A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
De Haan, Linda and Stern Nijland. 2002. KING & KING. Ill. by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press. ISBN 1582460612
B. PLOT SUMMARY
The queen has decided it is time for the prince to marry. Many princesses are presented for the prince to choose but none of them interest him. Then the search for a bride takes an unexpected turn.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The authors use a familiar fairy tale to introduce young people to the idea that love exists in many forms. Without forceful text de Haan and Nijland are able to convey their story of a same-sex couple in a matter of fact way. The text is short, simple, and direct. Different size fonts are used to emphasize parts of the text. As with traditional fairy tales this story has a happy ending.
The full color illustrations in this book are vivid colorful collages done with textured paper, fabric, and paint. Careful examination of the illustrations will show that people come in many different shapes and sizes; an extension of the text. However, while the art does present a plethora of color, shape, and texture it is busy and distracting. The illustrations contain too much activity for a young audience to grasp. Focusing on the illustrations distracts from the text. There is an exception to the illustrations in this book. The last page shows the king and king on a blank white page kissing with a heart covering their lips. Does this not “illustrate” the text without any distractions?
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist (July 2002 (Vol. 98, No. 21))
PreS-Gr. 2. Here's a winning Dutch import for parents looking for a original tale with a gay slant. The queen, tired of ruling, decides it's time for her son to marry and assume the throne. The prince reluctantly agrees, "I must say, though, I've never cared much for princesses."The queen arranges for a parade of princesses to meet her son, but the prince doesn't feel any sparks until the final candidate shows up with her brother. The two princes fall in love, marry, and rule the kingdom together. The text is brief and lighthearted, and it presents the gay relationship with matter-of-fact ease. But it's the illustrations that really shine. Whimsical, textured collages mix beautiful papers, fabrics, and bright paint in scenes that show the bossy queen, the wildly imagined town, the eclectic princesses, the wedding, and finally, a kiss between the two starry-eyed princes. Adults will know what's coming early in the story, but many kids won't. They'll simply like the fun artwork and the final twist on conventions. For another picture book with a gay theme, see Michael Cart's Focus on Harvey Fierstein's The Sissy Duckling [BKL Je 1 & 15 02].
Horn Book starred (Fall, 2002)
In this mischievous twist on a familiar motif, a bachelor prince finds something lacking with each princess his mother draws to his attention until the last candidate brings along her cute brother. Silly but affectionate collage illustrations match the text for whimsical irreverence. Missing the political point, the young audience will probably come to the conclusion that this prince likes boys better than girls, which, of course, he does.
Publishers Weekly (February 25, 2002)
When a grouchy queen tells her layabout son that it's time for him to marry, he sighs, "Very well, Mother.... I must say, though, I've never cared much for princesses." His young page winks. Several unsatisfactory bachelorettes visit the castle before "Princess Madeleine and her brother, Prince Lee" appear in the doorway. The hero is smitten at once. "What a wonderful prince!" he and Prince Lee both exclaim, as a shower of tiny Valentine hearts flutters between them. First-time co-authors and artists de Hann and Nijland matter-of-factly conclude with the royal wedding of "King and King," the page boy's blushing romance with the leftover princess and the assurance that "everyone lives happily ever after." Unfortunately, the multimedia collages are cluttered with clashing colors, amorphous paper shapes, scribbles of ink and bleary brushstrokes; the characters' features are indistinct and sometimes ugly. Despite its gleeful disruption of the boy-meets-girl formula, this alterna-tale is not the fairest of them all. For a visually appealing and more nuanced treatment of diversity in general, Kitty Crowther's recent Jack and Jim is a better choice. Ages 6-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
E. CONNECTIONS
Young readers or listeners could draw a picture of their favorite part of the book.
Another book by de Haan and Nijland:
KING & KING & FAMILY. ISBN 1582461139
Thursday, December 4, 2008
HABIBI
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Nye, Naomi Shihab. 1997. HABIBI. New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN 068980149
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Liyana and her family, brother Rafik and parents, move from St. Louis, Missouri to Jerusalem right before she starts high school. Along with dealing with all the usual difficulties of teen years Liyana and her family must deal with the strain between Jews and Palestinians.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Naomi Shihab Nye tells Liyana’s story with a backdrop of the unrest in Palestine. Liyana and her father, Poppy are the main characters. Her mother and brother Rafik provide different view points occasionally but are not strong characters. Liyana’s story is one of growth, acceptance, and hope. Through Liyana’s acceptance and gradual embrace of this move to Poppy’s home, her strength, intelligence, and determination become apparent. Liyana thinks and acts. She actively works for a better life.
Although the book has a meandering pace, constant potential for violence provides tension. Another tension Nye provides in this story is Poppy’s actions. He wanted to move home but has trouble with how Liyana should act. He wants her to act “appropriate”. What is appropriate in St. Louis is not always appropriate in Jerusalem. He doesn’t want her to wear short shorts but gets angry when he is asked for her hand in marriage. Short chapters are used to highlight daily life for Liyana, both the differences and similarities to her old life.
Cultural markers abound in this book. Language, culture identification, character names, foods, celebrations, religious practices, and clothing are all used to show life in Jerusalem. Liyana is learning Arabic, but that is not the only language she is exposed to on a daily basis. When Liyana meets Sitti, her grandmother, Sitti trills. Poppy explains it is her traditional cry. Poppy’s family is large and they get together often. Liyana and her brother are Arab American, her father and his family are Arab, and Omer is Jewish. The women wear long dresses in bold colors and stitched with fancy embroidery. They all wear gold bangle bracelets. The older women cover their heads with a long white scarf and they wear plastic shoes. Some of the foods mentioned in the book are olives, grape leaves, rice, grilled onions, hummus, flat breads, lebne, and baba ghanouj. Food is present at all the family gatherings. Another cultural marker in this story is the hope that they all have for peace.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Reviews, 09/15/1997
Liyana Abboud, 14, and her family make a tremendous adjustment when they move to Jerusalem from St. Louis. All she and her younger brother, Rafik, know of their Palestinian father's culture come from his reminiscences of growing up and the fighting they see on television. In Jerusalem, she is the only ""outsider"" at an Armenian school; her easygoing father, Poppy, finds himself having to remind her--often against his own common sense--of rules for ""appropriate"" behavior; and snug shops replace supermarket shopping--the malls of her upbringing are unheard of. Worst of all, Poppy is jailed for getting in the middle of a dispute between Israeli soldiers and a teenage refugee. In her first novel, Nye (with Paul Janeczko, I Feel a Little Jumpy Around You, 1996, etc.) shows all of the charms and flaws of the old city through unique, short-story-like chapters and poetic language. The sights, sounds, and smells of Jerusalem drift through the pages and readers glean a sense of current Palestinian-Israeli relations and the region's troubled history. In the process, some of the passages become quite ponderous while the human story--Liyana's emotional adjustments in the later chapters and her American mother's reactions overall--fall away from the plot. However, Liyana's romance with an Israeli boy develops warmly, and readers are left with hope for change and peace as Liyana makes the city her very own. Copyright 2003, VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Publishers Weekly, 09/08/1997
This soul-stirring novel about the Abbouds, an Arab American family, puts faces and names to the victims of violence and persecution in Jerusalem today. Believing the unstable situation in that conflict-ridden city has improved, 14-year-old Liyana's family moves from St. Louis, Mo., to her father's homeland. However, from the moment the Abbouds are stopped by Jewish customs agents at the airport, they face racial prejudice and discord. Initially, Nye (Never in a Hurry) focuses on the Abbouds' handling of conflicting cultural norms between American and Arab values as they settle into their new home (e.g., Liyana's father, Poppy, while forbidding her to wear "short" shorts, reacts in anger toward a relative who asks for Liyana's hand in marriage). Then Liyana tests her family's alleged unprejudiced beliefs when she befriends Omer, a Jewish boy. She wants to introduce him to her father (who taught her, "Does it make sense that any God would choose some people and leave the others out?... God's bigger than that!"), but finds she must first remind him of his own words. Nye expertly combines the Abbouds' gradual acceptance of Omer with a number of heart-wrenching episodes of persecution (by the different warring factions) against her friends and family to convey the extent to which the Arab-Israeli conflict infiltrates every aspect of their lives. Nye's climactic ending will leave readers pondering, long after the last page is turned, why Arabs, Jews, Greeks and Armenians can no longer live in harmony the way they once did. Ages 10-up. (Oct.)
School Library Journal, 09/01/1997
Gr 5-9?An important first novel from a distinguished anthologist and poet. When Liyana's doctor father, a native Palestinian, decides to move his contemporary Arab-American family back to Jerusalem from St. Louis, 14-year-old Liyana is unenthusiastic. Arriving in Jerusalem, the girl and her family are gathered in by their colorful, warmhearted Palestinian relatives and immersed in a culture where only tourists wear shorts and there is a prohibition against boy/girl relationships. When Liyana falls in love with Omer, a Jewish boy, she challenges family, culture, and tradition, but her homesickness fades. Constantly lurking in the background of the novel is violence between Palestinian and Jew. It builds from minor bureaucratic annoyances and humiliations, to the surprisingly shocking destruction of grandmother's bathroom by Israeli soldiers, to a bomb set off in a Jewish marketplace by Palestinians. It exacts a reprisal in which Liyana's friend is shot and her father jailed. Nye introduces readers to unforgettable characters. The setting is both sensory and tangible: from the grandmother's village to a Bedouin camp. Above all, there is Jerusalem itself, where ancient tensions seep out of cracks and Liyana explores the streets practicing her Arabic vocabulary. Though the story begins at a leisurely pace, readers will be engaged by the characters, the romance, and the foreshadowed danger. Poetically imaged and leavened with humor, the story renders layered and complex history understandable through character and incident. Habibi succeeds in making the hope for peace compellingly personal and concrete...as long as individual citizens like Liyana's grandmother Sitti can say, "I never lost my peace inside."?Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
E. CONNECTIONS
Students should randomly draw countries from a selection and have to write about moving to a that country. What difficulties could occur? Would they think it an adventure and embrace it or be frightened?
Other books by Naomi Shihab Nye:
COME WITH ME: POEMS FOR A JOURNEY. ISBN 068815946X
19 VARIETIES OF GAZELLE: POEMS OF THE MIDDLE EAST. ISBN 0060097655
SITTI’S SECRETS. ISBN 0689817061
THE FLAG OF CHILDHOOD: POEMS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST. ISBN 0689851723
Nye, Naomi Shihab. 1997. HABIBI. New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN 068980149
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Liyana and her family, brother Rafik and parents, move from St. Louis, Missouri to Jerusalem right before she starts high school. Along with dealing with all the usual difficulties of teen years Liyana and her family must deal with the strain between Jews and Palestinians.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Naomi Shihab Nye tells Liyana’s story with a backdrop of the unrest in Palestine. Liyana and her father, Poppy are the main characters. Her mother and brother Rafik provide different view points occasionally but are not strong characters. Liyana’s story is one of growth, acceptance, and hope. Through Liyana’s acceptance and gradual embrace of this move to Poppy’s home, her strength, intelligence, and determination become apparent. Liyana thinks and acts. She actively works for a better life.
Although the book has a meandering pace, constant potential for violence provides tension. Another tension Nye provides in this story is Poppy’s actions. He wanted to move home but has trouble with how Liyana should act. He wants her to act “appropriate”. What is appropriate in St. Louis is not always appropriate in Jerusalem. He doesn’t want her to wear short shorts but gets angry when he is asked for her hand in marriage. Short chapters are used to highlight daily life for Liyana, both the differences and similarities to her old life.
Cultural markers abound in this book. Language, culture identification, character names, foods, celebrations, religious practices, and clothing are all used to show life in Jerusalem. Liyana is learning Arabic, but that is not the only language she is exposed to on a daily basis. When Liyana meets Sitti, her grandmother, Sitti trills. Poppy explains it is her traditional cry. Poppy’s family is large and they get together often. Liyana and her brother are Arab American, her father and his family are Arab, and Omer is Jewish. The women wear long dresses in bold colors and stitched with fancy embroidery. They all wear gold bangle bracelets. The older women cover their heads with a long white scarf and they wear plastic shoes. Some of the foods mentioned in the book are olives, grape leaves, rice, grilled onions, hummus, flat breads, lebne, and baba ghanouj. Food is present at all the family gatherings. Another cultural marker in this story is the hope that they all have for peace.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Reviews, 09/15/1997
Liyana Abboud, 14, and her family make a tremendous adjustment when they move to Jerusalem from St. Louis. All she and her younger brother, Rafik, know of their Palestinian father's culture come from his reminiscences of growing up and the fighting they see on television. In Jerusalem, she is the only ""outsider"" at an Armenian school; her easygoing father, Poppy, finds himself having to remind her--often against his own common sense--of rules for ""appropriate"" behavior; and snug shops replace supermarket shopping--the malls of her upbringing are unheard of. Worst of all, Poppy is jailed for getting in the middle of a dispute between Israeli soldiers and a teenage refugee. In her first novel, Nye (with Paul Janeczko, I Feel a Little Jumpy Around You, 1996, etc.) shows all of the charms and flaws of the old city through unique, short-story-like chapters and poetic language. The sights, sounds, and smells of Jerusalem drift through the pages and readers glean a sense of current Palestinian-Israeli relations and the region's troubled history. In the process, some of the passages become quite ponderous while the human story--Liyana's emotional adjustments in the later chapters and her American mother's reactions overall--fall away from the plot. However, Liyana's romance with an Israeli boy develops warmly, and readers are left with hope for change and peace as Liyana makes the city her very own. Copyright 2003, VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Publishers Weekly, 09/08/1997
This soul-stirring novel about the Abbouds, an Arab American family, puts faces and names to the victims of violence and persecution in Jerusalem today. Believing the unstable situation in that conflict-ridden city has improved, 14-year-old Liyana's family moves from St. Louis, Mo., to her father's homeland. However, from the moment the Abbouds are stopped by Jewish customs agents at the airport, they face racial prejudice and discord. Initially, Nye (Never in a Hurry) focuses on the Abbouds' handling of conflicting cultural norms between American and Arab values as they settle into their new home (e.g., Liyana's father, Poppy, while forbidding her to wear "short" shorts, reacts in anger toward a relative who asks for Liyana's hand in marriage). Then Liyana tests her family's alleged unprejudiced beliefs when she befriends Omer, a Jewish boy. She wants to introduce him to her father (who taught her, "Does it make sense that any God would choose some people and leave the others out?... God's bigger than that!"), but finds she must first remind him of his own words. Nye expertly combines the Abbouds' gradual acceptance of Omer with a number of heart-wrenching episodes of persecution (by the different warring factions) against her friends and family to convey the extent to which the Arab-Israeli conflict infiltrates every aspect of their lives. Nye's climactic ending will leave readers pondering, long after the last page is turned, why Arabs, Jews, Greeks and Armenians can no longer live in harmony the way they once did. Ages 10-up. (Oct.)
School Library Journal, 09/01/1997
Gr 5-9?An important first novel from a distinguished anthologist and poet. When Liyana's doctor father, a native Palestinian, decides to move his contemporary Arab-American family back to Jerusalem from St. Louis, 14-year-old Liyana is unenthusiastic. Arriving in Jerusalem, the girl and her family are gathered in by their colorful, warmhearted Palestinian relatives and immersed in a culture where only tourists wear shorts and there is a prohibition against boy/girl relationships. When Liyana falls in love with Omer, a Jewish boy, she challenges family, culture, and tradition, but her homesickness fades. Constantly lurking in the background of the novel is violence between Palestinian and Jew. It builds from minor bureaucratic annoyances and humiliations, to the surprisingly shocking destruction of grandmother's bathroom by Israeli soldiers, to a bomb set off in a Jewish marketplace by Palestinians. It exacts a reprisal in which Liyana's friend is shot and her father jailed. Nye introduces readers to unforgettable characters. The setting is both sensory and tangible: from the grandmother's village to a Bedouin camp. Above all, there is Jerusalem itself, where ancient tensions seep out of cracks and Liyana explores the streets practicing her Arabic vocabulary. Though the story begins at a leisurely pace, readers will be engaged by the characters, the romance, and the foreshadowed danger. Poetically imaged and leavened with humor, the story renders layered and complex history understandable through character and incident. Habibi succeeds in making the hope for peace compellingly personal and concrete...as long as individual citizens like Liyana's grandmother Sitti can say, "I never lost my peace inside."?Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
E. CONNECTIONS
Students should randomly draw countries from a selection and have to write about moving to a that country. What difficulties could occur? Would they think it an adventure and embrace it or be frightened?
Other books by Naomi Shihab Nye:
COME WITH ME: POEMS FOR A JOURNEY. ISBN 068815946X
19 VARIETIES OF GAZELLE: POEMS OF THE MIDDLE EAST. ISBN 0060097655
SITTI’S SECRETS. ISBN 0689817061
THE FLAG OF CHILDHOOD: POEMS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST. ISBN 0689851723
THINGS NOT SEEN
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clements, Andrew. 2002. THINGS NOT SEEN. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0439456207
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Fifteen year old Bobby wakes up invisible one morning. Bobby’s dad, a physicist, sees a problem to solve and his mother hovers and smothers. Tension increases when Bobby’s parents are in an automobile accident and the school notifies the authorities about Bobby’s excessive absences. Bobby’s determination to have some control of his problem adds more tension. As Bobby and his parents try to solve this problem Bobby meets and becomes friends with a blind girl. The friendship helps Bobby cope with his disability, brainstorm and implement solutions to his problem, and improve communication with his parents.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Andrew Clements creates a book about physical disabilities with subtle clues to a social disability. Waking his main character, Bobby, up to sudden invisibility on the first page is an attention grabber. Clements begins exhibiting the strong character Bobby is when he realizes that he needs to tell his parents immediately about his invisibility. Bobby recognizes they are smart and smart will be helpful in this situation. The character is invisible but he is still a smart fifteen year old boy that resents his parents control at times, and feels he is socially invisible also. Clements uses these traits throughout the book to show Bobby growing, maturing, and dealing with his problem because it is his problem and he feels he should have some control.
All the characters in this book are interesting due to a common trait. They are all intelligent. This shows a different reality and allows readers to become involved with a fantasy disability. Both Bobby and Alicia, the blind girlfriend, have fathers that are scientists. Both mothers went to the same college and majored in literature. The ensuing “scientific” problem solving and solution are fiction but provide action and interesting reading.
The premise of this book is farfetched but Clements is able to make it work by keeping it action packed, tense, the growing friendship of Bobby and Alicia, and the fear factor.
Bobby’s invisibility is fantasy but it does create obstacles he must learn to overcome. During daylight and cold weather Bobby is able to completely cover himself to mingle among people. On warm days he simply goes without clothes. Elevators need to be avoided; although he is invisible he still takes up space. Some of these provide humor, such as when he goes to visit Alicia at home and her mother gives him a robe to wear, typical mother reaction and humorous. Alicia’s blindness is a real disability and is substantiated without being overdone. She uses a white cane, has a speaking device for her computer, and listens to audio books. The scene when the two of them go to the Sears building and the young man offers Alicia his arm is another disability marker. Alicia’s emotions are another realistic trait. The gravity of her blindness is obvious in many places but when Bobby tells her he is no longer invisible it slaps her in the face again.
