The Tequila Worm

Canales, Viola. 2005. THE TEQUILA WORM. New York: Random House Children's Books. ISBN 0385909055.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Viola Canales' first novel is a delightful look into the life of a young Mexican-American girl named Sofia. The men, women, and children in The Tequila Worm are drawn with great care to develop them fully into believable, easily recognizable characters. Sofia and her adoring younger sister, Lucy, live in a tidy house in a barrio in McAllen, Texas with their mother and father. The family dynamic is one of love and support for each other, their extended family, and their neighbors.

Each chapter in the book is presented as a vignette; a situation, event, or occasion that provides the reader with a peek into the lives of the characters, revealing their true natures and their feelings for each other. Colorful descriptions make the characters come alive. "Clara had a square face on top of a big round body, and the biggest eyes and the widest mouth: she was especially proud of her catfish mouth, which she painted scarlet. She wore a big black onyx tongue around her neck" (p. 1). Thus we are introduced to Clara, the storyteller in the very first chapter. The themes of strong family ties and respect and support for others flows from the day to day interactions of Sofia, Lucy, their cousin, Berta, and their parents. Once childhood rivals, Sofia and Berta grow close enough to become comadres, or "Someone who makes people into a family" (p. 5). When Sofia is given an opportunity to attend a boarding school in Austin, she gets help with her wardrobe from Berta, an accomplished seamstress. In turn, Sofia helps Berta prepare for her quinceanera.

The author sprinkles Spanish words and phrases in an unobtrusive way throughout the book to bring the barrio to life. References to the sobremesa, a time after dinner for the family to share, and the canicula, the forty days between July fourteenth and August twenty-fourth, are just two examples of this practice. The use of the Spanish words for grandmother(abuelita), waltz (vals), and witch (burja), are a few examples that add a Latin flavor to Sofia's story and enhances the barrio setting.

Strong family ties, and a solid grounding in the barrio community, give Sofia the courage to attend boarding school far from home, endure discrimination and bullying, cope with the death of her father, and aspire to college and law school.

AWARDS

Pura Belpre Award 2006

ALA Notable Books for Children 2006

PEN Center USA West Literary Awards 2006

REVIEW EXCERPTS

"Readers of all backgrounds will easily connect with Sofia as she grows up, becomes a comadre, and helps rebuild the powerful, affectionate community that raised her." - Booklist

"Touching on elements of mysticism but never allowing conventions or symbols to detract from her characters, Canales creates a delightfully stirring first novel." - Voice of Youth Advocates

BOOK HOOK

>Visit the blog, Latina YA, at http://latinaya.blogspot.com to learn more about literature for young Latinas including author biographies, book reviews, and discussion groups.

>Learn more about Mexican-American customs, like the quinceanera, the Day of the Dead celebration, and the Christmas nacimiento. Compare these with similar practices in Western, European, African and other cultures.

My Heartbeat

Freymann-Weyr, Garret. 2003. MY HEARTBEAT. New York: Penguin Group (USA), Inc. ISBN 0142400661.


CRITICAL ANALYSIS

My Heartbeat is a character-driven story about a fourteen-year-old girl, her family, and her first crush. Ellen McConnell's life is comfortable and secure. She lives in New York City with her parents and her older brother, Link. Her parents are busy, hard-working, successful people who want the best for their children. The McConnells support their children's interests and activities and work hard to provide advantages like special classes for Link, the family math genius. Ellen's father nurtures her mind by suggesting books for her to read. She believes that he is a frustrated teacher at heart. Ellen is introspective and prefers to socialize with Link and his best friend, James. They rollerblade, read books, play backgammon, and watch foreign films with subtitles. She makes it a point to be unobtrusive so that they will accept her participation.

Although she is a solid student in school, her parents are told that, "Ellen exhibits an unwillingness to form any firm social attachments" (p. 22). She resolves to make a fresh start when she moves up to Cedar Hill prep school and makes an attempt to socialize with the other girls. Conversations with her classmates usually revolve around James and Link and her close proximity to them. One day Ellen is taken aback when Laurel says that her sister Polly, "thinks it's too obvious he (James) doesn't have time for girls"(p. 26). Ellen has a fierce crush on James, but is aware that at times Link and James do act like a couple. As the story progresses, each teen struggles with their own issues of parental expectations, sexual orientation, and personal desires.

Mr. McConnell and James encourage Ellen to develop her artistic ability. This provides an outlet for her creativity and a vehicle through which she can explore her thoughts about James, Link, and her parents. By the end of the book, Ellen has grown into a young woman who is more sure of herself and her relationships with those she loves. She says of herself, "Although I'm still in the process of meeting her, I've already decided to like her" (p. 154).

