Table of Contents
Odd Boy Out by Don Brown……………Biography/Picture Book
Crickwing by Janell Cannon…...... Storybook/Picturebook
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke……Fantasy/Chapter Book
Ida B by Katherine Hanninan …….Fiction/Chapter Book
Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes…….Story Book
Picture Book
The Cats in Krasinski Sq. by Karen Hess..Historical Fiction
Poetry /Picture Book
Wilma Unlimited by Kathleen Krull..Biography/Picture Book
Black and White by David Macaulay..Post Modern/Picture
Storybook
Flip Flop Girl by Katherine Patterson.Fiction/Chapter Book
Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco..Multicultural Picture
Storybook
Firetalking by Patricia Polacco…Biography/Picture Book
I Can Hear the Sun by Patricia Polacco.Fantasy/Picture Book
My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss…Poetry/Picture Book
Cannon, Janell (2000) Crickwing, Illus. J. Cannon, Pub. San Diego: Harcourt, Inc.
Picture Book/ Storybook
A crooked winged cockroach is the central character of this tale. Crickwing is a frustrated sculptor who is bullied and in turn becomes a bully. The illustrations are bright colorful acrylics painted so realistically they look almost like photographs.
Quote:
(n. p.) “Oh, I just like to play with my food.” This is how Crickwing explained his sculptures and his ability as a chef. The children loved this response.
I read this book aloud to a group of eight first graders. We were gathered around a round half table so all could see the pictures and follow along as I pointed to the words and read the story.
We began by opening the cover wide and examining front and back. They easily recognized the ants but were unsure of Crickwing. They thought he might be a grasshopper. We then looked at the mustard yellow end pages. I reminded them that endpapers were usually a certain color for a reason but that I had no idea why these were this color. I asked them to be looking for a reason as we read the story. About halfway through the story, Isaiah said, “Mrs. Greene, the end papers are the same color as Crickwing’s wings!” This, we agreed was true, after holding the endpapers next to his wings.
On the title page, there is a small black and white illustration of Crickwing pulling a large object. Guesses of the students as to the identity of the object ranged from a tulip to a turnip to a cocoon. The dedication page has a series of black and white drawings depicting what the students determined to be the life stages of this bug, whatever it is.
As we began the story, we found out Crickwing was a cockroach – to everyone’s surprise. They were fascinated by his creations and we had to discuss what he used to make his sculptures. They were dismayed when a predator came along and ate the sculptures. But when he started picking on the ants, they decided he was a bully too and he lost their support. That is until the ants catch him and plan to give him over to the fire ants. They of course did not believe that he would die and were not surprised he was saved. Everyone was interested in his plan. Although we had several guesses as to what he was going to do, no one thought of him using a sculpture. The illustration of Crickwing flying through the air with the ants on his back made them laugh. They loved the anteater and enjoyed pointing out ways you could tell it was a creation of Crickwing’s and not a real anteater. They were concerned with the last illustration of Crickwing standing up and all the ants around him. Jeb pointed out that if he fell, he would kill the ants. We of course had to discuss why that probably wouldn’t happen.
When asked if the illustrations in the book reminded them of anything we had read recently, Jeb responded, “Stellalluna!” I then told them Janell Cannon also wrote and illustrated Stellalluna.. We got Stellaluna off the shelf and compared the two.
After finishing the story, I asked them to draw a picture to go with the story and tell about it.
Hannigan, Katherine (2004) Ida B, Pub. New York: Greenwillow Books
Fiction/ Chapter Book
Ida B is a young girl who has been perfectly happy at home, being home schooled. She feels her life is perfect and enjoys the friendship of the trees and the brook on her parents land. A bright child, she likes to make detailed plans and carry them out.
Then her mother gets sick and her world changes forever. Some of the trees must be cut down and land sold. She must leave home each day and go to public school. Ida B does not make the best of her situation but decides to make life miserable for everyone. As the story progresses, Ida creates many problems for herself before she begins to accept her new life and adapt.
Quotes:
(p. 87) “…my heart was a sharp, black stone that was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. It was so hard nobody could break it and so sharp it would hurt anybody who touched it.” This is a beautiful description of pain and I think one or two of my students could relate. Through discussion, I discovered my students understood and appreciated the analogy.
(p. 169) “I’m not mean. Really. Come back, That soft, sappy part of me wanted to say.
My rock-hard heart wouldn’t have any of that…”
One of my toughest third graders seemed to really get into the conflict Ida B experienced between the part of her that wanted to be good and the part that wanted to be bad. I wasn’t even certain he would understand the passage but he connected with it.
I read this book aloud to a group of nine second and third graders. They are children with reading disabilities and some have emotional issues. I read this book over a period of several weeks. The students then wrote in a response journal each day. Several of them have ADD and listen better if some part of their body is moving. I gave them drawing paper and they were free to draw while I read aloud. Some of the pictures are included in their journals.
As we began the book, several were fascinated with the apple on the front cover. They soon got over that focus. They all enjoyed hearing about Ida B and were happy when it was read aloud time. They progressed from groaning as they began to write to even occasionally getting excited about what they were going to write. That is huge progress for this group. I have never before used Response Journals as we read a novel but I will certainly continue this practice.
Henkes, Kevin (2004) Kitten’s First Full Moon, Illus. K. Henkes, Pub. Greenwillow Books
Picture Story Book
This is a delightful story of a little kitten who mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk. In her attempts to reach the bowl of milk, she suffers many trials and ends up cold wet and hungry. Using shades of black, gray and white; gouache and colored pencils were used to create bold drawings which enhance the nighttime feel of the book.