Another problem Clements hints at is social invisibility. Sheila, also invisible, states that she has been disappearing for years. Many teens struggle with the feeling of invisibility. Very subtle clues throughout the book hint to Bobby’s awareness of this and how his physical disability sheds some insight to this problem.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Book Report (September/October 2002)
Fifteen-year-old Bobby has an unusual problem: his body has become invisible. His father (a physicist) and mother agree that no one outside the family can know about his situation. His father is sure that there is a scientific explanation for Bobby's condition but a search of databases produces no results. When he literally bumps into a blind girl whose father is an astronomer, the two scientists team up to search for a rational explanation, which becomes more urgent when Bobby's school alerts the State Department of Children and Family Services because nobody has seen Bobby for a month. This is a clever fantasy. Bobby is a smart boy who handles his unusual situation with humor and intelligence. The plot develops so logically that readers can accept that under the right set of circumstances, it might be possible to become invisible. A fascinating story about self-discovery. Highly Recommended. Charlotte Decker, Librarian, Children's Learning Center, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio
Horn Book (March/April, 2002)
For a slightly older audience than Frindle fans, Clements concocts a surprisingly fresh story from a familiar premise: what if you woke up one day to discover that you were invisible? This is exactly what happens to Bobby one February morning in Chicago's Hyde Park. His mom wants to call a doctor ("Yeah," thinks Bobby, "let's call one of those Invisible Teenager Specialists"); his dad, a physicist, is intrigued by the phenomenon; unfortunately (for them but not for the reader), both are soon injured in a car accident, leaving Bobby to handle his problem on his own. While the setup never becomes convincing, and the "scientific" solution to Bobby's invisibility is preposterous, Clements does a great job of placing readers in Bobby's dilemma. He makes us see just how complicated invisibility could be-like when you meet a girl and she doesn't know you're naked, first, because you're invisible, and second, because she's blind. If the blind character, Alicia, allows the book some easy virtue, it's well intentioned and easily digestible, and her friendship with Bobby is empathetically evoked-could it be love? The University of Chicago setting is equally authentically drawn; Bobby is a student at the Lab School, and what we have here is a well-done school-and-family story with a not-so-invisible wrinkle.
Kirkus Review starred (February 1, 2002)
Clements (The Jacket, above, etc.) looks beyond grade school for the first time with a multifaceted rumination on selfhood and various forms of invisibility. Fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up invisible one morning. His equally flummoxed parents, quickly grasping the personal and social dangers should the news get out, urge him to hole up at home. But boredom, worry, and the mutinous thought that he should have some say in the matter soon lead him into a string of adventurous outings, both wrapped up Invisible Man-style, and stark naked. Clements cranks up the stress with an ensuing traffic accident that puts both parents into the hospital, and, as weeks pass, the increasingly persistent attentions of the governmental child-welfare machine. He also provides a needed confidante for Bobby in Alicia, a teenager blinded by a head injury two years before and no stranger herself to that sense of being unseen. Both feeling angry, scared, and vulnerable, their relationship gets off to a wonderfully tumultuous start, but builds on a foundation of caring and loyalty into something solid enough to survive Bobby's final return to visibility. As always, Clements's genius for developing credible plot lines (even from oddball premises) makes suspension of disbelief no problem. His characters, each one fundamentally decent-there is never a chance that Bobby will go the way of the transparent voyeur in Cormier's Fade (1988), for instance-are easy to like. A readable, thought-provoking tour de force, alive with stimulating ideas, hard choices, and young people discovering bright possibilities ahead. (Fiction. 11-15)
E. CONNECTIONS
Students should decide if being invisible is positive or negative occurrence, and then write a persuasive paragraph supporting their position. After completing this activity students should decide if they could handle the changes that would happen in their lives.
Other books about disabilities:
Bingham, Kelly L. SHARK GIRL. ISBN 0763632074
Ferris, Jean. OF SOUND MIND. ISBN 0374455848
Paulsen, Gary. THE MONUMENT. ISBN 0440407826
Rattman S. L. HEAD ABOVE WATER. ISBN 1561452386
Clements, Andrew. 2002. THINGS NOT SEEN. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0439456207
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Fifteen year old Bobby wakes up invisible one morning. Bobby’s dad, a physicist, sees a problem to solve and his mother hovers and smothers. Tension increases when Bobby’s parents are in an automobile accident and the school notifies the authorities about Bobby’s excessive absences. Bobby’s determination to have some control of his problem adds more tension. As Bobby and his parents try to solve this problem Bobby meets and becomes friends with a blind girl. The friendship helps Bobby cope with his disability, brainstorm and implement solutions to his problem, and improve communication with his parents.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Andrew Clements creates a book about physical disabilities with subtle clues to a social disability. Waking his main character, Bobby, up to sudden invisibility on the first page is an attention grabber. Clements begins exhibiting the strong character Bobby is when he realizes that he needs to tell his parents immediately about his invisibility. Bobby recognizes they are smart and smart will be helpful in this situation. The character is invisible but he is still a smart fifteen year old boy that resents his parents control at times, and feels he is socially invisible also. Clements uses these traits throughout the book to show Bobby growing, maturing, and dealing with his problem because it is his problem and he feels he should have some control.
All the characters in this book are interesting due to a common trait. They are all intelligent. This shows a different reality and allows readers to become involved with a fantasy disability. Both Bobby and Alicia, the blind girlfriend, have fathers that are scientists. Both mothers went to the same college and majored in literature. The ensuing “scientific” problem solving and solution are fiction but provide action and interesting reading.
The premise of this book is farfetched but Clements is able to make it work by keeping it action packed, tense, the growing friendship of Bobby and Alicia, and the fear factor.
Bobby’s invisibility is fantasy but it does create obstacles he must learn to overcome. During daylight and cold weather Bobby is able to completely cover himself to mingle among people. On warm days he simply goes without clothes. Elevators need to be avoided; although he is invisible he still takes up space. Some of these provide humor, such as when he goes to visit Alicia at home and her mother gives him a robe to wear, typical mother reaction and humorous. Alicia’s blindness is a real disability and is substantiated without being overdone. She uses a white cane, has a speaking device for her computer, and listens to audio books. The scene when the two of them go to the Sears building and the young man offers Alicia his arm is another disability marker. Alicia’s emotions are another realistic trait. The gravity of her blindness is obvious in many places but when Bobby tells her he is no longer invisible it slaps her in the face again.
Another problem Clements hints at is social invisibility. Sheila, also invisible, states that she has been disappearing for years. Many teens struggle with the feeling of invisibility. Very subtle clues throughout the book hint to Bobby’s awareness of this and how his physical disability sheds some insight to this problem.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Book Report (September/October 2002)
Fifteen-year-old Bobby has an unusual problem: his body has become invisible. His father (a physicist) and mother agree that no one outside the family can know about his situation. His father is sure that there is a scientific explanation for Bobby's condition but a search of databases produces no results. When he literally bumps into a blind girl whose father is an astronomer, the two scientists team up to search for a rational explanation, which becomes more urgent when Bobby's school alerts the State Department of Children and Family Services because nobody has seen Bobby for a month. This is a clever fantasy. Bobby is a smart boy who handles his unusual situation with humor and intelligence. The plot develops so logically that readers can accept that under the right set of circumstances, it might be possible to become invisible. A fascinating story about self-discovery. Highly Recommended. Charlotte Decker, Librarian, Children's Learning Center, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio
Horn Book (March/April, 2002)
For a slightly older audience than Frindle fans, Clements concocts a surprisingly fresh story from a familiar premise: what if you woke up one day to discover that you were invisible? This is exactly what happens to Bobby one February morning in Chicago's Hyde Park. His mom wants to call a doctor ("Yeah," thinks Bobby, "let's call one of those Invisible Teenager Specialists"); his dad, a physicist, is intrigued by the phenomenon; unfortunately (for them but not for the reader), both are soon injured in a car accident, leaving Bobby to handle his problem on his own. While the setup never becomes convincing, and the "scientific" solution to Bobby's invisibility is preposterous, Clements does a great job of placing readers in Bobby's dilemma. He makes us see just how complicated invisibility could be-like when you meet a girl and she doesn't know you're naked, first, because you're invisible, and second, because she's blind. If the blind character, Alicia, allows the book some easy virtue, it's well intentioned and easily digestible, and her friendship with Bobby is empathetically evoked-could it be love? The University of Chicago setting is equally authentically drawn; Bobby is a student at the Lab School, and what we have here is a well-done school-and-family story with a not-so-invisible wrinkle.
Kirkus Review starred (February 1, 2002)
Clements (The Jacket, above, etc.) looks beyond grade school for the first time with a multifaceted rumination on selfhood and various forms of invisibility. Fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up invisible one morning. His equally flummoxed parents, quickly grasping the personal and social dangers should the news get out, urge him to hole up at home. But boredom, worry, and the mutinous thought that he should have some say in the matter soon lead him into a string of adventurous outings, both wrapped up Invisible Man-style, and stark naked. Clements cranks up the stress with an ensuing traffic accident that puts both parents into the hospital, and, as weeks pass, the increasingly persistent attentions of the governmental child-welfare machine. He also provides a needed confidante for Bobby in Alicia, a teenager blinded by a head injury two years before and no stranger herself to that sense of being unseen. Both feeling angry, scared, and vulnerable, their relationship gets off to a wonderfully tumultuous start, but builds on a foundation of caring and loyalty into something solid enough to survive Bobby's final return to visibility. As always, Clements's genius for developing credible plot lines (even from oddball premises) makes suspension of disbelief no problem. His characters, each one fundamentally decent-there is never a chance that Bobby will go the way of the transparent voyeur in Cormier's Fade (1988), for instance-are easy to like. A readable, thought-provoking tour de force, alive with stimulating ideas, hard choices, and young people discovering bright possibilities ahead. (Fiction. 11-15)
E. CONNECTIONS
Students should decide if being invisible is positive or negative occurrence, and then write a persuasive paragraph supporting their position. After completing this activity students should decide if they could handle the changes that would happen in their lives.
Other books about disabilities:
Bingham, Kelly L. SHARK GIRL. ISBN 0763632074
Ferris, Jean. OF SOUND MIND. ISBN 0374455848
Paulsen, Gary. THE MONUMENT. ISBN 0440407826
Rattman S. L. HEAD ABOVE WATER. ISBN 1561452386
Friday, November 14, 2008
LON PO PO: A RED-RIDING HOOD STORY FROM CHINA
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Young, Ed. 1989. LON PO PO: A RED-RIDING HOOD STORY FROM CHINA. Ill. by Ed Young. New York: Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0698113829
B. PLOT SUMMARY
This is a Chinese version of the fairy-tale, Little Red Riding Hood. Three sisters are left along and the wolf comes calling disguised as Po Po. The story shows how the sisters regain control after the wolf gets into the house.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ed Young retells the Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood using dark, hazy illustrations to enhance the mood throughout the story. In this version, three sisters, Shang, Tao, and Paotze are left alone for the night while their mother visits their grandmother. That action allows the story to occur. The old wolf saw an opportunity and took it. The youngest two sisters are fooled by the wolf and that is how he gets into the house. The bed scene resembles the other version of this story, but in this story the quick-thinking oldest sister outsmarts the wolf. Resourceful Shang gets all of them out of the reach of the wolf by tempting him with gingko nuts. Young gives the girls childlike reactions along with problem solving skills. The dialogue is direct in this story.
The illustrations, also done by Young, enhance the text by creating a mood of darkness and fear. The illustrations are a combination of water color and pastels with smoky indistinct shapes. The focus is on the eyes of both the girls and the wolf. The vagueness of the illustrations adds to the allusion of fear.
Both the text and illustrations contain cultural markers. The illustrations are divided into panels of one to two per page. The names of the characters are another cultural marker. The gingko nut that is used to tempt the wolf is a food found in Asia.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book starred (February, 1990)
Young has given his fine retelling of this Red-Riding Hood variant the look of old Chinese decorative panels. The illustrations throb with the mystery and terror of the wolf and the round-eyed fright of the children. Review, p. 79.
Kirkus Review starred (1989)
This compelling tale, translated from a "collection of Chinese folktales," may be the finest book yet from this excellent illustrator--and is certainly among the most beautiful books this year. Three little girls are left alone while their mother, after warning them to keep the door well latched, goes to visit their grandmother (Po Po) for the night. Under cover of darkness, the wily wolf disguises himself as Po Po, prevails on the younger children to let him in, and blows out the candle. But when he doesn't feel like Po Po, the eldest, Shang, contrives to see his hairy face; then she devises a clever plan to trick the wolf and save them all. Another suspenseful version of this tale appeared in Yep's The Rainbow People (p. 774/C-138). Young's graceful translation is both mellower and nobler in tone, while the story is still satisfyingly frightening as the children contend in the dark with the invader. Young's dramatic illustrations, in watercolor and pastel, appear in vertical panels--one or two per page--with some double-spread vistas extending across two or three panels, a device he uses effectively in his wonderfully harmonious designs. The story's terror is both mitigated and enhanced by the artist's suggestive, soft-edged style: there's none of Hollywood's ghoulish precision, but plenty of the mists and shadows where creatures of the imagination thrive--highlighted by the sisters' expressive eyes. A symphony of lovely color progresses from page to page, always related yet fascinating in its variety and contrasts. Even Young's eloquent dedication--"To all the wolves, of the world for lending their good name as a tangible symbol for our darkness"--is perfect. Absolutely splendid.
School Library Journal (December 1989)
Gr 1-5-- A gripping variation on Red Riding Hood that involves three little sisters who outsmart the wolf ( lon or long in Cantonese) who has gained entry to their home under the false pretense of being their maternal grandmother ( Po Po ). The clever animal blows out the candle before the children can see him , and is actually in bed with them when they start asking the traditional ``Why, Grandma!'' questions. The eldest realizes the truth and tricks the wolf into letting them go outside to pick gingko nuts , and then lures him to his doom. The text possesses that matter-of-fact veracity that characterizes the best fairy tales. The watercolor and pastel pictures are remarkable: mystically beautiful in their depiction of the Chinese countryside, menacing in the exchanges with the wolf, and positively chilling in the scenes inside the house. Overall, this is an outstanding achievement that will be pored over again and again.--John Philbrook, San Francisco Pub . Lib .
School Library Journal (November 1998)
Gr 1-5-With forceful impressionistic paintings, Young artfully entices readers across the fairy-tale threshold into a story of three girls' fearless battle of wits with a famished wolf. (Dec. 1989)
E. CONNECTIONS
Children could compare different version of Little Red Riding Hood, choosing their favorite parts from each story and telling why they like it best.
Other versions of LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD:
Ernst, Lisa Campbell. LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD: A NEWFANGLED PRAIRIE TALE. ISBN 0689821913
Hyman, Trina Schart. LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD. ISBN 0823404706
Pinkney, Jerry. LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD. ISBN 0316013552
Young, Ed. 1989. LON PO PO: A RED-RIDING HOOD STORY FROM CHINA. Ill. by Ed Young. New York: Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0698113829
B. PLOT SUMMARY
This is a Chinese version of the fairy-tale, Little Red Riding Hood. Three sisters are left along and the wolf comes calling disguised as Po Po. The story shows how the sisters regain control after the wolf gets into the house.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ed Young retells the Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood using dark, hazy illustrations to enhance the mood throughout the story. In this version, three sisters, Shang, Tao, and Paotze are left alone for the night while their mother visits their grandmother. That action allows the story to occur. The old wolf saw an opportunity and took it. The youngest two sisters are fooled by the wolf and that is how he gets into the house. The bed scene resembles the other version of this story, but in this story the quick-thinking oldest sister outsmarts the wolf. Resourceful Shang gets all of them out of the reach of the wolf by tempting him with gingko nuts. Young gives the girls childlike reactions along with problem solving skills. The dialogue is direct in this story.
The illustrations, also done by Young, enhance the text by creating a mood of darkness and fear. The illustrations are a combination of water color and pastels with smoky indistinct shapes. The focus is on the eyes of both the girls and the wolf. The vagueness of the illustrations adds to the allusion of fear.
Both the text and illustrations contain cultural markers. The illustrations are divided into panels of one to two per page. The names of the characters are another cultural marker. The gingko nut that is used to tempt the wolf is a food found in Asia.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book starred (February, 1990)
Young has given his fine retelling of this Red-Riding Hood variant the look of old Chinese decorative panels. The illustrations throb with the mystery and terror of the wolf and the round-eyed fright of the children. Review, p. 79.
Kirkus Review starred (1989)
This compelling tale, translated from a "collection of Chinese folktales," may be the finest book yet from this excellent illustrator--and is certainly among the most beautiful books this year. Three little girls are left alone while their mother, after warning them to keep the door well latched, goes to visit their grandmother (Po Po) for the night. Under cover of darkness, the wily wolf disguises himself as Po Po, prevails on the younger children to let him in, and blows out the candle. But when he doesn't feel like Po Po, the eldest, Shang, contrives to see his hairy face; then she devises a clever plan to trick the wolf and save them all. Another suspenseful version of this tale appeared in Yep's The Rainbow People (p. 774/C-138). Young's graceful translation is both mellower and nobler in tone, while the story is still satisfyingly frightening as the children contend in the dark with the invader. Young's dramatic illustrations, in watercolor and pastel, appear in vertical panels--one or two per page--with some double-spread vistas extending across two or three panels, a device he uses effectively in his wonderfully harmonious designs. The story's terror is both mitigated and enhanced by the artist's suggestive, soft-edged style: there's none of Hollywood's ghoulish precision, but plenty of the mists and shadows where creatures of the imagination thrive--highlighted by the sisters' expressive eyes. A symphony of lovely color progresses from page to page, always related yet fascinating in its variety and contrasts. Even Young's eloquent dedication--"To all the wolves, of the world for lending their good name as a tangible symbol for our darkness"--is perfect. Absolutely splendid.
School Library Journal (December 1989)
Gr 1-5-- A gripping variation on Red Riding Hood that involves three little sisters who outsmart the wolf ( lon or long in Cantonese) who has gained entry to their home under the false pretense of being their maternal grandmother ( Po Po ). The clever animal blows out the candle before the children can see him , and is actually in bed with them when they start asking the traditional ``Why, Grandma!'' questions. The eldest realizes the truth and tricks the wolf into letting them go outside to pick gingko nuts , and then lures him to his doom. The text possesses that matter-of-fact veracity that characterizes the best fairy tales. The watercolor and pastel pictures are remarkable: mystically beautiful in their depiction of the Chinese countryside, menacing in the exchanges with the wolf, and positively chilling in the scenes inside the house. Overall, this is an outstanding achievement that will be pored over again and again.--John Philbrook, San Francisco Pub . Lib .
School Library Journal (November 1998)
Gr 1-5-With forceful impressionistic paintings, Young artfully entices readers across the fairy-tale threshold into a story of three girls' fearless battle of wits with a famished wolf. (Dec. 1989)
E. CONNECTIONS
Children could compare different version of Little Red Riding Hood, choosing their favorite parts from each story and telling why they like it best.
Other versions of LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD:
Ernst, Lisa Campbell. LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD: A NEWFANGLED PRAIRIE TALE. ISBN 0689821913
Hyman, Trina Schart. LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD. ISBN 0823404706
Pinkney, Jerry. LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD. ISBN 0316013552
GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Say, Allen. 1993. GRANDFATHER’S JOURNEY. Ill. by Allen Say. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395570352
B. PLOT SUMMARY
This is the story of a man’s journey through life and between two countries, Japan, and America, as told by his grandson. The story tells of his live and travels and how he yearns for the other country when he is not there.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Allen Say creates a book not about a struggle with a conflict to solve but rather a telling of experiences that happened throughout this grandfather’s life. Using both text and illustrations Say creates a vision of life’s wonder and endless opportunity as well as harsh realities. He chronicles the life of a man by including major life events. The text is simple and direct without extra details. The book pares down his life to show the really important things. The book is a photo album with captions.
