Poetry Picture Book: Rutherford B., Who Was He?: Poems About Our Presidents

Title: Rutherford B., Who Was He?: Poems About Our Presidents
Author: Marilyn Singer
Illustrator: John Hendrix
Publication: 2013

This book was super cool!! There is a poem about each president, so that readers can learn about each one a little more. I know for me, it was very helpful having the presidents listed in chronological order, so I could see the progression of time. The poems were short and sweet, cute and to the point, memorable but also easy to read. I think this book would be great for a fourth or fifth grade classroom as they learn about presidents and famous figures.

The best part about the book is that Singer provided a "Presidential Biographies" section at the back of the book, giving more detailed information about each president. Matching the poems to their biographies was very helpful because the biographies better explained some of the things they did, were known for, etc. The poems were more brief explanations about the more well-known facts of their presidency, whereas the biographies in the back gave a more detailed description of what they actually did while holding office.

I believe this book is a great resource to students because one, Singer, makes it easy to put a face to the name and remember the presidents through the fun poems. The poems are catchy and usually bring up something unusual or unique about the president to make him stand out. One of my favorites was Calvin Coolidge's poem. He was president during the roaring 20's and part of his poem reads like this: "More autos on the highways, more airplanes on the flyways, with radio and movies, who was bored? They kept cool with Mr. Coolidge, while the twenties roared" (Singer). Through this stanza, the reader can really get a feel for what it might have felt like to live in the twenties. With the onset of cars, planes, radios, and movies, how could the 20s not be roaring??

Overall, I absolutely loved this book!! I'm really into learning about history because I think being informed about the past makes us better able to make decisions for the future. This book makes learning about the presidents fun, easy and entertaining!! Singer makes history interesting with her catchy poems and loud illustrations. The short bios in the back help to summarize presidencies for students as well. The best part is this book is very relevant and modern because it was published in 2013, with Obama being the last president in her chronological history.

Poetry Picture Book: There's No Place Like School

Title: There's No Place Like School
Author: Jack Prelutsky
Publication: 2010

This book of poetry is very unique and thoughtfully complied. Prelutsky took poems about school and compiled them into a youthful, fun poetry book for kids. He opens up the book with a poem on school buses, then talks about recess, music class, cafeteria lunch, etc. - anything that involves a normal day at school. Reading this book brought back memories of my youth and the great times I had at school. He chose poems about some of my favorite times of school, and I can imagine for other students too. He also included poems about things students question or don't like about school, for example, hating math and liking spelling, or why one has to do homework, etc.

Overall, I think this book would be great to use on the first day of school. It would help students get the jitters out about school and that school can be a combination of fun, excitement and nervousness. I think this book would be a great addition to a classroom library because it could be read during any time of the year and could relate to a student's situation at school. It is also very useful because the book takes ordinary experiences and shows poems about them. This could help students involved in writing workshops better understand how to write poetry about day to day situations or normal occurrences.

Lastly, this book is an easy read and would be good for students who are just being introduced to poetry. The poems aren't super intense like some of the other books I've read. The best part about them, too, is that they are fun to read. For example, "My work's all done. I gotta run. Two minutes until recess. Clock, hurry! Hands, scurry! One minute until recess. Brrrrrrring! Dash! Gone in a flash!" (Dakos, 12). This is something we all experienced waiting for the bell to ring for recess. This poem helps show students how to take one's feelings and put them into an interesting, lively, and fun poem!!

Digital Picture Book App: Speakaboos Reading App

Title: Speakaboos Reading App: Stories and Songs for Kids
Publisher: Conscious Content Media LLC, 2016

This application was called "Speakaboos" which has over 200 stories and songs available to children to read electronically. This app allows children to have access to this many stories to choose from - literally it's like a library in their own two hands. I had so much fun flipping through the variety of stories, topics, and themes available to me. The application includes everything from fairy tales, fables, nursery rhymes, Thomas the Train, Sid the Science Kid, Sesame Street songs, stories organized by topic like soccer, science, music, etc. Overall I loved this application and would definitely use it in the classroom. The age range is 2-6 and I would prefer to be in a higher aged classroom, so I do hope they have one like this available for older students. It is such a neat concept and the best part is you can do a free trail to try!!

I read a couple different stores, but one of the ones I liked the best was "The Very Fairy Princess." It was super neat because it was almost as if you were watching a movie with subtitles. I would just need to make sure the children are actually looking at the words while they are watching the pictures move around. However, it is done well because they show the words at the bottom of the screen and they highlight the word that is being spoken. I love movies, so for me, this would have been a great way to get me more involved with reading. Reading is really fun when done this way, and I think children/students would agree!!

The downside to this app is you do have to pay a fee per month to use it. The plus side is you have access to over 200 stories that the children can use and read. The only problem I had while watching and reading some of the stories was that they were super slow to load. This could cause children to get distracted from the story and not want to finish reading. When reading a book in hand, you can go at your own pace, so page loading is not an issue. I don't know if it's because I was doing the free trial that it was slow, but they definitely need to fix this aspect of the app if I were to actually buy it.

Digital Picture Book: The Artifacts

Title: The Artifacts
Story and Illustration: Lynley Stace
Publication: Slap Happy Larry

The Artifacts is a story about a boy and his imagination. Even when his parents tell him to stop collecting weird things and moves him away to a new place, he still is able to conjure up creative ideas in his head. His room become a castle, a boat, etc. He imagines creative scenarios, which shows that sometimes are imagination can fit inside a box and we should use it and our creativity to make us happy.

Particularly, I love the sound features of this book. The music playing behind the words makes the book come alive. The book is eerie looking through the illustrations, however with the addition of the mystical music playing in the background, the book is further enhanced. The touch-feature elements are also very well articulated. On each page, you can touch the screen multiple times to add words, icons, etc. This makes the reader feel as if he or she is directly involved in the story. It almost feels as if you are there and through your actions, you are affecting the story. It's a very neat concept that you can't otherwise get from reading a non-electronic book.

Additionally, the narrations of the text help readers to identify words they might not know. By having someone narrate the story, it helps those (like me) who may have trouble pronouncing words learn how to say unfamiliar ones. It could help those who are struggling in areas like phonics or who are learning English as a second language, as well. They will be able to see the words with the sound of the narration, therefore helping them learn how to read and pronounce the English language. Overall, I would definitely use this book in my classroom. I think it would be really entertaining and interactive for students. They would have a fun time reading it, and just like the last app, they will most likely (and hopefully) left wanting to read more.

