Module 3: June 20-26 Newbery/Printz/Coretta Scott King/Pura Belpre

This week we read books from the following categories:
Newbery Winners 1922-1960 & 1961-2011
Michael Printz Award Winner for Young Adult Literature
Coretta Scott King winners/honors books
Pura Belpre Award Winner

I'll be sharing some more information on The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, and The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales:

Speare, E.G. (1958). The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

One of the subjects I studied quite extensively in my master's History program was the European witch hunts, so I'm always on the lookout for books that feature witch beliefs. I was not at all disappointed by this election! The story takes place in the late 1600s. Kit, who has lived on her Grandfather's plantation in Barbados, comes to her Aunt and Uncle's home in Connecticut after his death. Her Aunt is her late mother's sister, so Kit is quite sure she'll take her in; so sure in fact that she sails to America without letting them know she's coming. Kit is used to much more freedom and individual expression than she finds in her Aunt and Uncle's conservative Puritan town and household. She befriends a woman named Hannah Tupper who has been ostracized and labeled a witch. When illness spreads through the town, Hannah is blamed and her friendship with Kit is revealed, and Kit lands in jail accused of witchcraft.

Speare has done a superb job of researching the beliefs and mores of the time. The characters are richly developed and their actions are understandable and believable. This would be a great book for middle school readers; high school readers would probably also find it enjoyable since it includes a touch of romance and family drama along side the more prominent persecution themes.

These are some reviews contributed to School Library Journal when The Witch of Blackbird Pond was nominated for the top 100 reading list:

#41 The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (1958)


I consider this Juvenile not YA-great historical fiction, hint of romance - Amy Sears, Supervising Librarian, Head of Youth Services, Teaneck Public Library, Teaneck, NJ
This is the first book I can remember where I was interested in the love story. I feared for the future of Kit’s relationship with Nat Eaton as much as I did for her safety.   - Kara Dean
School Library Journal described the plot as, "The setting is the Colony of Connecticut in 1687 amid the political and religious conflicts of that day. Sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler unexpectedly arrives at her aunt and uncle’s doorstep and is unprepared for the new world which awaits her. Having been raised by her grandfather in Barbados, she doesn’t understand the conflict between those loyal to the king and those who defend the Connecticut Charter. Unprepared for the religious intolerance and rigidity of the Puritan community, she is constantly astounding her aunt, uncle, and cousins with her dress, behavior, and ideas. She takes comfort in her secret friendship with the widow, Hannah Tupper, who has been expelled from Massachusetts because she is a Quaker and suspected of being a witch. When a deathly sickness strikes the village, first Hannah and then Kit are accused of being witches. Through these conflicts and experiences, Kit comes to know and accept herself. She learns not to make hasty judgments about people, and that there are always two sides to every conflict."
This was Speare’s second children’s novel. Silvey says that with this book, "After spending a year and a half working on the novel, Speare sent it to Mary Silva Cosgrave, the editor who had rescued her first book, Calico Captive, from a pile of unsolicited manuscripts. Cosgrave found the manuscript for The Witch of Blackbird Pond to be the most perfectly crafted she had ever seen. Because Speare had been so thorough in her research and in the way she had pieced the book together, Cosgrave suggested only one minor correction before the book went to press."
It won the Newbery, of course, beating out The Family Under The Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson, Along Came A Dog by Meindert Dejong, Chucaro: Wild Pony of the Pampa by Francis Kalnay, and The Perilous Road by William O. Steele. But Silvey reports a shocking piece of news about that committee. "Although the details of the Newbery’s selection process usually remain confidential, the chair of the committee revealed that The Witch of Blackbird Pond won the Newbery Medal unanimously on the first ballot, an extremely rare event." No secrets that year, I see.
Of course Lizzie Skurnick had to have her say about the book over at Fine Lines.  A sample:
"What’s wonderful about Witch — and what distinguishes it, I think, from the American Girl novels I like to flog unmercifully because I don’t think novels should have branded stores with cafes that serve things like ‘American Girl Pasta’ — is that the narrative isn’t a flimsy cover for a history lesson, and neither is Kit a stand-in for heroic, spunky girls resisting the powers-that-be everywhere."

