Book Review of SHIVER ME TIMBERS! by Douglas Florian (Genre 3)

**Please note: The following book review has been completed as a requirement for a course at Texas Woman's University.

1. Bibliography
Florian, Douglas. 2012. Shiver Me Timbers! Illustrated by Robert Neubecker. New York: Beach Lane Books. ISBN 9781442413214

2. Plot Summary
In this topical poetry book for children, the individual poems are about the life of pirates with illustrations that bring to life the comical side of these crazy group of scallywags. 

3. Critical Analysis
All of the poems in this funny poetry book about pirates have some kind of rhyme scheme.  Florian is particularly fond of rhyming couplets such as in "A Pirate's Life": 
          A pirate's life is topsy-turvy,
          Full of strife, and rife with scurvy.
He also commonly uses abab  and abcb rhyme schemes.  The effect of these rhyming poems is that they create a musical quality to the poems and reinforce the idea that these are children's poems.  Additionally, Florian uses iambic meter throughout most of the poems.  For instance, he uses alternating iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter in "Pirate Punishment":
          They put me in an iron cage,
          Then made me walk the plank.
The sing-song, musical feel of the poems is enhanced through the meter of each line.  The language is careful and exact.  Florian uses the dialect of pirates such as "thar she blows" and "me scraggly beard."  The subject of each poem is about pirate life, and Florian has done a great job of creating humor by poking fun at the life of a storybook pirate.  For instance, in "Pirates' Meal," Florian lists the types of fish that pirates eat each day of the week.  At the end, the narrator remarks, "If we have fish for one more day / Methinks that I will puke."  Other poems such as "Me, Pirate" and "Pirate Flags" contain laughable humor as well.  Because of the humorous and lighthearted tone of the poems, the reader can laugh and enjoy the poems about these non-threatening, stereotypical pirates of the sea.  

The illustrations by Robert Neubecker contain bold colors and thick black lines which make them very child-like and chunky, but they effectively create a comical tone towards the pirates and their zany livelihood.  Children will laugh out loud at the funny details found within each illustration.  For instance, in "Me, Pirate" the pirate has bows in his beard and a round hole in his front tooth.  Overall, the illustrations creatively bring the poet's words to life.    

4. Review Excerpts
Kirkus Reviews, starred review: "It’s not a stretch to say that if Shel Silverstein himself were to have dabbled in the piratical he could not have come up with a better selection of scurvy doggerel than the delicious verses found here.”

School Library Journal starred review: “From the smiling, rollicking kids on the cover laying claim to a beach full of treasure to the shipload of fierce, sneering, plundering, cutlass-waving, face-making buccaneers, boastful of their scurrilous behavior, these pirates are a motley group."

Horn Book review: “Florian provides young pirate lovers with a profusion of arrrghs and ahoy mateys, enough to keep their piratephilia alive for a long time."

5. Connection
Shiver Me Timbers! is a great book for a read-aloud for pure enjoyment purposes.  Teachers and librarians might want to do a poet study of Douglas Florian with students or use his poetry to teach and practice rhythm and rhyme.  

Other books by Douglas Florian:
Florian, Douglas. Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars. ISBN 0152053727
Florian, Douglas. Dinothesaurus. ISBN 1416979786
Florian, Douglas. Poetrees. ISBN 1416986723

For more illustrated books by Robert Neubecker:
Lithgow, John. I Got Two Dogs. Illustrated by Robert Neubecker.  ISBN 1416958819
Neubecker, Robert. Courage of the Blue Boy. Illustrated by Robert Neubecker. ISBN 1582461821
 Neubecker, Robert. Wow! Ocean! Illustrated by Robert Neubecker. ISBN 1423131134
   
Other books about pirates:
Duddle, Jonny. The Pirate Cruncher. Illustrated by Jonny Duddle. ISBN 0763648760 
 Kennedy, Kim. Pirate Pete's Talk Like a Pirate. Illustrated by Doug Kennedy. ISBN 0810993481
Long, Melinda.  How I Became a Pirate. Illustrated by David Shannon. ISBN 0152018484

   

Book Review of RED SINGS FROM TREETOPS by Joyce Sidman (Genre 3)

**Please note: The following book review has been created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University.  