Digital Picture Book: Dragon Brush

Digital Picture Book: Dragon Brush
Illustrator and Designer: John Solimine
Publisher: Small Planet, 2012

Dragon Brush was one of the e-books that Cahill and McGill-Franzen mentioned in their article on selecting appropriate "apps." I definitely understand why they added this app to the list, because wowwww was it amazing!!! I honestly didn't know that interactive books like these were out there for children. I am so glad our professor gave us this topic as a blog post because I was able to study and look at different e-book applications. I grew up with a younger sister (6 years younger than me) and therefore thought I was up-to-date on all the cool things out there for children. However, since the advancement of technology, companies have developed such interesting and interactive applications for children. I am excited to get to blog about these apps and was so excited to experience them for myself. I can't wait to see the reaction of children and to see how they use them in and out of the classroom.

Overall, Dragon Brush, was particularly entertaining. I felt like I was watching a movie and playing a game all in one. It was super interactive because on each page you were able to draw with a paintbrush, click different characters to see their reactions, and find hidden treasures. Overall, I was entertained, so I am sure a child will be! The illustrations were superb and the overall design of the app was excellent. I know if must have taken a long time to develop the app and wow can you tell they put a lot of thought into it.

The only negative complaint I would have is that I almost wish the book had a multi-part series. So maybe after you read the first story, there is a second, third, fourth, etc. I think that is a good way to get children hooked on certain books and reading in general. I know I would love to continue the story, and students would as well. So that would be my only suggestion for the app to improve. In having more stories available, I think it will prevent students from getting bored or having to read the same story over and over again.   

Poetry Picture Book: At Christmas Time

Title: At Christmas Time
Author: Valerie Worth
Publication: 1992

This poetry book was particularly fitting because it is about the onset of the Christmas season to the end. The book takes you through different poems about Christmas time, like the day's becoming shorter, Christmas decorations, Christmas trees, Wise Men, Angels, Santa Clause, etc. The book ends with a Spring poem, showing the change of season and the wait for the holiday season the next year. Each poem is super cute and short, giving the reader a good idea of the Western traditions of Christmas. This book definitely gets you in the Christmas spirit and is a great one to read around the holiday season.

This book is written to a Western audience and therefore, as a teacher I must be careful to present a book that only shows Christianity. I think this is a good book to have so that whether or not a student is a practicing Christian, he or she can read this book to understand what the Christmas holiday in America is like. This book gives a great overview of the different elements that make up the holiday season and therefore is educational for those who may not practice Christianity. This book is also go for students who celebrate Christmas because they are able to see some of the elements of the Christmas season wrapped up into pretty poems. This will help them to see familiar things like presents, angels, or trees and be able to see how one can write poems about them. Reading this book will hopefully give them a better sense of poetry as a genre and broaden their horizons on how poetry can be written.

Verse Novel: Inside Out & Back Again

Title: Inside Out and Back Again
Author: Thanhha Lai
Publication: 2011

At first, I thought I wouldn't like reading the verse novel because sometimes I find it hard to grasp the literary elements of poetry and it's hidden meanings or symbolism. However, I actually found my book to be pretty easy and quick to read. I found it to be enjoyable and while it was poetry, the free verse was written in an easy way to understand. I think these books would be great for struggling or apprehensive readers. Verse novels would not be as intimidating to them because the pages don't have as much text as normal novels.

Lai writes in an easy, free-flowing way so that it's more like reading a story just in shorter form. So basically it's as if she wrote a story and then took out like half the words. It's like reading a shorter version of a full length novel. I found it quite enjoyable and actually not as difficult as I thought to read. She uses great diction in her verses to help portray certain scenarios like on page 31 when the author is describing how her mother would feel if her father returned. Her trick is to not just say she would be "happy," instead she shows what the mom would look like so the reader can infer and imagine for themselves how she would respond.

For example, "Mostly I wish father would appear in our doorway and make Mother's lips curl upward, lifting them from a permanent frown of worries" (Lai, 31). 

Throughout her book, Lai also weaves in history in a way that's easy to understand. She talks about the Vietnam War and how her family escaped it for safety in America. She describes the tough transition their family has adjusting to life in America, especially rural Alabama. The main character, Ha, based off the author real life journey, experiences many hardships while in America, especially with bullies. In reading this book, students would be able to gain a better sense of understanding for immigrants. Most are just trying to escape unsafe conditions of their homeland. We need to be accepting of immigrants who are coming for a better life and need to put ourselves in their shoes. What if America was in a state of emergency and we had to move to Europe, Vietnam, or Africa...would we want them to be accepting of us or bully us?

In my classroom, I would teach this book with a history lesson on the Vietnam War. I think it is a crucial part of history that students need to come to understand. I would also have them create their own family tree, journal or scrapbook, like the book recommends. Hopefully in reading this book, it would get them thinking about their family tree and background. Therefore, they would be interested in researching more about their own heritage. I would have them present these to the class so that we can all learn a little more about each other.

Controversial Picture Book: The Case for Loving

Title: The Case for Loving
Author: Selina Alko
Publication: 2015

My favorite part of historical fiction books is how the book presents a problem that the characters struggled with back in time and how we can compare it to today's society and how far we have come. We have made great strides in the realm of interracial marriage and this book portrays the fight beautifully. The book follows a white man and African-American/Cherokee woman and their fight for a legal marriage in Virginia. They eventually take the case to the Supreme Court and win the case. Because of their fight for their rights and their love, inter-racial marriage is no longer illegal in Virginia and other states. Their case set a strong precedent for many other people who wanted to have interracial marriages and subsequent racial/sexual marriage cases to come.

As I was reading this book, I knew the story sounded familiar. I had just recently seen a preview for the new movie, "Loving," which is based on the story of this book. I am so glad that they have chosen to make this into a movie, which definitely shows the progress we have made with racial equality. The fact that interracial marriage was banned, but now they are producing a movie about the story, shows how far we have come as a society and in the right for equal rights.

This book could be used in the classroom or at home to relate to problems in today's society, like same sex marriage. As author Alko writes in the back of her book, "When I first wrote this manuscript in 2011, only five states legalized same-sex marriage. As of today in early 2014, there are seventeen states wherein gay marriage is legal" (Alko). We still have great strides to make currently with it being 2016. We still need greater accepetance legally and socially for same-sex marriage. Hopefully twenty years from now we'll be reading books published in 2016 about gay rights acceptance and we will be able to think "oh, back in the day when it was illegal."

I enjoy books like these because they showcase to the reader the passage of time and how rights, constitutionality, fairness and freedom always win out!!

Controversial Picture Book: And Tango Makes Three

Title: And Tango Makes Three
Author: Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Publication: 2005

So this book was really interesting in that it follows two penguins who are males and end up loving each other and raising a baby penguin together. I found it interesting that this book was actually based on a true story. So the fact that people or schools don't want a "true story" to be a part of students' lives makes it seem like they are keeping students from reality. Two males end up liking each other, instead of female and male. This is similar to homosexual (instead of heterosexual) humans who may end up liking the same sex. I think it is great to have a book that portrays homosexual relationships in a way that students can understand, through the use of animals instead of humans. This book will help them better understand why two people of the same sex might like each other.

