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.

Award Winner: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Title: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Author: E.L. Konigsburg
Publication: 1967; Renewed 1995

Okay, so I came to my first "Literature and Informational Texts for Children and Young Adults" class at High Point University, and my teacher, Dr. Cavendish, kept mentioning the book above. It was in a lot of her slide pictures or she referenced it during her lectures. Bum bum bummm....I had never read or heard of it. Yes, I know this is sad. I'm sorry, I came from a family of math and science nerds, so please forgive me.

The first thing I did after that class was I went to the Barnes & Noble website and bought this book...along with all the other books that were under the "young adult novel have to read section." I really hate when I'm not clued in on things, so not knowing about this book was hopefully the last time I will feel like this when it comes to knowing classics.

When we had the first option to pick our own books, I knew this is what I would read because I needed to be "in the know" and educated on this book. My experience... I really enjoyed it!! It was a nice, easy read after having just done a presentation and section on historical fiction books (which tend to me a little more intense). I found myself easily flipping through the pages and finding myself enjoying this book as an "escape" from daily life. I believe this could be one of the reasons why Konigsburg wrote this book, and it definitely did that for me, even as an adult.

I enjoyed reading about the adventures of Claudia and Jamie, as they ran away from home to escape to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met). They encounter some issues with money, laundry, finding cheap meals, etc. along the way. But most intriguing of all, was the Angel!! Angel was a statue on show at the Met, which was supposedly crafted by Michelangelo...but it was a mystery to be solved. As a reader, you follow them along their journey to find out if he indeed was the true artist of this statue, how they finally solve the mystery, and lastly, make their way back home safe and sound.

For me, the most interesting part of the book was when they are trying to figure out the mystery behind the artist of Angel. I love mystery novels and shows, especially shows like CSI, Bones, or the Mentalist. So, this part of the novel really had me turing the pages. I found the first part to be a little slow, however very relatable for kids as they seek to escape the mundane routine of going to school. It would be fun as a young child to read about these two escaping daily life to live at a museum and figure out a mystery, altogether. There are parts that are a little antiquated - like nowadays there are so many security precautions that I believe this would not be realistic in today's age. However, the idea of them escaping the mundane to add some fun into their lives is relatable across time periods. I found myself thinking the whole time while I was reading, where could I run off to in today's time where I wouldn't be found or seen by security cameras or set of an alarm??? Not sure if there would be such a place, unless it was outside...kind of sad.

Overall, I believe this would be a great book to have kids read. I didn't realize it was published so long ago, so I'm not sure if it's too old to use in the classroom now. But I feel like it was a classic that I needed to read to be a teacher of literature. I felt like I jut added a piece to my puzzle of becoming a better and more informed, educated teacher. This book is a fun read for a person of any age. But also a great escapism read for young children who may want a mysterious but fun book to read.

I loved how the relationship between Claudia and Jamie progressed and grew over the course of the book. As Konigsburg says, noting the character change in the middle of the book,

" What happened was: they became a team, a family of two. There had been times before they ran away when they had acted like a team, but those were very different from feeling like a team...You might call is caring. You could even call it love. And it is very rarely, indeed, that it happens to two people at the same time - especially a bother and a sister who has always spent more time with activities than they had with each other" (Konigsburg, 39).

This type of character development could be very eye-opening for readers going through the adolescent years. These years are wrought with times of learning about themselves and others. Therefore, the relationship between Claudia and Jamie show that one can look beyond themselves to try to understand others and work as a team. But also teach them how to be self-aware and more observant of how they act and treat others.

Historical Fiction Picture Book: Ben Franklin's Big Splash

Title: Ben Franklin's Big Splash
Author: Barb Rosenstock
Publication: 2014

Ben Franklin's Big Splash is about Ben Franklin's first invention as a child. He wanted to swim more like a fish and invented a way to do so. I would call his invention antiquated snorkeling flippers. This book showcases what a wonderful, brilliant mind Ben Franklin had from a young age, and why he ended up being the great inventor, thinker and extraordinaire that he was in his later life.