The illustrations are snapshots of his grandfather’s life and travels. They portray vivid images of his life’s travels.
Cultural markers exist throughout the book. At the beginning, Japan is named as his grandfather’s home. There is comparison of the rivers and mountains of both America and Japan. Songbirds remind him of Japan. There is reference to the bombs falling on Japan and how nothing was left.
The illustrations enhance the cultural impact of this book. Different modes of dress are represented as well as various hairstyles and body types. The changes in the dress and hairstyles reflect the passing of time. The man appears in Japanese clothes at the beginning and ending of this book making a visual statement of life’s circle.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book starred (March, 1994)
Say's grandfather travels throughout North America as a young man but, unable to forget his homeland, returns to Japan with his family, where the author is born. Say now lives in California and returns to his native land from time to time. "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other. I think I know my grandfather now." The immigrant experience has rarely been so poignantly evoked as it is in this direct, lyrical narrative, accompanied by soft-toned watercolors.
Kirkus Review starred (1993)
"The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other," observes Say near the end of this poignant account of three generations of his family's moves between Japan and the US. Say's grandfather came here as a young man, married, and lived in San Francisco until his daughter was "nearly grown" before returning to Japan; his treasured plan to visit the US once again was delayed, forever as it turned out, by WW II. Say's American-born mother married in Japan (cf. Tree of Cranes, 1991), while he, born in Yokohama, came here at 16. In lucid, graceful language, he chronicles these passages, reflecting his love of both countries--plus the expatriate's ever-present longing for home--in both simple text and exquisitely composed watercolors: scenes of his grandfather discovering his new country and returning with new appreciation to the old, and pensive portraits recalling family photos, including two evoking the war and its aftermath. Lovely, quiet--with a tenderness and warmth new to this fine illustrator's work.
Publishers Weekly (August 16, 1993)
Say transcends the achievements of his Tree of Cranes and A River Dream with this breathtaking picture book, at once a very personal tribute to his grandfather and a distillation of universally shared emotions. Elegantly honed text accompanies large, formally composed paintings to convey Say's family history; the sepia tones and delicately faded colors of the art suggest a much-cherished and carefully preserved family album. A portrait of Say's grandfather opens the book, showing him in traditional Japanese dress, ``a young man when he left his home in Japan and went to see the world.'' Crossing the Pacific on a steamship, he arrives in North America and explores the land by train, by riverboat and on foot. One especially arresting, light-washed painting presents Grandfather in shirtsleeves, vest and tie, holding his suit jacket under his arm as he gazes over a prairie: ``The endless farm fields reminded him of the ocean he had crossed.'' Grandfather discovers that ``the more he traveled, the more he longed to see new places,'' but he nevertheless returns home to marry his childhood sweetheart. He brings her to California, where their daughter is born, but her youth reminds him inexorably of his own, and when she is nearly grown, he takes the family back to Japan. The restlessness endures: the daughter cannot be at home in a Japanese village; he himself cannot forget California. Although war shatters Grandfather's hopes to revisit his second land, years later Say repeats the journey: ``I came to love the land my grandfather had loved, and I stayed on and on until I had a daughter of my own.'' The internal struggle of his grandfather also continues within Say, who writes that he, too, misses the places of his childhood and periodically returns to them. The tranquility of the art and the powerfully controlled prose underscore the profundity of Say's themes, investing the final line with an abiding, aching pathos: ``The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other.'' Ages 4-8. (Oct.)
School Library Journal (September 1998)
Gr 3 Up-A personal history of three generations of the author's family that points out the emotions that are common to the immigrant experience. Splendid, photoreal watercolors have the look of formal family portraits or candid snapshots, all set against idyllic landscapes in Japan and in the U.S. (Sept., 1993)
E. CONNECTIONS
Young readers can draw and tell of a place they miss when they are not there.
Other books by Allen Say:
Say, Allen. THE BICYCLE MAN. ISBN 0395322543
Say, Allen. THE LOST LAKE. ISBN 0395630363
Say, Allen. A RIVER DREAM. ISBN 0295482941
Say, Allen. 1993. GRANDFATHER’S JOURNEY. Ill. by Allen Say. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395570352
B. PLOT SUMMARY
This is the story of a man’s journey through life and between two countries, Japan, and America, as told by his grandson. The story tells of his live and travels and how he yearns for the other country when he is not there.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Allen Say creates a book not about a struggle with a conflict to solve but rather a telling of experiences that happened throughout this grandfather’s life. Using both text and illustrations Say creates a vision of life’s wonder and endless opportunity as well as harsh realities. He chronicles the life of a man by including major life events. The text is simple and direct without extra details. The book pares down his life to show the really important things. The book is a photo album with captions.
The illustrations are snapshots of his grandfather’s life and travels. They portray vivid images of his life’s travels.
Cultural markers exist throughout the book. At the beginning, Japan is named as his grandfather’s home. There is comparison of the rivers and mountains of both America and Japan. Songbirds remind him of Japan. There is reference to the bombs falling on Japan and how nothing was left.
The illustrations enhance the cultural impact of this book. Different modes of dress are represented as well as various hairstyles and body types. The changes in the dress and hairstyles reflect the passing of time. The man appears in Japanese clothes at the beginning and ending of this book making a visual statement of life’s circle.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book starred (March, 1994)
Say's grandfather travels throughout North America as a young man but, unable to forget his homeland, returns to Japan with his family, where the author is born. Say now lives in California and returns to his native land from time to time. "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other. I think I know my grandfather now." The immigrant experience has rarely been so poignantly evoked as it is in this direct, lyrical narrative, accompanied by soft-toned watercolors.
Kirkus Review starred (1993)
"The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other," observes Say near the end of this poignant account of three generations of his family's moves between Japan and the US. Say's grandfather came here as a young man, married, and lived in San Francisco until his daughter was "nearly grown" before returning to Japan; his treasured plan to visit the US once again was delayed, forever as it turned out, by WW II. Say's American-born mother married in Japan (cf. Tree of Cranes, 1991), while he, born in Yokohama, came here at 16. In lucid, graceful language, he chronicles these passages, reflecting his love of both countries--plus the expatriate's ever-present longing for home--in both simple text and exquisitely composed watercolors: scenes of his grandfather discovering his new country and returning with new appreciation to the old, and pensive portraits recalling family photos, including two evoking the war and its aftermath. Lovely, quiet--with a tenderness and warmth new to this fine illustrator's work.
Publishers Weekly (August 16, 1993)
Say transcends the achievements of his Tree of Cranes and A River Dream with this breathtaking picture book, at once a very personal tribute to his grandfather and a distillation of universally shared emotions. Elegantly honed text accompanies large, formally composed paintings to convey Say's family history; the sepia tones and delicately faded colors of the art suggest a much-cherished and carefully preserved family album. A portrait of Say's grandfather opens the book, showing him in traditional Japanese dress, ``a young man when he left his home in Japan and went to see the world.'' Crossing the Pacific on a steamship, he arrives in North America and explores the land by train, by riverboat and on foot. One especially arresting, light-washed painting presents Grandfather in shirtsleeves, vest and tie, holding his suit jacket under his arm as he gazes over a prairie: ``The endless farm fields reminded him of the ocean he had crossed.'' Grandfather discovers that ``the more he traveled, the more he longed to see new places,'' but he nevertheless returns home to marry his childhood sweetheart. He brings her to California, where their daughter is born, but her youth reminds him inexorably of his own, and when she is nearly grown, he takes the family back to Japan. The restlessness endures: the daughter cannot be at home in a Japanese village; he himself cannot forget California. Although war shatters Grandfather's hopes to revisit his second land, years later Say repeats the journey: ``I came to love the land my grandfather had loved, and I stayed on and on until I had a daughter of my own.'' The internal struggle of his grandfather also continues within Say, who writes that he, too, misses the places of his childhood and periodically returns to them. The tranquility of the art and the powerfully controlled prose underscore the profundity of Say's themes, investing the final line with an abiding, aching pathos: ``The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other.'' Ages 4-8. (Oct.)
School Library Journal (September 1998)
Gr 3 Up-A personal history of three generations of the author's family that points out the emotions that are common to the immigrant experience. Splendid, photoreal watercolors have the look of formal family portraits or candid snapshots, all set against idyllic landscapes in Japan and in the U.S. (Sept., 1993)
E. CONNECTIONS
Young readers can draw and tell of a place they miss when they are not there.
Other books by Allen Say:
Say, Allen. THE BICYCLE MAN. ISBN 0395322543
Say, Allen. THE LOST LAKE. ISBN 0395630363
Say, Allen. A RIVER DREAM. ISBN 0295482941
THE STAR FISHER
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Yep, Laurence. 1991. THE STARFISHER. New York: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 0590462431
B. PLOT SUMMARY
In 1927 Joan and her family move from Ohio to West Virginia. As the first Chinese-Americans in a West Virginia town, fifteen year old Joan struggles with growing up, realizing and accepting her mother as a regular person, and the prejudice of the town’s people. Acceptance of the fact that her Chinese culture makes her different complicates these struggles.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Yep creates a book that is unique to the Chinese struggle for acceptance in America and universal in a daughter’s growth to maturity. Yep develops a cast of individually strong characters through which he tells his story. The story is told through fifteen year old Joan who is strong beyond her years. As the oldest child she cares for her two younger siblings as well helping her parents in the family laundry business. Often she is called upon to be the primary translator for her parents due to their very limited English speaking skills. This strength is exhibited the second day in West Virginia when she is sent to the store for bread with a very limited budget. The conversation with her mother before this excursion and the resulting interaction with an unfamiliar merchant show that although she really does not want to do this, she will obey her mother and she refuses to be intimidated by the merchant. Mrs. Lee stands alone and appears somewhat removed until the reader understands she is the backbone of the family. Her Chinese upbringing is a guiding force that creates great friction when raising children in America. Change is difficult for her, but for her children she tries.
Two themes weave through this story. One is the struggle between mother and daughter that occurs when the daughter is becoming independent. The other theme is the blending of the Chinese culture into American living. Both struggles create support and conflict with the other.
Many cultural markers are evident throughout this book. Early in the book Joan tells her little sister, Emily, a story to get her to go to sleep. It is a story about a starfisher, a traditional Chinese story. This story is referred to throughout the book as Joan draws comparisons to it. Another cultural marker is the respect and obedience the children show their parents in the book. This is realistically portrayed because they (the children) sometimes argue, they know which parent to ask permission to do things, and sometimes they find ways around strictly following parental directions. An example is Joan’s translations of English for her mother. The cultural marker of language was used in an interesting format. Readers are to note that words in italics are spoken in English while the remaining text is occurring is Chinese. This was a unique manner of including a language that many do not read. Traditional Chinese values are evident in the struggle Mrs. Lee has dealing with living in modern America. She has a hard time accepting the changes that have been thrust upon her in this new country that shows no respect for what she thinks is proper and right. Yep shows a realistic struggle between being Chinese and living in America using characters with both positive and negative traits.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly, 05/10/1991
Fifteen-year-old Joan Lee tells of her family's hard-won acceptance as the first Chinese-Americans in a small West Virginia town. It is 1927, and few in Clarksburg have the breadth of experience or spirit to offer foreigners their friendship. The Lees are greeted instead by verbal jibes and threats painted on their fence, until their remarkable landlady becomes a catalyst for change. Beneath Joan's direct, deceptively simple narrative voice lies an emotionally complex tale. Drawing on his mother's immigrant experience as the basis for this moving story, Newbery Honor author Yep ( Drag on wings ; The Rainbow People ) skillfully avoids pat or reductive explanations. He gives his heroine, for example, the maturity to recognize the biases her own family holds as well as the courage to stand up to the more blatant and violent prejudices of her neighbors. A traditional Chinese myth about the starfisher--half-bird, half-human, confined to the earth but yearning for the stars--weaves through the story, a poetic but insistent metaphor for Joan's own hopes and dreams. Ages 8-up. (May)
School Library Journal, 05/01/1991
Gr 6-8-- On the first night in their new home in a small West Virginia town, 15-year-old Joan Lee lulls her little sister to sleep with the story of a magical kingfisher who is held captive in human form by her mortal husband, but who is later helped by her daughter. She soon joins her mother in the stars, but is sometimes seen, cometlike, attempting to bridge heaven and Earth. Joan, the oldest daughter of the only Chinese family in 1927 Clarksburg, at first sees only herself in the story's symbols: caught between two worlds. As she braves the curiosity and prejudice of the townspeople, helps bridge a friendship between her mother and an elderly neighbor, and gets acquainted with an enigmatic classmate, she realizes that she is not the only one struggling to find a niche. Joan's story will appeal to any reader who has ever felt excluded, but she and her family seem to hold many more stories begging to be shared. Based on tales Yep gleaned from his mother and her family, whose resilience and humor shine through, The Star Fisher offers tantalizing glimpses of interesting characters, but abruptly shifts focus from a family story with the younger sister as a strong character to a relationship between mother and daughter. Basically, there is too much depth and complexity here to be confined to one book. --Carla Kozak, San Francisco Public Library
Kirkus Reviews, 04/15/1991
The author of Dragonwings (Newbery Honor, 1976) draws on his mother's childhood to depict a Chinese family's experiences when they arrive from Ohio to open a West Virginia laundry in 1927. Eldest child Joan Lee is 15; unlike their parents, she and her siblings were born in the US and speak English. Their first two encounters set up the difficulties they will face and how they will be countered: when they step off the train in Clarksburg, ne'er-do-well bigots greet them with cruel taunts; but their landlady, a retired schoolmistress, warmly welcomes and befriends them. Still, ""The Star Fisher,"" a Chinese folk tale Joan shares with her little sister, symbolizes Joan's position even after she gains acceptance: like the child of the selkie-like bird-wife in the story, she sees through two sets of eyes. Yep has shaped his family's stories into a rather old-fashioned novel of small-town prejudice bowing to good will and some humorously applied ingenuity. Joan is provided with another spunky outcast as a friend; pungent family interaction and abundant period details help to complete a vivid picture. While learning to cook, Mrs. Lee bakes a series of inedible apple pies that strain credulity, but they do serve the plot well when she finally bakes a good one and makes a hit at a church social. A likable, thoughtful story about a young woman learning to value her own differences. Copyright 2003, VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Publishers Weekly, 08/03/1992
Based on the author's own experiences, this Christopher Award winner movingly describes a Chinese American family's adjustment to their new home in West Virginia in 1927 and the prejudice they encounter there. Ages 10-14. (Aug.)
E. Connections
Have students brainstorm several important events in the story, and then have them write about why they think that event was important to the story.
Other books about Chinese immigration include these titles:
Engler, Mary. I. M. PEI. ISBN 1410910563
Thornton, Jeremy. THE GOLD RUSH: CHINESE IMMIGRANTS COME TO AMERICA (1848-1882) ISBN 0823968332
Yep, Laurence. THE DRAGON’S CHILD; A STORY OF ANGEL ISLAND ISBN 0060276924
Yep, Laurence. 1991. THE STARFISHER. New York: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 0590462431
B. PLOT SUMMARY
In 1927 Joan and her family move from Ohio to West Virginia. As the first Chinese-Americans in a West Virginia town, fifteen year old Joan struggles with growing up, realizing and accepting her mother as a regular person, and the prejudice of the town’s people. Acceptance of the fact that her Chinese culture makes her different complicates these struggles.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Yep creates a book that is unique to the Chinese struggle for acceptance in America and universal in a daughter’s growth to maturity. Yep develops a cast of individually strong characters through which he tells his story. The story is told through fifteen year old Joan who is strong beyond her years. As the oldest child she cares for her two younger siblings as well helping her parents in the family laundry business. Often she is called upon to be the primary translator for her parents due to their very limited English speaking skills. This strength is exhibited the second day in West Virginia when she is sent to the store for bread with a very limited budget. The conversation with her mother before this excursion and the resulting interaction with an unfamiliar merchant show that although she really does not want to do this, she will obey her mother and she refuses to be intimidated by the merchant. Mrs. Lee stands alone and appears somewhat removed until the reader understands she is the backbone of the family. Her Chinese upbringing is a guiding force that creates great friction when raising children in America. Change is difficult for her, but for her children she tries.
Two themes weave through this story. One is the struggle between mother and daughter that occurs when the daughter is becoming independent. The other theme is the blending of the Chinese culture into American living. Both struggles create support and conflict with the other.
Many cultural markers are evident throughout this book. Early in the book Joan tells her little sister, Emily, a story to get her to go to sleep. It is a story about a starfisher, a traditional Chinese story. This story is referred to throughout the book as Joan draws comparisons to it. Another cultural marker is the respect and obedience the children show their parents in the book. This is realistically portrayed because they (the children) sometimes argue, they know which parent to ask permission to do things, and sometimes they find ways around strictly following parental directions. An example is Joan’s translations of English for her mother. The cultural marker of language was used in an interesting format. Readers are to note that words in italics are spoken in English while the remaining text is occurring is Chinese. This was a unique manner of including a language that many do not read. Traditional Chinese values are evident in the struggle Mrs. Lee has dealing with living in modern America. She has a hard time accepting the changes that have been thrust upon her in this new country that shows no respect for what she thinks is proper and right. Yep shows a realistic struggle between being Chinese and living in America using characters with both positive and negative traits.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly, 05/10/1991
Fifteen-year-old Joan Lee tells of her family's hard-won acceptance as the first Chinese-Americans in a small West Virginia town. It is 1927, and few in Clarksburg have the breadth of experience or spirit to offer foreigners their friendship. The Lees are greeted instead by verbal jibes and threats painted on their fence, until their remarkable landlady becomes a catalyst for change. Beneath Joan's direct, deceptively simple narrative voice lies an emotionally complex tale. Drawing on his mother's immigrant experience as the basis for this moving story, Newbery Honor author Yep ( Drag on wings ; The Rainbow People ) skillfully avoids pat or reductive explanations. He gives his heroine, for example, the maturity to recognize the biases her own family holds as well as the courage to stand up to the more blatant and violent prejudices of her neighbors. A traditional Chinese myth about the starfisher--half-bird, half-human, confined to the earth but yearning for the stars--weaves through the story, a poetic but insistent metaphor for Joan's own hopes and dreams. Ages 8-up. (May)
School Library Journal, 05/01/1991
Gr 6-8-- On the first night in their new home in a small West Virginia town, 15-year-old Joan Lee lulls her little sister to sleep with the story of a magical kingfisher who is held captive in human form by her mortal husband, but who is later helped by her daughter. She soon joins her mother in the stars, but is sometimes seen, cometlike, attempting to bridge heaven and Earth. Joan, the oldest daughter of the only Chinese family in 1927 Clarksburg, at first sees only herself in the story's symbols: caught between two worlds. As she braves the curiosity and prejudice of the townspeople, helps bridge a friendship between her mother and an elderly neighbor, and gets acquainted with an enigmatic classmate, she realizes that she is not the only one struggling to find a niche. Joan's story will appeal to any reader who has ever felt excluded, but she and her family seem to hold many more stories begging to be shared. Based on tales Yep gleaned from his mother and her family, whose resilience and humor shine through, The Star Fisher offers tantalizing glimpses of interesting characters, but abruptly shifts focus from a family story with the younger sister as a strong character to a relationship between mother and daughter. Basically, there is too much depth and complexity here to be confined to one book. --Carla Kozak, San Francisco Public Library
Kirkus Reviews, 04/15/1991
The author of Dragonwings (Newbery Honor, 1976) draws on his mother's childhood to depict a Chinese family's experiences when they arrive from Ohio to open a West Virginia laundry in 1927. Eldest child Joan Lee is 15; unlike their parents, she and her siblings were born in the US and speak English. Their first two encounters set up the difficulties they will face and how they will be countered: when they step off the train in Clarksburg, ne'er-do-well bigots greet them with cruel taunts; but their landlady, a retired schoolmistress, warmly welcomes and befriends them. Still, ""The Star Fisher,"" a Chinese folk tale Joan shares with her little sister, symbolizes Joan's position even after she gains acceptance: like the child of the selkie-like bird-wife in the story, she sees through two sets of eyes. Yep has shaped his family's stories into a rather old-fashioned novel of small-town prejudice bowing to good will and some humorously applied ingenuity. Joan is provided with another spunky outcast as a friend; pungent family interaction and abundant period details help to complete a vivid picture. While learning to cook, Mrs. Lee bakes a series of inedible apple pies that strain credulity, but they do serve the plot well when she finally bakes a good one and makes a hit at a church social. A likable, thoughtful story about a young woman learning to value her own differences. Copyright 2003, VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Publishers Weekly, 08/03/1992
Based on the author's own experiences, this Christopher Award winner movingly describes a Chinese American family's adjustment to their new home in West Virginia in 1927 and the prejudice they encounter there. Ages 10-14. (Aug.)