I think it's a good idea for kids to be faced with reality. The reality of this book is not one that is harsh or depressing, it's just a factual part of our world. A lot of humans are homosexual, but people may not understand why. By having a student read about homosexual animals, they will be able to relate this to the human experience and maybe better be able to understand and accept another person's position on sexuality. Overall, I think this book would be good to have for students, so that they can be familiar with unconventional situations. It would also be good for students with same sex parents so that they can relate to the experience and characters in the story.

The coolest part to me about this book is that there is an ongoing debate about how a person can "change" their sexuality or be coached out of it. This book shows that sexuality can be inherent within a person. The two male penguins came to love each other just like two male people can. It is his or her choice of which sex he or she prefers to be with. This book helps support that argument and shows that sometimes our sexual preference is out of our hands - it may be just how we were meant to be.

Controversial Picture Book: Woolvs in the Satee (Wolves in the City)

Title: Woolvs in the Satee
Author: Margaret Wild
Publication: 2006

Wow, well this book is definitely different. In some ways good and in other ways... I can quite figure out. From the front cover of the book, one can tell that it is going to be dark and dismal. When flipping through the book, your inclinations are further supported. The pages are filled with dark, black almost demonic illustrtaions with what looks to be messy, charcoal drawings. I can tell the author is purposeful in her choice of illustrations, words, and the mode of the book. One that makes you feel a little depressed.

Furthermore, the story is very dark and depressing as well. I honestly wasn't even sure what was going on by the end of it and had to look up a couple summaries to be sure. It looks like there is no "specific" answer. A lot of people have very diverse ideas of what happens in the book. Basically the boy is scared of these "woolvs" but he is talking about wolves as if they are in his home. He is stuck inside someplace and seems as if he doesn't have access to food, the outside world, etc. He is burning furniture to keep him warm. The only connection he has with the outside world is with Mrs. Radinski. She brings him food and water and tells him "there are no wolves." The name "Radinski" makes me think this book could take place in the Slovak area of Europe because "ski" is popular in last names from those areas. So maybe this book has something to do about the Holocaust or Communism, etc. Still not sure, but definitely a good book to allow students to infer or decide for themselves what may happen. Overall, I'm still not sure what the plot of the story actually is, but I think that is the purpose of Wild's writing. I think she wants to leave you thinking about the book and therefore researching or talking about it with others.

In addition to its depressing storyline, this book could have been ban because of the writing in the book. Author Wild spells things phonetically and purposely misspells words to fit in with the feel of the book. Potentially because the main character may be illiterate or maybe because she wants to reach those students who may not spell well. It could connect with students and show them that they aren't alone is spelling things wrong.

Overall, this book is definitely very different and I can understand why it might be banned from class or schools, etc. However, I do think it provides a different point of view for young readers. It is an example of a book that should be presented to students to help them realize that this world is not perfect. We all have depressing thing that happen in our life and affect us in potentially negative ways.

Book of Choice: Finding Winnie

Title: Finding Winnie
Author: Lindsay Mattick
Illustrator: Sophie Blackall
Publication: 2015

Findig Winnie was a Caldecott award winner and therefore a must read for me!! I found out in the "about this book section" that the illustrations are "done in Chinese ink and watercolor on hot-press paper" (Mattick). How cool right?!? The illustrations are presented so intricately with small details on anything from the wheels of the train to the fur on Winnie the bear. Sophie Blackall's illustrations are also in the Ivy and Bean series, which I love!!

Now on to the text of the book, overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought the storyline was the cutest and so heart-warming. It's about a bear that is adopted by a veterinarian that is going off to war. He names the bear Winnie and she comes to be the soldiers mascot during the tough times of war. It just so happens that this very same bear is the bear that Winnie the Pooh was inspired by. Harry, who adopted Winnie, decides to give him away to the London zoo. There Winnie, becomes friends with a boy named Christopher. Christopher's dad is the one who writes the Winnie the Pooh stories based off her son and his friend bear, Winnie.

Complicating, am I right?!? .... This end part of the story threw me for a loop and even made the story a tad confusing. I had to go back and re-read to make sure I didn't miss something. It was a little confusing because it's almost as if they are blending two stories together, one of Harry and one of Christopher. This confusion in the storyline is the only reason I would be apprehensive to use it in the classroom. However, I love the overall story so much, it's worth a little confusion to get to the main point of the story. I would just need to make sure I allow for questions and concerns regarding the comprehension of the storyline. Having read the book myself, I know my students may be a tad confused, but I could help them work out the bumps along the road in order to understand the bigger take-aways from the story as a whole.

From this book, one can understand the true meaning of friendship, why one must follow his or her heart at times and not one's head, and the beauty behind little stories that make a grim time like war, one worth remembering. A $20 purchase at a train station, lead to the lifelong friendship between a bear and his owner. How would he know, one day that bear would be the story behind the infamous "Winnie the Pooh" .... he had no idea, but he sure did listen to his heart, that hunch, that told him to do it. And because of that purchase we have stories that live on about Pooh and his friends that we can all relate to in today's world.

Graphic Novel: Bink & Gollie

Title: Bink & Gollie
Author: Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee
Publication: 2010

I really enjoyed reading my graphic novel and could definitely see myself reading more of these type of books. I think it's a great bridge between wordless books and regular novels because graphic novels offer both pictures and text. I found them easier to read than wordless books but more interesting than just regular books. Since I'm a photographer in my spare time, and very much a visual learner, these type of books definitely speak to me. I will definitely use these to teach in my classroom because I can see a wide variety of students liking this type of literature: those who may be struggling to learn to read, those who like comic books, and those like me, who love photos. I believe graphic novels will appeal to a large variety of students and therefore am super excited to use them in my classroom!!

The storyline of Bink and Gollie was so cute it just made you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Bink and Gollie go on adventures together and encounter difficulties with each other. They must compromise in order to reach both of their goals. By the end, they both learn the true meaning of friendship and what it means to have someone stick by your side. By the end of the book, I felt like I was cozied up by the fire place, hot chocolate in hand, watching my favorite Christmas movie with my family. It definitely was one of those feel good books.

Bink & Gollie was an easy read overall and a good book for children to be introduced to the genre of graphic novels. One could easily follow the flow of the book with each page having a limited number of photos and text. For students who are struggling to learn to read, this book could be very helpful. They could look at the photos for context clues on what the text says. Not only are these books helpful to the learning process, they are also fun to read!! Because of the graphic features, it could ease apprehensive readers into loving reading.

Author Study Book: Dona Flor

Title: Dona Flor
Author: Pat Mora
Publication: 2005

Dona Flor is a tall tale about a woman saving her town, a Spanish village. The giant woman has a kind heart and saves her town from what the people thing is a large mountain lion. It turns out the cat is just stuck and needs help from the giant woman. She can speak to all the animals and helped the cat  return to its home. You can see the Spanish influence throughout the book through different elements. For example, the main character has Latino features, the setting takes place in a Spanish town and there are elements like tortillas and a focus on family that tie in the Latino aspects to the book.