1. Bibliography
Sidman, Joyce. Red Sings from Treetops. Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN 9780547014944

2. Plot Summary
From award-winning poet, Joyce Sidman, this beautiful children's topical poetry book introduces children to the changing colors in our world as the seasons change.

3. Critical Analysis
Most of the poems in this book are free verse with the exception of a couple of poems which contain end rhyme, such as "Green trills from trees, / clings to Pup's knees, / covers all with leaves, / leaves, leaves!"  and a line of internal rhyme: "White clinks in drinks."  The book is structured around the changing seasons beginning with spring, then summer, fall, and winter, with a hint of the returning spring in the last poem with the line "Red beats inside me," suggesting that spring is approaching.  The poet has made the colors come alive, literally, by personifying each color as a character in the book.  For instance, "Blue needs sun. /  Without it, / Blue / hides" and "Gray and Brown / hold hands."  While there is no rhythm to the lines, each word has been carefully chosen by the poet to create a beautiful image.  The poet's use of vivid verbs enhances the personification of the colors and the beauty of the language: "Red darts, jags, / hovers; / a blur of wings, / a sequined throat."  Additionally, the poet's use of onomatopoeia throughout the poem brings the colors to life with words such as "BOOM!" and "crunch."  The poet also incorporates a concrete poem with the word floats, and her use of specific word placement shows the thoughtful creation of each individual poem. 

The poet seamlessly incorporates imagery of all five senses into the poems.  She uses taste imagery to describe red in fall: "crisp, juicy."  She also uses sound imagery throughout the poems to give the reader a sense of the sounds of the season.  For instance, in fall "brown rustles and whispers underfoot" and white "sounds like storms: snapped twigs and bouncing hail."  The reader can smell yellow in summer because it "smells like butter."  Likewise, the reader can feel the color of purple: "squishy plums with worms in them."  Sight imagery is the most abundant in the poem with vivid images on every page.  The poet's love of color is passed on to the reader through her detailed descriptions of the colors which are effortless and flow eloquently from the reader's tongue.  This book is meant to be enjoyed aloud!  The illustrations by Pamela Zagarenski enhance the beauty of the language.  The colors are bright and fill the page with very little white space.  Zagarenski has successfully captured the poet's images in her illustrations.

4.  Review Excerpts
2010 Caledcott honor book
Horn Book, starred review: "Sustaining the playfulness of the text and its sense of awe, mystery, and beauty, the illustrations contribute gracefully to the celebration."
Booklist, starred review: "As the title implies, the colors that surprise on every page, do sing."
Kirkus Reviews, starred review: "A charming inspiration to notice colors and correlate emotions."

5. Connections
This poetry book has many options for use in the school setting:
--Teachers can use the book to introduce a unit on seasons or colors.
--For middle grade teachers, it can be used to discuss the moods that colors create.  This can be used in an English class or in an art class when learning about color connotations.
--The poems can be used to discuss imagery, sound devices, and punctuation placement in poetry in any grade.

Other Joyce Sidman and Zagarenski books:
Sidman, Joyce. This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology. ISBN 0544105079
Sidman, Joyce. What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms, and Blessings. ISBN 0544106164 

Other picture books about colors:
Lionni, Leo. A Color of His Own. ISBN 0375810919
Yolen, Jane. Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems for Young People. Photographs by Jason Stemple. ISBN 1590781724
  

Book Review of WICKED GIRLS by Stephanie Hemphill (Genre 3)

**Please note: This review has been completed for course requirements at Texas Woman's University.

1. Bibliography
Hemphill, Stephanie. Wicked Girls. New York: Balzer + Bray. ISBN 9780061853289

2. Plot Summary
Wicked Girls is a fictional piece of work based on real life people during the Salem witch trials in 1962.  The story, told in free verse, is from the perspective of three girls: Margaret Walcott, Mercy Lewis, and Ann Putnam, Jr.  The story begins when Ann, Margaret, Betty and Abigail, are experimenting with folk magic.  Shortly after, Betty and Abigail, daughter and cousin of Reverend Parris, become ill and are said to be afflicted by someone in the village doing witchcraft.  So that no one finds out that the girls have been playing with folk magic, Betty and Abigail first accuse their slave, Tituba, of witchcraft.  The accusations then escalate as the other girls, Ann, Mercy, and Margaret, begin to accuse more innocent men and women of witchcraft.  The reader soon learns that the girls are faking their afflictions, and each has a different motivation for her involvement in the scheme.  Throughout the novel, the struggle for leadership of the girls' group switches back and forth between Ann and Mercy, but is Mercy who finally realizes the wrong they have afflicted and begins to bring an end to their deceitful actions.  


