Module 10: My Mom’s having a Baby

Module 10: My Mom’s having a Baby

Summary:

The story follows Elizabeth through the nine months prior to her new sibling being born. For each month, Elizabeth tells the reader about how the baby has grown so far which are the changes she cannot see and the changes in her mother which are the changes that she can see. Elizabeth and her mother talk about how her baby sibling got to be inside her mother. With simple diagrams, explanations, and pictures, the basics of sex and egg fertilization are introduced to children so that they can understand how babies are created and born. Elizabeth continues describing the growth of the baby through the time leading up to her mother going to labor. The water breaking, contractions, and labor are explained as well. The story ends up with the birth of her new baby brother.

APA Reference of Book:

Butler, D. H. (2005). My mom’s having a baby! Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Company.

Impressions:

It is not obvious at first why this book is frequently censored and or challenged. It seems to be just a picture book about Elizabeth awaiting the birth of a new sibling and documenting the month to month changes in the baby and her mother. However, when Elizabeth asks her mother how the baby got to be in her belly, her mother doesn’t mention anything about a stork and instead tells her daughter the truth. Complete with simple pictures and diagrams, Elizabeth learns about sex and how an egg is fertilized. I can see why this would make many parents uncomfortable as many people attempt to delay talking with their children about sex until adolescence, if they even have such a talk at all. I think this book is a great addition to a collection and would be a great resource for parents with a child who has questions about the process. While it may be uncomfortable and some children seem “too young”, if they are old enough to ask thoughtful questions, they should be able to receive a reasonable answer. It’s only when people make a big deal about a subject that it becomes a big deal for a child. If explained in a simple, factual manner, it’s something that will satisfy their curiosity about the changes that will be occurring with their mother and their family. It is something that a child wants to and should be able to understand if they are old enough to ask questions about it.

Aside from the controversial parts, the book is a great chronicle of the month to month changes in the baby and the mother. Each month, Elizabeth explains how the baby has grown and relates the size of the baby to something like her finger or foot. This really helps children understand just how big the baby is and how much it is growing. Parents could use the book just for the great explanations and drawings of the nine months and skip the explanation of sex and fertilization if they wanted. The illustrator does a great job with pictures that provide enough details yet are simple enough that children can understand the basics of what is being shown and explained. I hope that parents will use this book to give a child that can understand an explanation of what is happening. They may not understand or remember every detail, but introducing the process simply and without trying to cover up, the child won’t worry that some part of the process is scary or going to bring about unhappy changes.

Professional Review:

With unwavering exuberance, young Elizabeth takes readers month-by-month through her mom’s pregnancy, tracking her prospective sibling’s size from September’s “only as big as my bottom front tooth,” through February’s “as big as my stuffed rabbit,” and on to May’s delivery. Unusually for treatments of this topic, Elizabeth is very specific—about not only the baby’s physical development and Mom’s anatomy, but also about just how Dad’s sperm came to meet Mom’s egg. Thompson follows suit in cartoon-style watercolors, placing Mom and Dad under covers but interspersing views of the smiling family with lots of labeled inside views and enlargements. Confusingly, Elizabeth refers to the fetus as “he” throughout, even while relating how her parents are opting to wait to find out the baby’s sex—but for children seeking hard facts on the whole business, this makes a good alternative to the likes of Kes Gray’s Baby On Board! (2004), illustrated by Sarah Nayler, or Laurel Molk’s lyrical but oblique When You Were Just a Heartbeat (2004). (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-8)

My Mom’s having a Baby! (2010). [Review of the book My mom’s having a baby! by D. H. Butler]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses:

Include in a display of books introducing children to the idea that there will be a new baby in the family or that they are getting a sibling.

Module 10: Rapunzel's Revenge

Module 10: Rapunzel's Revenge

Book Summary:

A re-imagining of the tale of Rapunzel set in the old West, this story turns almost everything from the traditional fairy tale upside down. Rapunzel is raised by her stepmother Gothel in a beautiful villa full of everything a person could want, except Rapunzel wants to know what's behind the wall surrounding the villa that her stepmother has forbidden her to climb. When she finds out that her stepmother has been enslaving the population including her birth mother and building an empire, Rapunzel rebels and is locked in a tower for her impudence. She spends the time growing her hair and learning to use it as a: whip, lasso, and ladder among other things. When she escapes four years later, rescuing her mother and revenge against Gothel are her goals. She finds an unlikely ally in Jack, who happens to have some magic beans, a mysterious goose, and a penchant for stealing. Together, they set out to bring down Gothel, her magic, and her empire. They travel a Wild West style landscape, escaping shoot-outs, lassoing wild creatures and meeting some other crazy characters on their way back to the very villa where everything began and where it all will end.

APA Reference of Book:

Hale, S., & Hale, D. (2008). Rapunzel's revenge. New York, NY: Bloomsbury U. S. A. Children's Books.

Impressions:

I was captured by the title of this book and seeing the image of a Wild West Rapunzel wielding lassos made of hair on the front cover sealed the deal. The title Rapunzel’s Revenge had me thinking about all the princesses in fairy tales that wait for princes to come rescue them and I was excited at the prospect of a princess figure who was (hopefully) going to take matters into her own hands. I was not disappointed! This Rapunzel is a spunky, spirited girl who is curious and courageous and is a lot more fun to read about than a girl who waits contentedly in a tower for years. This Rapunzel does not wait for a rescue, but as soon as she is able, escapes the tower on her own. Using her lengthy locks, this Rapunzel is able to lasso wild animals, take on villains, coyotes and sea monsters alike, and even in traditional style, use it to climb up tall buildings. This empowered protagonist is one I would love to share with readers everywhere.

I think the graphic novel format really makes this story into something spectacular. While the authors could have created this story as a novel with no illustrations, the idea of a hair whip wielding Rapunzel is so much more fun to see than just imagine. The reader can literally see the story progressing as they read from panel to panel. Thoughts and dialogue are differentiated by boxes versus speech bubbles. It is not at all difficult to understand what is happening even if there are fewer words and more pictures. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. With graphic novels, you are often able to reach audiences that may not usually pick up a full length novel but a graphic novel is just the right solution and this combination of Wild West adventure, strong female protagonist, and rewritten fairy tale will appeal to almost any reader.

Professional Review:

In this oversized full-color graphic novel, Mother Gothel is using her growth magic to build an empire by limiting the areas where crops will grow, exacting excessive taxes, and consigning peasants to back-breaking labor in her mines. Her adopted daughter is oblivious to her mother’s cruelty until the day when she finally climbs the wall that surrounds her home and sees the wasteland that exists beyond and meets her real mother. Outraged at her disobedience, Mother Gothel locks her up in a special tree she has grown for the purpose. After five years, Rapunzel uses her growth-accelerated red hair to escape, and, determined to rescue her real mother, she eventually teams up with a colorful, harmless thief. Adventure after adventure reveals to her the extent of Mother Gothel’s cruel reach, and she decides she must set her to rights as well. Using her whippy, ropelike braids and a few athletic fighting tricks she has picked up along the way, she battles sea monsters, wild coyotes, bandits, and henchmen on her way to her righteous revenge. Shannon Hale’s comic wit and romantic sensibilities translate well to this new format, which blends fairy-tale revision, journey quest, Wild West shoot-’em-up, and action adventure into one wild ride. The easy-to-follow panel arrangements with their multicultural cast [End Page 18] of characters guide even reluctant graphic-novel readers seamlessly through the fast-paced narrative. Readers with a high degree of empathy will appreciate the attention given to the small details of the way she manages her hair so as to never to pull it straight from her head when she’s using it to wrangle outlaws and varmints. The surprising character revelation at the end provides a perfect climactic pivot and slides elegantly into the light-hearted comedic structure of a romantic happily ever after for Rapunzel, her mother, and her man.

