REVIEW: Owly (Book Two)

Runton, A.  (2005).  Owly:  Just a little blue.  Marietta, GA:  Top Shelf Productions.

1891830643

125 pages


Appetizer:  This time around Owly is having trouble with a family of bluebirds who don't want to be his friends.  But once Owly and Wormy learn that the bluebirds' natural homes are being destroyed, they decide to help build the birds a new home.

Unlike the first book in the series, this volume only focuses on one story and it explores the experience of having a kind gesture being rejected.

This may seem like a dumb and obvious statement since all of the main characters are woodland creatures, but I love how environmentally oriented this series is.  These creatures aren't just allegories for the emotions and experiences of new and young readers, they're the allegories for the emotions and experiences of young readers AND they share information about nature and environmentally kind options.

It's also worth noting that a student could easily pick up any of the Owly books and read.  No knowledge of the previous books necessary (although potentially more enjoyable).



To Go with the Meal:

After sharing this book in the Owly series, students could raise funds to buy (or build) a class bird feeder or birdhouse for outside the school.  Or a teacher could encourage students to work with a family member to build their own birdhouse for outside their house or apartment.

A teacher can also discuss the themes of team work, sacrifice and forgiveness.  Since the story also shows characters working together to solve problems, a teacher can draw students' attention to the way the characters use the tools and animals around them to help find solutions.


Tasty Rating:  !!!

REVIEW: Redwoods

Chin, J.  (2009).  Redwoods.  New York:  Roaring Brook Press.

1596434309


Appetizer:  A young boy discovers a Copy of Redwoods (complete with him on the cover) while waiting in the subway stop.  As he begins to read the information the book contains about Redwood trees, during his trip, a bit of imagination and the information within the book begins to transform the world around the boy.

Heart it!

The text itself is straightforward information about Redwood trees.  While, some of the facts are interesting, they could easily be words written in a boring, big textbook or on a research notecard written by a fourth grade.  No, what makes this book awesome are the illustrations.  As the boy reads, the subject matter comes alive.  When he learns that a tree can live over 2,000 years and some sprouted during the Roman Empire, a roman soldier and senator sit on either side of the reading boy.  When the boy leaves the underground subway system he goes upstairs to discover he's in a Redwood forest.  As the boy reads more facts about redwoods, he continues to explore the forest.

The text did an awesome job of sharing about redwoods and showing their role in their habitat (teachers will love to force kids to construct food webs based off of the information).

The story as a whole reminded me of the Magic School Bus series, but with more beautifully executed illustrations (and only one kid instead of a bus full).

This story show the power of a reader's imagination and also does an excellent job of showing the scope and size of a Redwood forest.  I also liked that the boy featured throughout the story was of Asian descent (mmmmm, racial representation.  Tastes good.).

The book also shares the fact that the redwoods are endangered in the author's note.  No message left unshared!


Dinner Conversation:

"The coast redwoods are among the oldest trees in the world.  Their ancestors lived about 165 million years ago, during the Jurassic period."

"They are the tallest living things on the planet.  Redwoods regularly grow to be more than 200 feet tall."

"If you see a ring of redwoods in the forest, they probably sprouted from the same stump."

"It takes a long time for water to travel all the way from the roots to the top of a redwood, and the fog helps the trees by preventing them from losing moisture to evaporation."


To Go with the Meal:

The text of this story can be used to show students some of the essential information they should include when writing a science report.

In similar fashion to this book's structure, students' could bring their own research papers alive by including illustrations with their reports that not only bring alive the subject matter, but include themselves on the adventure.

This book shows literacy both as a way to learn new facts and skills, as an imaginative process, and shows information and books as things that should be shared.


Tasty Rating:  !!!!

REVIEW: City Witch, Country Switch

Wax, W. (2008). City Witch, Country Switch. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Children.

9780761454298

With a similar title to the the picturebook City Kid, Country Kid, Wax's City Witch, Country Switch contains similar themes, but uses an entirely different approach to describing the different lifestyels of people who live in the city and people who live in the country. City Witch, Country Switch shares the story of Mitzi, a city witch who arrives home to discover that her cousin Muffletump is there and would like to stay. But Muffletump becomes homesick and uses magic to bring some aspects of country life into the city, which leave Mitzi far from pleased...until she decides to join Muffletump in the country for her own vacation.