3. Critical Analysis
Many of my 8th graders have read this novel, so I jumped on the chance to read it for this book review.  I understand why so many of my students loved it!

Because this novel is told in free verse form, there is no rhythm or rhyme scheme and very little use of figurative language with the exception of the occasional similes which help to paint a visual picture of the characters and their actions, such as when Hemphill writes: "A flash of mischief crosses Ann's eyes / as she watches me watching her, / like the torch that smokes / heaven's white edge."  What makes this story unique is the way in which Hemphill structures the poems which are told from the perspective of only three girls: Mercy Lewis, Margaret Walcott, and Ann Putnam, Jr.  The language of the poems makes it clear that this is not a modern tale, for the words are not in our everyday vernacular.  Likewise, the individual girl's roles in the hierarchy of society are revealed through their dialogue.  For example, Margaret, who is of a lower social stature than her step-cousin Ann, speaks less formally than Ann and is looked down upon by her step-mother.  The author's use of the poems to bring a different girl's perspective also allows the reader to understand the thoughts and motivations of each afflicted girl.  For example, through Mercy's poems the reader realizes that her motivation for accusing innocent people of witchcraft is to seek revenge on the deaths of her parents, but the reader also sees that Mercy has a conscience and begins to regret the harm the girls are causing to innocent men and women.  The poems told from each girl's point-of-view also allows the reader to feel the emotions of the girls: the reader will pity Margaret for her stupidity with Isaac and feel grieve with Mercy at the loss of her beloved dog.  This novel is unique because it is a fresh adaptation of an event in American history yet resounds with many modern teens as it tells the story of a "mean girls" clique and the harm they cause to others.  Overall, Hemphill has successfully written a captivating tale of historical fiction that appeals to contemporary audiences.

4. Review Excerpts
*Starred review from Booklist: "An excellent supplementary choice for curricular studies of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, this will also find readers outside the classroom, who will savor the accessible, unsettling, piercing lines that connect past and present with timeless conflict and truths."
*Starred review from Kirkus: "In subtle, spare first-person free-verse poems, the author skillfully demonstrates how ordinary people may come to commit monstrous acts. Haunting and still frighteningly relevant.”
*Starred review from School Library Journal: “The verse format is fresh and engaging, distilling the actions of the seven accusing girls into riveting narrative.”
*Starred review from Publisher's Weekly: “The expressive writing, masterful tension, and parallels to modern group dynamics create a powerful and relevant page-turner."

5. Connections 
*Teens and adults interested in the Salem witch trials will find this novel fascinating.  Critics suggest pairing Wicked Girls with Arthur Miller's The Crucible.  

Other novels about the Salem witch trials include:
Rinaldi, Ann. A Break With Charity: A Story About the Salem Witch Trials. ISBN 0152046828
Aronson, Marc. Witch Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trails. ISBN 1416903151

Other noteworthy books by Stephanie Hemphill:
Hemphill, Stephanie. Sisters of Glass. ISBN  0375861092
Hemphill, Stephanie. Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath. ISBN 0440239680

Book Review of SWAMP ANGEL by Anne Isaacs (Genre 2)

**Please note: This review as been created for course requirements at Texas Woman's University.

1. Bibliography
Isaacs, Anne. Swamp Angel. Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky. New York: Dutton Children's Books. ISBN 0525452710

2. Plot Summary
Angelica Longrider, a girl of gigantic proportions, becomes known as Swamp Angel for her heroic abilities of rescuing a wagon train full of settlers from a swamp.  When a bear, Thundering Tarnation, is threatening her settlement, she enters a competition to catch the bear.  After days and days of struggle with the bear and hyperbolic feats, Swamp Angel kills the bear and becomes the heroine of her community.  

