REVIEW: Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses.

Koertge, R.  (2012) Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses.  Somerville, MA:  Candlewick Press.


87 pages.



Appetizer:  Here's the opening for this collection of poems and fairy tale modernizations:

"Do you want to sleep?  Find another storyteller.  Do you want to think about the world in a new way?

Come closer.  Closer, please.
I want to whisper in your ear."

Aside from reminding me of the beginning of The Tale of Despereaux, these poems and vignettes
do reveal new perspectives.  Many include feminist themes, modern settings, a deeper look at a specific character or twists.  The ugly duckling becomes a bullied youth.  The beast misses having fangs.  Since the stories are based on the traditional versions (the Grimm brothers, Perrault, etc.) it is important to be familiar with the original fairy tales (which, sadly, I was not always).

The illustrations are wonderful; dark and brutal.  The woodcut style gives the book an old-school feel.  There are some notably violent images which are both shocking and also speak to the nature of the traditional fairy tales Koertge based his poems and stories upon.

Near the end, there's a character who uses the  word "gay" in a derogatory way (p. 75).  There's also another story that notes gay marriage as being a step toward the apocalypse (p. 63).  Although these phrases are in line with the characters' voices, I would have preferred they weren't included at all.  This lost the book points with me.

My one other caution about the book would be in regards to age appropriateness.  Since it's so short, illustrated and dealing with fairy tales, it's possible to assume the poems are for younger kids, but due to some swearing  and references to sex, a teacher may have to be cautious before using some of the poems in a class room.

Koertge wasn't willing to shy away from controversial topics and language with this piece.

A teacher can still select among the poems to model for students how to adapt a traditional fairy tale to modern social mores.  Some poems I would consider using include "The Stepsisters," "Memoirs of the Beast," and "Wolf."

At Cynsations you can also find an interview with Koertge and a giveaway of Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses.


Dinner Conversation:

The Little Match Girl:

"She's selling CDs on the corner,
fifty cents to any stoner,
any homeboy with a boner.

Sleet and worse--the weather's awful.
Will she live?  It's very doubtful.
Life out here is never healthful." (p. 15)


Bearskin:

"The soldier had seen the devil in the desert.
And he'd seen the devil's toys--IEDs,
VBIEDs, the maniacs with dynamite
strapped to their chests.

So he was surprised when the devil came
right up to him in the VA hospital room and said,
'So here's the deal.  If you can wear a bearskin
for seven years, you'll stop having bad dreams.
And I'll make you rich.  But if you ever
take the bearskin off, I get your soul.'" (p. 19)

Twelve Dancing Princesses:

"When he tells the king, the full force
of twelve baleful glances stuns him
even as he ponders his reward:
choose any daughter.

Now they're really mad.  They're not doughnuts
in a box, oranges in a sack, pennies in a dish.
They're a force to be reckoned with." (p. 25)

Memoirs of the Beast:

"We're happy now.  We're very,
very happy.  But I have to admit
there's not much to do in Ever After.
It's always sunny and 78*.  Every
night the fireworks light themselves.

With a sigh, sometimes, I brush
my perfect teeth and remember when
they were fangs." (p. 29)


Tasty Rating:  !!.

REVIEW: The Brimstone Journals

Koertge, R.  (2001).  The Brimstone Journals.  Somerville:  Candlewick

113 pages


Appetizer:  Branston High has the inauspicious nickname of "Brimstone" and with good reason.  One of its students is bullied.  Another is abused by her step-father.  Yet another student is trying to recruit others to an ominous "brotherhood."  One student feels like he is king of the school.  Another seeks freedom from her boyfriend.  Many students feel misunderstood.  Quite a few are religious.  A couple are racist.  Some have controlling parents or parents they disagree with.  A number resist authority.

...okay, so in truth, many of the voices in The Brimstone Journals may sound will probably feel familiar to many students.

A yearbook-style page
from the front of the book
that shows all of the characters
whose poems are featured.

The Brimstone Journals is a novel in verse that includes the 15 voices from the members of the class of 2001.  While each student shares about their personal burdons, hang-ups and interests, an underlying narrative emerges that may threaten the lives of the student body.

Broken up into six parts and with only a few over 100 poems, The Brimstone Journals is a fast read.  The language is easy to follow and it is fun to see the different ways the characters regard one another, but many of the allusions to popular culture are very dated.  (Some of the references include the movies Groundhog's Day, Ghost, and to the actors Harrison Ford and Will Smith (with the assumption that they are both much younger.)  These allusions could be turn-offs for some high school students and could make some teachers feel old to have to describe the setting and context of this book.

My character notes!

The real difficulty students will probably have with this novel in verse, however, will be the number of characters to keep track of.  Certain characters, like Lester, Boyd and Kelli are given more attention, but it could be very difficult to keep track of all the names (especially since the perspectives are interwoven in no particular order).  So, this is definitely a book to assign student to follow a particular character (I did this with another novel in verse about poetry called Bronx Masquerade...it worked very well) or to have students record character logs.

There are a lot of merits of taking on this book though:  students can research some of the social issues in the book and report statistics over long periods of time.  (Some topics would include violence in school or between family members, the effectiveness of ways to prevent bullying and violence, statistics and definitions of sexual assault, information about environmental movements, issues about body image in both men and women, tolerance in terms of race, religion and immigrant status, respect across cliques, have debates about gun control, etc.)  As you can probably see, this book considers a lot of issues and does a pretty good job with exploring them (I say pretty good, because I did feel like some of the characterizations were on the superficial side, particularly the way some of the black characters were depicted as well as Boyd and his not-so-great relationship with his father.  Plus, many of the issues or concerns that are secondary to the larger issues of school violence are left unresolved.).


Dinner Conversation:

Lester:

"My dad'd freak if he knew I played
with it, but I can't help myself.  And
I'm not hurting anybody.