Coats, K. (2008). [Review of the book Rapunzel's revenge, by S. Hale & D. Hale]. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 62(1), 18. Retrieved from: http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/

Library Uses:

Include on a suggested young adult reading list of fairy tale spin-offs.

Module 9: Your Own, Sylvia

Module 9: Your Own, Sylvia

Book Summary:

Told through verse interpretations of the people who populated her life, the short and tumultuous life of Sylvia Plath unfolds in Stephanie Hemphill's Your Own, Sylvia. From her mother's observations of the birth of her firstborn to the boys she dated in high school, the various doctors she saw over the course of her life and her husband Ted Hughes, famous in his own right, and the observations of those around her in the twilight of her life, it is this variety of fictionalized accounts that allow the reader to meet Sylvia Plath via all the people around her throughout her life. The author also channels Plath herself, writing some poems in the style of Plath's most famous works. The author goes chronologically working from birth to death, filling in as much pertinent and relevant detail as she can create entries for, basing them on people around Plath, but fictionalizing the actual words.

APA Reference of Book:

Hemphill, S. (2007). Your own, Sylvia. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Impressions:

I was surprised by how much the setup of this novel intrigued me. The idea of writing about the life of a poet in verse should not be revolutionary, but I was excited at the prospect of reading a book set up in this format. While much of it is fictionalized, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel. I did not know much about Sylvia Plath before reading this novel and I had assumed she had a much darker persona in general based on the few facts I did know. However the author gives a more well-rounded view of Plath than I had expected. Accounts from neighbors and high school flings rounded out those from family, friends, doctors and teachers. Told in verse, there is much more that can be open to interpretation than if the novel had been written and prose and with a subject like Plath, it only seems appropriate.

When I picked up this book from the library, I did notice it was in the 800 section, meaning it was being categorized mainly as literature rather than in the 92 section which usually denotes biography. As it is mostly fictionalized yet based on true events and real people, I know it shouldn't be used as a reference text for biographical purposes such as obtaining facts. However, it would be an interesting piece for someone researching Plath to examine, especially a young adult audience. I feel that this text is more approachable than other biographies about Plath and also is more approachable than Plath's works on their own. While Hemphill's verse sometimes feels jerky and broken, overall I think the interpretation was well-rounded and provided a good introduction to Plath's life and works.

Professional Review:

With her brilliance, marriage to a famous fellow poet, and dramatic suicide, poet Sylvia Plath quickly became a legendary literary figure. Hemphill tells the story of that legendary life in poems, many of them closely modeled on Plath's own verses, written from the viewpoint of the people in Sylvia's life or in a third-person imagining of Plath's own experience. Though there's an un-Plathian grammatical carelessness to some of the writing, the poems are generally capably executed, especially in their technical underpinnings (the explanatory notes attached to each poem are inclined to be randomly if genuinely informative); the author clearly takes Plath's side, but the poems honestly acknowledge the poet's unlikable tendencies toward entitlement and superiority. It's certainly an intriguing biographical approach, and teen fans of confessional poetry in general and Plath in particular will find it inviting; its main achievement is imitative, though, and readers ready for these verses will reach to their originals, so the book is likelier to contribute to young writers' own experimental projects than to a readerly understanding of Plath or poetry. End matter includes a note to the reader about Hemphill's own interest in Plath, a description of her sources for the biographical information in each poem, and a list of further resources; a spread of photographs of Plath is included.

Stevenson, D. (2007). [Review of the book Your own, Sylvia, by S. Hemphill]. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 60 (9), 369. Retrieved from: http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/

Library Uses:

Have a poetry contest for young adults at your library - have different categories for judging and publish the best in your library newsletter. Offer the book as an example.

Host a poetry slam for young adults at your library - they can perform someone else's work or their own original composition.

Module 9: A Bad Boy Can Be Good For a Girl

Module 9: A Bad Boy Can Be Good For a Girl

Book Summary:

Josie, Nicolette, and Aviva are three very different girls with one thing in common: a high school senior with only one thing on his mind. They each get involved with him in a different way, but when each girl learns what his true nature and motive is, they decide to stand up and fight back. Josie starts a sounding board for all the girls of the school that have been involved with the particular senior boy in the school library's copy of Judy Blume's Forever. The response from all the girls who have been involved with this one boy is staggering and helps each of them to realize that they are not alone in their situation. Nicolette goes into her relationship with the boy very confident and leaves it very shaken, after the boy reduces her self-confidence. As a result she reads the copy of Forever and she forms an unlikely friendship with Josie. Aviva later joins them and is amazed at the outpouring of empathy found filling the blank pages of Forever. Each of the girls finds comfort in the fact that they are not alone and that their story might succeed in helping prevent his use of another girl who doesn't know his tricks.

APA Reference of Book:

Stone, T. L. (2006). A bad boy can be good for a girl. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

Impressions:

The first thing that I noticed about this book was the title. While it is hard to miss, it also is what drew me in and made me want to read the book. It seems counterintuitive because inherent in the term “bad boy” is the word bad so I became intrigued and decided I needed to know the answer to this question. After finishing the novel, I understand the message that the author was intending; that the “bad boy” is not necessarily good or bad for a girl, but the experience she gains from interacting with or being in a relationship with the “bad boy” can benefit her and help her gain worldly experience so she will perhaps understand the situation better the next time around. In this novel, the experience also leads them to new friends and a sisterhood formed from shared experiences.

After finishing the novel, I am left wondering what message that a young adult reader takes away from this. I hope that they see examples of what can happen in any relationship and that in any relationship, preserving your individuality and values is critical. I hope they do not see these relationships as the norm because while the reader does see each relationship fall apart, the “bad boy” in question attempts to continue on his conquest of other girls at the school. This is not okay! The school copy of Judy Blume’s Forever becomes a warning, but as the novel itself showed, it cannot protect or reach everyone and common stereotypes of male behaviors shouldn’t be so reinforced. It would have been nice to see the boy in question receive his karmic comeuppance, but as far as the reader knows, he will continue on, even with many girls aware of his antics.

Professional Review:

STONE, TANYA LEE A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl. Lamb, 2006 228p Library ed. ISBN 0-385-90946-2 $16.99 Trade ed. ISBN 0-385-74702-0 $14.95 Ad Gr. 9-12

A studly senior, initials T. L., prowls his way mercilessly through the halls of a high school, scoping out girls vulnerable to his predatory charm, only to dump them once the relationship is sexually consummated or it becomes obvious that it won't be. His story is told through the affecting free verse of three of his conquests, Josie, Nicolette, and Aviva, each of whom initially insists that she is confident in her own attractiveness and resistant to the games of players like T. L. His first glance, however, turns them into puddles of goo, and they each willfully mistake his attention as an affirmation of their specialness in his universe, ignoring the overheard jibes of his friends and fully believing his made-for-teen-movie lines. Josie, the youngest of the three, is the most self-aware both during and after her seduction, and she decides to "out" T. L. by turning the blank pages at the back of the library copy of Forever into a bulletin board for the burned, directing both Nicolette and Aviva there when it becomes obvious that they have joined that not-very-select club. This is an appealing topic, and Stone creates credible voices for her girls. The message of strength is undercut, though, by tired clichés and stereotypes, especially as the girls, at first so assertive about their empowered sexuality, wilt into needy and deceived victims, and the boys are given no credit for any emotional depth or complexity. Moreover, there is the clear message that this kind of pain is necessary for female emotional growth and that being savvy enough to avoid it is somehow a mark of immaturity, as these girls pity their friends who haven't yet crushed and been crushed. This will nonetheless speak to a large audience of girls willing to martyr themselves on the altar of heartless high-school demigods; recommend it to girls who take grrl rockers' "pain is power" lyrics as their late-night anthems. KC

Coats, K. (2006). [Review of the book A bad boy can be good for a girl, by T.L. Stone]. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 59(8), 375. Retrieved from: http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/

Library Uses:

Add to a display of young adult fictional books addressing topics of adolescent relationships.