3. Critical Analysis
This book lives up to the hype of its many reviews.  The archetypal good and bad characters personified in Swamp Angel and Thudering Tarnation provide comical enjoyment through their over-the-top antics as they fight each other.  For instance, when Tarnation pins Swamp Angel to the bottom of a lake, she must drink the whole lake dry in order to catch a breath.  She replies sarcastically to this: "That was mighty refreshing."  Swamp Angel is a strong female heroine who defies the men's taunts as they tell her she should be mending a quilt or baking a pie rather than battling a bear.  The plot is full of action, and the author brings the story to a successful resolution as the settlers delight in Swamp Angels triumph over Tarnation.  However, the reader will feel a connection to Tarnation, for he is not a violent, hateful villain, so to ease readers' feelings about his demise, the author allows Tarnation to live on forever as an impression in the stars.  The theme is simple: good triumphs over evil, but the theme is not the focus of the story.  Readers will love this book for its traditional tall-tale style and depiction of the Tennesse settlers' culture.

The illustrations are beautifully painted in oils on cherry, maple, and birch veneers and reflect the settlers' culture in their dress, log cabins, and covered wagons.  Zelinsky's portrayal of Swamp Angel with a smirk on her face compliments her humorous actions and dialogue.  Likewise, when the men fumble in their attempts to catch Thundering Tarnation, Zelinsky's illustrations of the failures of the men brings humor to the story and sharply contrasts the competence depicted in the illustrations of Swamp Angel.   The colors are soothing, muted hues, and the soft, calming blue of Swamp Angel's dress contrasts the dark, brownish-black fur of Tarnation.     

4. Review Excerpts
A Caldecott Honor Book (1994)
An ALA Notable Book (1994)
A Time magazine Best Book of the Year (1994)
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year (1994)
Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award (1995)
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year (1994)


Starred review from Booklist: Isaacs tells her original story with the glorious exaggeration and uproarious farce of the traditional tall tale and with its typical laconic idiom. You just can't help reading it aloud. . . Zelinsky's detailed oil paintings in folk-art style are exquisite, framed in cherry, maple, and birch wood grains. They are also hilarious, making brilliant use of perspective to extend the mischief and the droll understatement.

Starred review from Horn Book: Move over, Paul Bunyan, you are about to meet Swamp Angel, an original creation in the tall-tale tradition whose exploits are guaranteed to amaze and amuse a wide swath of readers. . . Visually exciting, wonderful to read aloud, this is a picture book to remember.

Starred review from Kirkus: It is impossible to convey the sheer pleasure, the exaggerated loopiness, of newcomer Isaacs's wonderful story. Matching the superb text stride for stride are Zelinsky's altered-state, American primitive paintings--gems that provide new pleasures, reading after reading. To say that you are entering Calcutta land doesn't begin to do this book justice.

5. Connections
*Readers who love tall tales will enjoy this book.  Consider pairing this tale with long-time favorites such as Paul Bunyan and other American tall tales:
Lester, Julius. John Henry. Ill. by Jerry Pinkney. ISBN 0140566228
Kellogg, Stephen. Paul Bunyan 20th Anniversary Edition. Ill. by Stephen Kellogg. ISBN 0688058000

*Conduct a study of illustrator Paul Zelinsky.  See his work in the following award-winning books:
Zelinsky, Paul. Rumpelstiltskin. ISBN 0140558640
Zelinsky, Paul. Rapunzel. ISBN 0142301930

Book review for THE FIRST STRAWBERRIES retold by Joseph Bruchac (Genre 2)

**Please note: The following review has been created as part of coursework for Texas Woman's University.

1. Bibliography
Bruchac, Joseph. 1993. The First Strawberries. Ill. by Anna Vojtech. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 083713312

2. Plot Summary
Joseph Bruchac retells an ancient Cherokee story of how strawberries were created.  The story begins with a brief explanation of how the Creator made man and woman at the same time so that they wouldn't be lonely.  One day the man gets angry at the woman because she does not have dinner prepared when he gets home; instead, she is picking flowers.  The woman, angry too, leaves the man.  As the man follows the woman and tries to catch up with her, the Sun takes pity on the man and offers to help.  As the woman is walking, the Sun shines its light down onto Earth and creates raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, but the woman does not notice them.  Finally, the Sun creates strawberries, and the woman stops to eat them.  While she is eating the fruit, her husband catches up with her and apologizes.  Today strawberries remind Cherokee people to be kind to each other.