E. Connections
Have students brainstorm several important events in the story, and then have them write about why they think that event was important to the story.
Other books about Chinese immigration include these titles:
Engler, Mary. I. M. PEI. ISBN 1410910563
Thornton, Jeremy. THE GOLD RUSH: CHINESE IMMIGRANTS COME TO AMERICA (1848-1882) ISBN 0823968332
Yep, Laurence. THE DRAGON’S CHILD; A STORY OF ANGEL ISLAND ISBN 0060276924
Friday, October 31, 2008
THE GREAT BALL GAME
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bruchac, Joseph. 1994. THE GREAT BALL GAME: A MUSKOGEE STORY. Ill. by Susan L. Roth. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0803715390
B. PLOT SUMMARY
As a resolution to a great argument about who was better, those with teeth or those with wings, the animals and birds agree to play a game. As the sides are picked no one wants the bat. The animals finally agree to take the bat. The winner of the game gets to pick a penalty for the loser.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This folktale relates how the birds came to fly south in the winter. This version by Joseph Bruchac is based on Louis Littlecoon’s story. The story is a straightforward telling of an argument and the resolution. While the characters in the story are animals it is easy to transfer the conflict resolution to humans.
The illustrations done by Susan L. Roth visually represent and contribute added meaning to the text. The illustrations are colleges from paper collected from around the world. Although the art is coarse it depicts the essence of the story to readers with its simple details. The vivid colors show the story as night falls and the bat arrives to win the game for the animals.
The story shows two opposing sides agreeing to solve a disagreement without fighting. The animal leaders, Crane and Bear, agree to play a game to solve their argument. Typical of childish behavior neither side wanted Bat to be on their side because he was different. The animals finally agree because Bear says size does not always matter. Both the sides participate with vigor before Bat swoops in and wins the game for the animals. Displaying grace, the Animals allow Bat to set the penalty and the Birds accept the penalty without complaint.
In a note at the beginning of the book Bruchac states this story is from Oklahoma Muscogee elder, Louis Littlecoon. In the same note Bruchac also declares that ball games of kinds have been used to settle arguments. He chose to make the game stickball in this story.
D. REVIEW EXCERPT
Booklist (Vol. 91, No. 2 (September 15, 1994))
Ages 4-8. In this Muskogee Indian tale, the birds argue with the beasts about which are better--those with teeth or those with wings. When the quarrel escalates to the brink of war, both sides agree to settle their disagreement on the playing field. The first side to score a point will set the other's punishment. The bat, who has wings as well as teeth, is initially spurned by both sides, then permitted to join the beasts. He scores the goal and banishes the birds for half the year. "So it is that the Birds fly south each winter. . . . And every day at dusk Bat still comes flying to see if the Animals need him to play ball." Roth's dynamic collages combine cut papers of varied textures and hues to create a series of effective illustrations. Short and well told, this appealing pourquoi tale lends itself to reading aloud.
Horn Book starred (March, 1995)
The Birds and the Animals decide to settle a disagreement with a stickball game, and the first side to score sets the losers' penalty. Bat, originally excluded from both teams, flies at dusk to help the Animals win. The Birds' penalty? They must leave for half of each year, which explains why birds fly south each winter. Artful cut- and torn-paper collages feature creatures juxtaposed against brilliantly colored or patterned backgrounds.
Kirkus Review (1994)
How the bat found its niche in the animal kingdom and why birds fly south in winter are explained in this Muskogee tale, one of a dozen similar stories on the topic found in Native American lore. In this version, a disagreement has arisen between the birds and the animals. They take to the stickball field (stickball here is a Native American game similar to lacrosse) to resolve the affair. The bat is spurned by the birds as too small, but the animals take him in, if only as an alternate. As twilight settles over the playing field, the bat comes into his element and scores the winning goal. He then levies a penalty on the birds: They must leave that land for six months every year, while the bats stay home and rest. As an explanation for migration, this story has it all over the stellar-geo-electromagnetic theory currently in vogue. Roth's distinctive collages have a Red Grooms busyness ranging from bright and appealing to appropriately subtle, rendered from elegant handmade papers gathered in Tibet, Italy, Japan, and Thailand. There is one problem, though. Many bats don't stay home and rest. They migrate, too. Oops.
E. CONNECTIONS
Young students can brainstorm other ways to settle arguments.
Bruchac, Joseph. 1994. THE GREAT BALL GAME: A MUSKOGEE STORY. Ill. by Susan L. Roth. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0803715390
B. PLOT SUMMARY
As a resolution to a great argument about who was better, those with teeth or those with wings, the animals and birds agree to play a game. As the sides are picked no one wants the bat. The animals finally agree to take the bat. The winner of the game gets to pick a penalty for the loser.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This folktale relates how the birds came to fly south in the winter. This version by Joseph Bruchac is based on Louis Littlecoon’s story. The story is a straightforward telling of an argument and the resolution. While the characters in the story are animals it is easy to transfer the conflict resolution to humans.
The illustrations done by Susan L. Roth visually represent and contribute added meaning to the text. The illustrations are colleges from paper collected from around the world. Although the art is coarse it depicts the essence of the story to readers with its simple details. The vivid colors show the story as night falls and the bat arrives to win the game for the animals.
The story shows two opposing sides agreeing to solve a disagreement without fighting. The animal leaders, Crane and Bear, agree to play a game to solve their argument. Typical of childish behavior neither side wanted Bat to be on their side because he was different. The animals finally agree because Bear says size does not always matter. Both the sides participate with vigor before Bat swoops in and wins the game for the animals. Displaying grace, the Animals allow Bat to set the penalty and the Birds accept the penalty without complaint.
In a note at the beginning of the book Bruchac states this story is from Oklahoma Muscogee elder, Louis Littlecoon. In the same note Bruchac also declares that ball games of kinds have been used to settle arguments. He chose to make the game stickball in this story.
D. REVIEW EXCERPT
Booklist (Vol. 91, No. 2 (September 15, 1994))
Ages 4-8. In this Muskogee Indian tale, the birds argue with the beasts about which are better--those with teeth or those with wings. When the quarrel escalates to the brink of war, both sides agree to settle their disagreement on the playing field. The first side to score a point will set the other's punishment. The bat, who has wings as well as teeth, is initially spurned by both sides, then permitted to join the beasts. He scores the goal and banishes the birds for half the year. "So it is that the Birds fly south each winter. . . . And every day at dusk Bat still comes flying to see if the Animals need him to play ball." Roth's dynamic collages combine cut papers of varied textures and hues to create a series of effective illustrations. Short and well told, this appealing pourquoi tale lends itself to reading aloud.
Horn Book starred (March, 1995)
The Birds and the Animals decide to settle a disagreement with a stickball game, and the first side to score sets the losers' penalty. Bat, originally excluded from both teams, flies at dusk to help the Animals win. The Birds' penalty? They must leave for half of each year, which explains why birds fly south each winter. Artful cut- and torn-paper collages feature creatures juxtaposed against brilliantly colored or patterned backgrounds.
Kirkus Review (1994)
How the bat found its niche in the animal kingdom and why birds fly south in winter are explained in this Muskogee tale, one of a dozen similar stories on the topic found in Native American lore. In this version, a disagreement has arisen between the birds and the animals. They take to the stickball field (stickball here is a Native American game similar to lacrosse) to resolve the affair. The bat is spurned by the birds as too small, but the animals take him in, if only as an alternate. As twilight settles over the playing field, the bat comes into his element and scores the winning goal. He then levies a penalty on the birds: They must leave that land for six months every year, while the bats stay home and rest. As an explanation for migration, this story has it all over the stellar-geo-electromagnetic theory currently in vogue. Roth's distinctive collages have a Red Grooms busyness ranging from bright and appealing to appropriately subtle, rendered from elegant handmade papers gathered in Tibet, Italy, Japan, and Thailand. There is one problem, though. Many bats don't stay home and rest. They migrate, too. Oops.
E. CONNECTIONS
Young students can brainstorm other ways to settle arguments.
RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2001. RAIN IN NOT MY INDIAN NAME. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN 0688173977
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Fourteen year old Rain is just emerging from her grief over the death of her best friend, Galen, six months ago. Complicating her return to awareness are the issues common to her age such as sex and self awareness. Her Native American heritage, family, small town politics, Galen’s mother, and “second-best” friendship all impact Rain’s recovery from grief.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Smith creates a story of life as the main character, Cassidy Rain Berghoff, emerges from her journey of grief following the death of her best friend. Smith imbues Rain with traits universal to teens. Coming of age, self-awareness, and sexual awareness are part of growing up. Who am I? Intensifying these feelings is the death of her friend, Galen, six months earlier. Rain’s character is insecure in her heritage, misses her deceased mother, feels unconnected to her military father, and wonders about the change in her older brother. Smith has Rain emerging from the isolation of her grief to realize that life has moved on and things are different. Smith depicts Rain as being tired of her self-imposed isolation and ready to rejoin life as it is happening now.
Smith uses Rain’s journal entries to begin each chapter keeping the focus on her thoughts and feelings. Multiple story lines are entwined throughout and around Rain’s grief. Rain’s brother and girlfriend become engaged and pregnant, her grandfather vacations in Las Vegas and remarries, her Aunt Georgia’s Indian Camp, and the political machinations of Galen’s mother are at once separate and a part of Rain’s story.
A tribal member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Smith includes many cultural markers in this story. Early in the book, Smith identifies Rain’s heritage. Rain states, “I’m Muscogee Creek-Cherokee and Scots-Irish on Mom’s side, Irish-German-Ojibway on Dad’s.” She continues with comments about her Gramma and her father’s people in Michigan. Rain doesn’t want to be a part of Aunt Georgia’s Indian Camp but worries about the disrespect of not joining. She asks to take photos of the camp members and worries when the reporter doesn’t show respect. Smith shows Rain and her brother Fynn as contemporary young adults knowledgeable and enthusiastic about computer technology. During the book, Rain’s second-best friend, Queenie, alludes to having a Native American heritage; her great-grandfather was a Seminole. In a journal entry Smith shows the conflict between cultures when Flynn changes his college application from Native American to White when his father thinks it is too personal. Smith also comments on the physical features of the characters. Spence’s green eyes kept him from passing as a full blood. Smith used specific names and locations throughout this book.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book (Spring, 2002)
Fourteen-year-old Rain, of mixed Native American heritage, is devastated by her best friend's death. She comes out of her self-imposed seclusion to shoot photos for a local newspaper feature on a summer youth program for Native Americans in her Kansas hometown. The engaging first-person narrative convincingly portrays Rain's grieving process and addresses the varying degrees of prejudice she encounters.
Kirkus Review (May 1, 2001)
Tender, funny, and full of sharp wordplay, Smith's first novel deals with a whole host of interconnecting issues, but the center is Rain herself. At just 14, Rain and her best friend Galen promise always to celebrate their birthdays; hers on New Year's Day, his on the Fourth of July. They had just begun to see themselves not just as best friends but as girl and boy that New Year's Eve night, when Galen is killed in a freak accident. Rain has already lost her mother and her Dad's stationed in Guam. She's close to her Grandpa, her older brother, and his girlfriend, who realize her loss and sorrow but have complicated lives of their own. Her response to Galen's death is tied to her tentative explorations of her own mixed Native American and German/Irish heritage, her need and desire to learn photography and to wield it well, and the general stirrings of self and sex common to her age. Rain has to maneuver all of this through local politics involving Galen's mother and the local American Indian Youth Camp (with its handful of local Indian teens, and Rain's erstwhile "second-best friend" who is black). What's amazing here is Rain's insight into her own pain, and how cleanly she uses language to contain it. (Fiction. 11-14)
School Library Journal (June 1, 2001)
Gr 5-9-Rain and Galen have been friends forever, but for Rain's 14th birthday, the thrill of finding that her burgeoning romantic feelings are being reciprocated puts the evening into a special-memory category. The next morning, she learns that Galen was killed in an accident on the way home. Plunged into despair, Rain refuses to attend the funeral and cuts herself off from her friends. Skipping to six months later, the main portion of the story takes place as she thinks about Galen's upcoming birthday and summer plans are complicated by the girl's Aunt Georgia's Indian Camp and political efforts to cut its funding. Rain participates in nothing and her family members, loving though they are, seem preoccupied with their own needs and concerns. Gradually, Rain's love of photography resurfaces and lands her an assignment with the local newspaper. She becomes involved in examining her own heritage, the stereotypical reactions to it, and her own small-town limitations. There is a surprising amount of humor in this tender novel. It is one of the best portrayals around of kids whose heritage is mixed but still very important in their lives. As feelings about the public funding of Indian Camp heat up, the emotions and values of the characters remain crystal clear and completely in focus. It's Rain's story and she cannot be reduced to simple labels. A wonderful novel of a present-day teen and her "patchwork tribe."-Carol A. Edwards, Sonoma County Library, Santa Rosa, CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
C. CONNECTIONS
Students can discuss the stages of grief and the importance of grieving to the healing process.
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2001. RAIN IN NOT MY INDIAN NAME. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN 0688173977
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Fourteen year old Rain is just emerging from her grief over the death of her best friend, Galen, six months ago. Complicating her return to awareness are the issues common to her age such as sex and self awareness. Her Native American heritage, family, small town politics, Galen’s mother, and “second-best” friendship all impact Rain’s recovery from grief.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Smith creates a story of life as the main character, Cassidy Rain Berghoff, emerges from her journey of grief following the death of her best friend. Smith imbues Rain with traits universal to teens. Coming of age, self-awareness, and sexual awareness are part of growing up. Who am I? Intensifying these feelings is the death of her friend, Galen, six months earlier. Rain’s character is insecure in her heritage, misses her deceased mother, feels unconnected to her military father, and wonders about the change in her older brother. Smith has Rain emerging from the isolation of her grief to realize that life has moved on and things are different. Smith depicts Rain as being tired of her self-imposed isolation and ready to rejoin life as it is happening now.
Smith uses Rain’s journal entries to begin each chapter keeping the focus on her thoughts and feelings. Multiple story lines are entwined throughout and around Rain’s grief. Rain’s brother and girlfriend become engaged and pregnant, her grandfather vacations in Las Vegas and remarries, her Aunt Georgia’s Indian Camp, and the political machinations of Galen’s mother are at once separate and a part of Rain’s story.
A tribal member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Smith includes many cultural markers in this story. Early in the book, Smith identifies Rain’s heritage. Rain states, “I’m Muscogee Creek-Cherokee and Scots-Irish on Mom’s side, Irish-German-Ojibway on Dad’s.” She continues with comments about her Gramma and her father’s people in Michigan. Rain doesn’t want to be a part of Aunt Georgia’s Indian Camp but worries about the disrespect of not joining. She asks to take photos of the camp members and worries when the reporter doesn’t show respect. Smith shows Rain and her brother Fynn as contemporary young adults knowledgeable and enthusiastic about computer technology. During the book, Rain’s second-best friend, Queenie, alludes to having a Native American heritage; her great-grandfather was a Seminole. In a journal entry Smith shows the conflict between cultures when Flynn changes his college application from Native American to White when his father thinks it is too personal. Smith also comments on the physical features of the characters. Spence’s green eyes kept him from passing as a full blood. Smith used specific names and locations throughout this book.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book (Spring, 2002)
Fourteen-year-old Rain, of mixed Native American heritage, is devastated by her best friend's death. She comes out of her self-imposed seclusion to shoot photos for a local newspaper feature on a summer youth program for Native Americans in her Kansas hometown. The engaging first-person narrative convincingly portrays Rain's grieving process and addresses the varying degrees of prejudice she encounters.
Kirkus Review (May 1, 2001)
Tender, funny, and full of sharp wordplay, Smith's first novel deals with a whole host of interconnecting issues, but the center is Rain herself. At just 14, Rain and her best friend Galen promise always to celebrate their birthdays; hers on New Year's Day, his on the Fourth of July. They had just begun to see themselves not just as best friends but as girl and boy that New Year's Eve night, when Galen is killed in a freak accident. Rain has already lost her mother and her Dad's stationed in Guam. She's close to her Grandpa, her older brother, and his girlfriend, who realize her loss and sorrow but have complicated lives of their own. Her response to Galen's death is tied to her tentative explorations of her own mixed Native American and German/Irish heritage, her need and desire to learn photography and to wield it well, and the general stirrings of self and sex common to her age. Rain has to maneuver all of this through local politics involving Galen's mother and the local American Indian Youth Camp (with its handful of local Indian teens, and Rain's erstwhile "second-best friend" who is black). What's amazing here is Rain's insight into her own pain, and how cleanly she uses language to contain it. (Fiction. 11-14)
School Library Journal (June 1, 2001)
Gr 5-9-Rain and Galen have been friends forever, but for Rain's 14th birthday, the thrill of finding that her burgeoning romantic feelings are being reciprocated puts the evening into a special-memory category. The next morning, she learns that Galen was killed in an accident on the way home. Plunged into despair, Rain refuses to attend the funeral and cuts herself off from her friends. Skipping to six months later, the main portion of the story takes place as she thinks about Galen's upcoming birthday and summer plans are complicated by the girl's Aunt Georgia's Indian Camp and political efforts to cut its funding. Rain participates in nothing and her family members, loving though they are, seem preoccupied with their own needs and concerns. Gradually, Rain's love of photography resurfaces and lands her an assignment with the local newspaper. She becomes involved in examining her own heritage, the stereotypical reactions to it, and her own small-town limitations. There is a surprising amount of humor in this tender novel. It is one of the best portrayals around of kids whose heritage is mixed but still very important in their lives. As feelings about the public funding of Indian Camp heat up, the emotions and values of the characters remain crystal clear and completely in focus. It's Rain's story and she cannot be reduced to simple labels. A wonderful novel of a present-day teen and her "patchwork tribe."-Carol A. Edwards, Sonoma County Library, Santa Rosa, CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
C. CONNECTIONS
Students can discuss the stages of grief and the importance of grieving to the healing process.