http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2010/02/24/top-100-childrens-novels-45-41/

Canales, V. (2005). The Tequila Worm. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

I must say, I LOVED this book! I've spent most of my life in Texas, so have always been aware of Hispanic culture and traditions, but this book really made them come alive! Sofia weaves together tales of her life before and after she attends a prestigious boarding school and through these stand-alone stories, she shares bits and pieces about all of the things that make her heritage so special. Whether it's cooking beans with her father, painting eggs with her sister, planning parties with her cousin, decorating for Christmas, or tending to the sick, each "event" gives her a chance to reflect on how deeply ingrained traditions are in her family. Like most teens, Sofia longs for her "own" life and sees what she doesn't have as more desirable than what she does have. Being away from home at a challenging school changes her life, but not necessarily in the ways she imagined. Canales shows how Sofia deals with friends, copes with grief, and eventually returns to the "old barrio" to give back to those who have given her so much.

This is a fantastic book for anyone interested in Hispanic culture and traditions. I highly recommend it for middle school/high school readers. It would be a great read aloud book for younger students as well - the chapters easily stand alone as short stories, so a creative teacher/librarian could feasibly use this all year long by reading chapters that coordinate with the holidays.

Following are reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal:

·                     Kirkus' Review

THE TEQUILA WORM (reviewed on July 15, 2005)

Sofia, growing up in an urban Latino neighborhood in McAllen, Texas, has a chance to attend an expensive boarding school in Austin on scholarship. Like her father, Sofia lives the life of the mind, rich with story and possibility. How can she convince her mother to let her take this opportunity? By learning to dance and showing her that she can leave home and still learn to become a good comadre. Canales, the author of the story collection Orange Candy Slices and Other Secret Tales (2001), is a graduate of Harvard Law School, suggesting that Sofia’s story at least closely parallels her own. She is an accomplished storyteller, though not yet, perhaps, a successful novelist. The episodic narrative has disconcerting leaps in time at the beginning, and a sense of completion, or a moral displayed, at several points throughout—all lacking the tension to carry the reader forward. This said, the characters and setting are so real to life that readers who connect with Sofia at the start will find many riches here, from a perspective that is still hard to find in youth literature. (Fiction. 10-14)

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Pub Date: Aug. 9th, 2005

ISBN: 0-385-74674-1

Page count: 176pp

Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random

CANALES, Viola. The Tequila Worm. 199p. Random/Wendy Lamb Bks. 2005. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-385-74674-1; PLB $17.99. ISBN 0-385-90905-5. LC number unavailable.

Gr 5-8–Sofia, 14, lives in McAllen, TX. What she lacks in material possessions, she makes up for in personality and intelligence. When she is called a “taco head” by a student at her school, she decides to “kick that girl” by getting better grades and being a better soccer player than her tormentor. As a result of this determination, Sofia is offered a scholarship to the elite Saint Luke’s school in Austin. Now she must convince her family and herself that she is up to the challenge. Canales includes vivid descriptions of life in a Mexican-American community. Her prose is engaging and easy to read, making this novel a good choice for reluctant readers. The momentum slows a bit after Sofia’s arrival in Austin in contrast to the portion of the book set in McAllen. Still, the story is a good addition to most collections.–Melissa Christy Buron, Epps Island Elementary, Houston, TX

http://www.libraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/864283-427/grades_5_amp_up.html.csp

Both of these books easily lend themselves to library/classroom lessons - they portray characters who feel they don't "fit in" and explain the reasons they feel this way. Tolerance, culture, beliefs, respect, family.....all of these key themes exist in these books so there is ample opportunity to use these alongside other texts that address similiar issues. Tequila Worm, in particular, would be a great title to promote during Hispanic Heritage week/month celebrations.