The bullets are across the room" (p. 3)


Tran:

"Father does not want me to forget the country
I have never seen.  Every day an hour of
Vietnamese only.  Then another of music
with traditional instruments." (p. 4)

Damon:

"We are the champions!
Numero Uno!!
Half of us already got scholarships,
full ride.
Everybody loves us--chicks, teachers,
everybody!!
Man, standing out there in the center
of the gym in my letterman's jacket
with my buddies.  It's the best!" (p. 6)


Kelli:

"Damon is driving me crazy.  He's got like
our whole life planned:  college, jobs, kids,
even what kind of car he'll buy for me.
Already it's always the same." (p. 7)


neesha:

I don beleave in the white man sway.
I beleave thoze rools of hiz--dat
spellin, hiz gramma, doze frag mints
and common splizes--I beleave
awl them roolz r jis another way
2 keep my black brotherz and sistahs
down." (p. 9)


Allison:

"Twenty-five million teenagers go to
twenty thousand schools in the U.S.
Ten kids, TEN KIDS, in seven schools
did all the shooting, ALL OF IT,
in 1998-1999.

In the same two years, grownups
in southern California alone massacred
forty people." (p. 13)


Tran:

"What a violent country:  "He kissed
me so hard."  "I was so wasted."  "I hate
her so much."  "I love him to death."
The students even call this well-appointed
and modern high school Brimstone,
a reference to their Bible and to the end
of the world." (p. 28)


Tasty Rating:  !!!

REVIEW: Shakespeare Bats Cleanup (It's like a better sequel to Love That Dog than Hate That Cat was! Yay sports + poetry!)

Koertge, R.  (2003).  Shakespeare Bats Cleanup.  Cambridge, MA:  Candlewick Press.

116 pages.


Appetizer:  14-year-old Kevin Boland wants nothing more than to play baseball.  But after he is diagnosed with mono, there's no way he'll be able to play ball or go back to school for a looooooooong time.  Stuck in his room and bored, Kevin is anything but excited when his dad (a writer) gives him a blank notebook.  His dad notes:

"You're gonna have a lot of time on your hands.  Maybe you'll feel like writingsomething down" (p. 1).

And from that, a novel in verse is born.

While stuck in bed and later as he starts to attend baseball games again, Kevin works on writing various forms of poetry; from haiku, to blank verse, to elegies, to sonnets.  What's more, he goes back and revises his poems, showing his process and the importance of revision.  (Yay!  Can I hear a cheer for revision!  Wat Wat!)

Also, as Kevin battles mono and misses playing baseball, both he and his dad are dealing with a much larger loss; that of Kevin's mom.  But as they deal with their grief, Kevin begins to see the possibility of another type of joy:  His first real girlfriend.  A girl named Mira notices that Kevin writes poetry.  Torn between wanting to tell her the truth about what he's writing and not wanting to seem like one of those "sensitive" guys, Kevin tries to figure out how to get to know Mira better.

I'll admit, during the first half of the story, I wasn't too crazy about Shakespeare Bats Cleanup.  Kevin was hung-up on missing baseball and he had rigid ideas about masculinity that didn't exactly rock my world.  Then Mira was introduced.  And I loved her character.  She added a lot of humor and brought out a fun dynamic between Kevin and his father as they start to date.  As Kevin and his dad prepare to pick up Mira to go to a poetry reading, Kevin writes:

Dad comes downstairs in shorts  

and Pumas.  I ask him to change.  On the way

to Mira's he says, "Now I'm nervous."  (p. 82) 

*Smiles*

Plus, Mira and her family added a multicultural dimension to the story.  Kevin, who is white, begins to entertain thoughts of learning Spanish to better communicate with Mira's extended family, some baseball players and to be able to translate poetry by Octavio Paz.

Overall, I felt like Shakespeare Bats Cleanup is a slightly older version of Love That Dog, that will specifically appeal to boys who *still* aren't completely convinced of the awesomeness of poetry.


Apparently there's a sequel, called Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs.  I'll read it...but I'll probably wait for the paperback version, which should be available by mid-March.


Dinner Conversation:


"Then Dad comes in and says, "The doctor
called.  Your tests came back.  You've got
mono."
"So I can't play ball."
He pats my knee.  "You can't even go to
school, Kevin.  You need to take it real easy."
He hands me a journal, one of those marbly
black-and-white ones he likes.
"You're gonna have a lot of time on your
hands.  Maybe you'll feel like writing
something down."  (p. 1)

"Why am I writing down the middle
of the page?
It kind of looks like poetry, but no way
is it poetry.  It's just stuff." (p. 5)

"I'm just going to fool around a little,
see what's what poetry-wise" (p. 5).

"My name is Kevin Boland.
I live in Los Angeles (a suburb, actually).
I'm fourteen years old, I love baseball,
and I haven't got a girlfriend.
I'm just writing because I'm bored.
Thank God nobody's going to read it."  (p. 12)

"That book I've been reading
is big on revision, which means, by
the way, not just doing something over
but seeing it again.  That's kind of cool." (p. 23)

"'I'm a writer.'"  That's a cool thing to say.
I don't mean I am, but I'm not a baseball
player either.
Not anymore."  (p. 28)


Tasty Rating:  !!!

REVIEW: Reaching for Sun

Zimmer, T.V.  (2007).  Reaching for Sun.  New York:  Bloomsbury.

181 pages.


Appetizer:  Josie Wyatt is in the seventh grade.  She lives with her mom (who is almost never around since she's trying to complete her college degree) and her grandmother.  She hates school.  She's never met her father.  Her family has had to sell most of their farm land and must watch subdivisions for the rich be built around their house.  She is bullied by most of the kids at school.  And she has cerebral palsy.

Reaching for the Sun is set over (just about) a year as Josie makes her first friend, deals with her grandmother's deteriorating health and struggles to find the words to get her mom to let her not participate in a summer clinic designed to help her with her cerebral palsy.