Quotes:
(n. p.) “Still, there was the little bowl of milk, just waiting.”
(n. p.) “Poor Kitten!”
I read this book aloud to a group of seven students. Six of them were first graders and one was a fourth grade EMD student. They loved the book! As we read the book aloud they enjoyed “reading” with me the two refrains listed above as quotes. They enjoyed trying to guess what would happen to Kitten next. As we began to read the book they anticipated Kitten would get a firefly in her mouth. And when she climbed the tree to try and reach the moon, they had a serious discussion as to whether she would fall out of the tree. And when Kitten saw the moon in the pond, no one doubted she would get wet. Several hours after hearing the book the EMD child said, “That cat got wet. That was a good book!”
When we began the book we looked at the end papers, which are gray with rows of white circles outlined on black. Before we read the book, the students agreed they were rows of moons. When we looked at the end papers at the back of the book, after having read the story, they said “They’re bowls of milk!”
After reading the book, we had a discussion about Kitten and our own pets. I asked each child to draw a picture of his or her pet and write about it.
Hesse, Karen (2004) The Cats in Krasinski Square, Illus. W. Watson Pub. New York: Scholastic Press
Historical Fiction/ Picture Book/Poetry
This story is set in Nazi Occupied Warsaw, Poland during WWII. A young Jewish girl escapes capture and imprisonment and uses the homeless cats and Jewish Resistance to help outsmart the Gestapo. The brown tones of the watercolor illustrations are perfect for the mood of this book.
Quotes:
(n. p.) “ The cats
come
from the cracks in the Wall,
the dark corners,
the openings in the rubble.”
So begins the beautiful story of the triumph of the human spirit over the darkest evil.
(n. p.) “we open our
baskets
and let the cats
loose.”
The bravery and ingenuity of these people remind the reader that one child can make a difference.
“Fronting” the Picture Book
Spread the cover wide and you have a scene of the rooftops of a bomb-damaged city. On the front cover the scene is interrupted by a “close up”. There is an illustration of a girl surrounded by cats framed in brown bars.
The type used for title, author and illustrator are written in brown Antykwa Poltawskiego, designed and cast by Polish typographer, Adam Jerzy Poltawski. This is the type used throughout the book. End pages are a deep red. The color reminds me of dried blood but probably represents the red brick of the Wall. The title page two-page, bird’s eye scene shows the city square filled with armed guards. The title is written in the deep red of the end pages and is set in a tan rectangle bordered by bars like those used on the cover.
Text / Language / Artistic Technique
The first person poetic language was powerful in this book. The brown toned illustrations enhanced the gravity of the situation. As you read through the book you are impressed with the feeling of desperation enclosed in hope. The poetic narrative tugs at the heart from the very first page and had me in tears before I was finished. Yet it is always hopeful and never despairing. The outlined watercolor illustrations follow the same tone. The brown toned illustrations are gently brightened with light. We see light coming through windows and falling on the girl. We see sunlight filtering through the buildings shining on the girl in the square. Every illustration has that bright element of hope, as does the text.
Personal Response
This is truly a powerful picture book. In order to read and understand the story, children must have studied WWII and Hitler as our fourth graders do. Therefore, I will probably read this with my fourth graders. I saw this book in the Book Fair last month and had to buy it.
I had never heard this story before. My husband has visited Auschwitz and I have visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. I am amazed again and again by man’s unlimited potential for evil and his unlimited potential for good.
The girl in this book is certainly a role model for never giving up and never quitting. All of us need to believe one person can make a difference and that if we join together we can do great things. The model for cooperation and giving in this story is one that needs to be told and retold.
Krull, Kathleen (1996) Wilma Unlimited, Illus. D. Diaz, Pub. Orlando: Voyager Books
Biography / Picture Book
Wilma Rudolph was a sickly black baby girl who developed polio at the age of four. With the love and support of a large strong family and tons of determination, Wilma not only walked but was the first woman to win three gold medals in track in the Olympics. The acrylic illustrations are placed on background photographs relevant to the story.
Quote:
(n. p.) “Standing alone, the sound of hymns coloring the air, she unbuckled her heavy brace and set it by the church’s front door. Taking a deep breath, she moved one foot in front of the other, her knees trembling violently. She took her mind off her knees by concentrating on taking another breath, and then another.”
This is an incredibly powerful scene. The strength and determination of this girl is made more beautiful by her certainty of the love and support of friends and family in the church.
“Fronting” the Picture Book
The front cover of the book is a drawing of a young woman running. Her legs are stretched wide and her arms are swinging. She has a look of contented concentration on her face. The art is modern looking and would appeal to older students as well as younger. It is a type of illustration which says, “This is a not a baby book. It is OK for anyone to read.” The kind a slow reader would not be embarrassed to have in his book bag. The back cover appears to be a photograph of the ground. The end pages are solid white. The two-page spread of the title page appears to be a photograph of a quilt of book pages in tones of brown. The title, author and publisher are written in black letters inside rectangles of natural paper beige. The dedication page is a brown toned photograph of a wooden fence with vines hanging down. Copyright information and dedication are in rectangles just like those on the title page. The book is dedicated to two strong grandmothers.
Artistic Technique
All the pages have backgrounds of brown toned photographs, which follow the story line and compliment the vibrantly painted illustrations. The illustrations are outlined in black and bordered in black centered on the right photographed page. On the left page the text is printed in black on a rectangle on the same natural paper used for title and dedication pages. In two places in the book there is no text and the illustration covers both sides of the spread. This is to illustrate the day she first walked alone (in the church) and the illustration of her winning the Olympics. These two events