Module 2: June 13-19 Caldecott/Picture Books

The books we read this week were from the following categories:
Caldecott Winners 1938-1989
Caldecott Winners 1990-2011
Picture Books for Younger Readers
Picture Books for Older Readers

I'm going to tell you more about Cinderella and the Glass Slipper by Charles Perrault (illus. by Marcia Brown), and Cinderella Skeleton by Robert San Souci:

Perrault, C. (1954). Cinderella and the Glass Slipper. M. Brown, illus. New York, NY: Charles Scribner and Sons.

I was drawn to this book because of Marcia Brown's beautiful illustrations. Perrault's tale is the familiar story of Cinderella - not the gory version the Grimm's told, and not the birds singing Disney's version - just the girl, her stepmother and stepsisters, and what happens when she wishes to go to the prince's ball. Simple, classic, perfect for reading to the little princesses (and princes!) in your life.

It's hard to find fault with a classic, especially one that evolved over time and has been part of our collective storytelling genre for centuries. It was not written to demean girls or women, it is just a story about a girl with a dream. Brown's illustrations are simply lovely and I would recommend this for all readers.

These are excerpted from a reader reviews on Amazon.com:

This review is from: Cinderella (Paperback)

There are parents in the world for whom nothing but the definitive edition of a book is good enough for their little ones. Fairy tales? Find them the quintessential edition of "The Three Little Pigs" or "Rapunzel" and they are pleased. Ordinarily this is a bit of a task. I mean, what truly makes one version of a story any better than another if they are vastly different in composition and interpretation? Which brings me to that 1955 Caldecott award winning little number, "Cinderella or The Little Glass Slipper". Retold and illustrated by that deity amongst children's authors, Marcia Brown, the book is a most perfect retelling of the classic Cinderella story. It's not the gory Grimm Brothers version (no eyes are pecked out nor heels chopped off) nor the hokey Disney concoction. It is instead it's own sweet little creation, perfectly preserved within itself. Written in the 1950s it simply tells a tale that it would be a good idea to know if you're going to operate fully in society....


As for the pictures themselves, they're evocative and lovely. Somehow Brown's choice of palette ensures that the book is bound to be loved and remembered fondly by children and adults for years and years and years. I could go into some odd diatribe about the inherent sexism of the book and Cinderella supremely wishy-washy tendencies, but for once let's just let the book be. It's a nice story rendered in colorful cotton candy hues and presented in a lovely light-hearted package. It may not be the smartest Marcia Brown creation, but I understand why she wasn't ashamed of it. If you'd like a version of "Cinderella" that just tells the story and gives you something lovely to look at, choose this one. It's purpose is to tell the tale in it simplest childlike form. And it succeeds.

This review is from: Cinderella (Paperback)

.... the classic French story by Charles Perrault.... was translated and illustrated by Marcia Brown and the book won the 1955 Caldecott Medal for best illustration in a book for children. Hence, this version is perhaps the version most familiar to those of the "baby boomer" generation (and, thus, their children). It is the classic tale of a girl kept in the background serving her stepmother and two stepsisters, whose fairy Godmother finds a way to get Cinderella to the Ball. It is a book that should be on the shelf of any child as well as any serious student of children literature.

San Souci, R. (2000). Cinderella Skeleton. San Diego, CA: Silver Whistle/Harcourt.

If you're looking for a fun twist on the classic Cinderella story that Perrault and Brown offer, give Cinderella Skeleton a try! It reminds me of Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas style and I found it to be very clever! Instead of a young girl working herself to the bone in her step-mother's home, this Cinderella is literally made of bones and answers to her step-mother's bidding in their graveyard home. Told in verse, the story, characters, and props all mirror the traditional Cinderella story but are just a bit more "scary".

This would be a great book to share with students around Halloween. I would recommend it as a read-aloud for younger children since it is a tad creepy, but older readers would probably enjoy it on their own. It'd be fun to uses this as a starting off point for challenging kids to write their own "alternate" fairy-tale.

