Bird

Title: Bird

Author: Zetta Elliott

Illustrator: Shadra Strickland 

Genre Study - Mixed Genre

Have you ever wished that you could erase something from your life? A person? A memory? Or maybe, a part of yourself? That is what young Mehkai (A.K.A. “Bird”) loves to draw; he can erase anything that doesn’t seem right. Unfortunately, we all know that life doesn’t work that way. We can’t simply erase the parts of it that we don’t like and neither can Bird; however, we can find solace in our hobbies and that is just what Bird does when his life begins to fall apart. Between his brother’s drug addiction and the death of his grandpa, the poor little boy has a lot on his plate. This is something that I am sure everyone can relate to at one point in their life or another which is what makes the story so powerful, and why I myself found it to be so incredibly moving. 

The age level for this book is a tough call. Though the text and sentence structure are fairly simple – the topics are complex and may be too much for younger readers to understand particularly if they live in more sheltered environments. I would worry about the subject-matter of this book with younger children and the way their parents may react if it was something used in the classroom. Nevertheless, as I stated before, the story is very moving and is written so very well. It will certainly find its way into my own collection someday. In the end, though it may not be a story to share with all, the relatability of this story is undeniable and something that I feel many students would find comfort in. I would recommend it to any student who was dealing with similar struggles or any older student who was looking for an inspiring read.

The Way a Door Closes

Title: The Way a Door Closes

Author: Hope Anita Smith

Illustrator: Shane W. Evans
Genre Study - Mixed Genre

Have you ever heard the phrase, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”? The phrase itself is meant to be inspiring because it reminds people to carry on and be strong despite how tough things may get.  But, what would happen if the going got tough and you just gave up? This is something that is all too real to 13 year old C.J. in Hope Anita Smith’s The Way a Door Closes when his father decides to walk out on his family after losing his job. Because of this, C.J. is forced to be the “man of the family” for awhile and try to hold his family together. As C.J. finds out, this is a tough burden for anyone to bear but he never loses sight of what is important. Even more important is that he never loses faith in his father. Despite his actions, he believes that someday his father will come back to them and everything will be right in the world once more. 

Told in a series of short poems that give the reader insight on C.J.’s life, I found this book to be one of the most inspiring children’s novels I have read thus far. The characters in the story are real and are easy to connect to. Each poem is beautifully written and carefully adds to the overall tone/message the story is trying to portray. By the end of the novel I found myself in tears. Who knew that a series of poems could be just as moving as a story? I was certainly pleasantly surprised. Even the illustrations were wonderful – they were so full of life that they literally felt like snapshots of pictures of memories from C.J.’s life. 

This is definitely a book I would want to include in my classroom library for several reasons. First, I believe it is important because the book shows a strong African-American male character who steps in to take care of his family in the hardest of times; and second, for the fact that it is a realistic story about the absence of a parent that, sadly, many students would be able to relate to. I know firsthand that as a child this can be such a traumatizing event. It would be nice for students to have a book to turn to and a character they could relate to during their time of need.  At the same time, I believe that even for students who couldn’t relate to the character’s story firsthand would be moved by the book and find it to be quite enjoyable.

When You Reach Me

Title: When You Reach Me

Author: Rebecca Stead

Genre Study - Mixed Genre

Have you ever wondered if time travel is possible? In Rebecca Stead’s, When You Reach Me, this wonder turns into a reality when the main character, Miranda, finds herself trying to unravel a mystery involving a string of unexplainable notes that ultimately lead to the almost death of her best friend Sal. Though I admit that at first the book was hard to get into, about half-way through I found myself unable to put it down. The story itself is gripping, mysterious, and thought-provoking in the way that it twists reality with the unthinkable. In my mind, the mystery and suspense would definitely pull younger readers in.  I think students would love trying to figure the story out before it unfolds at the end. However, I must confess that even I found myself shocked by the ending as I was unable to put all of the pieces of the story together.

Overall, I think this is a great story that I feel would be appropriate for upper elementary grades through middle school. In my own classroom, I think this would be a good book to use with reader-response journals. Students could make predictions about what they think will happen next in the story, reflect upon what they have been able to piece together, or simply write down questions about the story they may have. In the end, I think this would be an enjoyable read for multiple ages and for multiple interests simply because it combines the best elements of science fiction, mystery, and adventure all in one book. 