This novel in verse is written by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, a local author who I have heard speak a couple of time, and who (full-disclosure!) made contact with the literary agency that would eventually represent me.  So far, this is my favorite book by her.  Josie's voice is honest and poignant.  The moment that really drew me in was when she thinks about what type of man her absentee-father must be:

"I wonder
if he ditched me and Mom
when he found out about my disability,
or if it gave him the excuse he needed--
typed letter left behind in the mailbox,
no stamp.
I wonder if I got my straight
blond hair, blue eyes,
and cowardice from him,
and whether he's real smart,
rich, and now got himself
a picture-perfect family" (p. 15)

Ouch!

Throughout the book, there are also illustrations of a flower growing in the bottom right margin of each page.  As you go through the story, Josie grows and blossoms as a character and the flower grows and blossoms too.  I thought this was a wonderful touch that complimented the content and name of the story beautifully.

Overall, I found Reaching for Sun to be a very touching and realistic story of a girl coming into her own.


Dinner Conversation:

"The last bell rings,
but
I'm hiding
in the last stall
of the girls' bathroom
until I hear
voices
disappear behind closing
classroom doors.

Only then
do I slip out
into the deserted hallway
and rush to room 204,
a door
no one
wants to be seen opening.

Not even
me."  (p. 3).

"With my odd walk
and slow speech
everyone knows
I've got special ed,
but if I wait
until the hall clears,

taunts like tomatoes
don't splatter
the back of my head" (p. 4).

"Mom wants me
to love school like she does,
follow her lead to college,
make my mark:
the first astronaut with
cerebral palsy,
or at least
a doctor or lawyer,
something with a title or abbreviations, I guess.
But Mom's dreams for me
are a heavy wool coat I
wear, even in summer."  (p.46).


Tasty Rating:  !!!!

REVIEW: Metamorphosis Junior Year

Franco, B.  (2009).  Metamorphosis Junior Year.  Somerville, MA:  Candlewick Press.

9780763637651

114 pages.


Appetizer: During his junior year, Ovid begins reading the myths recorded by his namesake.  He begins seeing his own life and friends as characters from Greek myth and he records his observations in illustrations, narratives and poems in his journal.  He's also working to express himself in other art forms, like sculpture.  And he definitely needs the way to express himself ever since something happened to his sister and Ovid's parents began micromanaging his life.

One of my favorite aspects of this novella was Ovid's hopes for getting a girlfriend.  Early on he writes that he could use an intervention from the gods.  Venus though, because he doesn't trust Cupid (p. 14).  Then, after two different people do hit on him in his sculpting class, Ovid figures it is Cupids doing since "by sending me a man and an older woman--'cause he probably got word I was interested in this girl at Lambert" (p. 31).  I was entertained.

Of course, many of the other references to myth have darker nuances, but that still present issues that will be very relevant to teens.  The Icarus-type-girl is getting high too often.  The Narcissus-type-guy has a beautiful face, but cuts himself.  Another of Ovid's friends has an eating disorder, another has been raped by a family member and on and on.  With all the references to myth, I was strongly reminded of the poems in Psyche in a Dress by Francesca Lia Block.  In fact, you could probably declare Metamorphosis:  Junior Year to be the "guy version."

With each chapter averaging two pages, the occasional poem that leaves a lot of space on the page, the illustrations and the fact that the book is only 114 pages, this story is a very quick read.  It could also draw in a lot of reluctant teen readers who wouldn't normally give a full novel a chance.  But having said that, this novella includes a lot of gaps in the text, things the reader is left to imply and references to Greek myth.  Both of these could be discouraging.  Personally, I also had trouble keeping all of Ovid's friends straight.  I had to make a list of their names and note what their primary problem was to keep them straight.  But then, I've always been bad with names.

Metamorphosis:  Junior Year would be awesome to pair with some of Ovid's myths or The Metamorphosis.  And since the book is so short, it's an easy pair.  As opposed to Going Bovine with Don Quixote, which together would send most students running.


Dinner Conversation:

"So here I am in my room with this notebook I got for drawing, and now I'm writing in it, too.  In a desperate attempt to retrieve my sanity from the trash.  There better be some god of journals and blogs who cares about what I'm saying, or I'm screwed" (p. 3).

"Would things be different or better with me now if my parents had given me a normal name?  Probably not.  My name can't be what's screwing me up, because I've had it my whole life...and it wasn't till the family crisis that I wrote Is life worth living? on the bills in my wallet" (p. 7).

"Bottom line, I could really use an intervention from the gods--Venus, to be exact.  I don't trust Cupid" (p. 14).

"Thena was center stage
in her own tragedy
of mythical proportions
and I didn't have much of a part to play.
I was mostly backstage, wishing, wanting
to go back to Act I.
Missing her" (p. 42).


Tasty Rating:  !!!

REVIEW: The Surrender Tree

Engle, M.  (2009).  The Surrender Tree:  Poems of Cuba's struggle for freedom.  New York:  Henry Holt and Company.

0805086749

160 pages


Appetizer: This novel in verse spans 30 years in the late 1800s to share about the several wars Cuba endured to try to gain its freedom from Spain.  The narration switches point of view from poem to poem and focuses most closely on Rosa who would, in my words, become Cuba's SUPER-DOCTOR!!!!!!!

The story also shares the perspective of Jose (her husband), Lieutenant Death (a slave hunter who--fictionally--became obsessed with trying to kill her) and Silvia (a young girl who escapes a reconcentration camp in the hope of learning from Rosa).

At first this book was VERY difficult for me to read.  I blame my lack of schooling on the history of Cuba.  Around page 30, I skipped ahead to the historical note and timeline to try to figure out the history more clearly, but it didn't help too much.  Eventually though, the characters' perspectives did win me over and I still managed to get into the story, but even after finishing the book, I still feel like I need a eighth grade social studies teacher to sit me down and explain the historical context of the book to me.