Add to a suggested reading list of great books with intriguing titles.

Module 8: Down the Rabbit Hole

Module 8: Down the Rabbit Hole

Book Summary:

Ingrid Levin-Hill has The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes by her bed and enjoys reading all about the mysteries solved by her favorite detective but she never intended to get mixed in her small town's confounding murder mystery. By chance, her soccer cleats end up in the apartment of the murdered woman and getting them back with giving the police the wrong idea is hard enough, but she is trying to keep up with soccer practice, her starring role in the community play as Alice, and her parent's expectations too. Everything in her town seems to be as topsy-turvy as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and when strange things start happening, Ingrid is determined to put things right in her town, clear her name, and stay one step ahead of a murderer. This proves more difficult than expected and Ingrid ends up in some rather dangerous situations, but just manages to keep herself and solve the mystery too!

APA Reference of Book:

Abrahams, P. (2005). Down the rabbit hole: An Echo Falls mystery. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children's Books.

Impressions:

This book is a lot of fun to read, mostly because of the main character. Ingrid, 13 years old, is a character that most tweens are going to be able to relate to because not only is this a mystery novel, but there is a pretty heavy dose of realistic fiction mixed in. Ingrid has problems with her parents, she is trying to balance school as well as her extracurricular activities, and she is trying to solve a mystery and clear her name on top of it all. Ingrid is not perfect: she makes mistakes, she struggles in school, and she hurts her friends' feelings and has to apologize, among other things. However, these things are what kids can relate to, because they have felt the same way and knowing that they are not the only one is one reason they read, to find these friends and allies, even if they are fictional.

What I really enjoyed in this novel was the mixture of different popular culture references. Not only does the main character idolize and reference Sherlock Holmes, quoting from his different cases, but she also lands the main role of Alice in the community play and Ingrid's town of Echo Falls begins to resemble Wonderland as things become strange and unknown to her. Novels like this that mix in multiple popular culture references and have a relatable main character are very attractive to readers because there are so many things they relate to and picking two of the most popular characters around right now is a very smart move. There are multiple adaptations and spin-offs in all media forms for both Alice in Wonderland and Sherlock Holmes. It's fun for readers to see the new variations each author brings to their own re-imagining.

Professional Review:

KIRKUS REVIEW

Impatient with mother for being late for her ride to soccer, Ingrid Levin-Hill, eighth-grade Sherlock Holmes fan and amateur actress, makes an impulsive decision to walk, inadvertently becoming a witness in the murder case of Cracked-up Katie, the weird lady in the rundown house on the wrong side of town. Ingrid is afraid to come forward with her first-hand knowledge, fearing her parents’ reprimand for leaving the neighborhood. Landing the lead role as Alice in the town’s playhouse production of “Alice in Wonderland,” she becomes more curious about the playhouse’s past performers and a possible connection to Katie’s youth. As the police investigation gets further away from the truth and the wrong suspects are arrested, Ingrid takes increasingly daring risks to solve the case herself and eliminate the evidence she left behind indicating her own suspicious involvement. Abrahams has crafted a suspenseful page-turning drama complete with misleading clues and gutsy midnight escapades that make for thrilling intrigue right up to the culminating drowning-in-the-river scene. Ingrid’s plucky, if not foolhardy, behavior will have readers both rooting and worrying for her simultaneously as she continues, like Alice, to fall deeper and deeper into the mystery’s unfolding. Harrowingly absorbing. (Fiction. YA)

Down the Rabbit Hole. (2010). [Review of the book Down the rabbit hole by P. Abrahams]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses:

Add to a suggested reading list for young adults interested in Sherlock Holmes spin-offs.

Module 8: The Stranger Next Door

Module 8: The Stranger Next Door

Book Summary:

Alex is not very happy in his family's new home. They are one of the first in the new development, there are no others kids around to play with, and the bullies at school torment him because his house is where they used to ride their dirt bikes. It seems that Alex only has one friend and that is his cat, Pete. Unbeknownst to Alex, Pete is brilliant and can understand English even if he can't talk back. Alex is excited when a boy his age moves next door, but the boy wants nothing to do with him. Soon after the new arrival, local street signs are destroyed and arson fires damage local homes. When there are suspects everywhere, it takes teamwork and a little bit of trust for Alex and his new friend to help catch the criminals and try to stay out of harm's way. Pete the Cat acts as both narrator and detective, adding quite a bit of humor to this story.

APA Reference of Book:

Kehret, P. (2002). The stranger next door. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.

Impressions:

This book is a fast paced read and great for readers with short attention spans. There is always something happening and the constant additions to the text from Pete the cat keep things lively and fun. There is a wide variety of subject material in the book and there was more going on with the plot than I ascertained from reading the summary on the book. The evasive young boy who moves in next door is actually trying to deal with being in the Witness Protection Program because his mother is testifying in a major drug trial. I think the author does a good job portraying the mixed feelings and difficulty in adjusting that a boy this age would have with the whole situation. He doesn't just passively accept his life being turned upside down, he is mad about it!

Most of the mystery element in this book revolves around Pete the cat. The reader can see Pete's thoughts and understand his "words" and follows his actions when Pete is not with Alex. Pete turns out to be the main investigator in this book: he watches the different suspects in the neighborhood, finds clues and leads the human investigators to them, and saves Alex when he is trapped in a house fire by alerting the neighbors. It is a lot of fun to watch Pete's brand of mystery-solving where he is literally sniffing out clues and using scents to identify criminals. This is humor, mystery and realistic fiction all bound up into one fast compelling little read.

Professional Review:

KIRKUS REVIEW

Fans of Kehret (Saving Lily, 2001, etc.)—and fans of cats—will appreciate this suspenseful novel about two boys who discover friendship after facing peril. This is thanks in no small part to the author’s resourceful feline, Pete the Cat, who “cowrote” the novel (his contributions to Kehret’s narrative are explained in the amusing prologue and are italicized throughout). Said feline also wrote a juicy role for himself within the storyline so that he figures in the solution to the mystery. Happily for readers, while Pete’s “speech” sounds like plain old meow to his unknowing owners, his writing is perfectly comprehensible as English. Twelve-year-old Alex Kendrill has moved to a new housing development in Seattle with his parents, six-year-old brother, and pet cat. Friendless at school and picked on by some bullies, Alex’s spirits pick up when he learns a new family is moving in next door. Believing he might make a new friend at last, Alex’s hopes are dashed when the boy, Rocky Morris, in fact shuns contact and is evasive about himself and his past. Kehret keeps her story exciting and dangerous. There are vandals afoot, not to mention a mysterious arsonist who attempts to murder Alex in a terrifying episode in which Alex is trapped in a house that the arsonist has set ablaze. Add to this Rocky’s constant fear that his family’s closely guarded secret will be found out: they are in the Witness Protection Program because Rocky’s mom’s testimony before Congress will bring down a major drug kingpin. All these ingredients add up to a satisfying, fast-paced read. Readers will be caught up in the action even as they are amused by Pete’s astute observations and adroit detective work. (Fiction. 10-12)

The Stranger Next Door. (2010). [Review of the book The stranger next door by P. Kehret]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses:

Hold a writing contest for upper elementary students. Using this book as an example, challenge them to re-write a favorite book scene from the point of view of a pet.

Add to a suggested reading list of comedic mystery novels for older elementary students.

Module 7: Miss Moore Thought Otherwise

Module 7: Miss Moore Thought Otherwise

Book Summary:

In bright colors and picture book format, readers are introduced to Anne Carroll Moore who helped to pioneer children's libraries. Miss Moore grew up in a time when children were not allowed inside libraries and girls still married quite young. However, she decided to follow in her father's footsteps and become a lawyer. After some time dealing with family issues, Miss Moore moved to New York to attend library school. She began work at Pratt Free Library and helped with plans for a new library room, just for children. She would read to the children in the evenings, just like her father had read to her. Miss Moore was then asked to be in charge of children's sections at all 36 New York public library branches! From there, the movement picked up more and more speed until many libraries were opening or adding special rooms just for children to their branches and not only in the United States, but other countries were copying this model as well.

