say the same things over and over again and made it so easy to confuse different events, people, and timelines.  However, thinking back to my college years and the past few years where I have seen historical movies, (even some historical fiction), and read some historical books, including Countdown, which have shown me how much I actually ENJOY history, I have realized that I am actually fascinated with the events and people of the past, but that the problem with my schooling was the deliverance.  I distinctly remember reading books like Night (by Elie Weisel), about the Jewish concentration camps, and how much I learned from those and enjoyed those kinds of books.  But, I didn’t get to read many of them.  I think a book like Countdown would be a perfect novel to help 5th graders explore the events surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis and at the same time relate to the characters and get involved with the story on a personal level; enjoy it!

I thought that the dicussion questions provided in the guide for the book were very useful.  I like the idea of exploring websites and books ahead of time so that students will have a basic background knowledge of the historical events surrounding the setting of the book.  I think I would like to use this book as an opener to a unit not only about the Cuban Missile Crisis, but also in studying significant persons of the 60s.  Allowing students to choose one of the factual people of history mentioned in the book (or perhaps not) and do a biographical study on them is a great idea.  I thought that then, students could put on a “Wax Museum” of the people that they studies, where they each create a poster for their person, dress like their person, and write a short biographical speech that tells who they are and what role they played in the 60’s, as well as how the Cuban Missile Crisis might have affected them.  They would stand still like a wax figure and then recite or read their speech for the people who were “touring” the museum (students of other grades).  I also think students would enjoy watching a video (such as the YouTube video that was posted on our class blog) that allows them to see actual footage of the people involved in the story and events that took place with US relations with other nations and Cuba.  

In addition, it would be a good way to help students see what place their life can have and how they are creating their own part of history by finding music, books, movies, etc. that they can relate to their own life from today and share them with the class.  They could write an essay explaining why they chose their media, how they relate to it, and how it is significant to them at this point in their life, as well as how they think it is significant in our society.

Marjorie Hancock discusses the literary elements of historical fiction in A Celebration of Literature and Response.  I believe that although the setting and plot of Countdown really help to draw students’ attention in, it is the development of the unique characters that allow the reader to find a common relation between themselves and one of the people in the story.  Wiles does a superb job of writing these characters to life in the way that she allows Franny to tell us about them through her own observances.  In collaboration with this, the first-person viewpoint allows the story to come to life as if it is written in a diary instead of being told by a narrator.  It is the sharing of emotions and perceptions (by the main character, Franny, through first person viewpoint) that sets this kind of historical fiction apart from a textbook and makes it intriguing to the reader.  When the reader is intrigued and interested, they are motivated to read, and this opens the mind to the historical facts therein.

I completely and truly enjoyed reading Countdown, much more than I thought that I would.  I am becoming attached to Deborah’s style of writing and enjoying exploring her work.  

 

I am also including the response that I posted to the class blog after the Del Shannon video:

Well, I wasn’t sure what the song was or who Del Shannon was until I watched this video… and then it hit me! Every summer when we drove to the beach my parents would put the radio on an oldies station! I never realized that they were oldies until I was a little older… I just always thought of it as our “beach music”. I couldn’t sing along with the whole song, but I could sing a long with the chorus, I remembered that much! It really helps me get into the time frame of Countdown. There were many photos and posters in the book that helped as well, but seeing the people with dated clothing, seeing the dance moves, the artist, and hearing the music all at the same time has a different effect than just looking at photographs.

I found an interesting website that I tried really hard to explore all of the links and information on to make sure it would be appropriate for 5th graders. It includes music, TV, movies, commercials, fashion, war, and so much more all wrapped into one place! It is written by people who lived during the 60′s and reflects the values and ideals of the period. My favorite part of the site is a narrative called “How Did We Survive?”…
Check it out!!!–http://www.the60sofficialsite.com/

Emily by Michael Bedard (picture book biography)

This picture-book biography tells the story of a (fictional) little girl who gets the rare opportunity to meet Emily Dickinson, a now world-reknowned poet.  The little girl lives with her mother and father across the street from a yellow house, where two sisters live.  The reputation of one sister is that she never comes out and hides when visitors come to the home.  One day, the little girl’s mother receives a note from the mysterious girl (who is nicknamed the “Myth”) inviting her to come and play the piano for her in her home.  When she goes to play, she takes her little girl with her.  The little girl takes two lily bulbs with her to give to the Myth.  As her mother is playing, the little girl sneaks around the doorway and half way up the stairs, where she sees the Myth (Emily) sitting in a chair writing on some paper as her mother plays.  The two have a brief conversation in which the little girl gives Emily the lily bulbs and Emily gives the little girl a poem/letter.