3. Critical Analysis 
The characters of this beautiful Native American tale are not complicated which allows for the message of the story to be the focal point.  The woman is very strong, which is evident when she makes the decision to leave her husband when he gets angry with her.  The Sun plays a pivotal role in the plot and is prominently displayed in the illustrations, giving the reader a sense of its connection to the human characters.  The setting is vague and is only depicted through the illustrations.  Time passes quickly in the beginning, and once again the illustrations show this passage of time.  For instance, when the man is trying to catch up with his wife, the illustrations show the woman far ahead of the man, and there are no words on the page which help to highlight that she was walking quickly and far away.  When the woman leaves, the man sets off on a quest to catch her and ask for forgiveness.  Through the help of the Sun, a supernatural figure in this story, the man's journey is brought to a close.  Not only has the world now been given sweet berries, but the man has learned a valuable lesson of kindness and respect.  These lessons are found in the Cherokee culture and are emphasized in this creation story.  There is a strong sense of rhythm to this story with the repetition of the Sun creating the different types of berries.  He does this three times, and finally on the fourth time, the woman stops to eat the berries.   The culture of the Cherokee people is evident in the story itself with the man and woman's respect of nature and interaction with the environment (i.e. the Sun and the berries).  Likewise, the illustrations depict traditional animal hide clothing.  The illustrations themselves help to tell the story, and the soft colors of the watercolor and colored pencil drawings are relaxing and peaceful. 

4. Review Excerpts
*From Publishers Weekly: "An uncomplicated story line and gentle illustrations keep this quiet but resonant tale accessible to even the youngest child."
*From Kirkus Reviews: "Complete harmony of text and pictures: altogether lovely."

5. Connections

There are many options for using this traditional Cherokee tale.  You might consider pairing it with other creation stories, such as the ones below, to compare and contrast the ways different cultures explain the creation of things.  

Bruchac, Joseph. Between Earth & Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places.  ISBN 0152020624 

Oughton, Jerrie.  How the Stars Fell Into the Sky: A Navajo Legend. ISBN
0395779383

Gerson, Mary-Joan. Why the Sky is Far Away. ISBN 0316308749

Cleveland, Rob. How Tiger Got His Stripes: A Folktale from Vietnam. ISBN 0874837995

You might also wish to use The First Strawberries as an introduction or supplement to a larger study on Native Americans and Cherokee Indians.  The following picture books are about Cherokee and Native Americans:

Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk. The Cherokees. ISBN 0823412148
Roop, Peter and Roop, Connie. If You Lived with the Cherokees. ISBN 059095606X
Ashrose, Cara. The Very First Americans. ISBN 0448401681 
 

Book Review for BIG AND BAD by Etienne Delessert (Genre 2)

**Please note: The following review has been created for coursework at Texas Woman's University.

1. Bibliography:
Delessert, Etienne. 2008. Big and Bad. Ill. Etienne Delessert. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 9780618889341

2. Plot Summary:
Big and Bad is a wolf who is terrorizing other animals by eating them and making hats from their fur.  Two cats devise a plan to stop Big and Bad by using three little pigs as bait.  With the help of the other animals, they weave a house out of straw and build a trapdoor inside so that the bait can escape.  The wolf is dumbfounded when he destroys the house and the three little pigs are not inside.  The animals continue this process by building a house out of wood and then another out of brick.  When Big and Bad enters the house through the chimney of the brick house, he is burned by the fire in the fireplace and shoots out of the chimney like a rocket.  Even today Wolf is still circling the earth "as bright as a shooting star."