Pat Mora went out on a limb in creating a Latino inspired tall tale with a female as the main character.  This exemplifies her literary activism in wanting to give both women and Latinos a space in literature. She definitely is a role model to me, because I am very much for women's rights and multi-culrualism. Both of these aspects greatly influence her writing and has thus lead to an increased awareness of Latino culture and women in books.

If I were to use this book in the classroom, I would present it with a lesson plan on tall tales. I would then present other tall tales like Paul Bunyan and compare/contrast to Mora's version. We would discuss how the main characters differ like Paul being male and strong, while Dona Flor is female, strong, kind and all-knowing. Lastly, I would have my students find other tales that represent other cultures. In conclusion, I would teach them that while these stories may differ, they are all just as important. We should study all different types of cultural literature, so we can come to understand different heritages and ways of life.

Author Study Book: Marimba! Animales from A to Z

Title: Marimba! Animales from A to Z

Author: Pat Mora 

Publication: 2006

In this book Pat Mora takes cognates, which are Spanish words that sound like English words, and uses them in an animal ABC book. She uses different animals for each letter of the alphabet. She writes the word standing for a letter in Spanish and then the rest of the sentence following it in English. For example, "Hipopotamos practice the hula, in a happy hullabaloo" (Mora, 12). Hippo is written in Spanish but since it sounds and looks like English, it is easy for the reader to pick up. The picture of the animal on each page also helps the reader identify the Spanish word with the English animal. 

I really like the way she uses cognates in this book, because it helps reader not be so intimidated when trying to learn a new language. English or Spanish speakers can realize that they already know 26 words from either language simply because they sound a look like each other. One may not know how to spell the words but at least they would look familiar and they would be able to know what the word means. 

I would definitely enjoy using this book in my classroom, because I think it helps students realize the bridge between the two languages. There are actually a lot of similarities, and if they can pick up on those then they will be less apprehensive to learn the new language. I always remembered learning animals in Spanish as a kid because my teacher made it fun and would pair a picture of the animal to the word. This book uses the same concept. If I present the book with the picture of the animals, it will help the picture and word stick in the children's mind, especially for visual learners. I believe this book is very effective for beginners in Spanish or English to help them learn another language and to realize the connection between the two languages. 

Author Study Book: Book Fiesta!

Title: Book Fiesta
Author: Pat Mora
Publication: 2009

This is by far one of my favorite books by my author study, Pat Mora. This book has an interesting concept in that it promotes Mora's idea behind her "Children's Day/Book Day" on April 30th every year. She coined the word "bookjoy," which describes the joy one gets from reading, and uses this day to celebrate. I would love to use this concept in my classroom and celebrate reading and children on this day. In the back of her book, she describes how teachers, schools and communities can celebrate this day.

The book itself celebrates the joy of reading and how reading can become part of a person's daily life. She gives scenarios of different ways and places children can read, to celebrate the great gift of books  and reading. I love that she uses diverse characters, in that they range in race and gender. This allows more kids to be able to identify with the characters in the book. The drawings are marvelous and really draw the reader in. They are all super colorful and almost look like the images have been cut out by hand and put onto the page. They have a magical, surrealism effect to them as well that takes the reader to a whole other planet - or magical world - when reading.

My most favorite part of the book is how Mora incorporates the Spanish language into her writing. On each page, she presents the English version of the text, followed by the Spanish version. I think this is a great idea because if students are either learning Spanish or English, presenting both languages allows all readers to better connect the two languages together. I don't think it's all about pronouncing or reading it perfectly in both languages. I believe it is great to simply expose the students to both languages, so they are more familiar with the words. Through Mora's brilliant use of two languages, students will be able to better match Spanish and English words together because both texts are seen side by side.

Book of Choice: How Many Seeds In a Pumpkin?

Title: How Many Seeds In a Pumpkin?
Author: Margaret McNamara
Publication: 2007

I loved this book because I love doing hand-on activities for students, and I think I could replicate what the book does in my classroom. In the book, the teacher has a small, medium, and large pumpkin. He has the students pick the seeds from them and count them. It turns out that the smallest pumpkin had the most seeds. Regardless of sizes, the more lines on the outside of a pumpkin, the more seeds it will have inside.

Author McNamara, uses this metaphor to explain how even though the main character is short, it doesn't mean he is last in line all the time, or the worst. In the story, the smallest pumpkin has the most seeds. The author uses this example to explain to Charlie that although he may be the shortest in the class, he still is just as important as everyone else. As teacher Mr. Tiffin explains, "Small things can have a lot going on inside them" (McNamara).

I love how this book gives a lesson for teachers to use in the classroom, while also providing an interesting storyline for students. The book also contains an informative author's note at the pack of the book. It explains facts about pumpkins, pumpkin seeds, how to grow pumpkins, etc. I would love to use both this book and the activity presented in the book in my classroom. I would probably alter the activity in my class a bit since the book already tells of the outcome. But Halloween and fall are definitely one of my favorite times of year, so I would enjoy teaching my students about pumpkins, harvests, fall plants, and Halloween myths and stories. It would be a fun experience for the kids, while also giving them a chance to learn something new!!!

Multicultural Novel: Seedfolks

Title: Seedfolks
Author: Paul Fleischman
Publication: 1997

I really enjoyed this book because my family is a family of immigrants, so I resonate with the stories presented in the book. Especially even moving to a new town to attend school, you kind of have to start all over and it's difficult. People say it's easy but it's not. However, friends, a community and having other people in your same position helps.

Fleischman uses his anecdotes to present stories of immigrants or diverse races for a multicultural outlook. These help a reader empathize with these type of people. Students are able to better understand human nature and what being from a different place and having to relocate would feel like.

I really liked Sae Young's story. She was depressed, scared and sad, but through gardening she finally felt whole again - like she was part of something bigger than herself. In the beginning of her anecdote she says, "When I wake up, I no more like to be with people, like before. Afraid of everyone, all the time" (Fleischman, 46). But then, by the end of her story, after she has started gardening and helping out, she says, "That day I see man use my funnel. Then woman. Then many people. Feel very glad inside. Feel part of garden. Almost like family" (Fleischman, 50). Being part of the community garden gives her a sense of self, a sense of community and a sense of belonging. Something all of us as humans want to feel.

I would use this in my classroom, specifically in the older grades because some of the topics are tough to digest and maybe even hard to understand. For example, the book uses a lot of slang and different characters from diverse backgrounds. If students haven't yet learned world history they may be confused where the characters come from, why they talk a certain way, etc. In order to fully comprehend the book, I think one must also have a vast understanding of society. To understand society, one must live in it for a long enough time. I believe fifth or sixth grade would be a perfect time to present this book in the classroom. By doing so, a students' perspective and world view will be widened and broaden for the better.