This book was illustrated by Barbara Cooney, who also illustrated Miss Rumphius (one of my favorite folktales).  There were a few different kinds of paint and artistic media used, which I had never heard the names of.  It looked a little to me like watercolor in some spots, with some of the colors and lines bleeding into each other.   The mood of the book was somewhat cold and dark (with mostly dark colors used inside the homes), and mostly whites used outside to portray the winter season.  There were also mostly vertical lines used which gave me the feeling of stability in the homes, and a very formal and proper feeling about the people.  This matched the 19th century New England setting and lifestyle.  I felt like the illustrations were beautiful, and gave a true sense of the quiet and serenity surrounding that time period and people.  It also gave the me a sense of being in a quiet place, and yet somewhat mysterious (with the darker colors in the yellow house), as I believe the life of Emily Dickinson was.

The font used is common and simple and plain, so as to not distract the reader from not only the beautiful illustrations, but the meaning behind the story.  Even though some of the characters are fictitious, and the events that took place in the story are not factual, the lifestyle of Emily Dickinson that is portrayed is accurate and historical.  This is what I think makes historical fiction (particularly picture books) so valuable.  They can give imformation about people, places, or events, and yet they can capture the reader’s attention with a story-like quality that might not be included in a plain biography.  These types of books are especially valuable in education and with young children.

I would most definitely use this book when studying biographies in my classroom.  It is informational and entertaining.  It would also make a good example for students of how to write perspectively.  For example, after studying a person of interest, students could be invited to imagine themselves meeting that person in the time period in which they lived.  They could then write a story from their own perspective that includes both fictional elements as well as facts about the person that they studied.  I truly enjoyed this bookand I did not know much about Emily Dickinson!  Reading this gives me just enough information to make me curious about her and her life and invites me to find out more!

Click on the link below to view my Glog and BioPoem about Emily!

Emily Dickinson Glog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great Big Guinea Pigs by Susan Roth

Great Big Guinea Pigs by Susan Roth is a very interesting picture detailing the history behind the cuddly, lovable house pet we all know as the guinea pig.  The characters are a mother guinea and a baby (child) guinea pig who live in their cage with a newspaper floor, water and food provided, and an exercise wheel.  The mother is telling the child a bedtime story which happens to be a description of what life was like for prehistoric guinea pigs.  The mother describes the much bigger, much wilder guinea pigs, along with what they ate, where they lived, and what other animals (also large) they lived with.  She also tells the story of how they came to be smaller.  She and the child have a discussion about how even though it would have been fun to live at that time, they are both happy where they are.

 

Part of Roth’s exclusive collection of incomparable collage-illustrated books, this enlightening story does not disappoint.  I was amazed at the different origins from which she obtained the materials used in these illustrations; Thailand, France, Italy, Korea, and various cities in the united States.  It makes me wonder if she sought after these specifically for this book or if she often collects various materials from around the world as a generality.  Kerri Smith stated in her presentation about Roth that she loved to travel; I can imagine her traveling the world and bringing back all sorts of different materials and papers just to see what she can use them for!  There were many browns, blues, and greens used in this book, to portray a natural theme in the environment.  There were also many different colors used for the different kinds of animals (I loved the turtle)!  I particularly liked the unusual basket weave paper used to create the cage, as well as the wallpaper background behind the table (where the cage sits on).  It reminds me of my grandmother’s kitchen!  I felt like when Roth created the cage on that page (not sure which number) sitting on the table she made it look small very intently.  At the beginning of the book, she uses a ruler that shows us exactly how tall this cage is.  I wondered why at first, but now, I think she showed us that for the same reason she finally showed us the whole cage at the end; to bring the reader back into reality.  We have been close up to the guinea pigs throughout the story, as if we are in the cage with them listening to the story.  We read about how big they used to be, and even see them as large in the cage.  But then, at the end, we are reminded again how much smaller they are now, and how much their world has changed over history.