The reason the characters won me over was because Engle does a very interesting job of showing how the different characters perceive one another.  As a child, Rosa, already a talented healer, doctors the son of a slavehunter, Lieutenant Death.  She mentions that LD and his father tell lies to "seem like heroes," then in the next poem, LD shares his perspective and describes how he chooses to call "wild dogs" wolves to seem "truly brave" (pp. 8-9).  This continues more as characters meet throughout the book.

Also interesting, by page 25, Rosa is an adult.  Soon after she's married.  For the next 50 pages, the poems follow an adult.  This surprised me, since writers usually don't try to have readers engage too closely with adult characters.  I think the fact that this is poetry helps, since readers can also focus on the imagery.  I still felt thankful when Silvia, who is described as being eleven and twelve-years-old in the poems, was introduced.  I felt that helped to make the book more child-focused once more.  Plus, there's a poem narrated in Rosa's voice that begins "Today the children saved us" (p. 136).

Despite my above critiques, The Surrender Tree gives voice to an important aspect of history.  It uses a lot of beautiful metaphors and (in a few cases startling) images to show the horrors of war.  I really love the thought that lots of middle grade kids and young adults have the opportunity to explore this time period and conflict (that opens up to comparisons to other wars and times when concentration camps were used).  I wish this story had been around when I was a kid.  And that I had a teacher who would explain it to me.


Dinner Conversation:

"Some people call me a child-witch,
but I'm just a girl who likes to watch
the hands of the women
as they gather wild herbs and flowers
to heal the sick" (p. 3).

"Should I fight with weapons,
or flowers and leaves?

Each choice leads to another--
I stand at a crossroads in my mind,
deciding to serve as a nurse,
armed with fragrant herbs,
fighting a wilderness battle, my own private war
against death" (p. 27).

"Who could have guessed that after all these years,
the boy I called Lieutenant Death
when we were both children
would still be out here, in the forest,
chasing me, now,
hunting me, haunting me...." (p. 39).

"The angel-man brings me
tiny bits of smuggled food,
but there is never enough,
and my brothers are turning
into shadows" (p. 99).


Tasty Rating:  !!!

REVIEW: Do-Wrong Ron

Herrick, S.  (2003).  Do-Wrong Ron.  Crows Nest, NSW:  Allen & Unwin.

1865086614

127 pages.


Appetizer:  Ron feels like he can't do anything right.  He scores goals for the competing soccer team and he's the only one without a "date" to the Best Friends Ball.  His parents don't seem to have time for him.  And when he finds a guinea pig, Charlie, to make his pet and best friend, everyone in his small town thinks Charlie is a rat.  When a new girl, Isabelle, arrives in town with her grandma, there's a chance Ron can turn around his luck and do right.

This book in poems can be a subtle way to capture middle grade students' interest in poetry.  The book doesn't rhyme, but there is some attention to assonance.  But what I a particularly liked is that most of the poems follow a pseudo-wreath format, in which many of the last lines of one poem are the title for the next poem.  As I read, it kept me going, thinking "oh, just one more...one more...I want to read what happens next..."

There are still some natural breaks throughout the book, every now and then the point of view switches from Ron's perspective to his new friend Isabelle or to the perspective of Charlie the guinea pig.

I did feel like having Charlie's point of view, which is always presented as "wee wee wee wee...wee," did feel a little young for the age of the characters.  But a teacher can still use this to the best of their ability and even though Herrick includes translations to all the "wees," it'd still be a natural activity to have students write their own poems from Charlie's perspective.


Dinner Conversation:

"My name is Ron.
Ron Holman.
Or Do-wrong Ron,
because I have this habit:
I do the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Or the right things at the wrong time?
Or the wrong thing at the right time?" (p. 1).

"Dad's in his study, working.
I knock quietly.
He stares at his computer
as I tell him my latest do-wrongism.
He says, 'It's okay, Ron, it'll wear off.'
'It's not foot odour,' I reply" (p. 4).

"I've tried.  I really have.
In my mind I kick the ball in the right direction.
I give correct answers in class.
I mix the cordial in the jug,
but,
between my mind and my feet, hands and mouth,
something gets lost somewhere" (p. 7).

"There's something just right about Isabelle.
I don't normally talk to girls.
Correction.
Girls don't normally talk to me,
but Isabelle is different" (p. 24).


To Go with the Meal:

To teach this book, I'd initially have students focus on their emotional reactions to Ron's experiences.  When have they felt like they made a mistake or have done things wrong?  Have they ever felt lonely?  Students could discuss their feelings, complete free writes or create their own poems.

Another tension is about where Ron lives--a small town in Australia.  He wonders what it would be like to live in a big city like Isabelle comes from.  Students can think about their own towns and cities.  A teacher could also use this book to enhance a lesson on Australia, discussing the geography, culture and language.


Tasty Rating:  !!!

REVIEW: Red Sings from Treetops a year in colors

Sidman, J.  (2009).  Red Sings from Treetops:  A year in colors.  New York:  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

9780547014944


Appetizer:  Within the 28 poems (approximately, I'm so bad at math I don't even trust my ability to count anymore), this picturebook shares the way the different colors behave during the four seasons (beginning with spring).  The colors are repeated, their presence in nature expressed in different ways varying from season to season.

I absolutely LOVE the way the colors are personified in the poems.  My favorite is a portion of the poem about green in the spring:

"Green is new

in the spring.  Shy.

Green peeks from buds,

trembles in the breeze."

How beautiful is that image?!  I heart it fiercely.

As one of the Caldecott honor books for this year, you can also expect that the illustrations are beautiful.  And that is the case.  There is fantastic use of colors and designs that help add to the tone and feelings of the poetry.  The illustrations help to provide a sense of magic for the illustrations.  For example, on the page that describes black in the fall, an inky whale is incorporated into the sky since the moon swims "through its cool sky-pool."  (I know that probably sounds weird.  But you can always check out the book for yourself and hopefully it will make a little more sense then)

Dinner Conversation:

"In SPRING
Red sings
from treetops:
cheer-cheer-cheer,
each note dropping
like a cherry into my ear."