Barb Rosenstock uses alliteration in his texts to grab the reader's attention and make the text more fun to read. As he says on the second page of the book, "Slid off his stinky shoes, stripped off his sweaty stockings, squirmed out of his sticky shirt, shed his steamy breeches, and splashed in." By using the alliteration of "s" here, he further portrays the slippery, wet feeling of the actions taking place on that page. There are pictures of water shown, which even further display the sense of getting wet and sliding in the soaking wet water.

One of my favorite parts about the book was the differing shapes and colors of the text on each page. I am very much a visual learner, a photographer, and love doing hand-lettering in my spare time, so I take great notice to small details like the text structure and shape. By bolding and coloring certain words on each page, it kept me, as a reader, intrigued and focused. It almost provided further entertainment for me and kept me interested in reading the book. A+ on adding that technique to the book!!!

Another technique used by the illustrator was making the pictures look antiquated. They look as if they are set back in Ben Franklin's time period, making the story more realistic. The illustrations have a colonial feel to them, helping the reader understand the time period that they are reading about. Since this is a historical fiction picture book, I believe the illustrator hit the nail on the head here when designing the photos. He portrays Ben Franklin during his time period in an accurate way so that readers can understand that this is a true story with just fictionalized dialogue and a close to accurate story line.

Historical Fiction Novel: Blue

Title: Blue

Author: Joyce Moyer Hostetter

Publication: 2011

Blue was about how a young girl, Ann Fay Honeycutt, and her family deal with the problems and effects of the polio epidemic in Hickory, North Carolina and having a father off at war in Europe. The book follows Ann Fay as she "wears the overalls" in the house for her dad who's away at war. As she is finally getting the hang of things, she comes down with polio and deals with the hardships of having this life-threatening illness. The book follows her through these events and teaches the reader both a little bit about history and what it would have felt like to live during that time period.

Blue was definitely one of my favorite historical fiction books that I have read (in my entire life!!). From the first page of the book, where she mentions the story taking place in Hickory, North Carolina, I was immediately enthralled and excited to read the book. I live thirty minutes from Hickory and therefore could easily picture, in my mind, everything Hostetter wrote about. Even if the depiction in my head wasn't completely accurate, I felt as if I was more connected to the characters and story because of my affiliation with the city. If I teach in North Carolina, I would love to use this book in my classroom because I feel like my children will better be able to relate to the story line. 

One the the most poignant element of the book was the relationship between Ann Fay and Imogene. I feel as if this was a good way to introduce the problem of segregation and race relations during that time period. I would love to use this in my classroom to bring up these problems of the past and discuss their meaning and effects. I would even talk with them about problems in today's day in age, like #blacklivesmatter and the rampant police killings of african-american men, and how it affects them.

Following, I would teach this book by creating various lesson plans on different historical events and problems, which are present in the book. I would have sections on segregation and civil rights, Roosevelt, polio, and WWII, to help introduce and better explain these topics. Blue provides a great starting point for presenting these issues to children; however, I would supplement the book with a history textbook, because the book does lack an in-depth description of these time periods.

I loved the author's note at the end that explained what was fictitious and what was real. I feel as if this could help readers better sort out in their minds what is true and false. This book would be a great way to introduce historical fiction to children, so they can become familiar with this genre and telling fact from fiction. As McTigue, Thornton and Wiese say in her article, "Historical fiction can be more entertaining than history and more informative than fiction." This genre is a great bridge between fact and fiction and makes history more entertaining for children. However, teachers need to make sure that historical fiction as a genre is well explained to them before they read the book, so that the children know how to interpret these type of books. 

Wordless Picture Book: The Hero of Little Street

Title: The Hero of Little Street
Author: Gregory Rogers
Publication: 2012

This book is about a little boy who is chased by bullies into a museum and then taken back in time, with a cute dog by his side, to the streets of Holland. Here he encounters some problems but manages to make it back in today's world and fight off the bullies with a little help from his friends he met in the past.