3. Critical Analysis
The setting and characters of the story follow traditional literary techniques because the setting is vague and the main character has come from "far away."  Likewise, the character of the wolf, Big and Bad, is the archetypal bad villain while the animals represent the archetypal good guys.  The plot is full of action with the animals and wolf continually in a battle against each other; however, the resolution of the conflict comes quickly to an end and doesn't leave the reader with a satisfying conclusion to the conflict.  Although good does triumph in the end, the reader can assume that because the wolf is still circling around the earth like a shooting star he will never harm the animals again.  Like stated earlier, the resolution seems to lack closure to a well-developed story and leaves the reader wanting more.  The theme of the novel is clear: good always wins in the end; additionally, this story presents lessons in anger, the idea of what comes around goes around, and the importance of teamwork.  The author uses humorous hyperbole to exaggerate the description of the wolf: "His head was so large that he needed the skin of seven cats to cover it" and "After every meal a flock of birds fluttered into Big and Bad's open mouth the clean his gruesomely shiny teeth."  Young readers will find this humorous.  They will also appreciate the slight alteration of this story to the original folktale.  The repeated motif of the number three is seen several places in the book: the number of houses that the animals build, the number of pigs, and the time of day in which wolf wakes up on the last day.  There are no cultural markers for this book.  It seems to represent a modern-day telling of a classic story that could be relevant in any culture at any time period.

The illustrations for this book are done by the author himself, and they enhance the story by bringing to life the cruel wolf and innocent animals.  The gray tones of the wolf are often contrasted with bright oranges and reds which symbolize violence and blood.  The illustrations are comical, too, with the drawing of the wolf's hat which is made out of cats and still has the paws and tails attached.  The illustrations also move the story along by illustrating the important components of each event.  The final illustration of the animals, muted tones of pinks, browns, and grays, watching happily as the wolf shoots through the air, a reddish-orange ball of fire, emphasizes the theme of good triumphing over evil.

4. Review Excerpts:
Kirkus review: Delessert’s distinctive art adds a stylish note to this re-envisioned version of “Three Little Pigs.”
Publishers Weekly: What distinguishes Delessert's work is the willingness to explore images of evil — images from which most contemporary picture books shrink, but which lurk nevertheless in the nightmares of children. His tale is an unlikely homage to those of his literary forebears, the Brothers Grimm." 


5. Connections
This book would be a good choice to use in studying variants and versions of the classic "The Three Little Pigs."  Teachers and librarians could include other versions and compare and contrast the storyline and plot.  Consider incorporating these other variants into your lesson:
Christelow, Eileen. Where's the Big Bad Wolf? ISBN 0618181946 
Amoss, Berthe. The Three Cajun Little Pigs. ISBN 1596432756
Brett, Jan. The Three Little Dassies. ISBN 0399254994
Kimmel, Eric A. The Three Little Tamales. ISBN 0761455191  

Book Review of MILLIONS OF CATS (Genre 1)

**Please note: The following book review has been created for an assignment for coursework at Texas Woman's University.

1. Bibliography
 Gag, Wanda. 1928. Millions of Cats. Ill. Wanda Gag. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0399233156
 
2. Plot Summary
A very old man and a very old woman decide that they are not happy because they are lonely, and the woman believes that they will be happy if they had a cat.  The old man sets off to find a cat when he happens upon a hill which is covered with cats.  But the old man soon finds that he can't decide which cat is the prettiest and decides to take them all.  The millions of cats follow him home, but upon arriving home, the old woman realizes that the millions of cats would eat them out of house and home if they kept them all.  When the old man tells the cats to decide amongst themselves who is the prettiest, the cats get in a big fight and destroy themselves, except for one little kitten who remains and who the couple believe is the prettiest of all.      


3. Critical Analysis
The plot of the story, while unrealistic to many adults, is entertaining for a child who might find it absurd but humorous.  The conflict arises from the couple's unhappiness and need to fill a void in their lives.  The story follows a logical plot line with the rising action of the man searching for the cats and the millions of cats following him home.  The climax begins when the couple tell the cats to decide who is the prettiest and an all-out brawl ensues.  The couple's conflict is resolved when one little kitten becomes the surviving cat, and the couple find their happiness through this little kitten. 