"And here in secret places,
peeps Pink:
hairless,
featherless,
the color of
new
things."

"Green is queen
in summer."

"Purple pours
into summer evenings
one shadow at a time,"


To Go with the Meal:

Aside from enjoying some beautiful poetry (and some Caldecott honor earning illustrations) a teacher could use this book in a lesson about the use of colors in poetry and how they help create different meanings, images and emotions.

Rather than share the poems of this picturebook in just one sitting, a teacher could regularly present the poems throughout the school year to reflect the changes in seasons (that is of course, assuming the class is being taught in a part of the world where it actually snows in the winter).

In response to hearing or reading these poems, children could write their own poems, paying attention to incorporate colors into their writing.

Another route would be to include the poems into a science lesson on the causes of the seasons.


Tasty Rating:  !!!!

REVIEW: Silly Tilly

Spinelli, E.  (2009).  Silly Tilly.  Tarrytown, NY:  Marshall Cavendish Corporation.

9780761455257


Appetizer:  Silly Tilly is a silly goose.  She wears a pancake for a hat and has kissed a fish.  And she has a lot of fun doing her silly activities, but most of the other animals can't say that they enjoy her efforts.  Finally, the other farm animals have had enough and they ask Tilly to stop her antics.

Spinelli's rhymes flow easily and incorporate a lot of fun adjectives.

The illustrations are also fun and incorporate a lot of action.  Most of the pages incorporate two or three panels of illustration.  Have a page broken up like this might be a first for many preschoolers and kindergartners, so a teacher may want to point out the order to look at the panels as he or she reads aloud.
(Also, there is some complex vocabulary, so I do think a read aloud would be the best way to share Silly Tilly's story.


Dinner Conversation:

"Tilly was a silly goose,
a daffy-down-and-dilly goose,
who took her baths in apple juice."

"Tilly liked to tickle frogs
and kick a pickle to the hogs
and hop on top of soggy logs."

"One day her friends said, "That's enough!
Enough of all your silly stuff!"
Their barnyard voices sounded gruff."

"The weeks went by and Tilly Goose
stopped being such a silly goose.
"Good job!" said Cousin Billy Goose."

"It happened, though, that Hetta Hen
remared, "I haven't laughed since--when?--
since Tilly chased the garbage man!"


To Go with the Meal:

Aside from including a lot of fun rhymes that are sure to make young kids giggle, to understand what's going on, kids will have to pay attention to the facial expressions of the characters, to know who is happy or sad.

The strength of this picturebook is that it explores the experience of the farm (or class) clown, showing the emotional dynamics of among different community members.  Silly Tilly tries to show a way to find balance between a class clown making jokes for enjoyment or at the expense of other students time.  A teacher can share this book with attention hungry students to try to start a discussion on the student's behavior.

And on the other side, this book can be used with calmer students to try and show how class clowns help to keep activities more fun.


Tasty Rating:  !!!

REVIEW: Button Up!

Schertle, A.  (2009).  Button Up!  New York:  Harcourt Children's Books.


Appetizer:  This picturebook shares 15 poems from the points of view of 15 anthropomorphized items of clothing that are worn by young animals.

All of the items of clothing are happy to travel with their animal throughout the day, keeping them safe, comfortable or protected from the elements.

This would be a good book to share with a kindergarten or first grade class.  A teacher could pick a poem each day, to reflect the weather or temperature.

The illustration were cute, (I mean, how could animals dressed up in human clothes not be at least a little cute) but overall, none of them ever really struck me or caused an impression.  Most pages featured many smaller images of an animal with their item of clothing.  Others were full-page spreads that showed a well-dressed animal performing some action.


Dinner Conversation:

"Bertie's Shoelaces
Good old Bertie,
he lets us hang around.
It doesn't bother Bertie
when we drag along the ground."

"The Song of Harvey's Galoshes
When it's raining Harvey always puts us on,
puts us on,
we're together when the sunny weather's gone,
weather's gone,
O there's mud up to our tops,
we hope Harvey never stops"

"Emily's Undies
We're Emily's undies
with laces and bows.
Emily shows us
wherever she goes."

"We are Jennifer's shoes.
We came home in a box.
Now we go walking
when Jennifer walks.
When Jennifer walks,
we step out, too"

"Jamelia's playing dress-up
and we are playing too--"


To Go with the Meal:

This book is just asking to be used with an activity in which students write poems about either a favorite item of clothing or something they wear for a particular type of weather.  The students could make sure to put their names in the title.  Then if a teacher were to turn this into a wall hanging, the kids could feel empowered to see a poem about them on the wall.  Also, if the teacher has the students write from the point of view of the item of clothing, students could work on developing empathy and perspective taking.

A teacher could also discuss the importance of dressing appropriate to the weather throughout the year, (I often feel like I have to have a reminder lecture of this fact with my undergrads) and can show younger students where and when they can get information about the weather.

Since Button Up! includes so many items of clothing, these poems could be read aloud to help young readers learn the names for the items (such as galoshes, bicycle helmet, soccer jersey, etc).

These poems would also be good to share with a student who wears the same item of clothing EVERY.  SINGLE.  DAY.  While it makes wearing an item everywhere seem normal (particularly in the poem "Violet's Hiking Hat") it can still open up discussion about a security item.

Other lessons include bicycle safety, poetic forms, assonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia, hand me downs, growing out of an item of clothing, Halloween costumes, etc.


Tasty Rating:  !!!

REVIEW: The Great Reindeer Rebellion

Trumbauer, L.  (2009).  The Great Reindeer Rebellion.  New York:  Sterling.