In order to properly teach this book, I would delve into each character so that the students will understand the meaning behind the stories. For example, we would dissect the story of Gonzalo and his Guatemalan uncle, and why farming was so important in their culture. Next, life in Vietnam, Haiti, Korea, or Poland and why farming and growing their food was important to their lives. To apply this book to the classroom, I would give each student or group of students a character from the book. Then I would have them research something about that character like where they are from, their ancestors, history, etc. I believe by doing this students will learn more about their character's background, while also listening to other student's presentations to learn about the other characters, ethnicities and heritages.

Book of Choice: The Water Princess

Title: The Water Princess
Author: Susan Verde, based off the childhood experience of Georgie Badiel
Publication: 2016

This book is unique in that it is based off the true story of the famous model, Georgie Badiel. She grew up in Burkina Faso, a small country in Africa. This book portrays the daily struggles of youth in her country, in which she must walk long and far to just get drinking water. There are no wells close by so she must use the majority of her day to retrieve water from a far away well. The author adds a very informative note at the end of the book, explaining the lack of wells in this part of the world, to inspire change and action.

I believe this book is a great way for students to learn about crises abroad and understand that some children lack daily necessities, like drinking water. This book will open their eyes to new problems that our world faces and educate them about different parts of the world. Hopefully, this book would encourage them to talk about the problem of clean drinking water abroad, with their family and friends, and maybe even donate money or time to help.

The first element that stuck out to me in this book was the illustrations. When looking through the pages of the book, one feel as if he or she is in Africa through the colors, culture and landscape present in the pictures. Even the font of the writing that the author chose is appropriate to the book and looks African in nature.

Next, the author uses beautiful imagery and personification to bring her writing to life. As she states, "I can almost touch the sharp edges of the stars...I can make the wind play hide-and-seek" (Verde). The reader can picture these images in his or her head, making the writing very effective in giving the reader sensory details. Verde makes the stars, grass, animals, and sun come alive by giving them human like characteristics, an intelligent use of figurative language. Lastly, I love the way Verde ends the story,

"I am Princess Gie Gie. My kingdom? The African sky. The dusty earth. And, someday, the flowing, cool, crystal-clear water. Someday..." (Verde). 

This ending gives us hope that one day the people of Africa will have access to clean and abundant drinking water. While it hasn't happened yet, with the help of others it will. This is an effective way to make a call to action for readers and emphasize her point about a need for change in access to water.

Multicultural Novel: Esperanza Rising

Title: Esperanza Rising
Author: Pam Munoz Ryan
Publication: 2000

"Do not be afraid to start over" (Ryan, 49). This quote is one of the themes throughout this book, as the main character Esperanza must start her life over after her father, a wealthy ranch owner, dies. Esperanza is afraid of new beginnings, moving to a new country, and losing her family and memories of happier times. However, she takes a bold step for a young girl and moves from Mexico to America. She struggles to adjust to the new life as a farm worker and living in poverty instead of wealth. However, amidst her mother getting sick and encountering many struggles along the way, she becomes happy with her life and situation. The book ends with Esperanza passing on the same piece of knowledge she received in the beginning of the book. She tells her new, young friend, "Do not be afraid to start over" (Ryan, 253). This ending brings the book full circle, showing how Esperanza has grown throughout the length of the book.

Another way in which the character has grown is through her understanding of class and society. In the beginning of the book, as Esperanza and her mother make the trek to the United States, Esperanza doesn't understand why her mom is talking to the poor people. Esperanza thinks she is too good for them. She is embarrassed to be seen with them as well. These characters give Esperanza great insight however, like Carmen the woman on the train,

"I am poor, but I am rich. I have my children, I have a garden with roses, and I have my faith and the memories of those who have gone before me. What more is there?" (Ryan, 76).

Throughout characters like these, Esperanza realizes the importance of family and friends. While in America, she becomes a working class citizen and understands the value of money and hard work. By the end of the book, she ends up giving away her only possession left from her dad to her friend Isabel. This kind act shows how much Esperanza as a character has grown.

I believe these examples of character growth are very helpful and applicable to a child's daily life. He or she can come to understand that they can grow through hardships, as well as empathize with those going through them. This book would be helpful in teaching lessons on character growth, social class, and prejudice. I would also like to teach this book with a social studies component, studying the 1900's focus on agriculture and the impact of migrants in America.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely use it to teach in the classroom. I learned a lot about migrant workers, social class, and another heritage. I believe my students would benefit in the same way by reading this book as well. I think it is important to learn about this time in history because of the large impact it has had on our culture and the immigration of people to America.

Multicultural Picture Book: Baba Yaga

Title: Baba Yaga
Author: An Leysen
Publication: 2016

I really enjoyed reading this book, because it's roots lie in Slavic mythology. I am from Poland, so the Russian doll, characteristics of the book, the girls outfit and hair, simply the word "Baba" - which I call my grandmother - all relate to my heritage. This book follows the journey of a a young girl named Olga. Her father remarries a mean old stepmother, whose sister is a witch. Olga must fight the evils of the witch as she goes to visit her for some needle and thread. She barely escapes the frightful hands of the witch, Baba Yaga. This book was first published in Belgium and Holland and then translated into English.

I believe this book will showcase to students the different type of fairytales that exist around the world. While it is similar to some of our stories like Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, or Hansel and Gretel, it differs in certain ways. One can see the culture portrayed throughout the book through the use of the nestling doll, her outfit, hair and the names of the characters. Even the illustrations throughout the book, make me feel as if I am in a Slavic country.

In my classroom, I would use fairytales from other countries, like this one, to compare and contrast to our American ones. What's different and what's similar? I would point out that each share common, human characteristics, like a need for family or friends, hope and security. While Olga experiences great danger, by the end of the book, she is back in the comforting arms of her father. I would like to compare this book to an American fairytale and pick out the differences, like how the characters deal with their emotions, how the illustrations are different, and how the writing style compares.

I believe these activities would help make my students more aware and educated about other cultures. It would help them to understand that Americans are not the only one with writing ideas...a lot of folklore, myths, tales, etc. come from other countries and cultures. I believe my students need to be educated on the diversity in literature and this book would help reach that goal.

Multicultural Picture Book: Marta! Big & Small

Title: Marta! Big & Small
Author: Jen Arena
Publication: 2016
Illustration: Angela Dominguez

This book is so cute, I had to do a blog post on it!! Author, Arena, mixes Spanish and English together to make a fun book for kids to read. She says a word in Spanish, but explains what it means in English, so that readers know the definition. The Spanish word is also in orange on every page, so that reader's notice the contrast between it and the English words.

