Dr. Seuss

Dr. Suess is probably one of the most famous, well-known and valued children's authors. I read these books as a child, and read them to my own children and students to this day. These books are books that can be read over and over and never get boring. Many of them have been turned into feature films, cartoons, and/or tv shows. One of his more controversial books is The Lorax, which was written in 1971. The story's plot grows around the Lorax who defends and speaks for all of nature's environmental gifts, particularly the trees. The "Once-ler" is a representation of the booming industry and the story builds around the impact the industry has had and will continue to have on the environment. In 1988 it became controversial, and a school in California continued to keep the book in the schools for the children, although some of the community disagreed. Since, it's been turned into a tv made musical, although later the parts that referenced The Lorax were basically removed.

There have been other controversial children's books written since this book. Books such as Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy's Roommate by Alyson Wonderland, and even To Kill a Mockingbird have been criticized due to the nature of the storyline and/or the situations involved. Anything that strays from the "normal" as the majority sees it, seems to be controversial anymore.

Most of Dr. Seuss' books appear to be nonsense, so to speak...However, the nonsense appears to make sense in a cynical kind of way. They all have a message deep within the story and the nonsense doesn't appear to be nonsense after all. For example, And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell is a story about two penguins who hatch a baby chick and raise it as their own. Although it appears to depict similarities between parents raising children who are different than they are (race, ethnicity, heritage, etc.), children still love the story and are intrigued by it. It actually teaches a good lesson in accepting others regardless of the differences...

To this day I LOVE Dr. Seuss books and will continue to read them to my children, my students, and probably my grandchildren. They just don't get better than his books!!! :o)

Yoshiko Uchida

Yoshiko Uchida was an American born Japanese girl who began writing very early in her life. She has famous works that include non-fiction books for adults and usually fiction for children. The topics of her adult books usually focus on topics such as war, The Great Depression, and racism. Her children's books seem to focus on topics that involve much of her Japanese heritage, stemming from what she learned about her heritage from her family. Some of her more popular stories include:

The Best Bad Thing
The Journey Home
The Bracelet
The Birthday Visitor
The Rooster Who Understood Japanese

Of the books I reviewed by this author, I read The Bracelet. It was a very inspiring story of a little girl who was moving and had a bracelet as a keepsake to remember her best friend. She vowed to never take it off, but lost it after the move. She desperately searched for the bracelet but wasn't able to find it and was devastated. However, her mother explained to her that her memory of her friend was in her heart and could never be lost, just as her father (who was a prisoner of war) would always be remembered in her heart. This book is intended for elementary aged children and teaches a valuable lesson about unconditional love and friendship.

Laurence Yep... Not such a familiar name to me???

This author is one I definitely had to research before attempting this blog. I didn't recognize the name when I read it, and after researching... I realized that I've only read a very select few books written by this author. This could be due to the fact that many of the books I reviewed by Laurence Yep seem to focus on dragons, lions, and other animals/characters that are based on Asian themes/topics. I have never enjoyed reading books that are about science fiction, mysteries, or any type of "supernatural" books. I'm not sure how to exactly categorize Yep's work, but they just didn't appear very interesting to me. As a child, I loved to read books by authors such as Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, etc. As an adult, I still enjoy reading books that are realistic in nature.... fiction is ok, but I prefer realistic fiction. I only watch tv shows and movies that are real-life, comedies, love stories, or realistic in nature.

After reviewing the author's selection of books, I did read (or attempt to read) a few... Some of the ones that appear to be on booklists (for children/young adults) and the more popular among these age groups are:

Dragon Road (Golden Mountain Chronicles)
When the Circus Came to Town
Case of the Lion Dance (Chinatown Series)
Bravo, Mia!

The one book that was familiar to me out of all of the ones I found is Bravo, Mia! This book is part of the American Girl Series which I am very familiar with, as are most little girls between the ages of 5 and 10. This book is one that I particularly enjoyed in the series because it deals with Mia's heartbreak of having to possibly not be able to do what she loves (skate) due to family and financial issues. It is sad, but very realistic in nature, and I think it teaches the readers good family values/responsibility and decision making skills.

Jerry Pinkney... AWESOME ILLUSTRATOR!!!

It seems like every other time I pick up a children's book that interests me, the illustrator is Jerry Pinkney. Now, I know he didn't illustrate EVERY children's book, but he illustrated so many good ones that it seems like his name is everywhere in the library :o) Some of the books he has illustrated are (just to name a few):

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling
The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy
God Bless the Child by Billie Holiday
I Want to Be by Thylias Moss
The Man Who Kept His Heart in a Bucket by Sonia Levitin

I've read all of the above and probably tons more. His illustrations tell the story without even adding the words. He is an amazing illustrator and I can see why he has won so many honors and awards for his work. It's an honor for an author to have an illustrator who can add to their stories with illustrations that make the story come to life, as Jerry Pinkney's do. :o)

Julius Lester...

Julius Lester is a popular author who writes books that seem to focus on life and situations that have caused life changes. For example, several of his books were written about problems in the world such as: slavery, civil rights movements, death/murder, etc. He is an African-American author, therefore many of his writings are focused around topics that affect or stem from the Black Culture. Some critics feel that his writings are too advanced or developmentally inappropriate for children and should be listed as for adults. However, he feels he writes for audiences of all ages. Some of the books he has written are:

John Henry
To Be a Slave
Guardian
Let's Talk About Race

I've reviewed many of his books in bookstores and websites, but I read Let's Talk About Race and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is intended for childrend between the ages of 4/5-8. It describes a person's identity as being more in depth than just the basis of race. It allows children to see that we are more alike than we actually appear on the outside. It's an awesome book to introduce diversity and to oppose prejudiced attitudes.