I felt like I was reading a comic book because of the way the pictures are arranged on the pages. There are little squares across and down the pages to show different things happening over time. The previous book I read had one picture for the whole page, so I found it interesting that even among the genre of wordless books, there are many different ways to tell a story.

One of the most exciting things I liked about the book is that each page develops a plot and you want to keep flipping to the next page to see what happens next. For example, the little boy is at the museum and a dog comes out of a painting, and he is playing with him. There are at least 25 different square comic-book type photos of him playing with the dog on two pages of the book. As a reader, you want to flip to the next page to find out what happens with him and the dog.

He organizes his book almost like one of those picture flip books, where you quickly flip through it and it looks like the character or picture is moving. Almost like a mini-movie. Supposedly that's how they started making movies in the first place. In comparison to reading a normal picture book, this type of imagery makes the reader use a whole different side of their brain to read. He or she is both looking at the picture but also trying to interpret from it, what is happening. It's visual and mental all in one. There are no words to guide you along the way, so he or she must pay close attention to what the pictures portray.

I found it enjoyable to read this type of book and felt like I was almost watching a soundless film and following the plot to its completion in anticipation. The plot was very interesting, and I loved the way in tied the plot in with the ending of the story. The main character jumps into a picture of the past in the museum, and uses a flute to call his dog. He also uses this same flute to heard a pack of dogs to fight off a mean butcher. Then, back in present day, he uses this same flute to fight off the mean bullies by calling the pack of dog to attack them. I thought this was a brilliant way to end the story and bring the plot to completion.

Wordless Picture Book: Where is the Cake?

Title: Where is the Cake?
Author: T. T. Khing
Publication: 2004

Where is the Cake is about two dogs' cake being stolen and their adventure through different scenery to find it. However, I feel like I could flip through this book multiple times and find something new. There is definitely a main plot going on, which as a reader your eye is drawn too. However, there are small, subordinate plots taking place within the story. There is a plot about some frogs playing soccer and what looks to be a cat, stealing it from them because they accidentally hit him in the head. I love soccer, so I automatically picked up on this secondary plot. However, if you saw the family sitting off to the top right of the first page, you may have followed their story of the little piggy (their son) running away.

I love that there is so much going on in the book, however a reader could feel sensory overload while reading it. I almost get overwhelmed because I feel like I'm not getting every detail, and I am even an adult reader. However, I don't think the author's point is to have the reader get every story/plot the first time through. The idea is for the reader to hopefully pick up the book multiple times and learn something new each read. I think this is a brilliant idea and a great way for kids to gain an affiliation for certain books and a love for reading.

This book would be difficult to use in a whole-class session or lesson. However, in smaller groups I think this book would be great to use for reader collaboration. I could have two or three people reading this book together and have them collaborate and talk about what they are seeing or noticing. By having those other voices say, "Oh, what about this, etc.," readers find new things they maybe wouldn't have noticed on their own. This could be a good lesson on how readers can collaborate and work together to find solutions to problems. If students learn to pick up things from one another, then they will hopefully learn that working together can be a positive experience and a solution to one's problems in the classroom or life in general.

Wordless Picture Book: Quest

Title: Quest
Author: Aaron Becker
Publication: 2014

Okay, so I'm not going to lie, at first, I was like wordless books, what the heck - I'm going to hate these. I absolutely love photos and photography but something about them telling a story - ALONE - without words to describe them kind of scares me. Mainly because in my English class in high school, especially, I was always the kid who tried to interpret things like say... Beowulf, an old epic poem, or Sonnets by Shakespeare... and always being wrong. Then in class, I'd be like ohhhh, that's what the author meant - I got something totally different from that. So when I read wordless books, I would get confused and a tad bewildered because I think I will interpret it wrong, since it's up to the reader to decide.

However, after putting my hesitation aside, I LOVED my first wordless book. I would have liked to think that I just happened upon a good one and all the rest will stink. But now, after reading this one and the others, my opinion has changed. So, thank you Dr. Cavendish for introducing me to wordless books, because now I am a better person and teacher because of it.