CROSSING BOK CHITTO
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Tingle, Tim. 2006. CROSSING BOK CHITTO: A CHOCTAW TALE OF FRIENDSHIP & FREEDOM. Ill. by Jeanne Rorex Bridges. El Paso. Cinco Puntos Press. ISBN 9780938317777
B. PLOT SUMMARY
After crossing Bok Chitto, a river, without permission Martha Tom, a Choctaw, stumbles upon a forbidden slave church. She and Little Mo, a slave, become friends. When Little Mo’s mother is sold, Martha Tom and the village women help his family escape across the river. The law states that once a slave was across Bok Chitto he is free and the slave owner could not follow.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Storyteller Tim Tingle, a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, has created a story about faith and freedom that joins the Choctaws and slaves in triumphing over slave owners. The main characters, Martha Tom and Little Mo both are respectful of their parents while still conveying the spirit of children of all cultures and time. Martha Tom meets Little Mo when she crosses the river without permission. Following his father’s directions Little Mo is able to return Martha Tom to her family. Martha Tom thinks his directions of, “Move not too fast, not too slow, eyes to the ground, away you go,” are like a game. When she returns with Little Mo her mom is upset, but Martha Tom knows she is loved. Tingle engineers the slave escape to use the stepping stones that Martha Tom’s tribe use to cross the river and that have enabled the two children to become friends.
Jeanne Rorex Bridges, of Cherokee Indian descent, illustrates this story with pictures that enhance story by providing straightforward representations of the text. Throughout the story these pictures intensify the emotions revealed in the text. Her illustrations convey the strength and dignity of the women. Many of the pictures are situated to make the people to appear to be looking directly at the reader.
Many cultural markers are used to identify the Native American culture in this story. On the first page of text, the Choctaw Indians are identified. The wedding song is being sung by the old men when Little Mo returns Martha Tom to the village. Later in the book, during Little Mo’s family escape Martha Tom sings in Choctaw. Tingle states the story is documented, “the Indian way, told and retold and then passed on by uncles and grandmothers.” This is on the last page of the book, the preceding page states that this story was born during a visit with Archie Mingo, a tribal elder, of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
The illustrator, Bridges portrays the characters as individuals with varying skin color and facial features.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist starred (April 15, 2006 (Vol. 102, No. 16))
Gr. 2-4. In a picture book that highlights rarely discussed intersections between Native Americans in the South and African Americans in bondage, a noted Choctaw storyteller and Cherokee artist join forces with stirring results. Set "in the days before the War Between the States, in the days before the Trail of Tears," and told in the lulling rhythms of oral history, the tale opens with a Mississippi Choctaw girl who strays across the Bok Chitto River into the world of Southern plantations, where she befriends a slave boy and his family. When trouble comes, the desperate runaways flee to freedom, helped by their own fierce desire (which renders them invisible to their pursuers) and by the Choctaws' secret route across the river. In her first paintings for a picture book, Bridges conveys the humanity and resilience of both peoples in forceful acrylics, frequently centering on dignified figures standing erect before moody landscapes. Sophisticated endnotes about Choctaw history and storytelling traditions don't clarify whether Tingle's tale is original or retold, but this oversight won't affect the story's powerful impact on young readers, especially when presented alongside existing slave-escape fantasies such as Virginia Hamiltons's The People Could Fly0 (2004) and Julius Lester's The Old African 0 (2005).
Library Media Connection (November/December 2006)
Tingle, a superb storyteller, tells a tale of friendship and freedom about the great river, Bok Chitto, that divides two very different worlds prior to the American Civil War. One Sunday morning in preparation for a Choctaw tribal wedding Martha Tom searches for blackberries. Against her mother's instructions, she crosses the deep, brown water on stepping-stones and enters the woods where black slave families gather for worship and celebration. She becomes disoriented and Little Mo, a young slave, guides her through the woods to the banks of Bok Chitto. Together they cross the river to visit the Native American families. This friendship grows until Little Mo's mother is scheduled to be sold. Late that night Martha Tom's community of women lead Little Mo's family across the river's invisible path and down the road to freedom. Through the poetic cadence of oral storytelling and a quiet, yet penetrating voice, Tingle brings this early American tale to print as a strong read- aloud for young or middle level students or for a great quick read for older readers. The language is vividly brought to life through rich earthen-toned illustrations by Jeanne Rorex Bridges. Recommended. Donna Steffan, Director of Library Media, Beaver Dam (Wisconsin) Unified School District
Publishers Weekly (March 13, 2006)
Bridges, a Cherokee artist making her children's book debut, joins Tingle (Walking the Choctaw Road) in a moving and wholly original story about the intersection of cultures. The river Bok Chitto divides the Choctaw nation from the plantations of Mississippi. "If a slave escaped and made his way across Bok Chitto, the slave was free," writes Tingle, "The slave owner could not follow. That was the law." But Bok Chitto holds a secret: a rock pathway that lies just below the surface of the water. "Only the Choctaws knew it was there, for the Choctaws had built it," Tingle explains. When a slave boy and his family are befriended by a Choctaw girl, the pathway becomes part of an ingenious plan that enables the slaves to cross the river to freedom-in plain view of a band of slave hunters during a full moon. Bridges creates mural-like paintings with a rock-solid spirituality and stripped-down graphic sensibility, the ideal match for the down-to-earth cadences and poetic drama of the text. Many of the illustrations serve essentially as portraits, and they're utterly mesmerizing-strong, solid figures gaze squarely out of the frame, beseeching readers to listen, empathize and wonder. Ages 5-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
E. CONNECTIONS
Young students can write about how they might help a friend in need. Could they put themselves in danger to help a friend?
Tingle, Tim. 2006. CROSSING BOK CHITTO: A CHOCTAW TALE OF FRIENDSHIP & FREEDOM. Ill. by Jeanne Rorex Bridges. El Paso. Cinco Puntos Press. ISBN 9780938317777
B. PLOT SUMMARY
After crossing Bok Chitto, a river, without permission Martha Tom, a Choctaw, stumbles upon a forbidden slave church. She and Little Mo, a slave, become friends. When Little Mo’s mother is sold, Martha Tom and the village women help his family escape across the river. The law states that once a slave was across Bok Chitto he is free and the slave owner could not follow.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Storyteller Tim Tingle, a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, has created a story about faith and freedom that joins the Choctaws and slaves in triumphing over slave owners. The main characters, Martha Tom and Little Mo both are respectful of their parents while still conveying the spirit of children of all cultures and time. Martha Tom meets Little Mo when she crosses the river without permission. Following his father’s directions Little Mo is able to return Martha Tom to her family. Martha Tom thinks his directions of, “Move not too fast, not too slow, eyes to the ground, away you go,” are like a game. When she returns with Little Mo her mom is upset, but Martha Tom knows she is loved. Tingle engineers the slave escape to use the stepping stones that Martha Tom’s tribe use to cross the river and that have enabled the two children to become friends.
Jeanne Rorex Bridges, of Cherokee Indian descent, illustrates this story with pictures that enhance story by providing straightforward representations of the text. Throughout the story these pictures intensify the emotions revealed in the text. Her illustrations convey the strength and dignity of the women. Many of the pictures are situated to make the people to appear to be looking directly at the reader.
Many cultural markers are used to identify the Native American culture in this story. On the first page of text, the Choctaw Indians are identified. The wedding song is being sung by the old men when Little Mo returns Martha Tom to the village. Later in the book, during Little Mo’s family escape Martha Tom sings in Choctaw. Tingle states the story is documented, “the Indian way, told and retold and then passed on by uncles and grandmothers.” This is on the last page of the book, the preceding page states that this story was born during a visit with Archie Mingo, a tribal elder, of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
The illustrator, Bridges portrays the characters as individuals with varying skin color and facial features.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist starred (April 15, 2006 (Vol. 102, No. 16))
Gr. 2-4. In a picture book that highlights rarely discussed intersections between Native Americans in the South and African Americans in bondage, a noted Choctaw storyteller and Cherokee artist join forces with stirring results. Set "in the days before the War Between the States, in the days before the Trail of Tears," and told in the lulling rhythms of oral history, the tale opens with a Mississippi Choctaw girl who strays across the Bok Chitto River into the world of Southern plantations, where she befriends a slave boy and his family. When trouble comes, the desperate runaways flee to freedom, helped by their own fierce desire (which renders them invisible to their pursuers) and by the Choctaws' secret route across the river. In her first paintings for a picture book, Bridges conveys the humanity and resilience of both peoples in forceful acrylics, frequently centering on dignified figures standing erect before moody landscapes. Sophisticated endnotes about Choctaw history and storytelling traditions don't clarify whether Tingle's tale is original or retold, but this oversight won't affect the story's powerful impact on young readers, especially when presented alongside existing slave-escape fantasies such as Virginia Hamiltons's The People Could Fly0 (2004) and Julius Lester's The Old African 0 (2005).
Library Media Connection (November/December 2006)
Tingle, a superb storyteller, tells a tale of friendship and freedom about the great river, Bok Chitto, that divides two very different worlds prior to the American Civil War. One Sunday morning in preparation for a Choctaw tribal wedding Martha Tom searches for blackberries. Against her mother's instructions, she crosses the deep, brown water on stepping-stones and enters the woods where black slave families gather for worship and celebration. She becomes disoriented and Little Mo, a young slave, guides her through the woods to the banks of Bok Chitto. Together they cross the river to visit the Native American families. This friendship grows until Little Mo's mother is scheduled to be sold. Late that night Martha Tom's community of women lead Little Mo's family across the river's invisible path and down the road to freedom. Through the poetic cadence of oral storytelling and a quiet, yet penetrating voice, Tingle brings this early American tale to print as a strong read- aloud for young or middle level students or for a great quick read for older readers. The language is vividly brought to life through rich earthen-toned illustrations by Jeanne Rorex Bridges. Recommended. Donna Steffan, Director of Library Media, Beaver Dam (Wisconsin) Unified School District
Publishers Weekly (March 13, 2006)
Bridges, a Cherokee artist making her children's book debut, joins Tingle (Walking the Choctaw Road) in a moving and wholly original story about the intersection of cultures. The river Bok Chitto divides the Choctaw nation from the plantations of Mississippi. "If a slave escaped and made his way across Bok Chitto, the slave was free," writes Tingle, "The slave owner could not follow. That was the law." But Bok Chitto holds a secret: a rock pathway that lies just below the surface of the water. "Only the Choctaws knew it was there, for the Choctaws had built it," Tingle explains. When a slave boy and his family are befriended by a Choctaw girl, the pathway becomes part of an ingenious plan that enables the slaves to cross the river to freedom-in plain view of a band of slave hunters during a full moon. Bridges creates mural-like paintings with a rock-solid spirituality and stripped-down graphic sensibility, the ideal match for the down-to-earth cadences and poetic drama of the text. Many of the illustrations serve essentially as portraits, and they're utterly mesmerizing-strong, solid figures gaze squarely out of the frame, beseeching readers to listen, empathize and wonder. Ages 5-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
E. CONNECTIONS
Young students can write about how they might help a friend in need. Could they put themselves in danger to help a friend?
Friday, October 17, 2008
THE SKIRT by Gary Soto
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Soto, Gary. 1992. THE SKIRT. Ill. by Eric Velasquez. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0385306652
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Fourth grader Miata Ramirez forgot her special dance skirt on the school bus Friday afternoon. She and her dance troupe were going to dance folklorico after church on Sunday. She needs that skirt. Hoping her friend Ana will see the skirt before she gets off the bus Miata waits anxiously to hear from Ana. The story is about Miata’s efforts to get her skirt off the school bus without her parents finding out. Enlisting the help of Ana, Miata is able to retrieve her skirt only to receive a surprise from her mother before church on Sunday.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Soto presents the problem in this story immediately, causing the reader to identify with Miata as she struggles to retrieve her skirt. Miata is a fourth grade girl that helps her mother, gets taunted by boys with frogs, has a best friend, gets good grades, and loses things. Soto establishes Miata’s character early when he has Miata admitting to herself before even reaching home that it is her fault alone that she left the skirt on the bus. Wanting to avoid a lecture from her mom, Miata determines to get the skirt back on her own. Miata’s actions do not match her internal discussion. The guiding force for Miata is avoiding a reprimand from her mother and the retrieval of her skirt. Soto has the girls rationalizing their actions as they walk toward the bus parking lot. Ana thinks it’s stealing, Miata argues it’s her skirt so it is not stealing. After trespassing on school property, the girls retrieve the skirt, but Miata’s dad and another man show up to work on the bus! Immediately the suspense increases. The girls are able to hide and evade Miata’s dad, but are seen by the other man. Soto continues the suspense with conversation between Miata’s parents about the kids seen in the parking lot. It is evident by Miata’s actions that she knows what she did was wrong and she should tell her parents but Soto does not have her tell the truth.
This book is illustrated by Eric Velasquez. The simple black and white drawings express the emotions occurring throughout the book. Miata worry is obvious in the drawing of her talking on the telephone. The picture of the family dinner shows a happy close knit group. The last picture shows a happy Miata dancing in the church folklorico and proud parents watching her.
Cultural markers appear throughout this book. Spanish language is incorporated into the text. Folklorico, prieta, bueno, papas fritas, chorizo con huevos are some of the Spanish words used in the story. While the girls are in the library they check out the globe and Miata states that her parents were from Sonora in northern Mexico. Ana’s grandfather was from Guerrero. The radio station plays Mexican music. Another cultural marker is the characters’ names. Rodolfo, Ana, Miata, and Mrs. Carranza are a few of them. The skirt does not become a true symbol of culture until the end of the book, when Miata recognizes the importance of the skirt to her mother. The illustrations provide cultural markers also. The girls and Miata’s mother all have long hair. The picture of the folklorico dance is a final cultural marker in the book.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book starred (March, 1993)
In this cheery snapshot of a Mexican-American family in California, Miata attempts to retrieve from her school bus the folklorico skirt she left behind. There is just enough suspense in the spare story line to hold the attention of readers new to chapter books.
Kirkus Review (1992)
Again, fourth-grader Miata Ramirez has lost something. This time it's her mother's folklórico skirt, saved from her childhood in Mexico. Miata's costume for the church dance performance is now on board a school bus, locked up for the weekend. Unable to face her mother's scolding, Miata breaks into the bus and retrieves the garment, only to find out later that her mother has bought a new skirt as a surprise. Sorry that the old skirt may not be worn again, Miata dons both on her special day. As in previous books (Baseball in April, 1990; Taking Sides, 1991), Soto shows a mainstream audience that the lives of middle-class Hispanics resemble their own. Ultimately, however, the story is unsatisfying: Miata rescues the old skirt to avoid a lecture, not because the garment embodies a sense of time, culture, or tradition for her. A mixed showing from a talented author.
Publishers Weekly (April 25, 1994)
Described by PW as a ``spunky and imaginative'' heroine, Miata comes up with a clever plan to retrieve her beloved folklorico dance skirt. Ages 7-10. (May)
E. CONNECTIONS
Students can discuss why or why not Miata should have told her parents the truth. Students could rewrite the ending. What might happen if Miata had not recovered her skirt?
Other books about dance and losing things by Gary Soto:
Soto, Gary. MARISOL. ISBN 1584859725
Soto, Gary. TOO MANY TAMALES. ISBN 0399221468
Soto, Gary. 1992. THE SKIRT. Ill. by Eric Velasquez. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0385306652
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Fourth grader Miata Ramirez forgot her special dance skirt on the school bus Friday afternoon. She and her dance troupe were going to dance folklorico after church on Sunday. She needs that skirt. Hoping her friend Ana will see the skirt before she gets off the bus Miata waits anxiously to hear from Ana. The story is about Miata’s efforts to get her skirt off the school bus without her parents finding out. Enlisting the help of Ana, Miata is able to retrieve her skirt only to receive a surprise from her mother before church on Sunday.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Soto presents the problem in this story immediately, causing the reader to identify with Miata as she struggles to retrieve her skirt. Miata is a fourth grade girl that helps her mother, gets taunted by boys with frogs, has a best friend, gets good grades, and loses things. Soto establishes Miata’s character early when he has Miata admitting to herself before even reaching home that it is her fault alone that she left the skirt on the bus. Wanting to avoid a lecture from her mom, Miata determines to get the skirt back on her own. Miata’s actions do not match her internal discussion. The guiding force for Miata is avoiding a reprimand from her mother and the retrieval of her skirt. Soto has the girls rationalizing their actions as they walk toward the bus parking lot. Ana thinks it’s stealing, Miata argues it’s her skirt so it is not stealing. After trespassing on school property, the girls retrieve the skirt, but Miata’s dad and another man show up to work on the bus! Immediately the suspense increases. The girls are able to hide and evade Miata’s dad, but are seen by the other man. Soto continues the suspense with conversation between Miata’s parents about the kids seen in the parking lot. It is evident by Miata’s actions that she knows what she did was wrong and she should tell her parents but Soto does not have her tell the truth.
This book is illustrated by Eric Velasquez. The simple black and white drawings express the emotions occurring throughout the book. Miata worry is obvious in the drawing of her talking on the telephone. The picture of the family dinner shows a happy close knit group. The last picture shows a happy Miata dancing in the church folklorico and proud parents watching her.
Cultural markers appear throughout this book. Spanish language is incorporated into the text. Folklorico, prieta, bueno, papas fritas, chorizo con huevos are some of the Spanish words used in the story. While the girls are in the library they check out the globe and Miata states that her parents were from Sonora in northern Mexico. Ana’s grandfather was from Guerrero. The radio station plays Mexican music. Another cultural marker is the characters’ names. Rodolfo, Ana, Miata, and Mrs. Carranza are a few of them. The skirt does not become a true symbol of culture until the end of the book, when Miata recognizes the importance of the skirt to her mother. The illustrations provide cultural markers also. The girls and Miata’s mother all have long hair. The picture of the folklorico dance is a final cultural marker in the book.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book starred (March, 1993)
In this cheery snapshot of a Mexican-American family in California, Miata attempts to retrieve from her school bus the folklorico skirt she left behind. There is just enough suspense in the spare story line to hold the attention of readers new to chapter books.
Kirkus Review (1992)
Again, fourth-grader Miata Ramirez has lost something. This time it's her mother's folklórico skirt, saved from her childhood in Mexico. Miata's costume for the church dance performance is now on board a school bus, locked up for the weekend. Unable to face her mother's scolding, Miata breaks into the bus and retrieves the garment, only to find out later that her mother has bought a new skirt as a surprise. Sorry that the old skirt may not be worn again, Miata dons both on her special day. As in previous books (Baseball in April, 1990; Taking Sides, 1991), Soto shows a mainstream audience that the lives of middle-class Hispanics resemble their own. Ultimately, however, the story is unsatisfying: Miata rescues the old skirt to avoid a lecture, not because the garment embodies a sense of time, culture, or tradition for her. A mixed showing from a talented author.
Publishers Weekly (April 25, 1994)
Described by PW as a ``spunky and imaginative'' heroine, Miata comes up with a clever plan to retrieve her beloved folklorico dance skirt. Ages 7-10. (May)
E. CONNECTIONS
Students can discuss why or why not Miata should have told her parents the truth. Students could rewrite the ending. What might happen if Miata had not recovered her skirt?