Children's Books Turning into Feature Films...

Three books I've read that have become feature films are:

Holes by Louis Sachar
Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Of the three books/films above, I enjoyed the book better in all except the Dr. Seuss movie. I think this is due to the fact that the other two had to be shortened in order to make it into a movie due to the length of the book. My Sister's Keeper was shortened and thing were left out that actually made a difference in the entire movie, especially the ending. I made the mistake of watching the movie first, and when I began reading the book it was completely different. They left out important characters, such as the court appointed worker, etc. Holes didn't leave out as much, but the book was definitely more informative and descriptive, yet left more to the imagination. In Horton Hears a Who, I felt that the book was so short that they had the opportunity to add to it when making the movie. It was an extended version of the picture book, but it only added to the plot/story...nothing was taken away.

Coretta Scott King Award...

I recently read Walter Dean Myers book, Monster. This book won the Coretta Scott King Award in 2000 for it's plot, thematic content, storyline, and message it sends to young adults. It makes you sad, to think that Steve will have to spend the rest of his life in a prison for something he may or may not have had anything to do with... and you want to jump in the book and yell "He's innocent!" However, it's not so easy. While I think this book is good for giving examples of different cultures and the effects of society on any person, I also feel that it portrays a stereotype of young black men in today's world. It gives a vivid account of what jail/prison can be like, probably in hopes of making children want to do the exact opposite of Steve. This is definitely a must read and get ready...once you get started it's VERY HARD to put down. It's written similar to an interview/play and can be tricky to follow at times. Over all, however, it's a wonderful book and I would recommend it to any teenager.

Newbery Honor/Award Books...

When I first glance at a book, if I see the seal on the cover for an award or honor, it immediately draws my attention. That's what happened when I came across the book, Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis. This book was a Newbery Honor book in 2008. I began reading it to my 5th grade class last year, and now I see why it won the honor. My students were so drawn to the story that they never wanted me to put the book down. Sometimes it was hard for me to find a stopping point... I wanted to continue to read every time I started. The book is about a little boy, Elijah, who was the first freeborn slave, born in Buxton (settlement in Canada). The story tells about his life, many obstacles he must overcome, and gives the reader an insight to the humor and pain in his life. There were a few slow parts in the middle, but my students didn't lose interest. Rather, they wanted me to keep reading so they could get to the climax as the plot began to thicken and rise. I can't wait to read it to this new group of 5th graders.

Another Newbery Award Winner that I read was Holes by Louis Sachar. This book earned the award in 1999 and it became a movie a few years later. I actually saw the movie before I read the book, and the book was better, by far. It gave greater detail into the situations that Stanley faced, as a juvenile delinquet. It added humor, to make younger adults appreciate it. However, it teaches morals and values through the character's selflessness and unselfish acts. I would recommend both of these books to anybody around the age of 10 and up...

Caldecott Honor/Caldecott Award Winner Books...

I've read MANY Caldecott Honor and Award Winner books over the past few years. Often, as soon as I glanced at the cover, I knew exactly why the book received it's recognition. These books are nominated due to the illustrations and pictures within these stories. Of the many I've read, some of my favorites are:

Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
*Caldecott Honor 2008

Moses: When Hrriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
*Caldecott Honor 2007

The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster, illustrated by Chris Raschka
*Caldecott Winner 2006

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems, illustrated by Mo Willems
*Caldecott Honor 2004

No, David! by David Shannon, illustrated by David Shannon
*Caldecott Honor 1999

I read Henry's Freedom Box and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom to my 5th graders last year, during a Social Studies unit. They absolutely loved the story, but loved the illustrations even more. Sometimes the pictures alone told the entire story. One of my students even said "I didn't have any idea what the freedom box looked like until you read us this book." I thought about it, and to be honest, I didn't either. The other three stories I read to my Kindergarten class a few years ago. They always love to see the pictures as you read to them, but they wanted me to show these books over and over again. I read The Hello, Goodbye Window to my 5th graders as well, because I felt it has a good message, appropriate for all ages. I think all five of these books were well deserved of their honors and awards. When the illustrations, alone, can tell a story, that says a lot! :o)

I'm back... Internet is up and running :o)

I've had major trouble w/ my internet service @ home...So, I've been having to type my blogs in a word document and now I'm attempting to copy/paste all of the documents as blogs on here... Cross your fingers for me that it works... Have a few more to do and a ton to post...then it should be a wrap :o)

Caldecott/Newberry... what's the difference?

The Caldecott Award (named for artist Randolph Caldecott) honors the most "distinguished" American picture books for children; whereas the Newbery Award (named for author John Newbery) honors the most "distinguished" contribution to literature for childen, in America as well. Both of these awards/medals are given once a year to an artist and author, and they also have Newbery and Caldecott Honor Books that are selected each year as well. The 2009 Newbery Medal went to The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. The 2009 Caldecott Medal went to The House in the Night illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan Marie Swanson.

Getting Started...

I'm new to this wild world of blogging... So, I'm just trying this out to see how it works...