APA Reference of Book:

Pinborough, J. (2013). Miss Moore thought otherwise. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Impressions:

The story itself is wonderfully clever with the little catchphrase "Miss Moore thought otherwise" being used throughout the book. Every time Miss Moore was about to shake up some traditions, they would use this little catchphrase as an indicator. It is fun to see how Anne Carroll Moore took little and big steps to advance libraries for children. Not only did she become a librarian when women were just beginning to enter the field, but she quickly became head of the New York Public Libraries'  Children's Section. She made great strides in children's librarianship and programming; she never let anything slow her down or traditional stand in the way of advances for children's librarianship.

The illustrator used wonderful colors and illustrations in this book that really help to draw the reader into the story. Sometimes it felt like the text had to be fit into the illustration itself because it was so bold and bright. There are so many wonderful details if you look close, but you can also get the main idea at a glance. The illustrations really helped illustrate and emphasize the text. Everything was so vivid emphasizing that everything in this book: the subject matter, the text and the illustrations were all for the children.

Professional Review:

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise:

How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children

by Jan Pinborough; 
illus. by Debby Atwell

Primary    Houghton    40 pp.

3/13    978-0-547-47105-1    $16.99

Nowadays, Anne Carroll Moore is remembered as the fiercest of the library ladies whose influence on children’s library service and publishing was both inspirational and — sometimes — intractable. But this easygoing picture-book biography forgoes coverage of the more formidable aspects of Moore’s personality, giving us instead a simple narrative of Moore’s Maine childhood and early love of books on through to her career at the New York Public Library, where she created the innovative Central Children’s Room for the library’s new main building in 1911. With sun-dappled acrylic paintings of, first, rural Maine and, later, triumphantly, the light-filled interiors of the new Children’s Room, the tone here is one of uncomplicated optimism, reflecting Moore’s practical idealism. A bird’s-eye view of Miss Moore setting off on her “retirement” travels spreading the gospel of children’s librarianship across the land clearly places this apostle in the company of her (fictional) Maine sister, Miss Rumphius. “More about Miss Moore” and a list of sources are appended.

Sutton, R. (2013). [Review of the book Miss Moore thought otherwise, by J. Pinborough]. Horn Book Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.hbook.com/category/choosing-books/horn-book-magazine/

Library Uses:

Include in a display in the children's section about books, libraries, and librarians.

Module 7: The Day-Glo Brothers

Module 7: The Day-Glo Brothers

Book Summary:                             

This picture book tells the story of Bob and Joe Switzer, brothers who were different in almost every way. Bob was a hard worker who wanted to be a doctor and Joe was a dreamer who wanted to go into show-business. At age 19, Bob has a work accident and has to spend months recovering from a head injury in a darkened basement. At the same time Joe was experimenting with making things glow in the dark for his magic act. Together they built an ultraviolet lamp and noticed that some things in their father's pharmacy glowed. They began making paints that would glow under ultraviolet light, but these paints wouldn't work in the daylight. The brothers continued experimenting which led them to mix hot alcohol with the fluorescent colors which created colors that would glow even during the day. During World War II, many uses were found for these Day-Glo paints and after the war, the paints became popular for all manner of things in everyday life: for art, safety, and advertisements.

APA Reference of Book:

Barton, C. (2009). The Day-Glo brothers. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

Impressions:

What struck me immediately about this book was the art style and illustrations. The artist used a retro-comic style illustration that reminded me of the Power Puff Girl cartoon from when I was younger. I think using this style really helped to emphasize to the reader the time the story was set in and the reader can go back in time a little with the story. The illustrator also uses color to great advantage in the story starting out illustrating only in black and white and gradually introducing the fluorescent/Day-Glo colors. This helps the reader really understand the evolution of the Day-Glo colors from an experiment to a really useful item for many different people in the world.

The author does a great job of interspersing biographical elements within the story of how Day-Glo paints were created. Either element on its own wouldn’t be nearly as interesting or compelling. The story of the Day-Glo paint would be interesting but the information about the brothers makes it compelling and something that more children are able to relate to. On the other hand, the biographical parts would make a good story but the author is able to sneak in a little science information to unsuspecting children at the same time. Add to the mix the interesting illustrations and ever increasing art palette and this book is a recipe for a great time and learning experience all-in-one.

Professional Review:

The Switzer brothers were complete opposites. Older brother Bob was hardworking and practical, while younger brother Joe was carefree and full of creative, wacky ideas. However, when an unexpected injury forced Bob to spend months recovering in a darkened basement, the two brothers happened upon an illuminating adventure—the discovery of Day-Glo colors. These glowing paints were used to send signals in World War II, help airplanes land safely at night and are now found worldwide in art and advertisements (not to mention the entire decade of 1980s fashion). Through extensive research, including Switzer family interviews and Bob’s own handwritten account of events, debut author Barton brings two unknown inventors into the brilliant light they deserve. Persiani, in his picture-book debut as well, first limits the palette to grayscale, then gradually increases the use of color as the brothers’ experiments progress. The final pages explode in Day-Glo radiance. Rendered in 1950s-cartoon style, with bold lines and stretched perspectives, these two putty-limbed brothers shine even more brightly than the paints and dyes they created. (author’s note, endnotes) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)

The Day-Glo Brothers. (2010). [Review of the book The Day-Glo brothers by C. Barton]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses:

Add to a suggested reading list of accidental scientists for elementary readers.

Use for a story time and have the craft utilize Day-Glo paint.

Module 6: The Midwife's Apprentice

Module 6: The Midwife's Apprentice

Book Summary:

An orphaned girl is taken in by the village midwife. She begins as a basic drudge: doing chores, carrying supplies, and running errands. As she goes along, she begins to acquire some skills by watching the midwife at her craft and a name: Alyce. One day, Alyce is called for instead of the midwife, but is unable to help the mother deliver the baby and when the midwife steps in, Alyce flees the village. She finds work at an inn where she resides and works happily until her calling comes to her in the form of a pregnant woman staying at the inn who needs her help. After helping deliver the baby, Alyce realizes she is still a midwife's apprentice and returns to her true calling.

APA Reference of Book:

Cushman, K. (1995). The midwife's apprentice. New York, NY: Harper Collins Children's Books.

Impressions:

The novel provided an excellent view of what life may have been like for an orphaned girl growing up in medieval times and trying to find an occupation. Since the majority of people did not go to school, becoming an apprentice was how a person learned an occupation in order to have a livelihood. In the back of the novel, an author's note relates a brief history of midwives. From this note, it seems the author did an excellent job of relating some of both the successes and failures of medieval midwives. Alyce's point of view simplifies the understanding of midwifery for an elementary age reader, but also presents a number of issues that are more complex than just a baby appearing from nowhere. Not only did we learn about Alyce becoming a midwife, but we see what a typical diet would be like, what few conveniences that people did have and an overall understanding of what daily life would have been like.

The author utilized each chapter of the story to provide a different snippet of Alyce's day-to-day life. For me at least, this was a great way to provide information in portions so that I was able to take it in. Each chapter built on the previous one and all the pertinent was neatly packaged together. The reader can see Alyce's knowledge and understanding of the world around her growing in leaps and bounds. As the end of the novel draws near, Alyce grows confident in her abilities and makes a decision to pursue a livelihood that she has an aptitude for. This is definitely a book showcasing the growth of a female main character and while it is historical fiction, I think there are a lot of issues in the book that present day girls can relate to.