Other books about dance and losing things by Gary Soto:
Soto, Gary. MARISOL. ISBN 1584859725
Soto, Gary. TOO MANY TAMALES. ISBN 0399221468
TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY by Pat Mora
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mora, Pat. 1997. TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY. Ill. by Raul Colon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 06790401
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Tomas misses his own bed. Tomas’ parents are migrant farm workers traveling from Texas to pick corn in the fields of Iowa. Tomas plays ball with his brother Enrique and listens to his grandfather tell stories. Tomas discovers the world in books with his grandfather tells him he is big enough to go by himself to the public library. He makes friends with librarian and shares books with his family at night.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Pat Mora immediately pitches the reader into the life of a migrant worker. Traveling at night in a tired old car, being hot and tired, and missing his bed in Texas grab the readers’ attention and have them turning pages. Mora keeps the reader emotionally connected throughout the story with images of Tomas wanting only a drink of water, playing with a ball made from an old teddy bear, carrying water to his parents in the fields, and his intimidation from the library building. These images build a strong character that has learned to adjust to his parents’ life. Playing ball with his brother, listening to his grandfather’s stories, and reading to his family at night also contribute to Tomas’ strong character. Tomas’ friendship with the librarian allows him to see the world that exists outside his small reality.
Raul Colón illustrates this book with simple, smooth drawing that further draw the reader into Tomas’ life. The illustrations capture the emotions of the all the characters in the story. The smooth drawings show Tomas’ imagination while reading the library books. A very poignant picture is the one of Tomas outside looking in, appearing apprehensive about entering the building.
Many cultural markers appear throughout this book. Included in the text are Spanish words and phrases. Tomas addresses his mother, father, and grandfather as Mama, Papa, and Papa Grande. En un tiempo pasado, buenas noches, libro, and pajaro are some of the Spanish words included in the story. At the beginning of the story the grandfather is the storyteller, at the end of the story Papa Grande passes that title to Tomas. Another cultural marker is the inclusion of Tomas’ grandfather in the immediate family and the way the family gathers around in the evening to listen to Tomas read. Tomas’ mama makes pan dulce to give the librarian as a parting gift when the family leaves to return to Texas.
D.REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book (March, 1998)
In a story inspired by the life of Tomás Rivera, a migrant worker who became a nationally known educator, young Tomás and his family, migrant farm workers, leave Texas for work in Iowa, where Tomás discovers the wonder of books at the local library. Colón's scratchboard illustrations convey the magic of reading and of telling stories, but give little sense of the time period or poverty of Tomás's life.
Kirkus Review (1997)
A charming, true story about the encounter between the boy who would become chancellor at the University of California at Riverside and a librarian in Iowa. Tomás Rivera, child of migrant laborers, picks crops in Iowa in the summer and Texas in the winter, traveling from place to place in a worn old car. When he is not helping in the fields, Tomás likes to hear Papa Grande's stories, which he knows by heart. Papa Grande sends him to the library downtown for new stories, but Tomás finds the building intimidating. The librarian welcomes him, inviting him in for a cool drink of water and a book. Tomás reads until the library closes, and leaves with books checked out on the librarian's own card. For the rest of the summer, he shares books and stories with his family, and teaches the librarian some Spanish. At the end of the season, there are big hugs and a girl exchange: sweet bread from Tomás's mother and a shiny new book from the librarian--to keep. Coldón's dreamy illustrations capture the brief friendship and its life-altering effects in soft earth tones, using round sculptured shapes that often depict the boy right in the middle of whatever story realm he's entered.
E. CONNECTIONS
Students could write about how they would feel if they had to live as migrant workers continually on the move.
Other books about children and libraries:
Morris, Carla. THE BOY WHO WAS RAISED BY LIBRARIANS. ISBN 1561453919
Smet, Marian De. ANNA’S TIGHT SQUEEZE. ISBN 1589253787
Stewart, Sarah. THE LIBRARY. ISBN 0374343888
Williams, Suzanne. LIBRARY LIL. ISBN 0803716982
Mora, Pat. 1997. TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY. Ill. by Raul Colon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 06790401
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Tomas misses his own bed. Tomas’ parents are migrant farm workers traveling from Texas to pick corn in the fields of Iowa. Tomas plays ball with his brother Enrique and listens to his grandfather tell stories. Tomas discovers the world in books with his grandfather tells him he is big enough to go by himself to the public library. He makes friends with librarian and shares books with his family at night.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Pat Mora immediately pitches the reader into the life of a migrant worker. Traveling at night in a tired old car, being hot and tired, and missing his bed in Texas grab the readers’ attention and have them turning pages. Mora keeps the reader emotionally connected throughout the story with images of Tomas wanting only a drink of water, playing with a ball made from an old teddy bear, carrying water to his parents in the fields, and his intimidation from the library building. These images build a strong character that has learned to adjust to his parents’ life. Playing ball with his brother, listening to his grandfather’s stories, and reading to his family at night also contribute to Tomas’ strong character. Tomas’ friendship with the librarian allows him to see the world that exists outside his small reality.
Raul Colón illustrates this book with simple, smooth drawing that further draw the reader into Tomas’ life. The illustrations capture the emotions of the all the characters in the story. The smooth drawings show Tomas’ imagination while reading the library books. A very poignant picture is the one of Tomas outside looking in, appearing apprehensive about entering the building.
Many cultural markers appear throughout this book. Included in the text are Spanish words and phrases. Tomas addresses his mother, father, and grandfather as Mama, Papa, and Papa Grande. En un tiempo pasado, buenas noches, libro, and pajaro are some of the Spanish words included in the story. At the beginning of the story the grandfather is the storyteller, at the end of the story Papa Grande passes that title to Tomas. Another cultural marker is the inclusion of Tomas’ grandfather in the immediate family and the way the family gathers around in the evening to listen to Tomas read. Tomas’ mama makes pan dulce to give the librarian as a parting gift when the family leaves to return to Texas.
D.REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book (March, 1998)
In a story inspired by the life of Tomás Rivera, a migrant worker who became a nationally known educator, young Tomás and his family, migrant farm workers, leave Texas for work in Iowa, where Tomás discovers the wonder of books at the local library. Colón's scratchboard illustrations convey the magic of reading and of telling stories, but give little sense of the time period or poverty of Tomás's life.
Kirkus Review (1997)
A charming, true story about the encounter between the boy who would become chancellor at the University of California at Riverside and a librarian in Iowa. Tomás Rivera, child of migrant laborers, picks crops in Iowa in the summer and Texas in the winter, traveling from place to place in a worn old car. When he is not helping in the fields, Tomás likes to hear Papa Grande's stories, which he knows by heart. Papa Grande sends him to the library downtown for new stories, but Tomás finds the building intimidating. The librarian welcomes him, inviting him in for a cool drink of water and a book. Tomás reads until the library closes, and leaves with books checked out on the librarian's own card. For the rest of the summer, he shares books and stories with his family, and teaches the librarian some Spanish. At the end of the season, there are big hugs and a girl exchange: sweet bread from Tomás's mother and a shiny new book from the librarian--to keep. Coldón's dreamy illustrations capture the brief friendship and its life-altering effects in soft earth tones, using round sculptured shapes that often depict the boy right in the middle of whatever story realm he's entered.
E. CONNECTIONS
Students could write about how they would feel if they had to live as migrant workers continually on the move.
Other books about children and libraries:
Morris, Carla. THE BOY WHO WAS RAISED BY LIBRARIANS. ISBN 1561453919
Smet, Marian De. ANNA’S TIGHT SQUEEZE. ISBN 1589253787
Stewart, Sarah. THE LIBRARY. ISBN 0374343888
Williams, Suzanne. LIBRARY LIL. ISBN 0803716982
MICE AND BEANS by Pam Munoz Ryan
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ryan, Pam Munoz. 2001. MICE AND BEANS. Ill. by Joe Cepada. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 439183030
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Rosa Maria is preparing for the birthday of her granddaughter, Catalina. Sunday through Saturday Rosa Maria works on the party. She plans the menu, orders a gift, cleans her house, and prepares for the party. Throughout all the preparations she sets mouse traps to keep the mice away only to realize on Saturday that mice might be helpful.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ryan uses a common theme, birthday, to create a story that illustrates the love a grandparent has for grandchildren as well as how circumstances change ones feelings. Using the days of the week to provide order, Ryan builds the story to the culmination, the birthday celebration. . At the beginning of the book Ryan has Rosa Maria quoting her mother, “When there’s room in the heart, there’s room in the house, except for a mouse.”
Ryan uses this to build both the story line and Rosa Maria’s character. Each day as Rosa Maria prepares for the party she worries about mice, setting traps that are mysteriously disappearing. Ryan builds a caring elderly character by showing Rosa Marie’s love of cooking for her family, “squeezing” them into her casita, the menu (no dinner was complete without rice and beans!), the birthday present for Catalina, the attention to the mouse traps, and her forgetfulness. Differing fonts and font size add interest and draw attention to detail throughout the book.
Joe Cepada’s illustrations enhance the story. The vivid pictures use different perspectives, high and low, to show the story from both the mice and Rosa Maria’s view points. Both illustration and text come together at the end to show Rosa Maria’s changed attitude toward mice.
Many cultural markers are used throughout this book to show a rich Hispanic culture. Language is used with the inclusion of Spanish words and phrases, such as bolsa, frijoles, fíjate, pastelería, and qué boba soy, throughout the book. The food, enchiladas, rice, beans reflects the culture also. The extended family that was going to “squeeze” into the house, Rosa Maria’s respect for her mother’s saying, and the piñata also refer to the Hispanic culture. The illustrations provide another cultural marker by using bright colorful scenes exaggerating the text. Rosa Maria wears heels, colorful clothing and earrings, and has her hair fixed. In the illustration of the birthday party everyone is crowded together and smiling further reinforcing the closeness of family.
Readers of Rice and Beans will be entertained by a colorful and humorous story that shares Hispanic culture through a universal celebration.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist (September 15, 2001 (Vol. 98, No. 2))
Ages 4-7. It's time for Little Catalina's seventh birthday, and Grandmother Rosa Maria is ready to celebrate. She has room in her heart and her casita for nearly everyone on this happy occasion--everyone except mice. Grandmother sees to the details, from food to fun. But she forgets to fill the empty piñata, and when she discovers that mice have filled it for her, she opens a place in her joyful heart just for them. The story is charming, but what makes it special is the quiet authenticity of the Hispanic characterizations. Cepeda's pictures are as good as the story, with bright, funny scenes depicted from human (looking down) and mouse (looking up) points of view. A delightful birthday or anytime book.
Horn Book (Spring, 2002)
Rosa María takes pains to keep mice out of her house as she prepares for her granddaughter's birthday party. Nevertheless, the vibrant illustrations show a band of mice pilfering her birthday supplies and, in the end, secretly helping with the celebration. Readers of this clever story will chuckle at the skillful collaboration between author and artist. A pronunciation guide is included for the sprinkling of Spanish words in the text. Glos.
E. CONNECTIONS
Students can draw or write a story about a birthday celebration that is special to them. Another activity would be for students to tell what their grandparents do special for them.
Other book about birthday celebrations:
Brown, Marc Tolon. ARTHUR’S BIRTHDAY. ISBN 0316110736.
Haugen, Brenda. BIRTHDAYS. ISBN. 1404801987.
Mora, Pat. A BIRTHDAY BASKET FOR TIA. ISBN 0689813283Rustad, Martha Elizabeth Hillman. BIRTHDAYS IN MANY CULTURES. ISBN 1429617411.
Ryan, Pam Munoz. 2001. MICE AND BEANS. Ill. by Joe Cepada. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 439183030
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Rosa Maria is preparing for the birthday of her granddaughter, Catalina. Sunday through Saturday Rosa Maria works on the party. She plans the menu, orders a gift, cleans her house, and prepares for the party. Throughout all the preparations she sets mouse traps to keep the mice away only to realize on Saturday that mice might be helpful.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ryan uses a common theme, birthday, to create a story that illustrates the love a grandparent has for grandchildren as well as how circumstances change ones feelings. Using the days of the week to provide order, Ryan builds the story to the culmination, the birthday celebration. . At the beginning of the book Ryan has Rosa Maria quoting her mother, “When there’s room in the heart, there’s room in the house, except for a mouse.”
Ryan uses this to build both the story line and Rosa Maria’s character. Each day as Rosa Maria prepares for the party she worries about mice, setting traps that are mysteriously disappearing. Ryan builds a caring elderly character by showing Rosa Marie’s love of cooking for her family, “squeezing” them into her casita, the menu (no dinner was complete without rice and beans!), the birthday present for Catalina, the attention to the mouse traps, and her forgetfulness. Differing fonts and font size add interest and draw attention to detail throughout the book.
Joe Cepada’s illustrations enhance the story. The vivid pictures use different perspectives, high and low, to show the story from both the mice and Rosa Maria’s view points. Both illustration and text come together at the end to show Rosa Maria’s changed attitude toward mice.
Many cultural markers are used throughout this book to show a rich Hispanic culture. Language is used with the inclusion of Spanish words and phrases, such as bolsa, frijoles, fíjate, pastelería, and qué boba soy, throughout the book. The food, enchiladas, rice, beans reflects the culture also. The extended family that was going to “squeeze” into the house, Rosa Maria’s respect for her mother’s saying, and the piñata also refer to the Hispanic culture. The illustrations provide another cultural marker by using bright colorful scenes exaggerating the text. Rosa Maria wears heels, colorful clothing and earrings, and has her hair fixed. In the illustration of the birthday party everyone is crowded together and smiling further reinforcing the closeness of family.
Readers of Rice and Beans will be entertained by a colorful and humorous story that shares Hispanic culture through a universal celebration.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist (September 15, 2001 (Vol. 98, No. 2))
Ages 4-7. It's time for Little Catalina's seventh birthday, and Grandmother Rosa Maria is ready to celebrate. She has room in her heart and her casita for nearly everyone on this happy occasion--everyone except mice. Grandmother sees to the details, from food to fun. But she forgets to fill the empty piñata, and when she discovers that mice have filled it for her, she opens a place in her joyful heart just for them. The story is charming, but what makes it special is the quiet authenticity of the Hispanic characterizations. Cepeda's pictures are as good as the story, with bright, funny scenes depicted from human (looking down) and mouse (looking up) points of view. A delightful birthday or anytime book.
Horn Book (Spring, 2002)
Rosa María takes pains to keep mice out of her house as she prepares for her granddaughter's birthday party. Nevertheless, the vibrant illustrations show a band of mice pilfering her birthday supplies and, in the end, secretly helping with the celebration. Readers of this clever story will chuckle at the skillful collaboration between author and artist. A pronunciation guide is included for the sprinkling of Spanish words in the text. Glos.
E. CONNECTIONS
Students can draw or write a story about a birthday celebration that is special to them. Another activity would be for students to tell what their grandparents do special for them.
Other book about birthday celebrations:
Brown, Marc Tolon. ARTHUR’S BIRTHDAY. ISBN 0316110736.
Haugen, Brenda. BIRTHDAYS. ISBN. 1404801987.
Mora, Pat. A BIRTHDAY BASKET FOR TIA. ISBN 0689813283Rustad, Martha Elizabeth Hillman. BIRTHDAYS IN MANY CULTURES. ISBN 1429617411.
Friday, October 3, 2008
THE FIRST PART LAST by Angela Johnson
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Johnson, Angela. 2005. THE FIRST PART LAST. New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN 0689849222
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Bobby’s girlfriend Nia is pregnant. She tells him on his sixteenth birthday. This book tells mostly Bobby’s story; his journey to fatherhood as only a sixteen year old boy can travel, from finding out Nia is pregnant to the reality of a baby. The story includes telling both sets of parents, difficult decisions, birth, and the acceptance of a new way of life.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Using an urban setting Johnson weaves a teen pregnancy story with hard facts and harder feelings. Johnson uses short “then and now” chapters in telling Bobby’s story. Although Bobby and Nia have made a mistake they take responsible steps to deal with it. Following the telling of both sets of parents, there is prenatal care and discussions about their options. Alternating the story between caring for his daughter, Feather, and life before her birth keeps the reader anticipating the next page. The constant care an infant requires keeps those chapters filled with a level of anxiety that is relieved by the “then” chapters where the reality is only knocking on the door. Bobby’s decision to keep Feather is a mature and demanding one, however this does not prevent him from making other bad choices such as skipping school (not intentionally) and getting arrested for spray painting a wall. Typical teen behavior is apparent throughout the book; hanging out with his friends K-Boy and J.L., listening to music, and eating junk food. Johnson creates a strong character in Bobby with his continuous effort to do what is right. Johnson does a good job at showing perfection is not necessary, but persistence is.
Cultural markers show up throughout the book. Johnson describes the skin color of K-Boy as mahogany and Feather’s skin is caramel colored. Music is another marker seen in the book. Reference is made to the jazz, Motown, and reggae that play constantly in Bobby’s home. Although Bobby’s divorced parents react and act differently to the pregnancy both show strong support of him as do his older brothers.
Johnson has taken a common problem among teens and written a book that deals with the resulting reality while managing to wrap it all up in hope. The ending of this book deals Bobby yet another hurdle to cross, which he manages to do with grace and some amount of optimism.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist starred (September 1, 2003 (Vol. 100, No. 1))
Gr. 6-12. Bobby, the teenage artist and single-parent dad in Johnson's Coretta Scott King Award winner, Heaven (1998), tells his story here. At 16, he's scared to be raising his baby, Feather, but he's totally devoted to caring for her, even as she keeps him up all night, and he knows that his college plans are on hold. In short chapters alternating between "now"and "then,"he talks about the baby that now fills his life, and he remembers the pregnancy of his beloved girlfriend, Nia. Yes, the teens'parents were right. The couple should have used birth control; adoption could have meant freedom. But when Nia suffers irreversible postpartum brain damage, Bobby takes their newborn baby home. There's no romanticizing. The exhaustion is real, and Bobby gets in trouble with the police and nearly messes up everything. But from the first page, readers feel the physical reality of Bobby's new world: what it's like to hold Feather on his stomach, smell her skin, touch her clenched fists, feel her shiver, and kiss the top of her curly head. Johnson makes poetry with the simplest words in short, spare sentences that teens will read again and again. The great cover photo shows the strong African American teen holding his tiny baby in his arms.
Horn Book starred (Fall 2003)
Sixteen-year-old Bobby and his girlfriend, Nia, had planned to put their baby, Feather, up for adoption, but Feather becomes impossible to relinquish after, as the reader learns at book's end, pregnancy-related eclampsia leaves Nia in an irreversible coma. What resonate in this prequel to the Coretta Scott King Award-winning Heaven are the sacrifices Bobby makes for Feather's sake.
Kirkus Review (June 1, 2003)
"The rules: If she hollers, she is mine. If she needs to be changed, she is always mine. In the dictionary next to 'sitter,' there is not a picture of Grandma. It's time to grow up. Too late, you're out of time. Be a grown-up." Sixteen-year-old Bobby has met the love of his life: his daughter. Told in alternating chapters that take place "then" and "now," Bobby relates the hour-by-hour tribulations and joys of caring for a newborn, and the circumstances that got him there. Managing to cope with support, but little help, from his single mother (who wants to make sure he does this on his own), Bobby struggles to maintain friendships and a school career while giving his daughter the love and care she craves from him at every moment. By narrating from a realistic first-person voice, Johnson manages to convey a story that is always complex, never preachy. The somewhat pat ending doesn't diminish the impact of this short, involving story. It's the tale of one young man and his choices, which many young readers will appreciate and enjoy. (Fiction. YA)
E. CONNECTIONS
Students could choose different parts of the story, discovering pregnancy, telling family, decision to give the baby up for adoption, Bobby’s arrest, or the ending and rewrite it from a personal point of view. What decisions would they make or how would their family react?