The illustrations are fun, my favorite part being the faces Mitzi makes at her cousin's unwanted magic spells. Gibala-Broxholm's portrayals of the two witches clothing styles manages to hints well as their underlying personality differences.

While some crazies could accuse this story of glorifying witchcraft (I know you're out there!!!!), at heart this is a story of attempting to find middle ground and being able to relate to one another. This could be a good book to share with girls' who are having trouble working or playing together because they think they are very different.

Activities:

In response to a read aloud, students could write their own Halloween or supernatural themed poems.

City Witch, Country Switch also lends itself to discussions of home and lifestyles, the different ways space is used depending on a location, being considerate of others, trying to understand and respect others' cultures and ways of living, etc.

There is also a slight environmental message that a teacher could draw out, since Muffletump objects to the amount of smog she encounters in the city.

Quotes of Note:

"Mitzi was a city witch

who came home late one night

and saw her window open wide.

Had she left on the light?"

"Remembering a magic spell

to help her [Muffletump] fall asleep,

she chanted "Twinkly-Winkly!"

and...the room filled up with sheep!"

"Bye-bye, noise and smog," she called.

"The country is for me!"

"Wait," yelled Mitzi, "I'll come, too!"

Her cousin whooped, "Yippee!"

REVIEW: Remember Me

Soctomah, D. & Flahive, J. (2009). Remember Me: Tomah Joseph's Gift to Franklin Roosevelt. Gardiner, ME: Tilbury House, Publishers.

9780884483007

In the vain of Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek, Remember Me shares a story of a ten-year-old Franklin Roosevelt while his family spends the summer on Campobello Island. Franklin goes on a canoe trips with Tomah Joseph, an elder of the Passamaquoddy tribe. The future president learns about nature and the experiences, stories and culture of the tribe.

The story includes a story within a story, a traditional Passamaquoddy tale.

This picturebook includes many colorful and realistic illustrations. In the artwork Franklin appears to be freakishly white and ghostly...but, I'm guessing that's an authentic representation.

The book is on the text-heavy side, but that would still work as a read aloud or a shared reading experience.

While the story has a classic feel and shows a President in a new light, I wasn't too big a fan of putting imagined thoughts into the mind of a person who actually lived. But then, I'm a somewhat-annoying purist like that. Another potential critique is of the general characterization of a minority figure who helps the younger white boy understand the world in a new way, while said minority figure labors on.

Activities:

As students study American history and President Franklin Roosevelt, this book could be used to provide a new insight into the president and the far from ideal relationship the government has had with Native Americans. This book could be used to break down stereotypes many younger students have about Native Americans. More specifically, students could research the Passamaquoddy tribe and the history of Maine.

This book could also be used with children preparing to go on their first canoeing trip to help prepare them for what to expect and how to handle the boat. From there, a teacher could discuss the way pollution has damaged the wildlife in and around ponds, rivers, lakes, and the oceans.

Remember Me may appeal especially to children just learning how to whittle or who have taken an interest in wood work.

Quotes of Note:

"Franklin ran down the hillside and onto the beach, his eyes searching the bay. The wet sand cooled his bare feet as the waves splashed over his toes. He smiled to himself and thought, "Today Tomah Joesephwill teach me how to paddle a canoe."

"Now many Indians make their living as fishing and hunting guides. They help summer visitors like us, who come to Campobello Island."

"Franklin watched the porpoises swim so close he could almost reach out and touch them. Tomah Joseph explained that porpoises are sacred in the Passamaquoddy culture. "They have saved my people from starvation countless times. But we never hunt more than we need."

"Is that what pictures are--stories?" Franklin asked.

Tomah Joseph smiled. "Yes, each picture tells a story of the Old Time."

REVIEW: So Happy!

Henkes, K. (2005). So Happy! China: Greenwillow Books.

0060564830

So Happy! Shares the story of a magic seed, a little rabbit and a little boy and the day that their stories intertwine when the rain arrives. With a Southwestern setting, this story has no clear setting in time. The characters dress in traditional Mexican attire.

The illustrations are done by (the very successful) Anita Lobel. Her use of colors, shapes, and angles is impressive to capture desert setting.

My one complaint about this book is the title. While the idea of being "so happy" does enter into the text, I feel like Henkes and his editor could have thought of a better title for the book. As it is, I don't think the title captures the actual sentiment of the story.