 

I felt like Roth’s choice of font for this book was also appropriate because it was plain enough to remind the reader that this was in fact non-fiction, while at the same time emphasizing the fairy-tale-like mood.  In addition, rather than using a narration from the author’s point of view, Roth chose to write this as a conversation between the two guinea pigs, giving it I think a more personal feel, and also making it more interesting for children (who love to hear animals talk)!  I must admit, that I had never heard of prehistoric giant guinea pigs, and until I read the author’s notes at the beginning and it said that it was factual, I thought it was a story being made up for the purpose of entertaining children!  How ignorant I felt!  Susan never ceases to amaze me with the way she opens the doors to a world of knowledge unlike any other author I have learned about.

 

I loved Kerri’s suggestion to use this book as a mentor text for students to re-write familiar bedtime stories of their own, and it is a great lesson to teach perspective!  She also had another great idea of researching a specific animal species that has changed and evolved over time.  I am not sure which grade level does this (I know she referenced first grade but they don’t study history of animals), I think it is upper elementary, but I believe it would be a great way to introduce a unit of that kind.  This was not one of my favorite books by Roth, but not because it was not a quality children’s book, which it was.  To be perfectly honest I think I wasn’t so drawn to it because I don’t much like guinea pigs 🙂 (I am a little repulsed by them… don’t know why).  However, I consider this yet another literary jewel deserving of attention by educators!

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah by Susan Roth

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah has proven to be yet another one of my favorite books read so far, not just by Susan Roth, but collectively!  It is a poem/song put into a story book that illustrates the traditions of the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah.  Students will hear about the menorah and candles, latkes, dreidels, a dance called the Hora, and treats given to children.

I think one of my favorite aspects of this book is that it is, in fact, a song.  Therefore, it reads poetically and draws you in to a mood of celebration.  When a song is divided into pages to form a book, particularly a song that is as short and simple as this one, there is so much meaning and story told through the illustrations.  Roth’s unique style of collage art that she seems to keep perfecting throughout her various works is on considerable display in this book.  The sheer number of different colors and materials used to create these illustrations is amazing to me.  Laces, denims, printed fabrics, textured papers, felts, fuzz; it is so artisticly creative and stylized… I believe I would recognize her work anywhere.  In this story, there is such a broad spectrum of colors used (bright and cheerful) that the reader cannot help but feel envious of these little mice who are so joyful in their celebration!   I truly felt like I was being invited in to the party 🙂  Although there are several details that are eye-catching and gorgeous in the backgrounds, toys, furniture, etc., I have to say that the mice are my favorite thing about the collages!  I counted; there are 85 mice faces in this book, and each face has 6 whiskers… that is an unbelievable 510 little whiskers that she cut out of paper!  And I truly believe that those whiskers MADE those illustrations what they are!  I love it!!

I also really liked Susan’s choice of a song for this book.  Although throughout her various works she is constantly using other sources of information, inspiration, and stories (even nonfiction), putting a song into a book appeals to me the most.  Music tells a story, especially music with lyrics that make a song.  Since songs tell a story, this one the story of a Hanukkah celebration, what better way to bring that story to life and make it even more meaningful!  Susan believes that inspiration can strike a writer at any time and in any place (Susan Roth PPT by Kerri Smith).  I think there are probably a lot of writers who use their own friends and family to inspire them.  I also wonder if perhaps she took pictures of her family participating in these activities (since she never goes anywhere without a camera!), and used them as models for her illustrations.  Since this portrays Susan’s family (it says that she thanks her grandchildren in order of appearance), I am assuming that she is Jewish and celebrates Hanukkah herself.  Even though I do not, I can relate to this, because I think if I were going to write a book, I would start with using my own family for inspiration as well!  Susan does a superb job of bringing this song to life and turning it into the story of a family and I would not have gotten the same interpretation from just hearing the song.