Professional Review:

The Midwife's Apprentice

Karen Cushman

122 pp. Clarion/Houghton 3/95 ISBN 0-395-69929-6 10.95

In a sharply realistic novel of medieval England by the author of Catherine, Called Birdy (Clarion), a homeless, hungry orphan girl called Beetle is discovered trying to keep warm in a pile of dung by the village midwife. The midwife, Jane Sharp, takes Beetle in to work as a servant for little food, barely adequate shelter, and cutting words. To Beetle, however, it is a step upward. The midwife is far from compassionate, but she is, for her times, a good midwife. Beetle becomes interested in the work and watches Jane covertly as she goes about her business. Beetle also adopts a scraggly cat that she has saved from the village boys' cruel mistreatment, and she feeds it from her own inadequate meals. As Beetle grows and learns, she begins to gain some hard-won self-esteem, and renames herself Alyce. She becomes more accepted by the villagers and is sometimes asked for advice. On one occasion she employs her common sense and compassion to successfully manage a difficult delivery when Jane Sharp is called away. Jane is far from pleased; she wants no rivals and is angered when a woman in labor asks specifically for Alyce. But Alyce finds she knows less than she thought, and Jane must be called in to save the mother. Alyce, in despair and humiliation, takes her cat and runs away. She spends some time working at an inn, where she learns a good deal more about herself and the world. At last she admits to herself that what she wants most is to become a midwife, and she returns to Jane. The brisk and satisfying conclusion conveys the hope that the self-reliant and finally self-respecting Alyce will find her place in life. The graphic and convincing portrayals of medieval life and especially the villagers given to superstition, casual cruelty, and duplicity — afford a fascinating view of a far distant time.

Flowers, A. A. (1995). [Review of the book The midwife's apprentice, by K. Cushman]. Horn Book Magazine, 71(4), 465. Retrieved from: http://www.hbook.com/horn-book-magazine-2/

Library Uses:

Add to a list of suggested titles for middle school teachers to incorporate as part of their lessons when covering history and what it might have been like as a child to grow up and find an occupation.

Module 6: Dandelions

Module 6: Dandelions

Book Summary:

Dandelions is a historical fiction picture book depicting one family's journey to their new homestead in the Nebraska territory. The story shows how pioneers helped settle the westward frontier of America. A little girl named Zoe traveling west relates her journey by covered wagon: sleeping under the stars and crossing rivers with the oxen, coming to their claim and building a house, and clearing and planting land. She is excited for a trip into town with her father to pick up necessary supplies and on the trip, she is surprised by the amount of people and things appearing on the western frontier. On the way back, she spots a clump of dandelions that they transport back to their homestead and plant on the sod roof with the hope that their bright yellow color will always show the way home.

APA Reference of Book:

Bunting, E. (1995). Dandelions. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace & Company.

Impressions:

Dandelions is an excellent portrayal of the challenges and successes faced by the pioneers settling the expanding westward frontier. Told from a child's point of view, the story is candid and does not just gloss over the issues and problems but instead relates them in terms a child can understand and empathize with. For example, Zoe says "sometimes a river was easy to cross and sometimes hard" , river crossings could be incredibly dangerous but Zoe doesn't say it in a way meant to scare children, but she does relate in a way that lets the reader know that river crossings could cause problems. Zoe overhears her father one night explaining to her mother that he can make a much better life for his family here than he could have back in Illinois. Zoe mentions that she feels sorry for her father, who seems to be pleading with her mother. Life on the frontier was difficult and lonely and for women especially, it was difficult to leave family, friends and comforts behind to move into the unknown.

However, there are moments of hope, happiness, and triumph. Going into town provided Zoe with a plethora of sights, sounds, and smells which were so different from the lonely quiet of their land. She is excited to relate everything to her little sister and mother who stayed behind. Finding the dandelions is a pivotal moment for Zoe who sees herself in the clump of dandelions adrift in the flat lands of Nebraska. Taking the dandelions back to their homestead to plant on their sod roof, Zoe has hope that her mother will never worry about her being lost again. The last illustration of the book is a home tucked among the fields with a brilliantly yellow roof, covered with the transplanted dandelions that took root there. This is meant to reflect Zoe's family's success in being transplanted and putting down roots. This was a very clever way to incorporate the issues of loneliness and perseverance that pioneers faced and triumphed over in a way children could easily empathize with.

Professional Review:

It would be hard to come up with a tale of western settlers that's not a cliche, but Bunting (Spying on Miss Muller, p. 553, etc.) has done it. She takes a look at a pioneer woman, seen through the sympathetic eyes of her daughter, Zoe. While Zoe's father is challenged by the prospect of building a sod house on his turf, his pregnant wife is obviously homesick, and the prairie offers little solace: The view never changes, there are few neighbors, the closest town is a day's journey. In the gift of a miraculous patch of dandelions dug up from the roadside, Zoe hopes to cheer her mother (for a book for older readers, with a similar theme, see the review of Jennifer Armstrong's Black-Eyed Susan, above). Of the re-rooting of the dandelions, her mother says, "Don't expect a miracle, Zoe. It will take time." The last page shows the sod house crowned by a roof of gold. Shed (Staton Rabin's Casey Over There, 1994) creates scenes that makes this family larger-than-life; they capture the baked yellow heat of summer, and the golden weed that represents home. A memorable book, for the way its characters struggle with unhappiness, and slowly overcome it. (Picture book. 5-10)

Dandelions (2010). [Review of the book Dandelions, by E. Bunting]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses:

Have a history themed story-time for older readers of picture books and use this book. Serve licorice sticks and for the craft, make a basic lavender sachet.

Module 5: The City of Ember

Module 5: The City of Ember

Book Summary:

Ember was built was built to be the perfect, self-sustaining city, and though it was stranded in the middle of eternal darkness, it was always kept lit by the large floodlights throughout the city and a generator beneath the city that provided the power to keep everything functioning. However, the blackouts are happening more often and for longer periods of time. Supplies are running perilously low and crops are failing. With no way to carry light and no place to go, the community of Ember seems doomed to oblivion. However when Lina finds pieces of a mysterious old message in her closet, she wonders if the words may be the key to escaping Ember and finding their way to another world. With the help of Doon who explores the pipe-works beneath the city, they decode the message and find a way to escape to a fabled place of safety and light.

APA Reference of Book:

DuPrau, J. (2003). The city of ember. New York, NY: Random House Children’s Books.

Impressions:

With so many dystopias filling the young adult genre, it was nice to find one that broke away from many of the stereotypes. First of all, it started out in decay. It had once been the perfect society that many dystopias seem to have on the surface, but when the novel starts, the city of Ember that had always had plenty starts running out of the vital supplies that had once filled the storerooms to the brim. In many novels the society starts out as perfection and decays as the novel progresses, but this novel started with a society that was already scared and functioning on very little. Secondly, the novel was written with a younger reading audience in mind. The idea of the dystopia and a perfect yet not at all perfect society came across clearly but more simply and with less complex or mature themes than are usually found in high school level dystopian books. In the midst of this decaying society, we had not one protagonist but two! While many books have a main character and some secondary supporting characters, this novel had two active main characters driving the action.

As Ember was a city built to be completely self-sustaining underground and has been around for generations, it is interesting to see how things would have changed for this society. There is no understanding of the concept of a sky or a sun or what might lie beyond the darkness that permeates their community. When the generator fails, there is nothing but darkness. The author does an excellent job setting up this hypothetical community in a future where at one point it became unsafe to live on the world of the surface. This idea of moving the human population to a safe place due to environmental hazards seems to be its own sub-genre within the dystopian genre. For example, books such as Under the Never Sky by Veronica Roth and The Maze Runner by James Dashner also consider this possibility.