Following are examples of reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal:

·                     Kirkus' Review

CINDERELLA SKELETON (reviewed on September 1, 2000)

This fancy little piece of septet versifying works nicely as a vehicle to tell the story of the graveyard Cinderella. San Souci (Callie Ann and Mistah Bear, p. 1045, etc.) follows the original tale quite closely, substituting things from the bone orchard where appropriate: her coach is a hearse; the prince is named Charnel; her stepfamily is Skreech, Gristlene, and Bony-Jane; and, of course, she herself is a skeleton. Instead of simply losing her slipper at the ball, this Cinderella has her lower tibia snapped off. (Picture the prince traveling everywhere with the foot in a velvet case.) Yes, there are touches of the macabre here (each prospective bride pulls her own foot off to try on Cinderella’s), but never overmuch or to the point of terrifying. And most of it is hysterically funny. San Souci’s verse ultimately takes the show: “Cinderella Skeleton! / The rarest gem the world has seen! / Your gleaming skull and burnished bones, / Your teeth like polished kidney stones, / Your dampish silks and dankish hair, / There’s nothing like you anywhere! / You make each day a Halloween.” What a picture she makes. Catrow’s (The Fungus That Ate My School, p. 474, etc.) artwork is reminiscent of The Nightmare Before Christmas—perhaps that can’t be helped when skeletons are the principals—but very much its own thing, with abundant cartoony comic licks and ghoulish creatures galore. (Picture book. 3-7)

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Pub Date: Sept. 1st, 2000

ISBN: 0-15-202003-9

Page count: 32pp

Publisher: Harcourt

SAN SOUCI, Robert D. Cinderella Skeleton. illus. by David Catrow. Harcourt/Silver Whistle. 2000. RTE $16. ISBN 978-0-15-202003-3; pap. $6. ISBN 978-0-15-205069-6.

Gr 3-7–Not for the faint of heart, this retelling continues the author's fascination with "Cinderella" tales. In challenging vocabulary and a complex rhyme scheme, the clever narrative tells of Cinderella Skeleton, a wraith who lives in a mausoleum with her horrific stepmother, Skreech, and stepsisters Gristlene and Bony-Jane. She wiles away her days streaking the windows, hanging cobwebs, and feeding bats until the Halloween Ball invitation arrives. A good woodland witch conjures up the usual participants into a funeral wagon, dragon steeds, a gown, and slippers, but in fleeing from Prince Charnel at sunrise, Cinderella breaks off her slippered foot mid-calf. Gross, yes, though later other ghosts break off their shinbones with the hope of fitting the leg-and-slipper remains ("Wire or glue; you're good as new!" snaps the stepmother as she pulls off each girl's foot). Catrow's wonderfully weird pencil-and-watercolor illustrations feature wiggly lines, lurid pink and bilious green accents, large-eyed skeletons, and grotesque mutantlike creatures. The envious stepfamily conveniently shrivels to dust, which is certainly less horrible than other endings (though younger readers will still be disturbed about those broken legs). This darkly humorous and spooky variation will tickle the twisted tastes of upper-elementary and middle-school readers if it is displayed where they'll find it.–Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6445974.html

Since these two books both feature Cinderella, they could easily be used in a library lesson that compared various versions of familiar stories. There are many other versions of Cinderella besides these two; there are also numerous other classic fairy tales (Little Red Riding Hood, Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Bean Stalk, etc.) that have different versions as well. For school libraries, this type of lesson/display would be easy to incorporate into classroom lessons too - kids could write their own versions of fairy tales, act out short plays, examine the various versions found around the world, etc.

Or, if Cinderella Skeleton is the centerpiece of the activity, other "spooky" tales could be the compliment - anything Halloween related, like superstitions, Halloween traditions, crafts, etc.