9781402744624

Appetizer:  When Santa's reindeer go on strike, he looks for replacement sleigh pullers.  But it seems reindeer may be the best animals for the job.

The Great Reindeer Rebellion follows the form of The Night Before Christmas to share the story.  It's illustrations are colorful and child-friendly, featuring a lot of animals with cute expressions.

When I first picked up The Great Reindeer Rebellion, I assumed by its size and the thickness of the pages that it was a pop-up book.  So, I was kinda disappointed when I discovered that it wasn't.  The pages are textured, with characters raised against the page.  So, young readers may want to trace the animals on each page.


Dinner Conversation:

"'Twas the week before Christmas,
and somewhere up North,
dear Santa was frantic-
he paced back and forth.

He had just heard some news
that he sure didn't like:
It seemed that the reindeer
were going on strike."


"So Santa decided,
"That's fine!  Be that way!
I'm sure I'll find others
who will pull my sleigh."


"Flamingos!" he summoned,
"It's your turn, let's go!"
And I must say your pink
looks divine in the snow."


To Go with the Meal:

The Click Clack Moo:  Cows that type of the Christmas season, The Great Reindeer Rebellion is a fun read aloud for a teacher to share with students.

For activities, a teacher could have students draw want-ads for new sleigh pullers.  Student could also vote for their favorite sleigh puller of the animals that answer the ads in the book.  A teacher could encourage young kids to call out and names the animals pictured on each page, before reading the text.

If a teacher wanted to get a lesson out of the book, a teacher could discuss treating friends (or group members) fairly and trying to talk-out problems.


Tasty Rating:  !!!

REVIEW: Rhyming Dust Bunnies

Thomas, J.  (2009).  Rhyming Dust Bunnies.  New York:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

141697976x


Appetizer:  Dust Bunnies named Ed, Ned, Ted and...erm, Bob rhyme.  All the time.  As the dust bunnies try to think of words that rhyme, Bob often has trouble getting the right answer.  But then, he may be answering a different question, of sorts.

Crud.  I wish the dust bunnies on my floor rhymed all the time.  That or walked their own ways into my vacuum or trash.  OR both!  Is that so much to ask?  Talking, rhyming, walking dust bunnies.

Wait.

For a dust bunny to walk, talk and rhyme...they'd...they'd have to be highly evolved.  In fact, I think a rhyming dust bunny would have to be smarter that me.  *glances around my place*  They'd also out number me.  They could defeat me easily....

Few but dear readers of the internetz, I'm now afraid of my dust bunnies.  Eeeeek.

But seriously, imaginary internetz friends, I am entertained.  On a nerdy level.  Rhyming Dust Bunnies can be viewed as an instance of a prophetic individual battling the silencing force of...oh, everyone else.  (Where else have you encountered that in literature?  Politics?)  But, what's awesome about Rhyming Dust Bunnies is that this plot is achieved with so few pages and words.  And with lots of rhyming.

I do like rhyming.


Dinner Conversation:

"Hey!  What rhymes with car?"

"Far, jar, tar, look!"

"No, Bob..."Look!" does not rhyme with car!"


To Go with the Meal:

I like this book guys.  It has a lot of potential uses.  This can be a good way to introduce new readers to the weird word, "rhyme."  I say word because chances are good the wee-little children will already love to play with sounds and rhyme all on their own with very little encouragement on the part of the teacher.  Chances are good a teacher also won't have to push too much to get students to yell out words that rhyme with the vocabulary in the story.

The book could also be used to discuss what dust bunnies are, how they form and how a young child, mastering the art of grasping, can even help adults to get rid of the dust.

Since must of this picture book takes on the form of question and answer, a teacher can use this to encourage young children to speak up and answer questions in the classroom (even after they get questions wrong!)


Tasty Rating:  !!!!

REVIEW: Food Hates You, Too

Weinstock, R.  (2009).  Food Hates You, Too and Other Poems.  New York:  Hyperion Books.

9781423113911

Appetizer:  Robert Weinstock includes 19 poems about troublesome foods in this collection.  The carnival food turns and twists in attendees' stomachs, potential meals eat one another and, it turns out, food hates you too.

Since many of the poems have fun or humorously dark twists (as with the poem "Toast"), I was strongly reminded of some of the poems by Shel Silverstein.  There is also some intertextuality, with references to fairy tales and a page illustrated in the fashion of Goodnight Moon:

As you can see, the illustrations are fun and colorful.  I particularly liked the front end pages which featured a piece of broccoli stating, "This Bites!"  (Although, some adults may take offense to the thought that some kids might take up that phrase)

The last poem, "Food for Thought" also seems designed to win over teachers and librarians, since it encourages the reader to think of reading as food for the mind.


Dinner Conversation:

"Ferris-wheeling is appealing
when your stomach isn't feeling
corndog-whirling, taffy-twirling,
cotton-candy-heaving, hurling,"

"If everyone hates different food,
Then couldn't it be true
That creamed chipped beef dislikes Gertrude,
And liver gags on Lou?"

"I ate your father.  Yes, it's true.
That's what we praying mantis do."


To Go with the Meal:

Students could write their own food poems (and create illustrations to go with them) to write back at the book.  Students could focus on writing about their least favorite foods, a topic most children have no problem discussing.

Since the title poem, "Food Hates You, Too" incorporates people's names, as in "deli Meats balk at Brigittes," students can follow this example and can construct a class poem (about food or another subject) that incorporates all of the names of the class members.  Also, based off of the poem "Monday," students could write poems exploring what they eat each day of the week (which could then lead into a teaching moment on nutrition).

This is also a good book to share with young children who seem to hate any and every possible food.  Food Hates You, Too shows many traditionally hated foods in a fun light and has the general encouraging message of giving all foods a chance.


Tasty Rating:  !!!