Activities:

So Happy! Could be used to describe the way that animals, plants and the environment are dependent upon one another. A teacher could focus on gardening, weather patterns or the way that seeds grow into plants (which could then be paired with the long term assignment of trying to have each student grow their own plant in their own pot that they painted. (What? Did I have to do that assignment as a child? Yes, yes I did. And my friends and I competed to see who's plant grew the fastest.)

A teacher could enter a tentative discussion on the idea of magical realism, not so much as a genre, but in terms of seeing magic in nature and in the environment. The ability for a seed to grow is described as being a certain type of magic.

The boy featured in the story shows an interest in the architecture of bridges, so this book could hold special appeal to a child with similar interests.

Quotes of Note:

"Someone had planted a magic seed.

The sun shone down,

but there was no rain,

so the seed didn't grow."

"The seed was thirsty.

The rabbit was lost.

The boy was bored. Then..."

REVIEW: Kitten's First Full Moon

Henkes, K.  (2004).  Kitten's First Full Moon.  Greenwillow Books.

0060588292

I love this book.  It is my hope that it becomes a classic (and I don't think I'm alone in that).  It captures a child's emotions, imagination and sense of wonder well.

A young kitten sees the full moon in the sky and believes it to be a bowl of milk.  She sets out farther and farther from home, trying to get a lick of the tasty milk.  Since children will have a better understanding of the moon, reflections in ponds, etc. most kids find humor in the Kitten's misunderstandings as she learns about the world.  They can also relate to the kitten's emotions of hunger and fear and the sense of security and comfort she finds in the end.

Shared in gray-scale, the illustrations are simple, but capture the kitten's emotions well--with round surprised eyes when surprise is called for.

Activities:

Kitten's First Full Moon may be used as a read aloud for fun, to familiarize students with cats, the moon, the fact that objects will reflect off of still water, the need to be careful when leaving home, the sense of safety at being welcomed back, the idea of setting lofty goals for yourself and not giving up.

Many younger students are prone to pretending to be cats after a teacher shares this story with them, so said teacher should be ready to give the cild some milk in a bowl instead of a glass.

Quotes of Note:

"It was Kitten's first full moon.

When she saw it, she thought,

there's a little bowl of milk in the sky.

And she wanted it."

"So she closed her eyes

and stretched her neck

and opened her mouth and licked."

"But Kitten only ended up

with a bug on her tongue.

Poor Kitten!"

"Still, there was a little bowl of milk, just waiting."

REVIEW: Blueberries for Sal

McCloskey, R.  (1976).  Blueberries for Sal.  New York:  Viking Press.

0670175919

In this classic, little Sal and her mom go to pick blueberries on the aptly named Blueberry Hill with the intention of canning them.  Sal complicates this plan by eating every blueberry that comes near her.  On the other side of the hill, another mother and child are out looking for berries, a anthropomorphized bear and her cub.  Both cub and child wind up separated from their mothers while eating the berries, they wind up following each other's mother.

This text has the potential to feel strange to students who are raised outside of the context of picking fresh berries and canning.  Despite this, a teacher could help make it relatable by emphasizing the idea of eating a favorite fruit.  This book could also be accused as being dated in terms of its gender roles (no fathers are present as care givers and Sal's mother is shown wearing a skirt despite the fact she is trekking up a hill).

For teachers on the hunt for a longer picturebook read aloud, this book is on the text-heavy side and is longer than the average picturebook by 20 pages.

McCloskey's illustrations are done realistically in black and white and earned the book a Caldecott Honor .

Activities:

A teacher could use this story to set up a lesson on addition and subtraction, as Sal picks and eats the berries.

A teacher could use this to kick off a lesson on bears, their habitats, foods, behavior patterns, need for hibernation.

And of course, after sharing this book, an adult could take the student berry picking or be taught how to can berries or make jam.

A teacher could also pair Blueberries for Sal with Are You My Mother? and discuss what a child should do if they become lost.

Quotes of Note:

"One day, Little Sal went with her mother to Blueberry Hill to pick blueberries."

"She picked three more berries and ate them.  Then she picked more berries and dropped one in the pail-Kurplunk!  And the rest she ate.  Then Little Sal ate all four blueberries out of her pail!"

"On the other side of Blueberry Hill, Little Bear came with his mother to eat blueberries."

"Little Bear and Little Sal's mother and Little Sal and Little Bear's mother were all mixed up with each other among the blueberries on Blueberry Hill."