The first thing that comes to my mind for this book as far as classroom application (and it may be a little obvious, but it is still what I would do), is incorporating it into a study of multicultural holidays in December/November.  Not only would I use this as an interactive read aloud, but I would use it to introduce the holiday and then use the Internet to do further research so students could learn about the different candles and why one is lit each night; the background behind the dreidels, treats, and traditions.  I would arrange for students to taste latkes as well!  In addition, I would like to teach students this song and put motions to it, create so props, and put on a sort of “musical” that could be shared with other classes.  I hope I get the opportunity to do this next year!

Let’s Hold Hands Children’s Books

The culture that I have chosen to work with is East African.  I am still waiting on hearing from my school group, but I have selected the five following children’s books to serve as part of my Let’s Hold Hands project for next year.  I am hoping to add to this list in the future!

Tibili: The Little Boy Who Didn’t Want to Go to School

by Marie Leonard

 This lighthearted tale is the story of an always-happy little boy in Africa who finds our that he will begin school very soon with his sister.  When he learns of his fate, he is no longer happy and is constantly looking for a way out.  He asks some of his animal friends for advice, getting ideas such as hiding in a tree trunk, and saying that he is sick, which he decides quickly are not practical for use every day nor truthful.  Finally, a wise spider sends Tibili on a quest to find the box of knowledge.  He tells him that when he finds it, he will know what to do.  Tibili follows the very specific instructions and digs the box from underground.  However, he is unable to open it.  Another animal (a guinea hen), tells him that all he has to do is read the directions on the bottom of the box to find how to open it.  When Tibili looks, he realizes that he can’t read the words.  When the congregation of guinea hens discovers this, they taunt him.  Tibili runs home and asks his mother when school will begin, eager now to attend!

I chose this because the character lives in a modern village in Africa.  There are some African names and places included.  I feel like it will be interesting to students, especially when they reach the ending to see Tibili’s eagerness at going to school.  They will be able to compare and contrast, and it is an excellent example of literature from African culture.

 Crocodile and Hen: A Bakongo Folktale

by Joan M. Lexau

 This whimsical folktale is the story of a crocodile and a hen who despite their obvious food chain limitations, are destined to be friends.  Each day hen travels to the water hole to drink and meets crocodile, who is eager to make a mean out of her!  And each day, crocodile tells hen that he will eat her.  But hen always replies, “Please brother, do not eat me”, and surprises and baffles the crocodile so much that he is unable to eat her.  He does not understand why hen would make such a ridiculous claim as to be brother and sister when they are so different (in appearance, name, and habitat).  After several days of this, crocodile travels to find the wise old woman, but meets a lizard along the way.  The lizard explains to crocodile that while hen lays eggs, just like ducks and some other animals, crocodile lays eggs as well.  And that this fact makes them brother and sister in spite of their many differences.  After learning this, crocodile believes him and seeks hen out to talk to her as a brother.  They are friends from then on.

I chose this book for a couple of reasons.  First, it is an example of literature from a particular African culture.  Additionally, it is written on a primary level so some students would be able to read this independently.

 Beatrice’s Goat

by Page McBrier

 This is the story of a Western-Uganda girl named Beatrice who while loyally and loving helps her mother (as the oldest child) take care of their family and home, longs to attend school.   Her family cannot afford the uniform and supplies that she would need to attend.  They then receive a goat as a gift.  From the goat they get two babies and goat’s milk.  Beatrice takes care of the three goats, milks the mother, and sells the milk in her village.  She saves the money over time and plans on buying some things that the family needs.  When she finds her mother counting the money, she first thinks that something is wrong, butt then her mother smiles and tells her that she has saved enough money to go to school.  Her mother tells her that this is more important than the things that the family needs right now.  In addition, the other goats are growing and over time will be sold to other families and multiply, supplying the village with food for nourishment and money to support themselves.  Beatrice gets to get a uniform and go to school.

I chose this book because first, it was highly recommended by Dr. Frye!  Also, it is an excellent example of a culturally authentic children’s book.  Students will be able to learn a lot about the way the little girl lives, what she does as a member of her family, and the values of the people of her culture.