Arena, also plays with opposites here, teaching the reader the difference between big and small, fast and slow, etc. Opposites are key words students will need to learn in Spanish, so this book is a good way to introduce them to children. Since Spanish is one of the most popular languages in the world, I believe it is important for students to learn the language, especially at a young age. The pictures make the book fun as well, so students don't even feel as if they are learning.

One of my favorite parts of the book is how Arena adds a glossary of words at the back of the book. On one page she says "Marta is" and writes adjectives below that describe her. On the next page, the heading is "Marta meets..." and gives nouns and animals that Marta meets throughout the book. This is a good reference to add at the back of the book so that readers can refer to it to learn the Spanish language.

I would like to add more books like this to my class library, so that students can learn other languages than just English. I also think these books are great for English as a Second Language students. Reading these type of books help them figure out the meaning of English words when they have familiar Spanish words throughout the book. Additionally, for students learning the Spanish language, they will benefit from reading this book by comparing the English word to the Spanish.

Multicultural Picture Book: Voice of Freedom, Fannie Lou Hamer

Title: Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer

Author: Carole Weatherford 

Publication: 2015

Illustrator: Ekua Holmes 

"Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer," was another book I purchased at the Bookmarks Fair (which was signed by the author too!!). When I saw this book, I knew I had to have it. During my senior year in college, I learned about Fannie Lou Hamer in my Public Address course. When I heard about her, I wanted to learn more, because she was such a strong voice during the Civil Right's Movement. After reading this book, I now have even more respect for her as a person. 

The book is very graphic in that it tells about her father beating her, the trials her family faced as sharecroppers, her daughter dying in her arms because they couldn't find a "black-serving" hospital, and Fannie Lou being beaten for trying to be educated and vote. I would therefore be cautious in reading this to little kids, but I believe fifth or sixth graders could understand its emotional story line. 

To me, this story is one of the reasons I want to teach. I believe this story does a magnificent job of showcasing the injustices of the past. As a teacher, I believe it is my duty to teach and inform children about past wrongdoings. In doing this, students will be more educated about how to treat people, act justly, and not repeat the injustices of the past. This book can also be applied to daily events happening in our current society, like the problems of police shootings against African-Americans. This would help students analyze whether or not people are dying justly or injustice, fairly or unfairly? Ethically, these are big questions, but ones I want my students to consider.  

The author does an amazing job of capturing Hamer's voice in this book. I have so many favorite quotes that it's hard to just choose a couple. But some of my favorites are below. Author, Weatherford, beautifully uses metaphors, imagery, and descriptive language to help the reader picture exactly what Hamer is describing. Weatherford does exactly what Tunnell and Jacobs describe in their chapter on "Well-written Literature," about showing rather than telling, which adds sensory detail to the writing. 

"Where the soil was as rich as black folks was poor, where cotton was king and Jim Crow the law" (Weatherford, 1). 

"As you get older, you respect yourself as a Black woman. If you respect yourself enough, other people will have to respect you. My mother taught me years ago that black is beautiful" (Weatherford, 5). 

"But I didn't scare easy. I meant to prove that anyone, black or white, rich or poor, could get involved in American politics. I cast my first vote for myself" (Weatherford, 23).

Through these quotes, a reader can accurately gain a sense of what Hamer's personality was like: defiant, courageous, motherly, and strong. She stood up for what was right, when no one else had the guts to. She also went through many hardships, but her story shows that one can fight through it, and it makes that person even more stronger and tougher.

I believe and stand up for everything this book embodies: promoting justice, showing the tough path towards freedom, and teaching others to treat people equally and empathize with their situation in life. I hope to use this book one day to impart some knowledge on children's lives and as Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird would say, teach them to "climb into someone else's skin and walk around in it."

Multicultural Picture Book: This Is the Rope

Title: This Is the Rope
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Publication: 2013
Illustrator: James Ransome

Jacqueline Woodson is a brilliant author, and I had the pleasure of listening to her speak at the Author's Book Festival in Winston-Salem, NC. I bought this book, "This Is the Rope," from the event and will add it to my classroom library when I become a teacher.

Woodson begins the book with her author's note, which I would definitely read to my class when using this book in a lesson. She talks about how her family was part of the "Great Migration," which was when African-Americans moved up North during the 1900s to escape persecution, enslavement and discrimination.

Woodson uses the rope to depict the migration her family made from the South to Brooklyn, New York. She portrays the rope being used by multiple generations of her family and the different ways they use them to show the progression of time. As each generation uses the rope, they become more "at home" in the North. Woodson uses the rope to connect each generation together. The author also uses the repetition of "this is the rope" on each page to further emphasize the connection between them.

When I read this book, I could picture Jacqueline reading it out loud in her soothing voice. Woodson employs free verse, like she does in most of her books, to give the story a beautiful cadence and melody. She does a beautiful job creating a rhythmic element to her writing through the similar structure of her sentences and repetition. Additionally, the drawings are beautiful in this photo. They really capture the time periods in the photos, through the buildings, cars, magazines, music records and clothes. The illustrator James Ransome has won the Loretta Scott King Award, and it definitely shows.

Informational Picture Book: A Rock Is Lively

Title: A Rock Is Lively
Author: Dianna Hutts Aston
Illustrator: Sylvia Long
Publication: 2012

I loved rocks as a kid. I remember going on field trips and I would always come home with those little felt bags full of "pick your own gems." You could look through a pill of beautiful colored gems in the gift shop and pick as many as you could to fit in the bag. Therefore, my fascination with rocks and gemstones lead me to pick up this book, A Rock Is Lively, what a cool title, right!!

My favorite part about this book is definitely the illustrations. They are so colorful and lively - they just brighten my day looking at them. When you open the book, the reader sees the beautiful cobalt blue that's inside a crystalized gemstone. It's so soothing, calming and inviting. It makes me want to read on about rocks. I believe the illustrations do a great job of making a topic most people would think are boring -- rocks -- and makes it interesting, intriguing and captivating!!

Another great literary method used in Aston's book is repetition. She starts each page with "A rock is..." and presents a different topic on each one. This helps the reader know what to expect when reading and makes it fun, in anticipation of what will be brought up next. Aston presents the heading in cursive writing and then the informational text in normal text. This helps break up the information and makes it easier for the reader to identify the heading from the body text and captions.

All in all, this book would make me want to learn and research more about rocks. And it made a somewhat boring topic, interesting and so colorful, I thought I was looking at a book about rainbows. The page below was one of my favorites. I would definitely use this book (and her other informational books) in my classroom to intrigue and interest students who may be apprehensive about informational books.

Aren't the illustrations gorgeous!?! How could you not want to read this book?? Above, a little boy reads one of the pages of the book, A Rock Is Lively.

Informational Picture Book: Look Up!

Title: Look Up
Author: Robert Burleigh
Publication: 2013

I really found this book fascinating because when you think about famous astronomers, Henrietta Levitt, gets lost in the mix. I don't ever remember studying or learning about her. However, her story is an empowering one. The author also adds informational text to the narrative so that the reader is learning while reading.