Professional Review:

This promising debut is set in a dying underground city. Ember, which was founded and stocked with supplies centuries ago by “The Builders,” is now desperately short of food, clothes, and electricity to keep the town illuminated. Lina and Doon find long-hidden, undecipherable instructions that send them on a perilous mission to find what they believe must exist: an exit door from their disintegrating town. In the process, they uncover secret governmental corruption and a route to the world above. Well-paced, this contains a satisfying mystery, a breathtaking escape over rooftops in darkness, a harrowing journey into the unknown and cryptic messages for readers to decipher. The setting is well-realized with the constraints of life in the city intriguingly detailed. The likable protagonists are not only courageous but also believably flawed by human pride, their weaknesses often complementing each other in interesting ways. The cliffhanger ending will leave readers clamoring for the next installment. (Fiction. 9-13)

The city of Ember. (2010). [Review of the book The city of Ember, by J. DuPrau]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses:

Have middle school students in a book club discuss other, possibly better solutions for the survival of humanity during an environmental crisis.

Add to a list of dystopian novels suitable for the younger side of young adults.

Module 5: Book of a Thousand Days

Module 5: Book of a Thousand Days

Book Summary:

After the death of her mother, Dashti leaves her home on the plains to seek work in the city. She is unexpectedly able to find work as a lady’s maid due to her knowledge of the Mucker healing songs and wide breadth of skills. She is assigned to the Lady Saren, who is soon to be shut in a tower for 7 years because she refuses to marry the man her father has chosen. Dashti voluntarily goes into seclusion with her mistress and keeps a log of their days in the tower. From temperature extremes to supply issues as well as the arrival of Saren’s suitors outside the tower, Dashti has a lot to contend with. She definitely was not planning on falling in love with one of the suitors. When the girls finally free themselves of the tower, only to find themselves in the midst of devastation, it is Dashti who was the willpower and fortitude to guide them to another land and accomplish great deeds in an effort to serve her mistress; when in the end, it is Dashti who vanquishes the tyrant who has oppressed their lands and marries the Lord who was originally courting Saren.

APA Reference:

Hale, S. (2007). Book of a thousand days. New York, NY: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books.

Impressions:

I was very impressed with the character of Dashti. I think she is an excellent role model for young girls. She may seem to be only a maid, but her thoughts are revealed through the entries in the journal. The reader can see how strong her convictions are and her constant struggle to do what is right, learning to balance her beliefs with her struggles in the world. When Lady Saren orders her to do things she is feeling scared about and/or not sure of, she attempts to be the obedient maid, but at times, she will take the necessary action to save their lives or ensure their survival. As the novel goes on, Lady Saren is revealed to be quite cowardly and has difficulty dealing with day-to-day life. Dashti attempts to bolster her mistress’ courage but instead ends up living for herself and shaping her own destiny, away from that of Lady Saren’s.

I was also impressed with Hale’s Eight Realms and her creation of Muckers and their culture. The healing songs that Dashti is so well versed in are important to key movements of the plotline but there are so many hints and anecdotes about Mucker culture throughout the novel that it is clear Hale has put a lot and effort into her world-building. When Dashti speaks to Saren’s suitor, Lord Khan Tegus, she accuses him of having skinny ankles, which is revealed to be a friendly insult among the Muckers. It is these moments in the novel where the Hale’s thoroughness in creating a culture, its traditions, its values and even its little just shines through. While the healing songs are not said to be overtly magical, Dashti’s are said by many characters, other Muckers included, to be more effective than any others they have heard before. This implies perhaps a subtle magic at work, but it is not overpowering

Professional Review:

Dashti, a poor, orphaned peasant girl with healing powers, is offered a choice on her first day as maid to Lady Saren: she can return to her life as a peasant, or she can agree to accompany Lady Saren on a seven-year imprisonment in a tower. Dazzled by the opportunity to serve one of the fabled Ancestors, Dashti chooses the tower, and the two women are walled up and left to their fate. Lady Saren's crimes include refusing to marry the vicious and foul Lord Khasar and making a clandestine engagement with Khan Tegus instead. Both men visit the tower, but Lady Saren refuses to speak to them, ordering Dashti to impersonate her. Dashti is mystified, but her conversations with Khan Tegus become too enticing to give up, and she ends up falling in love with her mistress' khan. After two years, the women manage to find a way out only to discover that Lord Khasar has laid waste to Lady Saren's city, and he is advancing on Khan Tegus'. Ever enterprising and determined despite the inexplicable passivity of her mistress, Dashti manages to get them into Khan Tegus' house as servants and eventually, through a blend of meek obedience and fatalistic courage, finds a way to defeat Lord Khasar and attain her heart's desire. Hale handily revises the Grimm brothers' "Maid Maleen" to create her own compelling story of a hard-working girl who gets what she deserves. The narrative is told through Dashti's illustrated journals, where her naïve virtue is immediately apparent and her wit, warmth, and good sense continue to charm readers as her story becomes more harrowing and suspenseful. Lord Khasar is revealed to be the stuff of nightmares, but Khan Tegus is straight 

out of a young girl's dreams, so readers will be drawn to the romance as well as the adventure.

Coats, K. (2007). [Review of the book Book of a thousand days, by S. Hale]. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 61(2), 88. Retrieved from: http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/

Library Uses:

Add to a reading list of books written in journal form that aren't part of a series.

Add to a list of novels that are based on fairy tales.

Module 4: 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Module 4: 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Book Summary: 

Virginia "Ginny" Blackstone would consider herself a typical high school student, maybe a little more klutzy and shy side of things. However, that fact seems to fly out the window when she receives a letter from her recently deceased aunt instructing her alone to head for Europe with only the items she can fit in a backpack, no money, no electronics and only a set of 13 little blue envelopes to guide her on her journey. At first, the directions seem bizarre and random, instructing Ginny to complete certain tasks and visit certain locations. However, as she travels, Ginny not only unravels the mystery of her aunt's sudden disappearance, cancer diagnosis, and death; Ginny also discovers the joy and passion of her aunt's life and accomplishments. Along the way, Ginny is surprised to discover that she is not only learning about Aunt Peg, she is learning a lot about herself in the process.

APA Reference of Book:

Johnson, M. (2005). 13 little blue envelopes. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Impressions:

I have to come right out and say that I realize this book had flaws and they were noticeable. There was minimal character development and a lot of the things that happened are a pretty far stretch even for realistic fiction. However, regardless of that, I think this book still had a lot to offer and I enjoyed it. As a result of the little blue envelopes, Ginny accomplished a lot of things and learned a lot: about her aunt, herself and what she wants out of life. The things that the envelopes prompted her to do were often out of her comfort zone and without any guides or crutches, she was forced to rely on herself to do them. This is a valuable lesson to any reader, even though the situation itself is rather farfetched. As the aunt who designed the challenge knew Ginny well, there is nothing required of her that is out of her realm of accomplishment. .

I enjoyed the character of Aunt Peg. Although it was sad that I ended the book knowing more about her than her niece Ginny who was the main character of the story. However Aunt Peg is the driving force behind the plot: she designed the 13 little blue envelopes and her story is unfolding each time Ginny opens an envelope. We see her touch in every locale that Ginny visits and we watch as Ginny understands the erratic behavior of her aunt's life that she could never make sense of before. Aunt Peg seems like the quintessential free spirit but she has many of her own secrets that come to light after her death. I found it touching that even as she was dying, she was driven to prepare everything for those she would leave behind, not only to comfort them in their grief, but to continue helping them grow, just as Peg would have if she were still alive.