REVIEW: Dinothesaurus

Florian, D.  (2009).  Dinothesaurus.  New York:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

9781416979784

30-Second Summary:  This information picturebook is a wonderful mix of poetry and information about dinosaurs.  The poems begin by setting the prehistoric time of the dinosaurs and then goes into specific species, including pronunciation guides and meanings for the names.

Since the picturebook made an effort to maintain rhymes within each of the poems, at times a few of the rhymes did feel a little forced.  But mostly, Florian had a lot of fun with language and dinosaur names.

The illustrations are interesting and highly stylized, with clippings here and there pasted into the larger drawings, or wrinkles impacted in on the pages.  Other drawings actually looked as though a child drew them.  Which I'm also in favor of.


Activities:

In response to Dinothesaurus, readers could research the various dinosaurs more extensively for reports.  Other options would be to encourage students to write poems about other subjects (perhaps with a friendly reminder that poems can still be poetry without rhyming).

Also, since many of the poems are told from a dinosaur's perspective, a teacher could have a student research their favorite dinosaur and develop a story about that species.

Students could also explore the theories of dinosaur extinction, perhaps staging a mock-debate over which theory they think has more evidence.


Quotes of Note:

"The dinosaurs
First lived outdoors
During the time Triassic.
While most died out,
Some came about
Later in the Jurassic."

"Ankylosaurus
Tough as tanks and hard as nails.
Heavy clubs swing from our tails."

"Deinonychus had terrible claws.
Deinonychus had dangerous jaws."


Tasty Rating:  !!!

REVIEW: All the World

Scanlon, L.G.  (2009).  All the World.  New York:  Beach Lane Books.

9781416985808


30-Second Summary:  This poem by Liz Garton Scanlon shows some of the places and people that make up the world.

I do like the poem-- particularly the stanza "Spreading shadows, setting sun / Crickets, curtains, day is done / A fire takes away the chill."  But having said that, the rhythm of the poem didn't get stuck in my head the way some of my favorite poetry picturebooks have.  Ya know?

Just last year, illustrator Marla Frazee won a Caldecott honor for A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever.  The penciled illustrations are definitely within the same style as Best Week Ever, but All the World lacks the humor and the disagreement between the text and illustrations that were present in Best Week Ever, which--in my opinion--was what made that book so deserving of Caldecott attention.  All the World does, however, still include a lot of beautiful landscapes with excellent use of color.  I personally am a fan of this purple-grayish sunset:

Behold, The power of the pencil sketch!

Damn, why can't I draw like that again?  And more importantly, is anyone willing to teach me?


Activities:

This is a good book to help toddlers and wee-little ones understand the larger world.  (The illustrations quite literally begin close up, and then expand out to show the wider scope of various locations)  Since images of families at a beach, a community garden, a house, a restaurant and a park, a teacher could discuss activities to do at each of those locations or could use this book to introduce a trip to one of those locations.

With older students, a teacher could focus on the environmental implications, since characters in the picturebook are shown planting trees and vegetable gardens.  The book could also be incorporated in to a lesson on the weather since a few the illustrations depict intense wind and rain.

Since the book approximately follows a day, ending with night, All the World could also be used as a bedtime story, encouraging a child and parent to think about all that they did in a day.  I particularly like the thought of a child and parent watching a sunset together.


Quotes of Note:

"All the world's a garden bed"

"All the world is old and new"

"Nest, bird, feather, fly
All the world has got its sky"


Tasty Rating:

REVIEW: Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles

Lewis, J.P.  (2009).  Spot the Plot:  A riddle book of book riddles.  San Francisco:  Chronicle Books.

9780811846684

PLOT SUMMARY:  J. Patrick Lewis assembled 13 poems that reference classic picturebooks and middlegrade novels.  Through the hints in the poems and the illustrations readers can guess the books being referenced.  (And just in case there's a book described that no reader can guess, the answers to the poem riddles are listed at the end of the picturebook)

While the artwork is cute and child-friendly, I can't help but think it would have been totally AWESOME if the illustrator Lynn Munsinger had mimicked at least some of the styles used in the books referenced.  I'm certain the publishers at least considered that option.  While it'd be fun to travel to San Francisco to knock on Chronicle's office door and ask why they chose not to take on the styles of the classic books, such a trip will have to wait for a later date.  (Say for when it's really cold here in Columbus and San Francisco will provide the perfect vacation)

J. Patrick Lewis's rhymes are easy to read.  Each with several hints at the book being referenced.  Every now and then though, the rhymes did feel a little forced.  For example, in a poem about Cinderella, Lewis writes:

"This poor miss
had two sis-
ters who were
mean to her."

I don't know.  Separating Sisters like that for the rhyme feels a tiny-teeny bit like cheating to me.  What do you think?


ACTIVITIES:

If students have trouble guessing the books Lewis based his poems around, there's an easy solution:  READ THE BOOKS!!!!  Yays!

Students can also write their own riddle-poems about other stories they've read in class.  They can even include some popular movies or TV shows.  Or if a teacher wanted to stay with the book, he or she could xerox pages and have students draw poems from a hat to perform and have other students guess the book described.

Spot the Plot can also be used to discuss who to write poems.  Although Lewis always uses rhymes, a few of his poems play with structure or are only a single sentence long.  So, a teacher can discuss some of the preconceived notions about what a poem is.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

"The sky shook,
the wind tossed
me in the air.
Toto-ly lost,"

"Imagine a castle
without any towers,
or a thundercloud bursting
without any showers.
Now imagine a bull
who loved only flowers."

"There is a book
I know you know--
the perfect bedtime
book, although

the rabbit who
has gone to bed
can't fall asleep"


TASTY RATING:  !!!

REVIEW: The Laceyville Monkeys: Say the right words

Ruderman, H.  (2008).  The Laceyville Monkeys:  Say the right words.  West Palm Beach, FL:  Illusion Press.

9780615264820

PLOT SUMMARY:  The Laceyville monkeys have come into town for the annual talent show.  Their Granny is so intent on having them win, she uses the wrong words in her attempts to get them to perform.