Quest is about a young boy and girl, who happen upon a king, who gives them some magic tools. The king is kidnapped, so they go on a journey to save him by following the map he gave them as a guide. The storyline is beautiful and magical, and it doesn't need words to supplement it. I do appreciate the author putting a small synopsis on the book jacket though, so at least I know my interpretation is not going in the total wrong direction. However, I did find myself going back and forth multiple times throughout the book to realize "Did I miss something," and "Oh yeah, the map said this or the tools were this, etc.". I think it was fun though, almost like I was trying to decipher my own treasure map and figure out for myself where the characters were headed and what they were doing in each picture.

The artistic drawings were magnificent - I could look at them for days. The author's use of color was very well thought out and used appropriately. He begins the book with a spec of color on the bike wheels and in the chalk markers in the characters' hands. Throughout the length of the book, he adds color in certain spots for certain purposes. This use of color draws the reader in and really makes he or she focus on the colored area and why they are colored. In using this technique, the reader is able to better understand the story because it's as if the color contrasted against the bleak gray background tells a story in and of itself. This book is beautifully drawn through a creatively-crafted story, and I would definitely pick it up again to read. I'm just curious how I would use it to teach...Do I just show them the pictures and don't speak or talk? Let them decipher it for themselves? Then, maybe the second time around talk them through the story and see the different ideas I would get from the class? Maybe. Let me read my other two wordless books and maybe I'll come up with a better, more polished idea.

Picture Book: The Quiet Place

Title: The Quiet Place
Author: Sarah Stewart
Publication: 2012

This book is about Isabel, and her experience moving to a new country, America. She uses letters with dates at the top to help develop the setting and time frame of the book. The first letter reads, "April 5, 1957," therefore letting the reader know that the book was set back in history. She uses the months on the letters to help the reader understand how much time has passed between each page. I believe this tactic is extremely helpful, as I explain later, in helping readers understand that adjustment to change doesn't happen overnight, but instead across a span of months and years.

This story could relate to a lot of children whose families have moved from different countries abroad. Here in America, they are forced to learn English, not their native language, and experience different and new customs and culture. This book would be great to read to my students, especially those who may have trouble adjusting to a new school, hometown, or even just a new classroom and teacher. I believe it would help them better understand that everyone has problems adjusting to new things and that is takes time. As Isabel writes,

"I am still too shy to make friends...So many new things are in my life, not just new words but new people and new places...It isn't the same" (Stewart). 

While Isabel is very apprehensive about moving towards the beginning of the book, nearing the end, the reader can tell how much the main character has grown and adjusted to life in America. This helps students remember that it takes time to adjust to new changes, but one cannot expect it to happen overnight. As Isabel makes friends, learns the new language, and blends her heritage and culture of the old with the new, she becomes happy in her new home. As Stewart writes,

"Mother made tamales and salsa and guacamole and beans with rice and chocolate cake. Chavo played his guitar and Father showed the other parent some dance steps. I taught my guests our birthday song...No one wanted to go home. I hope you can feel my happiness. There is no word big enough" (Stewart).  

I believe this passage accurately portrays the change Isabel as a character experienced in the book and her life. She went from being s not-so-sure of herself immigrant to a confident and happy American. Through her letters to her aunt, one can tell that she has been able to blend her native culture with that of her new home and meet new people that accept her for who she is. I think this is a perfect moral to the story that many children can learn from. Whether you are the one moving to a new country or you are the one befriending an outsider, he or she can learn to accept each other and adjust to change.

Historical Fiction Picture Book: Who Stole Mona Lisa?

Title: Who Stole Mona Lisa?
Author: Ruthie Knapp
Publication: 2010

Who Stole Mona Lisa is a picture book about the real happenings of the famous painting, Mona Lisa, being stolen in 1911. However the author puts a twist on the story and tells it from the paintings point of view. The author opens up the first page by saying, "They are coming to stare at me, Mona Lisa," so that the reader is automatically able to identify that it is the painting or Mona Lisa who is telling the story.