Professional Review:

Ginny's eccentric aunt Peg has died and left her seventeen-year-old niece with a strange legacy: a modest budget and thirteen blue envelopes containing various instructions that send Ginny on a life-changing, highly unorthodox peregrination around Europe. Ginny's journey brings the serendipitous encounters her aunt had hoped (a budding romance with a young playwright, some staunch comrades of the road), some rougher but realistic experiences (an aggressive male pursuer in Rome, a thief of her belongings in Corfu), and finally a greater understanding not just of herself but also her complicated aunt. The story is perforce rather traveloguish, but in a pleasing way: knowledgeable readers will relish the confirmation of their expertise as they encounter familiar aspects of London and Paris, Copenhagen and Rome, while others will simply luxuriate in vicarious voyaging. Ginny is a [End Page 99] sympathetic everygirl, convinced "everyone else's life was more interesting than hers" and aware of the broadening of her horizons while remaining capable of being tired, irritable, and overwhelmed by weeks of strange places and dirty clothes; the supporting cast, both rotating and recurring, provides patches of believable yet enticing color. Johnson's style is comradely and ruefully humorous, inviting both strictly armchair travelers and wannabe world voyagers to accompany Ginny on her life-changing journey.

Stevenson, D. (2005). [Review of the book 13 little blue envelopes, by M. Johnson]. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 59 (2), 99-100. doi: 10.1353/bcc.2005.0172

Library Uses:

Add to a reading list of teen fiction with the subject of traveling, during or after high school.

Host a contest for teen patrons of the library to create their own 13 little blue envelopes challenge for their hometown or possibly a dream vacation.

Module 4: Junonia

Module 4: Junonia

Book Summary:

Alice Rice leaves her home in snowy Wisconsin and visits the Florida seashore every year on a weekly vacation that always falls around her birthday. As an avid shell collector, she looks forward to beachcombing and looks forward to the day when she finds her very own Junonia shell. Alice is certain that this year will be the most perfect and most lucky because she is turning ten years old. However upon arrival at the seashore, all her plans seem ruined. The usual children have not come, her favorite neighbor is snowed in and can't make it, and her usually doting aunt brings her new boyfriend and his bratty six year old daughter. Her parents still try to make the vacation special for her, but Alice is beginning to mature and learns a lot about the ways of the world in this one week. As Alice copes with the changes in her vacation plans, she learns a lot about growing up and that ten years old may be an even bigger milestone that she had ever believed.

APA Reference of Book:

Henkes, K. (2011). Junonia. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Impressions:

This novel focused on the subjects of maturity and growing up. Alice believes that turning ten years old is a big deal because of the significance of it, double digits. However as the story unfolds, Alice sees her maturity and how she has grown up in comparison to Mallory, the whiny six year old who intrudes on Alice's vacation. Despite the hurt feelings and anger Alice harbors toward Mallory for most of the book, at the end, it is with understanding that Alice views Mallory's family situation. Alice willingly sends part of her birthday gift to the younger girl to comfort her, something she almost certainly wouldn't have done earlier in the novel.

Another interesting part of the novel is Alice's interest in shells. She dreams of the day she will find her very own Junonia shell. She has found hundreds of other shells and now has a keen eye, only selecting the best materials to take home. She has seen Junonia shells at the store but she wants to find her very own. Near the end, she believes she has found one but it turns out that it was planted by a neighbor who had hurt Alice's feelings. However, he couldn't deal with the guilt of knowing it was not truly her find and confesses that to her. Alice's understanding of the situation is not that of a child, it is that of an adolescent. She doesn't throw a tantrum or get angry; she goes quietly into her room and puzzles out the issue in her head. This example is just one of many showing Alice's growth over the course of the novel.

Professional Review:

Every February, Alice and her family leave their wintry Wisconsin home for the

sunny shores of Florida on a week-long vacation that usually falls right around Alice’s

birthday. This year is going to be extra special as Alice turns ten, and she’s looking

forward to celebrating with her fellow snowbird neighbors, whom she considers to

be her extended family. From the minute she arrives, however, things are different:

Mr. and Mrs. Wishmeier’s grandchildren won’t be visiting due to school, another

friend is snowed in back in New York, and Aunt Kate—Alice’s favorite relative—is

bringing her boyfriend and his spoiled six-year-old daughter, Mallory. Perfectly

capturing a girl on the verge of adolescence, Henkes offers up a quiet and, at times,

almost mournful tale about the loss of simple childhood magic and the inevitable

arrival of adulthood. Well loved and sheltered, Alice is just beginning to peek out

at a world beyond her parents’ arms, and what she finds is both exhilarating and

unnerving. The independence, for example, to search the beach for shells by herself

is wonderful, but the specter of loneliness and abandonment, as represented by

Mallory and her wayward mother, weighs heavily upon a thoughtful Alice. The

story ends on a hopeful note as Alice steps into her role as the older, wiser child

through her friendship with Mallory, but an underlying thread of grief, simple and

unaffected, remains palpable even at the conclusion. Readers who find themselves

reluctant to leave behind the comforts of familiarity, even as they yearn for freedom

and excitement, will readily relate to Alice’s dilemma. Black-and-white line drawings

gently textured with hatching open each chapter. KQG

Quealy-Gainer, K. (2011). [Review of the book Junonia, by K. Henkes]. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 64(10), 472. Retrieved from: http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/

Library Uses:

Make the book part of a suggested reading list for children transitioning to adolescence.

Showcase the book along with a shell collection as part of a display about collecting/collections.

Module 3: Missing May

Module 3: Missing May

Book Summary:

When Summer's mother passed away, she was passed from family member to family member who didn't want to keep her. Finally May and OB visited her and took her home the very same day. For six years, they lived in bliss in their small trailer in West Virginia until the day May passed away. Daily life for Ob and Summer becomes a struggle as they attempt to figure out how to go on after their tragic loss. Surprisingly, it is the annoying boy from Summer's seventh grade class that provides them with a possible solution to their problem and wiggles his way into their daily lives. A road trip provides them with answers, but not the ones they were expecting. Arriving home, Summer sees an owl and is reminded of a similar experience with May. This is the trigger that releases the grief she has been holding back. As Ob and Summer accept their grief, they begin to rebuild their lives remembering May fondly rather than continuing to grieve her loss.

APA Reference of Book:

Rylant, Cynthia. (2002). Missing May. New York, NY: Orchard Books.

Impressions:

In the most simple of explanations, Missing May is a story about grief. Summer has known grief before so it doesn't surprise her when it comes around again. She is able to at least go through the motions of life when May but not so for Uncle Ob. He begins to almost fade away. He usually woke up early everyday and he oversleeps one morning, which really signals to both himself and Summer that he has given up. Summer is resigned to the fact that she is going to lose Ob too. "I had been dreading Ob's death for so long that in my mind I practically had the coffin picked out and which tie he'd wear."

Rylant does an excellent job expressing the raw emotions and feelings of grief. It is told in a way that anyone can relate to, child or adult. Grief is not static, it is a process that Rylant uses Summer to explain in the most simple of terms, relating to other feelings and experiences for those who haven't encountered it. Not only does Rylant chronicle the process, but she shows how coping mechanisms can vary from person to person and that the grief process is never over. Missing May is a great way to approach the topics of love, grief and coping with loss but not only that, it is story anyone of any age can enjoy and let tug on their heartstrings.

Professional Review:

A gifted writer returns to one of her favorite themes--love- -in this case, as it can inform and transform grief. After her mother's death, Summer was handed from one unwilling relative to another, ``treated like a homework assignment somebody was always having to do.'' At six, she was taken in by an elderly uncle and aunt. Ob had a game leg (WW II) and enjoyed creating unusual whirligigs; May liked gardening behind their West Virginia trailer. They loved each other with a deep and abiding love, wholeheartedly including Summer. Now, six years later, May has died. In a poetic, ruminative narrative, Summer recounts Ob's mounting depression, his growing conviction that May is still present, and their expedition to find ``Miriam B. Conklin: Small Medium at Large.'' Meanwhile, they've been befriended by Cletus, an odd, bright boy in Summer's class; she doesn't especially value his company, but is intrigued by his vocabulary (``surreal''; ``Renaissance Man'') and his offhand characterization of her as a writer. The quest seems to fail- -Reverend Conklin has died--but on the way home Ob finally puts aside his grief to take the two young people to the state capitol as promised: ``Right out of the blue, he wanted to live again.'' Rylant reveals a great deal about her four characters, deftly dropping telling details from the past into her quiet story--including a glimpse of Summer, as seen by a girl in her class, ``like some sad welfare case,'' a description the reader who has read her thoughts will know to be gloriously untrue. A beautifully written, life-affirming book. (Fiction. 11+)

Missing May (2010). [Review of the book Missing May, by C. Rylant]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses:

Include the book on a suggested reading list of difficult topics (ie death, grief) for children.