Module 1: June 6-12 Into to Children's Literature/Classic Children's Literature and Authors

This is our Intro week & we're reading books from the following categories:
Books adults like that are not necessarily good books
Classic picture books and authors
Classic chapter books and authors

It was hard to pick just two to talk about (I have a feeling that's going to happen quite often!), but I settled on Eloise Takes a Bawth by Kay Thompson and Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater....so, here goes:

Thompson, K., & Crowley, M. (2002). Eloise Takes a Bawth. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing.

I have loved Kay Thompson's work (and Hilary Knight's illustrations!)since the first time I read Eloise. In Eloise Takes a Bath, which  was actually written 40 years ago and only recently resurrected thanks to Crowley, Nanny has asked Eloise to, what else, take a bath! Eloise, always one to take things to the extreme, fills the bath to the brim....and then keeps the water running. As she water skis, battles pirates, and romps about in her tub, the overflowing water trickles down through the floors of the Plaza Hotel and into the main ballroom. Mr. Salomone is beside himself till the guests declare that adding water to the Venetian Masked Ball is a stroke of genius.

Eloise is over-the-top funny as usual - very much a busy six-year old! The only thing I'm not crazy about in this book (or the other Eloise tales) is her use of the phrase "Oh my gawd!". When reading aloud with my kids, I always change that to "oh my gosh!" or "oh my goodness!". Other than that, it's hard to find fault with this funny little girl and her antics in the Plaza Hotel.

Here are some examples of reviews:

From School Library Journal

Grade 1 Up-Irrepressible Eloise continues to confound the staff of the Plaza Hotel with her imaginative and disaster-producing adventures. Nanny informs the mischievous child that she must take a bath as Mr. Salomone, "the sweetest old manager in this sweet old world busy busy busy with the Venetian Masked Ball in the Grawnd Ballroom tonight," is taking a much-needed break and coming for tea. The resulting elaborate pre-tub rituals and an endless soak full of pirates, motorboats, water skis, etc., create major plumbing problems that saturate the hotel and flood the ballroom. However, when Eloise is hauled off by the manager to confront the mess she has made, what do they discover but a highly authentic Venetian celebration complete with floating gondolas and wet but enthusiastic revelers. Knight's witty line drawings capture Eloise's wild imaginings and capricious personality and those fascinated with the underpinnings and plumbing of a huge hotel will find the myriad details fascinating. The two double-gatefold illustrations are awesome. The text and pictures wander all over the page in perfect imitation of this cantankerous heroine. As in her previous adventures, the language is quirky and sophisticated, sometimes difficult to follow, and probably more appealing to adults. A "rawther" necessary purchase where Eloise is wildly popular.
Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 3. Eloise is back, this time in a story suitable to her fame and much better than the last book, which found her in Moscow, for goodness' sake. Apparently ready for publication way back in 1964, this was buried because of "artistic differences." Starting with sketches he originally made 40 years ago, Knight, working with Thompson's heirs and editors, has put together a sprawling, "rawther" amusing tale of Eloise and an ill-fated bath. Nanny tells Eloise not to dawdle in the tub, because the manager of the Plaza Hotel is coming to tea, despite fevered preparations for the Venetian Masked Ball in the "Grawnd" Ballroom. Oh, but Eloise does dawdle. She fills the tub to the "top of its brim, so that [the water] can slip over the rim," which is exactly what it does as Eloise flits in and out of the tub, splishing, splashing, and totally oblivious to the fact that water is seeping, then pouring down into the Grand Ballroom. Thompson's involved rhymed text is enhanced by Knight's inventive artwork, which views the wreckage from every vantage point. Kids will adore seeing Eloise in her room and the wreckage down below, and they'll love the foldout revealing the plumbing of the Plaza. The final spread, showing the Venetian Ball, now authentic because water is flowing everywhere, is an elaborate delight, quite worthy of Eloise. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. 

Atwater, R., & Atwater, F. (1938). Mr. Popper's Penguins. Boston, MA: Little Brown and Co.