 Yafi’s Family

by Linda Pettitt

 This story is about a little Ethiopian boy and his family.  Yafi was adopted into an American family from Ethiopia.  His birth mother died when he was a baby and he went to live with his Grandma Elsa in her village.  She loved him very much, but was too old and poor to provide him with what he needed.  He was adopted by an American family and has a mother, father, and two sisters.  They love him very much as well.  The book takes the reader through a conversation that Yafi has with his adopted family where they talk about his life before.  The pictures show his new family and his old family. 

I chose this book because it is authentic in many ways.  The portrayal of Yafi’s native family in Ethiopia is very positive and shows readers that his family was loving and rich in culture and values.  The book also portrays Yafi’s adopted family as just as loving and welcoming, and sharing the same family values.  It meets the criteria for a quality multicultural children’s book.  In addition, it sheds light on adoption, which is also an important things for children to know and understand.  And, being adopted myself, I can personally relate!

Janna and the Kings

by Patricia Smith

 This book tells the story of a young, African-American girl who spends every Saturday with her grandfather.  They go into town together, have coffee (and she a muffin), talk to friends, and go to her favorite place, the barbershop.  She loves to hear the men talk, loves the smells, and welcoming feel.  They call her “princess”, and she feels like one.  One day, her grandfather passes away.  For a long time, many weeks, she is sad and misses the things that she used to do with her grandfather, who was her best friend.  She finally takes the journey into town a few times, but never goes into the barbershop.  Everything and everyone reminds her of him and makes her sad.  Finally, one day, the men at the barbershop convince her to come inside.  Hesitant at first, she goes in, and is immediately surrounded by the sounds, smells, and people who her grandfather loved, who she loves, and who love her.  Instead of feeling sad, she feels happy because she can sense his presence.

I chose this book because it is unlike any of the others on the list so far.  It is fictional but modern and realistic, and students will be able to relate to it.  It deals with real life situations, including loss, sadness, and love.  It is not culturally specific, but it includes cultural elements.  I think it can provide an exposure for my students that is still culturally applicable but alternative to the other books in this unit.

Do Re Mi by Susan Roth

Do Re Mi: If You Can Read Music Thank Guido d’Arezzo was a book of particular interest to me because I grew up participating in several music activities and was originally a music major at Appalachian!  The most astonishing part of this to me is that although music and singing had been such a huge part of my life for several years, I had actually never heard of Guido!  Roth had to do a great deal of research to accurately portray the events of Guido’s life that led him to become who he was and to impact music in a world-changing way.

One of the things from Roth’s illustrations (beautiful collage, of course) in this book that really stood out to me was the addition of the five lines at the bottom of each page.  Obviously this represents the lines of the staff in written music, and I have thought about why I think she chose to do this.  Even though the entire story is about music and how written music came to be, I think that the lines are empty to show that Guido has made the connection that music can be written, but has not figured out yet how to bring it all together until the end of the story, where Roth uses a copy of the original first written staff with musical notes included.  I also think that Roth uses the continuous lines that reach from the edge of each page to the edge of the next (signaling the reader that they are flowing as one continuous staff) to represent the constant growth, learning, and movement of Guido’s life as a journey that took him to his ultimate destination; written music. 

Roth also uses a lot of earth tones in this book, washed out colors, and nothing too bright.  I imagine that this is to match the style and mood of the story, which is “old”, to put it bluntly.  This is the story of someone and events that are from long ago.  Many of the backgrounds and materials used resemble old fashioned parchment paper, which suits the timeline and setting.  I also think her font choice was appropriate, simple and common to not distract the reader from the non-fiction (informational) genre.  The use of collage draws the reader into the illustrations. As Morgan points out in Picture Book Biographies for Young Children: A Way to Teach Multiple Perspectives, “Not only will students learn from the words but also from the pictures”.  At the same time, without the text the illustrations would be much more difficult to understand (powerful synergy), requiring the reader to pay attention to the text as well.

This story can be an example for students of how “listening to your heart” and “following your dream” can make an impact on the world.  It is a “well-written biography [that] can be inspirational to children” (Morgan, 2009) that provides an accurate historical perspective.  It would make for a great interactive read aloud!