The Tale of Despereaux

Title: The Tale of Despereaux

Author: Kate DiCamillo

Illustrator: Timothy Basil Ering 

Newberry Medal Winner (2004) 

 Imagine a world of courageous mice, devious rats, outlawed soup, and a princess named Pea. These are just a few of the elements present in Kate DiCamillo's modern day fairytale thoughtfully entitled The Tale of Despereaux. The story follows the lives of the main characters Despereaux (a small but mighty mouse), Roscuro (a devious rat who yearns for the light), and Miggery Sow (a miserable servant that dreams of being a princess) and how their lives cross paths. What I liked most about this novel was that each character in the story had something unique to offer and a different perspective to consider. As the reader, I couldn’t help but empathize with all of the characters as they each had a sad (yet ultimately uplifting) story to tell. In the end, I found myself rooting for the “happily ever after” ending most fairy tales depict, and DiCamillo delivered this in her own way.

Stylistically, I don’t think the book could have been better written as a read aloud story. This would be the perfect novel to share with the classroom for several reasons. First off, DiCamillo addresses the reader (or listeners) at the end of each chapter by posing a question, adding her own thoughtful commentary, or giving a vocabulary lesson of sorts. Students could keep a log book of the vocabulary presented and/or answers to the questions posed or simply verbally respond in a classroom discussion. Overall, the way in which the book is written thoroughly engages the students and makes them a part of the story which is something I think is hard to come by. In my opinion, this book is a definite “must have” for any classroom library.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Title: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Author: Mo Willems
Illustrator: Mo Willems
Caldecott Honor (2004)

After only being exposed to a few of his stories, I am already a huge fan of Mo Willems and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is no exception. The story begins with a bus driver leaving the reader in control of his bus while he is gone. The task is simple: don’t let the pigeon drive the bus. However, this task isn’t as simple as it seems when there is a persistent pigeon badgering you at the turn of each page! Personally, I found the book to be hilarious and I think kids, especially younger ones, would too. The illustrations really make the story and add so much drama and action to the simple text. Even I found myself chuckling at some of the ridiculous faces the pigeon makes.

I would without a doubt include a copy of this book in my classroom library. It’s simple, short, easy to read, humorous, and engages the reader especially when read aloud. Though I don’t see any instructional activities that could come as a result of reading this book, I do see it as the perfect text for circle time in the primary grades. This would be an excellent book to read right when the kids get back from lunch and to settle them into an afternoon of learning as it would give them nice break from the curriculum. 

Seeds of Change

Title: Seeds of Change

Author: Jen Cullerton Johnson

Illustrator: Sonia Lynn Sadler
Coretta Scott King - New Talent (2012)

Seeds of Change is inspired by the real life events of Wangari Maathai who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. The book begins in Kenya when Wangari is a child and follows her as she attends elementary school through college and finally as she becomes a college professor, is married, and has her own children. Throughout the book there is a strong sense of love and appreciation for nature. In fact, I would go as far to argue that the book is making a political statement about growth and development and about the importance of preserving the earth in spite of big business and corporate greed. This may be too complex of a topic for younger students to understand. Nevertheless, the journey Wangari goes on to “replenish” the earth, called the Green Belt Movement, is truly inspiring and has undoubtedly had a substantial impact on our world today.

Though I would consider this book to be a picture book, I believe the content is better suited for older students (3rd-5th). As a teacher, I can definitely see myself using this text during Black History Month or during a unit about women’s rights. One underlying theme in the book deals with the obstacles Wangari must overcome as a woman and the criticism she faces because of it. On a lighter note, the illustrations in the book are absolutely wonderful, colorful, and unique – they add quite a bit to the story, which makes it a perfect choice for a read aloud. One final thing I enjoyed about the text is the factual information contained about Wangari on the last page of the book. This gives the readers a context for the story and opens up the door for further research about her and her life to be conducted. 

Flygirl

Title: Flygirl 

Author: Sherri L. Smith
Rebecca Caudill Nominee (2012)