The Storyteller's Candle

 The Storyteller’s Candle    Lucia Gonzelez

Children’s Book Press. San Fransisco. (2008). 32p., ISBN-13: 987-0-89239-222-3, $16.95 hardcover

  

Target Audience:

Ages 7-12, possibly older

  

Synopsis/Characters:

Hildamar, her brother Santiago and their family, Pura Belpre, Residents of El Bario

Hildamar and Santiago are thrilled when they meet Pura Belpre at their new school.  They are new to the U.S. and are not used to the harsh winter and English language after leaving Puerto Rico.  Ms Belpre is the librarian at the New York Public Library branch in El Bario and she speaks Spanish! 

Miss Belpre hosts a Three Kings Festival at the library and invites anyone who would like to come, has a feast and a play, and shows the residents that the library is for everyone, English speakers, Spanish speakers and those who speak both!

  

What stands out:

This is a lovely book about the first Puerto Rican librarian for the New York Public Library. It is a true story that takes place during the Great Depression.  The pictures are rich and have newsprint from the time as part of each page.  If one looks closely, the newspaper tells information about the time and what is going on then.  There is an introduction that sets the stage for the story and more great information on the end paper of the book.  Not and inch is wasted!

The other wonderful part of this book is that it is written in both English and Spanish.  The text is presented in both ways on each page.

  

Notes for fellow SLMS or classroom teachers:

 This is a wonderful book to use as a read aloud.  It could easily be used in any Spanish or history class, no matter the level.  It offers a good look into how people felt as immigrants and the isolation that can be present even within a close community.  It is certainly appropriate for younger students.

  

Would you recommend the book to: classroom teachers, students, classmates, parents?

Yes – a super introduction to historical fiction in a very accessible way.  I enjoyed looking at the Spanish text after reading the English (I don’t speak Spanish) and trying to figure out how they aligned. The art is wonderful and warm and the addition of the newsprint is not distracting (I noticed it well into the book) but clever and meaningful.

The Butterfly

 The Butterfly    Patricia Polacco

Philomel Books. New York. (2000). 42p., ISBN-0-399-23170-6, $16.99 hardcover

 Target Audience:

Ages 7-12, possibly older

 Synopsis/Characters:

Monique and Marcelle Solliliage; mother and daughter; Sevrine; townspeople and soldiers

Monique and her Mother live in a small French village during the Nazi Occupation of France.  Monique tries to ignore the soldiers that she sees daily and go about her life as usual.  Things begin to change as people begin to disappear from the village and Monique starts to see ghosts at the foot of her bed at night.

Monique discovers that her mother, Marcelle, is hiding Jews in their basement and soon the whole family is in danger and must flee for their lives.

  

What stands out:

Patricia Polacco’s wonderful storytelling and beautiful pictures bring this true story to life.  Ms Polacco is known for using her own family history and life for her stories and this one is no different.  The story is told in third person narrative, but we seem to see things through the eyes of Monique and feel her curiosity and fear as the story unfolds.

 Notes for fellow SLMS or classroom teachers:

 This is a wonderful book to use as a read aloud.  Though thought of as a picture book, I would use this with older children due to the content and the honest way in which the story is told.  There will be questions and discussion about the book and the topic can be a difficult one for younger children.  This could be a great addition to a middle or even high school WWII class.

  

Would you recommend the book to: classroom teachers, students, classmates, parents?

Yes, but see above note.  I love Patricia Polacco and think all libraries should have her books!  She is not afraid to tackle difficult topics and make them accessible for even younger readers.

Regarding the Fountain

Regarding the Fountain   Kate  Klise. 

(1999). Harper Collins.  New York. 144 pg.  ISBN: 978-0-3807-9347-1 $5.99

Target Audience:

Ages 8-12, (this is the recommendation of the publisher, but I think one needs to be a good reader and a bit older to understand the jokes, wordplay and humor here.)

Synopsis/Characters:

The fountain at the Dry Creek Middle School is leaking and so a letter is sent to Flowing Waters Fountains, Etc. for a new one.  Most everyone in the school becomes involved including the Board President.   Sam N.’s fifth grade class finds that there is a mystery to be uncovered under it all.

What stands out:

The tale is told through letters, memos, postcards, school papers and documents.  The text is printed in such a way as to convey the different types of papers.  Ms Klise has a wonderful sense of humor that shows in every chapter.  The names of all characters involved relate to water somehow (Sam N. [Salmon], Florence Waters, Walter Russ, etc.) and that’s a drop in the bucket for the wordplay and humor- ;)  Ms Klise uses this sense of humor in all of her books, so if a reader were to like this book, there are more to come.

Notes for fellow SLMS or classroom teachers:

 A super mystery that could be used as a read aloud or class book as well as a great individual read for a mystery lover.

This book could be read aloud in a readers’ theater type of way.  Each person/group could take the part of one of the characters and read the correspondence from that person.

Awards:

IRA/CBC Young Adults’ Choice

Would you recommend the book to: classroom teachers, students, classmates, parents?

Yes! A super mystery with humor, wit and wordplay throughout.