Other books on teen pregnancy:
Evans, Mari. “I’M LATE’: THE STORY OF LANEESE & MOONLIGHT AND ALISHA WHO DIDN’T HAVE ANYONE OF HER OWN. ISBN 1933491000
Reynolds, Marilyn. DETOUR FOR EMMY. ISBN 0930934768
Velasquez, Gloria. TEEN ANGEL. ISBN 155885391X
Johnson, Angela. 2005. THE FIRST PART LAST. New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN 0689849222
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Bobby’s girlfriend Nia is pregnant. She tells him on his sixteenth birthday. This book tells mostly Bobby’s story; his journey to fatherhood as only a sixteen year old boy can travel, from finding out Nia is pregnant to the reality of a baby. The story includes telling both sets of parents, difficult decisions, birth, and the acceptance of a new way of life.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Using an urban setting Johnson weaves a teen pregnancy story with hard facts and harder feelings. Johnson uses short “then and now” chapters in telling Bobby’s story. Although Bobby and Nia have made a mistake they take responsible steps to deal with it. Following the telling of both sets of parents, there is prenatal care and discussions about their options. Alternating the story between caring for his daughter, Feather, and life before her birth keeps the reader anticipating the next page. The constant care an infant requires keeps those chapters filled with a level of anxiety that is relieved by the “then” chapters where the reality is only knocking on the door. Bobby’s decision to keep Feather is a mature and demanding one, however this does not prevent him from making other bad choices such as skipping school (not intentionally) and getting arrested for spray painting a wall. Typical teen behavior is apparent throughout the book; hanging out with his friends K-Boy and J.L., listening to music, and eating junk food. Johnson creates a strong character in Bobby with his continuous effort to do what is right. Johnson does a good job at showing perfection is not necessary, but persistence is.
Cultural markers show up throughout the book. Johnson describes the skin color of K-Boy as mahogany and Feather’s skin is caramel colored. Music is another marker seen in the book. Reference is made to the jazz, Motown, and reggae that play constantly in Bobby’s home. Although Bobby’s divorced parents react and act differently to the pregnancy both show strong support of him as do his older brothers.
Johnson has taken a common problem among teens and written a book that deals with the resulting reality while managing to wrap it all up in hope. The ending of this book deals Bobby yet another hurdle to cross, which he manages to do with grace and some amount of optimism.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist starred (September 1, 2003 (Vol. 100, No. 1))
Gr. 6-12. Bobby, the teenage artist and single-parent dad in Johnson's Coretta Scott King Award winner, Heaven (1998), tells his story here. At 16, he's scared to be raising his baby, Feather, but he's totally devoted to caring for her, even as she keeps him up all night, and he knows that his college plans are on hold. In short chapters alternating between "now"and "then,"he talks about the baby that now fills his life, and he remembers the pregnancy of his beloved girlfriend, Nia. Yes, the teens'parents were right. The couple should have used birth control; adoption could have meant freedom. But when Nia suffers irreversible postpartum brain damage, Bobby takes their newborn baby home. There's no romanticizing. The exhaustion is real, and Bobby gets in trouble with the police and nearly messes up everything. But from the first page, readers feel the physical reality of Bobby's new world: what it's like to hold Feather on his stomach, smell her skin, touch her clenched fists, feel her shiver, and kiss the top of her curly head. Johnson makes poetry with the simplest words in short, spare sentences that teens will read again and again. The great cover photo shows the strong African American teen holding his tiny baby in his arms.
Horn Book starred (Fall 2003)
Sixteen-year-old Bobby and his girlfriend, Nia, had planned to put their baby, Feather, up for adoption, but Feather becomes impossible to relinquish after, as the reader learns at book's end, pregnancy-related eclampsia leaves Nia in an irreversible coma. What resonate in this prequel to the Coretta Scott King Award-winning Heaven are the sacrifices Bobby makes for Feather's sake.
Kirkus Review (June 1, 2003)
"The rules: If she hollers, she is mine. If she needs to be changed, she is always mine. In the dictionary next to 'sitter,' there is not a picture of Grandma. It's time to grow up. Too late, you're out of time. Be a grown-up." Sixteen-year-old Bobby has met the love of his life: his daughter. Told in alternating chapters that take place "then" and "now," Bobby relates the hour-by-hour tribulations and joys of caring for a newborn, and the circumstances that got him there. Managing to cope with support, but little help, from his single mother (who wants to make sure he does this on his own), Bobby struggles to maintain friendships and a school career while giving his daughter the love and care she craves from him at every moment. By narrating from a realistic first-person voice, Johnson manages to convey a story that is always complex, never preachy. The somewhat pat ending doesn't diminish the impact of this short, involving story. It's the tale of one young man and his choices, which many young readers will appreciate and enjoy. (Fiction. YA)
E. CONNECTIONS
Students could choose different parts of the story, discovering pregnancy, telling family, decision to give the baby up for adoption, Bobby’s arrest, or the ending and rewrite it from a personal point of view. What decisions would they make or how would their family react?
Other books on teen pregnancy:
Evans, Mari. “I’M LATE’: THE STORY OF LANEESE & MOONLIGHT AND ALISHA WHO DIDN’T HAVE ANYONE OF HER OWN. ISBN 1933491000
Reynolds, Marilyn. DETOUR FOR EMMY. ISBN 0930934768
Velasquez, Gloria. TEEN ANGEL. ISBN 155885391X
JOHN HENRY by Julius Lester
A. BIBLIOGRAPY
Lester, John. 1994. JOHN HENRY. Ill. by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0803716079
B. PLOT SUMMARY
John Henry is the story of man bigger than life. This book tells the story of instant growth in a child and the extraordinary achievements of the grown man. His ability to swing a hammer allowed him to challenge a “modern” machine and win. This story shows the appreciation that even nature had for John Henry and his huge will to “be all he could be.”
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lester immediately throws the reader into the story by telling how the birds, animals, sun, and moon came to his birth. Within a few paragraphs John Henry is born and grown so tall his head and shoulders busted through the porch roof. Lester moves John Henry from one event to another without losing pace, keeping the reader enthralled with his ability and achievements using humor and interjecting modern luxuries (indoor swimming pool and jucutzis). Throughout the book Henry is characterized as hard working, tireless, optimistic, and happy. These characteristics are apparent when he first repairs the porch roof for his family, chopped trees and made firewood, when he maneuvered Ferret-Faced Freddy into changing his behavior, when he moved the boulder, and finally when he dug the tunnel for the train.
The illustrator, Jerry Pinkney, uses pencil, colored pencils, and watercolor to produce illustrations that enliven and intensify the story. The pictures offer a multitude of visual feasting. The soft, yet vivid pictures tell the story visually along with the text. Creating a rainbow around John Henry as he demolished the boulder to create a road, establishes a visual representation of the hope and positive force of John Henry.
Cultural markers were used in the writing and illustrations of this book. Skin tone, facial features, body type, clothing, hairstyles and textures all represent African American culture in this book. African Americans were shown in a variety of settings. The text, through John Henry’s actions, repairing the porch roof, telling his parents he was leaving show his respect and love for his family.
The story and illustrations are both strengths of this book; both bring an emotional response from readers. The illustrations are a favorite of the book as well as John Henry for his positive can do attitude.
D. REVIEW EXCERPT
Horn Book starred (March, 1995)
The original legend of John Henry and how he beat the steam drill with his sledgehammer has been enhanced and enriched, in Lester's retelling, with wonderful contemporary details and poetic similes that add humor, beauty, and strength. Pinkney's evocative illustrations -- especially the landscapes, splotchy and impressionistic, yet very solid and vigorous -- are little short of magnificent. With source notes.
Kirkus Review (1994)
Onto the page bounds the colossus John Henry, man of legend, man of myth (though the preface keeps things off balance on that point). John was the archetype for the "Just Do It" generation; he was all bustle and business, surrounded by an aura of triumph. Lester hits upon all of John's special moments: his stupendous growth spurt; his humbling of Ferret-Faced Freddy; his smashing the great stone so fast that he creates a natty rainbow around his shoulders; and, of course, the climactic duel with the steam drill deep in the hills of West Virginia. John smoked the drill, but his big heart burst in the process. Lester (The Last Tales of Uncle Remus, p. 70, etc.; The Man Who Knew Too Much, see below) wisely makes it clear that you don't have to be John Henry to get things done: You just need the will; there's a bit of John to be tapped in us all. Pinkney's watercolors walk a smart and lovely line between ephemerality and sheer natural energy. The rainbow whispers the lesson here: "Dying ain't important. Everybody does that. What matters is how well you do your living." Amen.
School Library Journal (November 1994)
K-Gr 5-Another winning collaboration from the master storyteller and gifted artist of Tales of Uncle Remus (Dial, 1987) fame. Based on several well-known versions of an African American folk ballad, Lester's tale is true to the essence of the steel-driving man; yet, it allows room for touches of whimsy and even includes some contemporary references that tie the hero to our own times. Told with just a trace of dialect, the story moves along briskly toward the climax. Its moral message of the importance of a well-lived life is clearly stated, and the ending is uplifting. Pinkney's marvelous watercolors, abundantly rich in detail, convey both the superior strength and the warm sense of humanity that make John Henry perhaps a more down-to-earth character than some other tall-tale figures. The paintings' muted earth tones add a realistic touch to the text, bringing this John Henry alive. When viewed from a distance, however, figures and details sometimes blend together, making the book better suited to independent reading that group sharing. It will appeal to an older audience than Ezra Jack Keats's John Henry (Knopf, 1987) and is a fine addition to any folklore collection.-Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, Wheeler School, Providence, RI
E. CONNECTIONS
Students can add an event and/or rewrite the ending. What else might John Henry have accomplished or what might he accomplish next?
Another book about John Henry:
Krensky, Stephen. JOHN HENRY. ISBN 1575058871
Lester, John. 1994. JOHN HENRY. Ill. by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0803716079
B. PLOT SUMMARY
John Henry is the story of man bigger than life. This book tells the story of instant growth in a child and the extraordinary achievements of the grown man. His ability to swing a hammer allowed him to challenge a “modern” machine and win. This story shows the appreciation that even nature had for John Henry and his huge will to “be all he could be.”
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lester immediately throws the reader into the story by telling how the birds, animals, sun, and moon came to his birth. Within a few paragraphs John Henry is born and grown so tall his head and shoulders busted through the porch roof. Lester moves John Henry from one event to another without losing pace, keeping the reader enthralled with his ability and achievements using humor and interjecting modern luxuries (indoor swimming pool and jucutzis). Throughout the book Henry is characterized as hard working, tireless, optimistic, and happy. These characteristics are apparent when he first repairs the porch roof for his family, chopped trees and made firewood, when he maneuvered Ferret-Faced Freddy into changing his behavior, when he moved the boulder, and finally when he dug the tunnel for the train.
The illustrator, Jerry Pinkney, uses pencil, colored pencils, and watercolor to produce illustrations that enliven and intensify the story. The pictures offer a multitude of visual feasting. The soft, yet vivid pictures tell the story visually along with the text. Creating a rainbow around John Henry as he demolished the boulder to create a road, establishes a visual representation of the hope and positive force of John Henry.
Cultural markers were used in the writing and illustrations of this book. Skin tone, facial features, body type, clothing, hairstyles and textures all represent African American culture in this book. African Americans were shown in a variety of settings. The text, through John Henry’s actions, repairing the porch roof, telling his parents he was leaving show his respect and love for his family.
The story and illustrations are both strengths of this book; both bring an emotional response from readers. The illustrations are a favorite of the book as well as John Henry for his positive can do attitude.
D. REVIEW EXCERPT
Horn Book starred (March, 1995)
The original legend of John Henry and how he beat the steam drill with his sledgehammer has been enhanced and enriched, in Lester's retelling, with wonderful contemporary details and poetic similes that add humor, beauty, and strength. Pinkney's evocative illustrations -- especially the landscapes, splotchy and impressionistic, yet very solid and vigorous -- are little short of magnificent. With source notes.
Kirkus Review (1994)
Onto the page bounds the colossus John Henry, man of legend, man of myth (though the preface keeps things off balance on that point). John was the archetype for the "Just Do It" generation; he was all bustle and business, surrounded by an aura of triumph. Lester hits upon all of John's special moments: his stupendous growth spurt; his humbling of Ferret-Faced Freddy; his smashing the great stone so fast that he creates a natty rainbow around his shoulders; and, of course, the climactic duel with the steam drill deep in the hills of West Virginia. John smoked the drill, but his big heart burst in the process. Lester (The Last Tales of Uncle Remus, p. 70, etc.; The Man Who Knew Too Much, see below) wisely makes it clear that you don't have to be John Henry to get things done: You just need the will; there's a bit of John to be tapped in us all. Pinkney's watercolors walk a smart and lovely line between ephemerality and sheer natural energy. The rainbow whispers the lesson here: "Dying ain't important. Everybody does that. What matters is how well you do your living." Amen.
School Library Journal (November 1994)
K-Gr 5-Another winning collaboration from the master storyteller and gifted artist of Tales of Uncle Remus (Dial, 1987) fame. Based on several well-known versions of an African American folk ballad, Lester's tale is true to the essence of the steel-driving man; yet, it allows room for touches of whimsy and even includes some contemporary references that tie the hero to our own times. Told with just a trace of dialect, the story moves along briskly toward the climax. Its moral message of the importance of a well-lived life is clearly stated, and the ending is uplifting. Pinkney's marvelous watercolors, abundantly rich in detail, convey both the superior strength and the warm sense of humanity that make John Henry perhaps a more down-to-earth character than some other tall-tale figures. The paintings' muted earth tones add a realistic touch to the text, bringing this John Henry alive. When viewed from a distance, however, figures and details sometimes blend together, making the book better suited to independent reading that group sharing. It will appeal to an older audience than Ezra Jack Keats's John Henry (Knopf, 1987) and is a fine addition to any folklore collection.-Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, Wheeler School, Providence, RI
E. CONNECTIONS
Students can add an event and/or rewrite the ending. What else might John Henry have accomplished or what might he accomplish next?
Another book about John Henry:
Krensky, Stephen. JOHN HENRY. ISBN 1575058871
ROSA by Nikki Giovanni
A. BIBLIOGRAPY
Giovanni, Nikki. 2005. ROSA. Ill. by Bryan Collier. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0439898838
B. PLOT SUMMARY
This book tells the story of how one lady, Rosa Parks, took a stand against unfair and unequal laws in the fifties by refusing to give up her seat on the bus. The story takes Rosa through the preceding days up to her refusal to leave her seat and the repercussions of that decision.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author immediately begins building a strong standard of excelling for the Parks family. Mr. Parks is one of the best barbers in the county and Rosa is the best seamstress in the county. Mr. Parks takes on extra work and Rosa works through lunch; implying a strong work ethic. The author creates a story line of regular hard working people, striving to their best and then very calmly presents a live changing event, to which the main character responds to with serenity and purpose. Rosa had not wanted this situation, but she would respond to it with dignity and grace learned from her mother and grandmother.
Reference to the inequality to African Americans is provided throughout the book. These cultural markers include Rosa paying to ride the bus in the front but must exit and enter through the rear door, then sit in the back. The author includes the 1954 Brown versus Board of Education decision, the colored signs, the furtive way the women met at the college, Emmett Till, and Martin Luther King, Jr. to share what was happening during this time in history.
The illustrations done in watercolor and collage enhance and embellish this story, providing a visual image of the text. The art is simple, straightforward, and honest depicting a serene Rosa and family. The artist shows a multitude of skin color and facial features throughout the book. Visual representation of the unequal treatment includes a picture with a “white entrance” sign. The picture of the bus driver leaning over Rosa expresses the stereotypical view of white dominance.
The strength of this book lies in the emotional impact on readers to the injustice African Americans endured during this time period. The illustrator claims to have used yellow and dark hues to enhance the illusion of heat that precedes a disturbance.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist starred (June 1, 2005 (Vol. 101, No. 19))
Gr. 3-5. Far from the cliche of Rosa Parks as the tired little seamstress, this beautiful picture-book biography shows her as a strong woman, happy at home and at work, and politically aware ("not tired from work, but tired of . . . eating at separate lunch counters and learning at separate schools"). Her refusal to give up her seat on a bus inspires her friend Jo Ann Robinson, president of the Women's Political Council, and the 25 council members to make posters calling for the bus boycott, and they organize a mass meeting where the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. speaks for them. Paired very effectively with Giovanni's passionate, direct words, Collier's large watercolor-and-collage illustrations depict Parks as an inspiring force that radiates golden light, and also as part of a dynamic activist community. In the unforgettable close-up that was used for the cover, Parks sits quietly waiting for the police as a white bus driver demands that she give up her seat. In contrast, the final picture opens out to four pages showing women, men, and children marching for equal rights at the bus boycott and in the years of struggle yet to come. The history comes clear in the astonishing combination of the personal and the political.
Kirkus Review starred (July 15, 2005)
Rosa Parks sat. "She had not sought this moment, but she was ready for it." When she refused to move out of the neutral section of her bus to make way for white passengers, she sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. She was tired of putting white people first. Giovanni's lyrical text and Collier's watercolor-and-collage illustrations combine for a powerful portrayal of a pivotal moment in the civil-rights movement. The art complements and extends the text, with visual references to Emmett Till, the Edmund Pettus Bridge and Martin Luther King, Jr. The yellowish hue of the illustrations represents the Alabama heat, the light emanating from Rosa Parks's face a shining beacon to all who would stand up for what's right. A dramatic foldout mural will make this important work even more memorable. An essential volume for classrooms and libraries. (Picture book. 5+)
Library Media Connection (March 2006)
This is the story of Rosa Parks and how by saying "no" on a Montgomery bus she changed the history of our nation. On this particular day Rosa left work early. As usual she paid her bus fare, got off the bus, and re- entered from the rear. The section reserved for blacks was full, but the section for both whites and blacks had some empty seats. When the driver demanded her seat, Rosa did not move. She had decided not to give in to what she knew was wrong. She was tired of the segregation and she remembered the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision. After Rosa's arrest members of the Women's Political Council met. First they prayed and then they created fliers that encouraged blacks to walk in support of Rosa. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke in favor of blacks walking. So began the bus boycott. Almost a year after Rosa Parks had been arrested on that bus in Montgomery, the Supreme Court ruled segregation on the buses was illegal. The wonderful color illustrations bring life to this book. They are painted in a manner that allows the reader to see both the darkness and the light of this situation. The detail brings to life a very familiar page of our history. Highly Recommended. Karen Scott, Media Specialist, Thompson Middle School, Alabaster, Alabama
E. CONNECTIONS
Discussion topics could include: would it have been as powerful a statement if a man had refused to give up his seat, could they support a boycott if it created personal hardship, and do they think their mothers have the strength to do what Rosa did? Older students could research other women that played an important part in American history.
Other books about Rosa Parks:
Edwards, Pamela Duncan. THE BUS RIDE THAT CHANGED HISTORY: THE STORY OF ROSA PARKS. ISBN 0618449116
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. BOYCOTT BLUES: HOW ROSA PARKS INSPIRED A NATION. ISBN 0060821191
Giovanni, Nikki. 2005. ROSA. Ill. by Bryan Collier. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0439898838
B. PLOT SUMMARY
This book tells the story of how one lady, Rosa Parks, took a stand against unfair and unequal laws in the fifties by refusing to give up her seat on the bus. The story takes Rosa through the preceding days up to her refusal to leave her seat and the repercussions of that decision.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author immediately begins building a strong standard of excelling for the Parks family. Mr. Parks is one of the best barbers in the county and Rosa is the best seamstress in the county. Mr. Parks takes on extra work and Rosa works through lunch; implying a strong work ethic. The author creates a story line of regular hard working people, striving to their best and then very calmly presents a live changing event, to which the main character responds to with serenity and purpose. Rosa had not wanted this situation, but she would respond to it with dignity and grace learned from her mother and grandmother.