I like how Knapp uses the perspective of a inanimate object, the Mona Lisa, to tell the story. By using this technique, the reader is able to learn things that he or she would not have been able to if it had been from a spectators point of view. For example, by making Mona Lisa the main character, as a reader, you are able to be a part of the actual robbery because you hear Mona Lisa's point of view. As Knapp writes,

"One hot night in August, I heard footsteps. The man with the mustache came alone in the dark...He looked behind him, then he raised both hands and ripped me off the wall. Ouch! First I lurched sideways, then upside down. I felt sick."

As Knapp writes this, the reader can really understand the situation and empathize with how the fictitious Mona Lisa might have felt. By making Mona Lisa the main character and storyteller, the reader is able to obtain a better sense of what it must have been like to be stolen, taken from your home and in an unfamiliar place with a strange man. Making the painting a real character is one of the smartest elements I believe Knapp used in her book.

Additionally, Knapp uses beautiful cadence in her sentences to help make the book flow easily when read in your head or aloud. She uses short choppy sentences and rhyming schemes to make the book melodic. For example, "Some walk to the left. Some walk to the right. Some stoop low. Some stand on their tippy-toes" (Knapp). Because of the way she writes her book, I would love to read it to my students out loud. I do find that she uses the short choppy sentences a little too often, making it too juvenile at times.

Overall, I think this is a well written historical fiction book. Where fact and fiction are blurred nicely to create a book that is both informative and enjoyable for readers. Knapp informs the reader about painter, Leonardo da Vinci, and other historical events. However, it isn't as boring as a history book would be because she adds the story of the robbery and the first-person perspective of Mona Lisa. These elements make the book both interesting and fantastical for readers alike.

Historical Fiction Picture Book: Marvelous Cornelius

Title: Marvelous Cornelius
Author: Phil Bildner
Publication: 2015

Marvelous Cornelius is about a trash man in New Orleans who goes around happily cleaning up the city after Hurricane Katrina. Bildner does a great job of intertwining the culture, history and spirit of New Orleans into the story, while also adding some fictional elements to make the book fun for readers.

As a reader, I immediately picked up on the beautiful and authentic drawings of each page. After having just visited there this past spring, I recognized prominent historical landmarks, like the St. Louis Cathedral, as well as something as small as the intricate ironwork on the balcony of a house, perfectly resembling the architecture of the French Quarter in New Orleans. When flipping through the pages of the book, I am taken back to New Orleans, because of the wonderful realistic culture he weaves into the book. For example, in the middle of the book, he adds music, which is very popular to New Orleans history, into the drawings and story line. By doing this, the reader learns about the culture of New Orleans, without having to visit there. Bildner adds small details like "gumbo" and "beignet," so that the reader can learn about some of the elements that make up New Orleans and it's history. This adds to the realistic and factual side of the book, while the character dialogue and other elements may be more fictional.

Through using these tools in writing, I believe Bildner makes a historical fiction book interesting for kids to read. First, he weaves in real details about New Orleans history and culture, so that the reader learns about the city. Next, he takes a real story about Hurricane Katrina and tells it from a character's perspective. This makes the character the main focus, not the event as much. Therefore, the event is not as heavy and depressing as if you had just said, "Hurricane Katrina ruined many homes and lives of the people in New Orleans."

One of my favorite parts about his book is that Bildner chose his story to be about a protagonist, Marvelous Cornelius, who is African-American. As we have entered the 21st century, more and more books have become multi-racial. I believe this is how books ought to be, so they are reflective of the real world. Additionally, I really enjoyed the "author's note" at the end of the book and how it explains who the real Cornelius is and how he connects to the broader culture of New Orleans. When I visited the city, I could feel that same lively and happy-go-lucky spirit of the people that Bildner writes and speaks of. As Bildner says,

"On so many levels, Cornelius symbolizes what the city of New Orleans is all about - the energy, the spirit, the magic, the people. That's what brought all those volunteers to the Crescent City, and inside each one was a little bit of Marvelous Cornelius" (Bildner).