During Henrietta's time, women were not astronomers (she was born in 1868). She was forced to work with all the other women recording information. She wanted to be an real astronomer though. Countless nights, she spent counting and drawing stars, which led to her discovery about the brightness of stars. I love how the author phrases her discovery in Henrietta's words, "I am an astronomer!". This reminds me of the day in class when we were talking about feedback we've had from teachers and one of my colleagues' teacher wrote on his piece of writing that "You are a writer." How powerful!!! This sentence does the same for Henrietta. It helps the reader realize that if you put your mind to it, you can become or do what you want.

I would definitely use this book in my class to weave science into reading literature. The author adds a great afterword to the book that gives more information about Henrietta, what she discovered, what other women astronomers did and a glossary of astronomy words. I think this would allow some students who are apprehensive about learning science, become more open to it once they hear a narrative story built into science. I'll leave you with one last piece that really encompasses the beauty of stars through words. The author added a section to the back of the book..."What people have said about stars"...

"The stars hang bright above, silent, as if they watched the sleeping earth" 

- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"The stars are the jewels of the night, and perchance surpass anything which day has to show"

 - Henry David Thoreau 

Informational Picture Book: At the Same Moment Around the World

Title: At the Same Moment Around the World
Author: Clotilde Perrin
Publication: 2011

When I first saw this book, it immediately caught my eye because instead of being wide it is taller in height and shorter in length. So it was cool because it was different, in the first place. But then when I actually started reading it...I loved it even more!!

Basically, Perrin takes us around the world in different time zones and presents a different narrative for each one. She starts every page with, "At the same moment..." but then tells the one hour time difference following, on each page. She lists a different part of the world on each page and gives us an example with a name that coincides with that country's culture and some kind of situation that relates as well. Here is an example of two pages,

"At the same moment, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, it is eleven o'clock in the morning, and Ravshan and Yuliya return from their visit to a nearby market."

"At the same moment, in the Himalayan Mountains near the towering Mount Everest, it is noon, and Lilu eats lunch with her mother."

Here is the page from the example above.

One of the more artistic parts about the pages is that the illustrator makes the two different countries' pictures blend together at the seam of the page. So for example, with the page above in quotes, the little village of Uzbekistan becomes the Himalayan Mountains. At first glance, you would think it's the same place, but after reading it, one realizes that the illustrator has woven the pictures together perfectly to show how our world is united even though we have different time zones. Each page represents an hour hand on the clock and the book in total mimics a clock: as time ticks on, one hour become the next at a gradual pace.

Lastly, my favorite part about this book is that it has a teaching quality about it, buttttt an interesting narrative. I would love to use this in a social studies unit. Where, I would have each student pick one of the places from the book (maybe with a partner or two). They would research it and do a presentation on it. Then on my bulletin board, I would create a circle that looks like a clock and have each country on each hour that it represents. I think this would be a great way for kids to learn about other countries and culture, while tying it into this book.

 One of my favorite pages from the book. Vietnam becomes China.

Novel of Choice: The Year of the Dog

Title: The Year of the Dog
Author: Grace Lin
Publication: 2006

This book is about Grace and her experiences with family, meeting new friends, and finding her true talent while in the "Year of the Dog," supposedly her lucky year according to Chinese tradition. The book brilliantly showcases the struggle of one's family being from another country and her being born in America. I really enjoyed this book because my family is similar to hers. My dad was born in Poland and my mom in Canada, so my siblings and I attempt to blend our cultures with our birthplace, America. Although my outer skin color isn't very different from some American's, our culture and lifestyle is. So I empathize with what Grave is going through in the book. Throughout her "Year of the Dog," she finds a new Taiwanese best friend, discovers her talent as an author and illustrator, and even learns to be more accepting of her culture.

Author, Grace Lin, portrays a lot of the issues immigrant families have when adjusting to a new culture. For example, in the beginning of the book the main character's name is changed from "Pacy" to "Grace" because her teacher says it's easier to pronounce (Lin, 29). Instead of keeping her heritage, which lies in her name, she is forced to change it to make it more "americanized." Another example, is how the lunch lady mistaken Grace for her new friend Melody because they both "looked the same," meaning they were both Asian (Lin, 21).

Lin presents these racial issues in a subdue way so the reader really has to think about them and how they may be wrong or discriminatory. For example,  when Grace wanted to try out as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz in the school play, a friend in her class told her she couldn't because "Dorothy isn't Chinese" (Lin, 70). While this is a true statement, Lin makes children think about this problem for a minute. Does Dorothy have to be Chinese to portray the character? Is one's race really going to negatively affect the character in the long run? These are questions that Lin makes the reader ponder and consider if there could be an ethical problem at play here. Lin also adds discussion questions in the back of the book so that readers can further dissect the book. Question number six is about the ethical issue I posed above.

Lastly, I really wanted to read this book because my best friend from college taught English in Taiwan on the Fulbright Scholarship. I was curious to learn more about Taiwan's culture and the similarities and differences to American culture. The book does a wonderful job of giving examples of Taiwanese culture so that readers learn to respect and understand their way of life. She tells of the different food, language, sayings, culture, and traditions they have that make up who they are. After reading this book, students will have a better understanding of another culture and way of life and more importantly, will not be so apt to discriminate right away, but instead empathize and be intrigued about another culture.

Realistic Fiction Picture Book: Grace for President

Title: Grace for President 

Author: Kelly DiPucchio 

Publication: 2008

One of the first things that caught my eye about this book was the female, African-American protagonist. I am so glad that there are more books now available with a diverse amount of characters in them. Ten years ago, we might not have seen picture books with first-off female leads and second-off diverse raced main characters. Now authors have done a great job of including all different people of different races, cultures, and genders into the characterization of books. I think this is a great idea because more students will be able to connect with these characters and see themselves as that protagonist, for example. Here, a young African-American child could envision herself running for president and being "Grace" because of the characterization of the protagonist in this book.

This book does an AMAZING job of teaching the election process to children through the writing of the book. Grace runs for president against another opponent and the classes do a mock election like the one our country goes through when electing a president. The book discusses the electoral college, how each state has so many representatives, campaign slogans, etc. This informs the reader about the real process of electing the president but makes it fun because you are applying it to Grace and her election. 

Grace decides to run for president because she realizes there have been no girls whatsoever that have been the president of the United Staes. I'm glad the author brings up this problem about our government and gender equality. I would love to discuss this with my classroom and get their opinions on it and brainstorm on how we could maybe change this problem in the future. As the book continues, one can see how gender influences politics. Grace's running mate believes that all the boy voters will vote for him and since there were more boys, he knew he would win. However, one of the boys decided to vote for Grace and therefore Grace won. The book ends with a great understanding for why gender should not affect one's decision on whether or not a girl can do the job as president. Grace asked Thomas, who voted for her, "Why did you do it," he responded, "I thought you were the best person for the job" (DiPucchio). This teaches everyone a great lesson and how we should put gender aside when voting people in for a job. 