Reference to the inequality to African Americans is provided throughout the book. These cultural markers include Rosa paying to ride the bus in the front but must exit and enter through the rear door, then sit in the back. The author includes the 1954 Brown versus Board of Education decision, the colored signs, the furtive way the women met at the college, Emmett Till, and Martin Luther King, Jr. to share what was happening during this time in history.
The illustrations done in watercolor and collage enhance and embellish this story, providing a visual image of the text. The art is simple, straightforward, and honest depicting a serene Rosa and family. The artist shows a multitude of skin color and facial features throughout the book. Visual representation of the unequal treatment includes a picture with a “white entrance” sign. The picture of the bus driver leaning over Rosa expresses the stereotypical view of white dominance.
The strength of this book lies in the emotional impact on readers to the injustice African Americans endured during this time period. The illustrator claims to have used yellow and dark hues to enhance the illusion of heat that precedes a disturbance.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist starred (June 1, 2005 (Vol. 101, No. 19))
Gr. 3-5. Far from the cliche of Rosa Parks as the tired little seamstress, this beautiful picture-book biography shows her as a strong woman, happy at home and at work, and politically aware ("not tired from work, but tired of . . . eating at separate lunch counters and learning at separate schools"). Her refusal to give up her seat on a bus inspires her friend Jo Ann Robinson, president of the Women's Political Council, and the 25 council members to make posters calling for the bus boycott, and they organize a mass meeting where the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. speaks for them. Paired very effectively with Giovanni's passionate, direct words, Collier's large watercolor-and-collage illustrations depict Parks as an inspiring force that radiates golden light, and also as part of a dynamic activist community. In the unforgettable close-up that was used for the cover, Parks sits quietly waiting for the police as a white bus driver demands that she give up her seat. In contrast, the final picture opens out to four pages showing women, men, and children marching for equal rights at the bus boycott and in the years of struggle yet to come. The history comes clear in the astonishing combination of the personal and the political.
Kirkus Review starred (July 15, 2005)
Rosa Parks sat. "She had not sought this moment, but she was ready for it." When she refused to move out of the neutral section of her bus to make way for white passengers, she sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. She was tired of putting white people first. Giovanni's lyrical text and Collier's watercolor-and-collage illustrations combine for a powerful portrayal of a pivotal moment in the civil-rights movement. The art complements and extends the text, with visual references to Emmett Till, the Edmund Pettus Bridge and Martin Luther King, Jr. The yellowish hue of the illustrations represents the Alabama heat, the light emanating from Rosa Parks's face a shining beacon to all who would stand up for what's right. A dramatic foldout mural will make this important work even more memorable. An essential volume for classrooms and libraries. (Picture book. 5+)
Library Media Connection (March 2006)
This is the story of Rosa Parks and how by saying "no" on a Montgomery bus she changed the history of our nation. On this particular day Rosa left work early. As usual she paid her bus fare, got off the bus, and re- entered from the rear. The section reserved for blacks was full, but the section for both whites and blacks had some empty seats. When the driver demanded her seat, Rosa did not move. She had decided not to give in to what she knew was wrong. She was tired of the segregation and she remembered the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision. After Rosa's arrest members of the Women's Political Council met. First they prayed and then they created fliers that encouraged blacks to walk in support of Rosa. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke in favor of blacks walking. So began the bus boycott. Almost a year after Rosa Parks had been arrested on that bus in Montgomery, the Supreme Court ruled segregation on the buses was illegal. The wonderful color illustrations bring life to this book. They are painted in a manner that allows the reader to see both the darkness and the light of this situation. The detail brings to life a very familiar page of our history. Highly Recommended. Karen Scott, Media Specialist, Thompson Middle School, Alabaster, Alabama
E. CONNECTIONS
Discussion topics could include: would it have been as powerful a statement if a man had refused to give up his seat, could they support a boycott if it created personal hardship, and do they think their mothers have the strength to do what Rosa did? Older students could research other women that played an important part in American history.
Other books about Rosa Parks:
Edwards, Pamela Duncan. THE BUS RIDE THAT CHANGED HISTORY: THE STORY OF ROSA PARKS. ISBN 0618449116
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. BOYCOTT BLUES: HOW ROSA PARKS INSPIRED A NATION. ISBN 0060821191
Thursday, September 18, 2008
KOALA LOU
KOALA LOU
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fox, Mem. 1989. KOALA LOU. Ill. by Pamela Lofts.San Diego: Voyager Books. ISBN 0152005021.
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Koala Lou was loved by everyone, especially her mother, who verbally expressed that love often. As time passed and the family grew the mother was busy and didn’t tell Koala Lou as often as before that she was loved. Koalu Lou missed hearing she was loved. Koala Lou enters the Bush Olympics hoping to win and hear her mother tell her she loves her. Although she trains very hard she does not win; dejected she goes off alone and cries. Upon returning home her mother hugs her and tells her she loves her and always will.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Koala Lou’s story is an expression of mother’s love and childhood insecurity. This story depicts a universal story of a busy mother and the insecurity of growing up while using animals, plants, language, and artwork to establish an Australian setting. Animals mentioned in the story, such as koalas, emus, platypus, and kookabubrra support the Australian setting. Reference to the Bush Olympics further supports the setting. Pamela Lofts’colorful illustrations enhance and support the story and setting of this book. Vivid, expressive pictures of all the characters bolster the words of this story. At the beginning, the illustrations show a confident Koala Lou, then a busy, distracted mom, a lonesome, confused Koala Lou and finally the secure child Koala Lou was at the beginning of the story.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Review (1989)
As a baby, cuddly Koala Lou is everyone's favorite, especially her mother's; but as more little koalas join the family, her mother forgets to say, "Koala Lou, I DO love you!" So--hoping for attention--Koala Lou trains mightily for the Bush Olympics, only to come in second. Surprisingly, this disappointment makes her wish come true; her mother is there to comfort her with the treasured words and a big hug. This satisfying reworking of a familiar and ever-important theme is appealingly illustrated--bright colors, soft-edged sculptural forms, precise detail, dozens of expressive animals. Another winning import from one of Australia's favorite authors.
Publishers Weekly (August 11, 1989)
Fox's two new books join Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge as perfect examples of why the Australian writer has become one of today's top authors of children's books. Koala Lou is loved by everyone, but it is her mother who loves her most of all. She often tells her daughter, ``Koala Lou, I DO love you.'' As the family grows and her mother gets busier, Koala Lou yearns to hear those words again. She sets out to win the Bush Olympics as a way to gain her mother's attention. Lofts's colored-pencil drawings portray the Australian flora and fauna beautifully, including a few of the more exotic species. In Night Noises , elderly Lilly Laceby lives with her fat old dog Butch Aggie. While Lily dozes in front of the fire, Butch Aggie becomes increasingly concerned by the sounds of cars, voices, knocking and shouts. At last, Lily finally wakes up to answer the door, where a veritable mob waits to wish her a happy 90th birthday. Denton uses cartoon balloons and large letters to show the simultaneous action. Both of Fox's books send out positive messages to children about the wonders of being human: Koala Lou celebrates the eternal love of a mother for her child without the sentimentality of Robert Munsch's Love You Forever , and Night Noises lovingly bridges the generation gap. Ages 3-6. (Sept.)
E. CONNECTIONS
Students can draw pictures of themselves with their mothers, write about how their mother loves them, and list people who love them.
Other books about mothers and children:
Braun, Sebastien. I LOVE MY MOMMY. ISBN 0060543108
Harper, Jo. I COULD EAT YOU UP!. ISBN 0823417336
Tedesco, Donna. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU? ISBN 0027891208
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fox, Mem. 1989. KOALA LOU. Ill. by Pamela Lofts.San Diego: Voyager Books. ISBN 0152005021.
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Koala Lou was loved by everyone, especially her mother, who verbally expressed that love often. As time passed and the family grew the mother was busy and didn’t tell Koala Lou as often as before that she was loved. Koalu Lou missed hearing she was loved. Koala Lou enters the Bush Olympics hoping to win and hear her mother tell her she loves her. Although she trains very hard she does not win; dejected she goes off alone and cries. Upon returning home her mother hugs her and tells her she loves her and always will.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Koala Lou’s story is an expression of mother’s love and childhood insecurity. This story depicts a universal story of a busy mother and the insecurity of growing up while using animals, plants, language, and artwork to establish an Australian setting. Animals mentioned in the story, such as koalas, emus, platypus, and kookabubrra support the Australian setting. Reference to the Bush Olympics further supports the setting. Pamela Lofts’colorful illustrations enhance and support the story and setting of this book. Vivid, expressive pictures of all the characters bolster the words of this story. At the beginning, the illustrations show a confident Koala Lou, then a busy, distracted mom, a lonesome, confused Koala Lou and finally the secure child Koala Lou was at the beginning of the story.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Review (1989)
As a baby, cuddly Koala Lou is everyone's favorite, especially her mother's; but as more little koalas join the family, her mother forgets to say, "Koala Lou, I DO love you!" So--hoping for attention--Koala Lou trains mightily for the Bush Olympics, only to come in second. Surprisingly, this disappointment makes her wish come true; her mother is there to comfort her with the treasured words and a big hug. This satisfying reworking of a familiar and ever-important theme is appealingly illustrated--bright colors, soft-edged sculptural forms, precise detail, dozens of expressive animals. Another winning import from one of Australia's favorite authors.
Publishers Weekly (August 11, 1989)
Fox's two new books join Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge as perfect examples of why the Australian writer has become one of today's top authors of children's books. Koala Lou is loved by everyone, but it is her mother who loves her most of all. She often tells her daughter, ``Koala Lou, I DO love you.'' As the family grows and her mother gets busier, Koala Lou yearns to hear those words again. She sets out to win the Bush Olympics as a way to gain her mother's attention. Lofts's colored-pencil drawings portray the Australian flora and fauna beautifully, including a few of the more exotic species. In Night Noises , elderly Lilly Laceby lives with her fat old dog Butch Aggie. While Lily dozes in front of the fire, Butch Aggie becomes increasingly concerned by the sounds of cars, voices, knocking and shouts. At last, Lily finally wakes up to answer the door, where a veritable mob waits to wish her a happy 90th birthday. Denton uses cartoon balloons and large letters to show the simultaneous action. Both of Fox's books send out positive messages to children about the wonders of being human: Koala Lou celebrates the eternal love of a mother for her child without the sentimentality of Robert Munsch's Love You Forever , and Night Noises lovingly bridges the generation gap. Ages 3-6. (Sept.)
E. CONNECTIONS
Students can draw pictures of themselves with their mothers, write about how their mother loves them, and list people who love them.
Other books about mothers and children:
Braun, Sebastien. I LOVE MY MOMMY. ISBN 0060543108
Harper, Jo. I COULD EAT YOU UP!. ISBN 0823417336
Tedesco, Donna. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU? ISBN 0027891208
THE BREADWINNER
THE BREADWINNER
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ellis, Deborah. 2001. THE BREADWINNER. Toronto, Ontario: Groundwood Books/Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 0888994192
B. PLOT SUMMARY
After Parvana’s father is imprisoned she is forced to masquerade as a boy to earn money to provide food and necessities for herself, her mother, older sister, and younger sister and younger brother in the Taliban ruled city of Kabul, Afghanistan. She earns money by reading and writing for men in the square as her father did. She thinks she is the only girl dressing as a boy until one day she sees an old classmate doing the same. She struggles to survive as a boy to support the family until her father is released from prison.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The reality of life in Kabul, Afghanistan sets the stage for Parvana’s story of survival and triumph. Ellis constructs a fast paced story of a daily struggle to survive under a cruel regime. The Taliban control is evidenced in this story by the suppression of women. Women are not allowed to be outside unless covered in a burka or accompanied by a male. The girls are not allowed to go to school nor the mother to work. Ellis uses the cruelty of Taliban to create tension throughout the story.
Parvana, the main character is like any eleven year old in some ways. She fusses with her sister, doesn’t like housework, and loves her family. Her culture is evidenced in her obedience to her family, acceptance of the hardships of daily life, although she wants to change them, and refusal to abandon her family. Parvana begins the story as an eleven year old helping her father and grows to become the sole supporter of the family, accepting (not without argument) the responsibility of feeding her family.
Referral to specific clothing worn is a cultural marker throughout this book. Women must wear burkas to be in public, girls wear a chador outside while boys and men wear a pakul. Shalwar kameez are a loose shirt and pants worn by both men and women with color and adornment designating male and female outfits.
Other cultural markers used in this book are used include food such as nan and kebabs. The family rests on a toshak. Knowledge of the two main languages, Pashtu and Dari, are how both, Parvana and her father support the family.
Random imprisonment, land mines, lack of running water, beatings, brutality, and constant fear are used to illustrate the reality of life in Afghanistan and show the courageous determination to survive by Parvana.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Book Report (November/December 2001)
Parvana, an 11-year-old Afghan girl, accompanies her father to the marketplace, where he sells items and reads and writes letters for those who can't. As a girl, Parvana can no longer attend school, because Afghanistan has been taken over by the Taliban militia and women are forbidden to travel unless accompanied by a male. They must also wear a burqa, a tent-like garment, and a chader, a head cover. Afghanistan has been at war for almost 20 years, first with the Russians and now in a civil war with the Taliban. Parvana's city of Kabul lies in ruins, and her father barely ekes out a living for her, her mother, her two sisters, and her brother. Before the civil war, Parvana's educated parents had held high-paying jobs. When Parvana's father is arrested and taken to prison, her mother falls into a deep depression, and the children are left to fend for themselves. Parvana's hair is cut and she is dressed as a boy so she can move freely through Kabul. This story is great for history students, helping them better understand Afghanistan's turbulent history and the current plight of Afghan women. Although simply written, this tale contains some graphic scenes for mature readers. It also presents a lesson in philanthropy, because all of the book's royalties go to support the education of Afghan girls who remain in Pakistani refugee camps. Recommended. Sandra B. Connell, Librarian, Valwood Private School, Valdosta, Georgia
BookList, 03/01/2001
Gr. 5-7. Ever since the fundamentalist group Taliban secured power in the Afghan capital of Kabul, Parvana and her family have suffered. The group's relentless oppression makes it impossible for the women of the family to leave the house without their father. When Parvana's elderly father is arrested on the grounds that he is a scholar, the women are trapped in their cramped apartment. Eventually, running out of food and hope, Parvana dresses as a boy and becomes the family's breadwinner, doing whatever is necessary to keep the family alive--from reading letters for the illiterate to digging up and selling the bones of her ancestors. Unfortunately, the novel never deals with the religious facets of Afghan life, failing to explain that the Taliban sees itself, essentially, as a religious group. Nonetheless, The Breadwinner is a potent portrait of life in contemporary Afghanistan, showing that powerful heroines can survive even in the most oppressive and sexist social conditions. -- John Green. Booklist, published by the American Library Association.
E. CONNECTIONS
Students can compare the ways Parvana’s life is the same/different from theirs, research children of war, and discuss/generate ideas on ways to end female suppression.
The sequel to this book is: Ellis, Deborah. PARVANA’S JOURNEY. ISBN 0888995199
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ellis, Deborah. 2001. THE BREADWINNER. Toronto, Ontario: Groundwood Books/Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 0888994192
B. PLOT SUMMARY
After Parvana’s father is imprisoned she is forced to masquerade as a boy to earn money to provide food and necessities for herself, her mother, older sister, and younger sister and younger brother in the Taliban ruled city of Kabul, Afghanistan. She earns money by reading and writing for men in the square as her father did. She thinks she is the only girl dressing as a boy until one day she sees an old classmate doing the same. She struggles to survive as a boy to support the family until her father is released from prison.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The reality of life in Kabul, Afghanistan sets the stage for Parvana’s story of survival and triumph. Ellis constructs a fast paced story of a daily struggle to survive under a cruel regime. The Taliban control is evidenced in this story by the suppression of women. Women are not allowed to be outside unless covered in a burka or accompanied by a male. The girls are not allowed to go to school nor the mother to work. Ellis uses the cruelty of Taliban to create tension throughout the story.
Parvana, the main character is like any eleven year old in some ways. She fusses with her sister, doesn’t like housework, and loves her family. Her culture is evidenced in her obedience to her family, acceptance of the hardships of daily life, although she wants to change them, and refusal to abandon her family. Parvana begins the story as an eleven year old helping her father and grows to become the sole supporter of the family, accepting (not without argument) the responsibility of feeding her family.
Referral to specific clothing worn is a cultural marker throughout this book. Women must wear burkas to be in public, girls wear a chador outside while boys and men wear a pakul. Shalwar kameez are a loose shirt and pants worn by both men and women with color and adornment designating male and female outfits.
Other cultural markers used in this book are used include food such as nan and kebabs. The family rests on a toshak. Knowledge of the two main languages, Pashtu and Dari, are how both, Parvana and her father support the family.
Random imprisonment, land mines, lack of running water, beatings, brutality, and constant fear are used to illustrate the reality of life in Afghanistan and show the courageous determination to survive by Parvana.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Book Report (November/December 2001)
Parvana, an 11-year-old Afghan girl, accompanies her father to the marketplace, where he sells items and reads and writes letters for those who can't. As a girl, Parvana can no longer attend school, because Afghanistan has been taken over by the Taliban militia and women are forbidden to travel unless accompanied by a male. They must also wear a burqa, a tent-like garment, and a chader, a head cover. Afghanistan has been at war for almost 20 years, first with the Russians and now in a civil war with the Taliban. Parvana's city of Kabul lies in ruins, and her father barely ekes out a living for her, her mother, her two sisters, and her brother. Before the civil war, Parvana's educated parents had held high-paying jobs. When Parvana's father is arrested and taken to prison, her mother falls into a deep depression, and the children are left to fend for themselves. Parvana's hair is cut and she is dressed as a boy so she can move freely through Kabul. This story is great for history students, helping them better understand Afghanistan's turbulent history and the current plight of Afghan women. Although simply written, this tale contains some graphic scenes for mature readers. It also presents a lesson in philanthropy, because all of the book's royalties go to support the education of Afghan girls who remain in Pakistani refugee camps. Recommended. Sandra B. Connell, Librarian, Valwood Private School, Valdosta, Georgia
BookList, 03/01/2001
Gr. 5-7. Ever since the fundamentalist group Taliban secured power in the Afghan capital of Kabul, Parvana and her family have suffered. The group's relentless oppression makes it impossible for the women of the family to leave the house without their father. When Parvana's elderly father is arrested on the grounds that he is a scholar, the women are trapped in their cramped apartment. Eventually, running out of food and hope, Parvana dresses as a boy and becomes the family's breadwinner, doing whatever is necessary to keep the family alive--from reading letters for the illiterate to digging up and selling the bones of her ancestors. Unfortunately, the novel never deals with the religious facets of Afghan life, failing to explain that the Taliban sees itself, essentially, as a religious group. Nonetheless, The Breadwinner is a potent portrait of life in contemporary Afghanistan, showing that powerful heroines can survive even in the most oppressive and sexist social conditions. -- John Green. Booklist, published by the American Library Association.
E. CONNECTIONS
Students can compare the ways Parvana’s life is the same/different from theirs, research children of war, and discuss/generate ideas on ways to end female suppression.
The sequel to this book is: Ellis, Deborah. PARVANA’S JOURNEY. ISBN 0888995199
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