Roxie and the Hooligans

Roxie and the Hooligans  Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

(2006). Aladdin .  New York. 116 pg.  ISBN:1-4169-0243-0  $16.95

Target Audience:

Ages 7-12, possibly older lower level readers.

Synopsis/Characters:

Roxie Warbler, niece of the great Explorer Dangerfoot; Uncle Dangerfoot, Lord Thistlebottom, The Hooligans: Helvetia Hagus, Freddy Filch, Simon Surly, and Smokey Jo.

Roxie wants more than anything to be a great explorer like her Uncle Dangerfoot and the great Lord Thistlebottom.  She has read and memorized Lord Thistlebottom’s book: Lord Thistlebottom’s Book of Pitfalls and How to Survive Them.  The most important piece of advice in the book, “Do Not Panic”, proves to be more valuable than Roxie could ever have thought when she gets marooned on an island with the same bunch of Hooligans from school (who have voted her Victim of the Year) and a pair of criminals!  Roxie proves her moxie (sorry – couldn’t help myself…) , survives and even gets the Hooligans on her side.

What stands out:

Ms Naylor’s wonderful sense of humor and ability to tell a story, make this book another must read for kids and adults alike.  Set in Chin-in-Hand, Massachusetts, in an indeterminate time, this story proves that no one is too small to be a heroine or too young to be a great explorer.  Roxie’s use of Lord Thistlebottom’s advice is priceless and gets her out of many a mess as she remembers not to panic.  Even if she can’t jump out of a plane, face a charging rhino or swim through a river of crocodiles, there are lots of things she can do!

Notes for fellow SLMS or classroom teachers:

 This is a wonderful book to use as a read aloud.  There are a lot of resources online for class/library lessons as well. 

Awards:

Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best,

Flicker Tale Children's Book Award Master List (ND),

Great Stone Face Book Award Master List (NH)

Would you recommend the book to: classroom teachers, students, classmates, parents?Yes! Anyone who has ever been picked on will fall in love with Roxie and her bravery!  Do not panic!  Read this!

Dr. Seuss and W.C. Williams

The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.


Retrieved from: The Academy of American Poets:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15537


I hated this poem because I never understood it. Then I watched a friend present it to a class and was so fascinated by the kids' responses that I've fallen in love with it.  I really enjoy W.C. Williams' work.

Out there things can happen

and frequently do

to people as brainy

and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,

Don’t worry.  Don’t stew.

Just go right along.

You’ll start happening too.

From Dr. Seus’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go!  (1990)  Random House.

I so love the good Dr.!  He had such a way with making sense out of nonsense.  Except when he didn’t and that prob’ly meant there wasn’t much innit…

 He had a wonderful way of pointing out what needed to be seen (The Lorax, Oh, The Places…,), and having fun with words and sounds.

Poetry: Trees

This poem is from http://www.firstscience.com/home/poems-and-quotes/poems.html

http://www.tooter4kids.com/classroom/math_poems.htm

Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow (2006) by Joyce Sidman

TREES
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree
A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray,
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair
Upon whose blossom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems were made by fools like me
But only God can make a tree.
­Joyce Kilmer

Green Eggs and Ham

Green Eggs and Ham   Theodore Seuss Geisel

Beginner Books Inc.  1992.  New York. 62 pp. ISBN: 0-394-80016-8

Target Audience-K-2

Summary-The main character, who has no name, meets Sam-I-Am, who tries to convince him to try green eggs and ham.  Sam continues to pester the Other character and offers many different options for trying the new foods, but the Other character will have none of it.   The end of the book finds the Main character giving in if only to get Sam off his back and realizes he does, indeed, like green eggs and ham and learns the “don’t knock it ‘till you try it” lesson.

Characters-Sam-I-Am, the Main Character, assorted Seuss characters

How does this book appeal to younger readers? The large pictures and rhyming verse make this book very appealing for young readers.  The colors are basic and limited, only red, green, yellow and black are used.  The illustrations are typical Seuss: simple and silly at the same time.  In this book there are no made up creatures, but the familiar objects are drawn with Seuss flair.   The book appeals to young readers because the entire text consists of only 50 words and these are used repeatedly.  The repetition lets new readers master a few words and begin to recognize them as the words are presented over and over.   The theme of not wanting to try new things is also appealing to young people.

Is there staying power for this book? Yes, because it’s Suess.  The reasons stated above also add to the staying power.  Having said that however, the book, even in newer printings, does seem dated in its illustrations, use of color and the type of paper used, most especially in the older editions.  There are no indications of a period of time, but the style is definitely older.  Because of the rhyming scheme and the silliness of the pictures, I don’t think any of this will matter to children.

What recommendations will you make for classroom use/library use of this book? This book can be used with a K-2 audience. The repetition and rhyme make it a wonderful beginning book for a new reader, alone or in a group situation.  This book could be used in a choral reading situation or a call and response type of reading.  The children could also say the Main character’s response to Sam as a group after the teacher, other student, or half the class reads Sam’s part.  Puppets could be made to perform the scenes as new characters are added, or the whole thing could be presented on a flannelboard.

I would recommend this book.