Realistic Fiction/Science Fiction Picture Book: A Not Scary Story About Big Scary Things

Title: A Not Scary Story About Big Scary Things
Author: C. K. Williams
Publication: 2010

I really like how the author gives examples of animals that humans may be scared of and why we shouldn't be. For example, "Well, the little boys knew that snakes were more afraid of people than people were of snakes and that even if you saw one, all you had to do was stop and wait and the snake would slither away from you" (Williams). This is a good life lesson that the book teaches children, so then if they may encounter animals in their real life they'll know what to do and be less afraid.

The illustrations are also really neat because they take different parts of potentially scary animals making a collage of pictures. The author is making you guess what kind of animal they are talking about and the pictures make it look really scary. The author also makes certain words bold and bigger to make the animal seem scary, such as "ten feet tell...Big long claws, teeth and fangs...Rrowwl" (Williams). As the little boy goes through the forest, he encounters the HUGE monster. But as he comes to find out by the end of the book, the big, large monster was just a figment of his imagination. This idea helps show kids, that sometimes we make up monsters in our heads and we just have to "keep walking" and fight through it. As the story comes to a close, we realize that the monster wasn't even really a monster at all...it was just a small, harmless cat. This also shows that sometimes the monsters in our heads end up not being that scary at all.

This story reminds me of the "monsters under your bed" type story where as kids we need our parents to check under our bed and in our closet for monsters. Sometimes we make up things in our head that our scarier than real life. This book reminds us to fight against these scary thoughts, keep going and realize these monsters are part of our imagination, and in real life maybe they're less scary, like the realization that the monster was really a cat.

Science Fiction Novel: The One and Only Ivan

Title: The One and Only Ivan
Author: Katherine Applegate
Publication: 2012

Since I was a kid, I have loved science fiction. Something about the blend of science (which I love) and literature make reading more fun for me. I absolutely loved this book!! I know I've said that about most of the ones I've read - so that's a good sign. But this was a different kind of good. This was like a "unique" good. Very rarely do you find a good but not too out there science fiction book. This one did a great job of blending an actual true story with fiction to make it even more interesting. She took a story that was real but told it from the gorilla's perspective making it fictional. She adds different characters and plot lines, however, the story is believable enough - and in this realm - where I can still picture what it would be like to be Ivan.

One of my favorite parts about this book is the way it is structured and written. Immediately, it caught my eye. One, the spaced out paragraphs that almost look like a poem and two, the short chapters that range from one page to usually only four to five pages. I believe this structure will make it appealing and not so daunting to children (especially like me, when I was a child, and words scared me). Applegate really writes like a poet too. She uses many metaphors and similes to get her points across and allow the reader to really picture what Ivan is talking about. Below are some of my favorite and most memorable pieces of her writing:

"Stella remembers every moment since she was born: every scent, every sunset, every slight, every victory" (Applegate, 53).

"I was born in a place humans call central Africa, in a dense rain forest so beautiful, no crayons could ever do it justice" (Applegate, 123).

"Growing up gorilla is just like any other kind of growing up. You make mistakes. You play. You learn. You do it all over again" (Applegate, 127).

Each of these quotes show what great prose Applegate uses in her writing. She speaks so eloquently and does a great job of creating those "mind-pictures" we read about in class. I love the way she makes it seem as if Ivan really is talking because of the short sentences and paragraphs. It's almost as if we are reading his journal. Each chapter tells us of different thoughts Ivan is thinking. The way in which she writes it, is exactly how I would expect a gorilla to write it - she embodies him as a character perfectly. If it were Stella's point of view, for example, that she was writing from, the journal-type entries would be written very differently, more detailed and descriptive. Her writing encapsulates exactly who I would picture Ivan to be, what he is thinking and how he would write it.

Ivan goes through many ups and downs throughout the book. The story begins with a simple opening titled, hello, saying "I am Ivan. I am a gorilla. It's not as easy as it looks" (Applegate, 1). This opening page immediately made me interested and excited to read what was next. Also, page 1, done, in like two seconds. It's an easy but enjoyable read for students who I may have that are struggling to read.

As the story continues, Ivan tells the reader about his friends Stella, the elephant and Bob, the stray dog. Ivan is stuck in a cage in a mall but when the death of Stella and the arrival of a new baby elephant occur, he is motivated to try and get them out of their cages. He uses his artistic talent to get the attention of news stations and eventually zookeepers to move them to a better home - a zoo. The story ends perfectly - almost too perfect but as I found out later was inspired by a true story. This made me even more elated that an actual gorilla found a more suitable home in real life. Applegate ends the story beautifully, with Ivan fulfilling his promise made to Stella to bring Ruby to a safe place. As a character, he solves his problem, and lived up to his name of the "mighty silverback," strong, courageous and protecting.

Realistic Fiction Picture Book: The Village Garage

Title: The Village Garage
Author: G. Brian Karas
Publication: 2010

The Village Garage is about a team of workers who clean the streets, patch holes and fix the pipes of the town. They work through all four seasons, no matter the weather. Karas does a great job of using the seasons in the book as a lesson for kids. He pairs each season with what needs to be "cleaned up" at that time. For example, in autumn, they pick up leaves and in winter they shovel snow. I believe this is an effective way to teach seasons and pair mental pictures of what occurs during those seasons, so kids know what is associated with each.

Personally, I picked up this book because of the boys and big yellow truck on the cover. I noticed that a lot of the books I've been picking up have females as the protagonist. I don't think I was purposely doing it, but I seem to connect and relate to the characters and story line more. So I wanted to do more books that may identify more with males or boys. Just by flipping through the pages and looking at the cover I could tell the book had a more male driven voice. It was in fact written by a guy as well. All of the pictures also mainly include men, which I found to be very representative of our gender-centric society. We tend to put male and female into two boxes. Women can be teachers. Men are construction workers. While some of these may be somewhat true, we should see gender roles as being more fluid instead of stable. Women can work and be a mother. Men can cook, do laundry, chauffeur children to soccer practice and work. Or men can stay at home while the mom works. Whatever it is that person wants to do...they can and should be able to.

I believe this book does reinforce strict gender roles, in that males should be the ones liking construction work and those types of books. However, I also think this book does a good job of making it interesting for both males and females. Because Karas added the element of the seasons along with the construction work, I as a woman was interested. However, I don't think this book is a gender-neutral as say Quest, a wordless picture book that has both a male and female as the main characters. Conversely, there are very female driven books like, Pinkalicious or Fancy Nancy. In literature, we should see gender on more of a spectrum than in two boxes, male and female. There is a large array of books, from girly to gender-neutral to boyish, that kids of all genders can enjoy.