At first I was a little reluctant to read this book.  In general, I'm not a big fan of books that are didactic or hit kids over the heads with morals.  Since Laceyville Monkey includes "SAY THE RIGHT WORDS!" right there in the sub-heading, I was a little worried that this wouldn't be my type of book.  Instead of "please" and "thank you" being the right words, as they usually are, this book speaks more to the need to encourage one another and think positively.

Structured in the form of rhyming poetry, a few of the rhymes are a little forced. For example, there's this stanza:

"With monkeys on stage
Granny boasted and bragged
how this little group
The Contest would bag."

This could be a little difficult for some readers to follow, especially if they hear this book as a read aloud.  The poetry was also a little difficult to deal with since different pages had a different number of stanzas on each.  Some pages only had one.  Others had four, which could be intimidating when a young reader isn't used to a full page of text yet.

It's also worth noting that an adult figure, Ms. Hepzibah, is the one to save the day when she speaks words of encouragement to the monkeys.  I think I would have liked it a little more if the story were positioned more closely with the experience of the three monkeys who were being pressured to perform by their Granny, but still found enjoyment without the intervention of an adult.  Does that make sense?  Sometimes these thoughts of mine are hard to express.

The illustrations are bright and colorful.  The monkeys are cute and human looking.  For better or worse (or for the indifferent), the female monkey, Eva, meets traditional gender expectations with curly eye lashes and pink bows on her ballerina costume.


ACTIVITIES:

The Laceyville Monkeys would be good to share with young athletes and competitors since it focuses on encouragement.  A teacher could ask young readers about what they think some "right words" are and why it's important to use them.

Since the story features a talent show, a teacher could organize students to showcase their own talents or to do their own skits in response.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

"Three little monkeys
came to Laceyville Town
in just the right month
for a night that's renown.

The Big Talent Contest
was coming up soon.
All animals performed
on the eve of full moon."

"She prodded and coaxed
she pleased and begged,
but the monkeys stood silent
for the wrong words were said."

"Dance and Sing,
Tumble and Roll.
Do it with Love
Let your magic unfold."


TASTY RATING:  !!

P.S.  I was given this promotional copy of The Laceyville Monkeys:  Say the Right Words for free in exchange for this review (which includes my honest opinions just as my other reviews do).

REVIEW: My Little Grandmother Often Forgets

Lindbergh, R.  (2007).  My Little Grandmother Often Forgets.  Cambridge, MA:  Candlewick Press.

9780763619893

PLOT SUMMARY:  Tom's grandmother has trouble remembering.  He and his family must help his little grandmother find things and go places.

This is a sweet and beautiful picturebook that addresses the sensitive issue of the decline in an elderly family member's memory in a gentle way.  The story is constructed as poetry with a lot of memorable couplets like "So I say, "I'm here now. / It's time for us."

The illustrations are done in soft watercolors and in ink and incorporate many swirls into the details of the images.  The paintings present a beautiful and detailed world of a boy with messy hair and his grandmother who has a big red hairstyle that holds her glasses for safekeeping.


ACTIVITIES:

This is a WONDERFUL--did you see that?  WONDERFUL!--picturebook to share with a child who has a relative who is having trouble with his or her memory, who has Alzheimer's or who has to come and live in the child's house or be sent to a nursing home for support.

As a character, Tom, shares both the frustrations and joys of being responsible for an elderly relative who needs assistance.  The grandmother's forgetfulness, while the book's subject is not the focus.  What has the potential to be an emotionally painful book to read is sweetened by how much time Tom and his grandmother spend together.  My Little Grandmother Often Forgets is about their relationship and the support Tom provides his grandmother.

For younger readers, the objects the grandmother is missing are still present in the illustrations, so a teacher can encourage them find them on the page.  In general this book could be used to encourage students to be helpful and patient with others.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

"My little grandmother
can't find a thing."

"When she thinks about THEN,
she forgets about NOW."

"Now she takes me along,
and I help her keep track."


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: Creature Carnival

Singer, M.  (2004).  Creature Carnival.  New York:  Hyperion Books for Children.

0786818778

Enjoyment Rating:  !!!

My few dear readers, guess what time it is almost?  Here's a hint:  It's my FAVORITE holiday of fun and sweetness!  That's right.  And it's time to get in the mood for some frights.

Welcome to the creature carnival!  One by one, this picturebook goes around the carnival and shares a poem about each of its creatures, making references to fairy tales, folk tales, some movies, classic literature, and myths.  But children of all ages in attendance, beware!  If you don't pass with care, you may find yourself in a snare!

Initially, this concept made me a little uncomfortable, since my mind immediately went to a "people with unusual appearances being taken advantage of place."  But Creature Carnival manages to avoid this issue by using mythical animals or beasts from fairy tales and the displayed creatures.

The illustrations are highly stylized in a gothic fashion, but remain light and fun, which will prevent wee little readers from wee-weeing in their wee little pants.  A big plus.


Activities:

This is a good Halloween read that also promotes poetry.  The artwork will feel familiar to reader who like A Series of Unfortunate Events or Zorgamazoo.  So, Creature Carnival could lead into those longer books.

Since a lot of classic creatures are included in the carnival, a teacher could connect individual poems with lessons on mythical creatures like the Sphinx and Pegasus or to fairy tales.  Since many of the names of the creatures aren't given until the ends of the poem, a teacher could try to turn a read aloud into a guessing game before reading the last line and showing the illustration.


Quotes of Note:

"Come along, children of all ages.
See baled beasts not found in cages.
Spend your parents' hard-earned wages.
It's Creature Carnival time."

"Not a horse, not a bird,
Wouldn't drop an egg on us.
Very sleek, very Greek,
In a word:  Pegasus."

"You can't domesticate a dragon.
He'll never pull a plow or a wagon."