The story itself is simple yet comical.  If the reader loves cats, he or she will be able to relate to the old man's dilemma over not being able to choose the prettiest cat.  The author creates humor through hyperbole by emphasizing the "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats."  Additionally, the cats can talk, and when they drink in the pond, they drain it.  When the cats quarrel, the old woman comments that "they must have eaten each other all up."  Depending on the age of the child, he or she might pause at this description of brutality among the cats, but the author does a good job of transitioning quickly to finding a "little frightened quickly" and does not dwell on the loss of the millions of cats.  In the final scenes of the story, the little kitten grows plump, and the reader can infer that the couple has finally found happiness.  The story is a great reminder of the joy that pets can bring to a family.  In the end, the old man states that their kitten is the "most beautiful cat in the whole world," and the couple knows this for certain because they've seen "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats--and not one was as pretty as this one."    

Given that this book was written in 1928, it's not surprising that the illustrations appear dated and lack color.  However, the illustrations are charming and transport the reader to a more simple lifestyle of years ago.  The old man is drawn almost as if he is a Santa Claus figure with a long beard, hat, and smoking a pipe.  This style creates an instant connection between the reader and the characters in the book.  Similarly, the old man and old woman are depicted almost as grandparents giving children a feeling of family.    



4. Review Excerpts
Newbery Honor award in 1928.
Review from The New York Times: “A perennial favorite.”
Review from School Library Journal: "Considered by many to have ushered in the age of the modern picture book, this Newbery Honor winner is characterized by innovative design and a strong storyteller’s cadence.”

5. Connections 
*This classic story would be ideal to share with young children who love animals and want a simple, feel-good story about how animals create happiness in our lives.
*Other stories to read about the happiness that cats bring to people:
Rylant, Cynthia. Brownie and Pearl Take a Dip. ISBN 9781416986386
Guedon, Adam. Me and Meow. ISBN 9780061998218

Book Review of TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY (Genre 1)

**Please note: The following review has been created as an assignment for a course at Texas Woman's University.

 

 1. Bibliography
Mora, Pat. 2000. Tomas and the Library Lady. Ill. by Raul Colon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0375803491

2. Plot Summary
As the son of migrant workers, Tomas travels with his family from Texas to Iowa in the summer so that his parents can work as fruit pickers.  Tomas and his brother Enrique pass the time playing ball and listening to their grandfather, Papa Grande, tell stories.  When Tomas's grandfather encourages him to go to the library to learn more stories, Tomas meets the library lady.  She gives him a glass of cold water and a place to sit and read about dinosaurs and tigers.  As Tomas reads, he is engulfed in the stories, and as the library is closing for the day, the library lady allows him to take home two books.  All summer Tomas goes to the library for cold water and new books, and he teaches Spanish to the library lady.  Finally, in August Tomas has to say goodbye to the library lady.  As the family drives back to Texas, Tomas reads from the new book which the library lady gave to him, and he is transported again to the world of dinosaurs as his family's car travels along the bumpy road.

3. Critical Analysis
Based on the true story of Tomas Rivera, Mora's story is a charming tale of a young boy who falls in love with reading, but the story is more than just about a young boy who loves books.  It is a tale, subtly revealed, of learning to cope with change.  Tomas is sad about having to leave his home in Texas, and the library becomes a place where he learns to escape into exciting, unknown worlds which help him forget about being so far from home.  Through the generosity of the librarian, Tomas's world is opened up through the books she gives him.  Their relationship becomes a friendship quickly, and just as she is teaching him about her world of books, he teaches her his Spanish language.  Mora has done a brilliant job of infusing Spanish culture into the book through a sprinkling of Spanish words throughout the text.  Through this the reader sees the differences in the cultures between Tomas and the library lady.  The author allows the reader to feel sad that Tomas has to end the relationship he has with the library lady, but the reader can be comforted knowing that as Tomas travels back to Texas, he takes with him a love of reading that has been borne through his special relationship with the library lady.

Raul Colon's illustrations are primarily brown and orange hues which depict the summer heat but also provide a warmth which mimics the warmth of the relationship between Tomas and the library lady.  Additionally, Colon creatively brings to life the dinosaurs and tigers of Tomas's reading by placing him atop the animals as if he is a part of the adventure in the story.  The illustrations of Tomas riding the animals helps move along the plot of the story because even at the end of the book, Tomas is still a part of the action of his books. 