Use the book in a middle school reading club. Ask members to bring in their own artistic interpretations of Ob's whirligig themes (fire, Spring, light, etc.)

Module 3: Talkin' About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman

Module 3: Talkin' About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman

Book Summary:

Talkin' About Bessie tells the story of Elizabeth Coleman, who became the first African-American female pilot. The story is told through a series of imagined anecdotes from a variety of people who would have known Bessie, ranging from members of her family to field hands to flight and school instructors. The stories and memories related by those that knew her give the reader a sense that they are getting to know what this woman was truly like and the actual impact her actions had on history.

APA Reference of Book:

Grimes, N. (2002). Talkin' about Bessie: The story of aviator Elizabeth Coleman. New York, NY: Orchard Books.

Impressions:

Talkin' About Bessie was far more compelling and interesting than I expected it to be. Usually I find biographical stories boring and tedious, just relaying the facts of life and great accomplishments in a nonfiction format. However, this story made you feel like you were at a funeral or celebration of life (in a good way, not a depressing way), all sharing stories and great memories about someone you had all known in some capacity. Each person shared a memory of something she had said or done, or some little quirk about her personality that had led her to make great strides for African-Americans in the aviation industry in a time where segregation and Jim Crow laws still heavily affected daily life.

I enjoyed the illustrations in the book as well. There was one accompanying each person's anecdote and they usually focused on one aspect of what the person was saying about Bessie. Some were particularly poignant such as the jelly jars full of pennies she saved to pay for her education and Bessie in the background hanging up laundry, really helping the reader understand how different life would have been for Bessie Coleman and what a struggle it was for her to gain the basic things many of us take for granted today.

Professional Review:

KIRKUS REVIEW

“Brave Bessie Coleman,” the first black woman in the world to earn a pilot’s license, has been the subject of several recent picture book biographies: (Fly, Bessie, Fly, by Lynn Joseph, 1998; Fly High!, by Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger, 2001; Nobody Owns the Sky, by Reeve Lindbergh, 1996). Grimes takes an unusual, fictionalized approach to portraying this determined, undaunted woman who made aviation history. She recreates the voices of 20 people who supposedly knew Bessie, expressing their point of view in a free-verse format. Each double spread has the person’s monologue with his or her name or role running down the edge of the page with a cameo drawing like a photo at the top; opposite is a full-page illustration in Lewis’s typical style that strikingly adds dimension and context to the times and the woman. From her father, who left the large family in Texas, to sisters to flight instructor to news reporter to young fan, the monologue device succeeds somewhat in piecing together a portrait of this woman who braved hardships of both poverty and prejudice. Her dream was to open an aviation school for African-Americans, but a plane crash in 1926 ended her life at age 34. The handsome design, large format, and beautiful artwork make this very attractive, but the lack of source notes or clarification of what’s fictionalized—especially quotes—and the strange opening scene set at Bessie’s wake as she speaks to her mother from her photo on the mantel, will leave many readers confused. (Picture book. 8-10)

Talkin' about Bessie (2010). [Review of the book Talkin' about Bessie: The story of aviator Elizabeth Coleman, by N. Grimes]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses:

Make the book part of an event/program for children to learn about people who were pioneers for just about anything: occupations, women's rights, etc.

Use the book in a display in the children's area during February (Black History Month).

Module 2: The Orphan

Module 2: The Orphan

Book Summary:

The Orphan is a retelling of the classic fairy tale Cinderella, in which the authors drew inspiration from similar tales in Greek. A young girl who was well loved by her parents is essentially orphaned when her mother passes away and her father remarries. Her stepmother and stepsisters mistreated her and one night, she makes a plea on her mother's grave for help. She is bestowed with gifts by Mother Nature, not only beautiful things to wear but attributes such as brilliance and beauty as well. In Cinderella-style, the Prince gains a glimpse of her but is unable to catch her when she flees due to a time limit on her gifts. At the next event, the Prince strives to catch her using honey and wax laid on the church's threshold but instead traps only a shoe, which leads to the traditional "find the maiden who fits the shoe". The Prince is reunited with the orphan and they are incredibly happy together and end up getting married.

APA Reference of Book:

Manna, A. L., & Mitakidou, S. (2011). The orphan. New York, NY: Schwartz & Wade Books.

Impressions:

The Orphan was a very enjoyable and slightly varied Greek version of the Cinderella tale. The first thing that grabbed my attention on every page were the colors of the illustrations. The illustrator Giselle Potter did an excellent job picking colors that really reflected not only the emotions evoked by the drawings and words on the pages but also just giving the story an overall Greek/ Mediterranean feel. On the page where the orphan cries on her mother's grave, everything is so dark, the despair feels almost palpable which is in stark contrast to the next page which is alight with the brilliant colors of the sun and Mother Nature as the orphan receives her gifts. The cobblestone streets and furniture of the background as well as the grape leaves bordering the pages give the feel of old Europe. While the story was excellent, the illustrations were phenomenal!

In this version, the gifts are bestowed by Mother Nature rather than a fairy godmother and the Prince sees the orphan at a church service rather than a royal ball, the overall tale of Cinderella is the same. The moral that goodness prevails over selfishness is still clearly prevalent and the orphan receives her happy ending and just reward for persevering in the face of her hardships. It was also nice to see the title "Cinderella" character being a little more proactive than your typical princess-to-be character and taking charge of her own destiny. She asks for help and receives it and heeds the instructions given in return for the help. A much better lesson than waiting for your prince to come. Overall, an excellent read that I would definitely recommend for early elementary school age.

Professional Review:

"A child becomes an orphan when she loses her mother," goes the Greek saying, and that's precisely what happens to the unnamed heroine in this Greek version of the Cinderella tale. The tale has the familiar elements of stepmother and stepsisters and a handsome prince, but it's Mother Nature who confers the fancy outfits and it's a church service at which the orphan sports them and wins the heart of the prince. When she returns to the church the next week, the wily prince spreads honey and wax on the church's threshold and traps the fleeing orphan's shoe, resulting in the classic fit-the-slipper-to-the-maiden drama. The piquant differences from the Perrault and Grimm Cinderella versions (the orphan also distracts the villagers with gold coins while she escapes and rides a white horse created from a cloud) and the friendly, conversational voice will seem fresh and engaging to young audiences who have been over-saturated with Disney-fied tales. Potter's signature folk artish watercolor illustrations are a perfect fit for the folkloric Greek setting and characters, and her black-haired heroine is an appropriately Mediterranean version. Potter is particularly effective at evoking emotion with her images: the spread depicting the orphan receiving her gifts simply radiates joy. This would be a useful for a lesson in comparative literature, as a readaloud, and for storytellers looking for new versions of old tales. It's unfortunate that there's no note, so it's not clear whether this is a traditional Greek version or an original tale that happens to be set in Greece. [End Page 157]

Hulick, J. (2011). [Review of the book The orphan, by A. Manna & S. Mitakidou]. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 65(3), 157. Retrieved from: http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/

Library Uses:

This book would make for a fun comparison exercise with early elementary age readers. After reading both books, they could point out the similarities and differences between this telling of the story and the more traditional versions they have heard/seen before or another version of the Cinderella tale.

Include this book in a display of fairy tales and all their various versions. It would be fun to show all the different incarnations of Cinderella for example so people can see how many different ways the same story has been imagined.