I am so glad I read this book - the story is just delightful! I recall hearing of it, but I must admit it was the upcoming release of the movie version that really sparked my interest. (Update: movie is very different from the book, but maintains the integrity of the message of the story and is extremely funny!) The Atwater's wrote this during the recession following WWI. Mr. Popper is a painter who only works seasonally since he (and his customers) think it's too hot to paint in the summer. He spends his off-months reading about some of his favorite topics - Arctic explorers and penguins. He also writes letters to some of his favorite explorers and listens to their radio broadcasts detailing their adventures. One evening while listening to a radio broadcast, his favorite explorer mentions that he received a letter from a man named Mr. Popper and has sent him a gift. That gift turns out to be a penguin! One penguin soon turns into two (they do get lonely, you know!), and eventually the Popper's have an entire penguin family. The story follows Mr. Popper, his family, and his traveling penguin act all over the country, until their tour eventually ends and Mr. Popper has to decide whether to return home with his family or to head off with the penguins to the Arctic.

Much has changed in the world since this sweet tale was published, so it's probably hard for kids of today to believe (or understand) some of the things the Popper's do to make a living, keep their household running, etc. Even so, the idea of researching a topic you love, having personal contact with a professional in that field, and then being a special gift is quite charming. Mr. Popper is very creative, his penguins are quite funny, and his family is very supportive of him following his dreams - lots of good messages to share with young readers!

Reviews for this one were a bit hard to track down, but here are two:

Amazon.com Review

Mr. Popper, when not painting or papering his neighbors' walls, has a persistent penchant for penguins. A decorator by day, he's an intrepid Antarctic explorer by night--at least in his imagination. Mr. Popper resigns himself to quiet evenings at home with his family and his travel books, until one day a mysterious package arrives. Pretty soon the Poppers have a house full of penguins, an ice rink in the basement, and an ever-increasing bill for raw fish and canned shrimp. Time to take this show on the road!

The Atwaters wrote this unforgettable tale in 1938, but its timeless charm shows no signs of aging. Children are invited to imagine, dream, and believe that anything is possible. Robert Lawson, illustrator of The Story of Ferdinand, offers delightfully humorous pictures--as integral to this classic as the story itself. An ideal read-aloud book for all ages, Mr. Popper's Penguins will have any audience rolling in the aisles. (Ages 9 to 12) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Wikipedia

Mr. Popper's Penguins is a children's book written by Richard and Florence Atwater, originally published in 1938. It tells the story of a poor house painter named Mr. Popper and his family, who live in the small town of Stillwater in the 1930s. The Poppers unexpectedly come into possession of a penguin, then get a penguin from the zoo who mates with the first penguin to have 10 baby penguins. Before long, something must be done before they eat the Poppers out of house and home. This book is often included in the reading curriculum in grades 2, 3, or 4 of American elementary schools.

Both of these books would be great to use in mixed media/format displays in a library. There are several versions of Eloise movies, and it won't be long before Mr. Popper's Penguins is released on DVD as well. For a structured library talk using these books, it would be great to point out how different writers/artists interpret stories that we read and turn them into films. And, if alternate media versions don't appeal, book displays would work too - all of the Eloise titles could be shown together, including the early reader/chapter versions. Likewise, a display using Mr. Popper's Penguins along with non-fiction books about penguins, Arctic adventures, and other winter stories would be very appealing to young readers.

My Summer Reading List

One of the graduate classes I'm taking this Summer is SLIS 5420, Literature for Youth. Each week we complete a different module that focuses on a particular genre of literature. As part of my class assignment, this blog will include postings about two books from each module. I'll be including a summary of each book, sharing my thoughts and impressions, giving examples of reviews (or excerpts from reviews), and offering some ideas of how each book could be used in a library setting.

I've read/am reading far more than what I'll be posting about - but hopefully this blog will provide enough information to get you (and your kids) reading some of these great books. So, pull up your comfy chair, grab some snacks, and lets talk about books!