4. Review Excerpts
1998 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award
1999-2000, Texas Bluebonnet Master List Title
1997 Américas Award for Children’s and  Young Adult Literature Commended Title
Reveiw from Booklist: "From the immigrant slums of New York to the fields of California, it’s an elemental American experience: the uprooted child who finds a home in the library."
Review from Smithsonian: "This powerful story is based on the boyhood of Tomás Rivera, who would grow to become Chancellor of the University of California, Riverside."

5. Connections
*This book would be a great choice for introducing young children to the library and adventures found within.
*For more books to encourage children to read, see the following books:
Stewart, Sarah. The Library. ISBN 0312384548
Bertram, Debbie and Susan Bloom. The Best Book to Read. ISBN 0375873007

Book Review of GRANDPA GREEN (Genre 1)

**Please note: This book review has been completed as a course requirement for Texas Woman's University.

1. Bibliography
Smith, Lane. 2011. Grandpa Green. Ill. by Lane Smith. New York: Roaring Brook Press. ISBN 9781596436077

2. Plot Summary
In this beautifully illustrated picture book, Lane Smith explores the concept of aging grandparents.  The narrator,who is the great-grandson, tells about his great-grandfather's life growing up on a farm, going off to war, getting married, and starting a family.  The important events of the great-grandfather's life are also illustrated as garden sculptures.  The narrator says that even though his great-grandpa is getting older and sometimes forgets, the memories of his past can be found in his garden.  

3. Critical Analysis
The third person perspective of the story, as told from the great-grandson's point of view, makes this story surprisingly personal and intimate.  The story follows the typical plot structure of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution with a poignant theme about life and aging.  The setting is the grandfather's garden when he is a boy, and as the story develops through the rising action, the grandfather goes through stages of his life and adds garden sculpture's depicting these stages.  The climax of the story is when the grandfather must go off to war and leave his garden.  Although he returns from war to marry and have children (falling action), he is no longer the only creator in the garden and passes his love of sculpting to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  The resolution of the story occurs when the reader learns that the great-grandson will continue the great-grandfather's legacy by creating a garden sculpture of him after he's passed away.  Smith's simple story is sprinkled with his stylistic quirky humor.  For instance, after the narrator says, "In fourth grade he got chicken pox *," the reader is directed to an asterisk that explains "not from the chickens." 

Smith's beautiful illustrations tell the story of the great-grandfather's life through the garden sculptures.  Although some sculptures are child-like, such as the characters from The Wizard of Oz, other illustrations are powerful and show the harsh realities of life, such as the cannon with the tree sticking out of it splattered with red leaves which highlight the climax of the story when the man goes off to war.  The muted green and brown color palette of the illustrations is calming and familiar, somewhat unexpected for a picture book; however, the soothing colors contrast the harsh reality of life that aging and death are inevitable.  The final page of the book is a simple illustration on a white page of the great-grandson creating a garden sculpture of his great-grandfather.  The story leaves the reader feeling happy about the bond between the young boy and his great-grandfather, and the reader is also reassured that the legacy of the old man will continue through his great-grandson.
      
4. Review Excerpts
2012 Caledcott Honor
Review in The Horn Book Magazine, September/October 2011: "A thoughtful, eloquent, and elegantly illustrated book to explore, consider, and read again."
Starred review from School Library Journal: "A clever premise, brilliant pacing, and whimsical illustrations."

5. Connections
*If you have a family member who is aging and has become forgetful or possibly nearing death, this book might be an easy way to begin that discussion with a young child.
*For more of Lane Smith's quirky humor and illustrations, see his collaborations with Jon Scieszka, especially The Stinky Cheese Man and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.
* Other books for children about grandparents and death:
Fullerton, Dawn Bernstrom. Talk to Me, Grandpa! Talk to Me! ISBN 9781579219642
Gray, Nigel. Little Bear's Grandpa. ISBN 1589250087
Haynes, Max. Grandma's Gone to Live in the Stars. ISBN 0807530263