AWARDS

A Michael L. Printz Honor Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2002
A Booklist "Pick of the List"
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2002



REVIEW EXCERPTS
"A thoughtful approach to the many confusing signals that accompany awakening sexuality." - Publishers Weekly


"One of the standout qualities is the protagonist's fresh, vital voice." - The Horn Book

BOOK HOOK
>Visit the author's website at http://www.freymann-weyr.com/ to learn more about her and her other books.
>Read Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger, another Printz Award Honor Book about complicated family relationships and first love. Compare the characters and their relationships to those in My Heartbeat.

The Pigman

Zindel, Paul. 1968. THE PIGMAN. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 006026828X.


CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Although Paul Zindel's outstanding young adult novel, The Pigman, was published over forty years ago, the characters and themes are timeless and still resonate with readers today. John Conlan and Lorraine Jensen both come from homes where the parent/child relationship is strained. John lives in the shadow of his older brother who is married and works on Wall Street. In the words of Mrs. Conlan, "Kenneth never gave us any trouble" (p. 33). John is a very creative and attractive young man. He also drinks, smokes, and lies a lot. In his first year of high school, he was known as the "Bathroom Bomber". He perfected a method of delayed ignition which allowed him to be far from the bathroom by the time the bomb went off. Lorraine lives with her frazzled, hard-working mother, a private duty nurse. Her parents separated when Lorraine was a toddler, and her father died subsequently several years later. Zindel does not relegate the characterizations of the Conlans and Ms. Jensen to the background. They are revealed through anecdotes and conversations with their children. The foibles and eccentricities of the parents are integral to the personalities and quirks of John and Lorraine. John's father, "phonied up a car-insurance claim to get a hundred dollars..." (p. 29). His mother cleans compulsively and tells lies to salesclerks to get Green Stamps. Lorraine's mother steals from her patients and belittles and berates her daughter. In Lorraine's own words, "If I made a list of every comment she's made about me, you'd think I was a monstrosity" (p. 11). Secondary, supporting characters are given enough detail to be descriptive but not elaborate portrayals of teachers and classmates. The third main character is the Pigman himself, Mr. Angelo Pignati. He is the victim.


Zindel tells the story of John, Lorraine, and the Pigman from the point of view of the two young protagonists. John and Lorraine decide to record their experiences with Mr. Pignati in a "memorial epic". They take turns writing the chapters of the epic. This in effect gives the book two narrators who provide their own unique perspective on the events that take place. What starts out as a telephone prank leads eventually into a complicated, co-dependent relationship between the two teens and the Pigman. Mr. Pignati's loneliness is exploited by John and Lorraine to get money and things they want like roller skates, fancy food, and alcohol. A detail that reveals the age of this book is the discovery of a "small plastic card" by John in the Pigman's upstairs bedroom. John and Lorraine have never seen a credit card before (p. 83). An underlying theme of personal responsibility and accountability is revealed in the series of events that unfolds in The Pigman. John and Lorraine begin by tricking Mr. Pignati into making a donation to a non-existent charity they have invented. As time goes by, they spend time with him in his home and come to see him as a human being with feelings and emotions. The two lonely young people respond to Mr. Pignati's kindness and attention, elements that are absent in their homes. They continue, however, to take advantage of his generous nature while feeling occasional pangs of guilt. When Mr. Pignati is hospitalized following a health crisis, John and Lorraine host a raucus party in his house. He returns unexpectedly to find his home in total disarray. His young friends take responsibility for the mess and try to make it up to him by offering to clean the house and take him on an outing. The two remorseful teens and the lonely, disappointed old man go to the zoo to see Mr. Pignati's favorite animal, Bobo the baboon. Mr. Pignati had asked the teens to visit Bobo for him while he was in the hospital. When they get to the ape house they learn from a zookeeper that Bobo has died. Mr. Pignati has a heart attack and dies. John and Lorraine are stunned by the Pigman's death and must now live with the consequences of their selfishness. If they had visited Bobo as promised, they could have broken the news of his death to Mr. Pignati gently. Coupled with their guilt is the sorrow they feel for the loss of someone that they now recognize as a friend.

REVIEW EXCERPTS/ACCOLADES
An Outstanding Book of 1968 - The New York Times Book Review
"An intensely moving story of believably alienated young people." - Library Journal
"John and Lorraine, sophomores in high school, tell the tragic story of their friendship with a lonely old man whom they love and destroy." - Booklist

BOOK HOOK
>Lead a booktalk discussion about John's and Lorraine's relationship with their parents. Do kids today share some of the same communication issues with their parents? What about their relationship with Mr. Pignati? Can teens and older adults be friends? Why or why not?
>Read The Pigman and Me, a memoir by Paul Zindel to get an inside look at the inspiration for Mr. Pignati.

Advanced Literature for Young Adults-LS5623

Future posts to this blog will be reviews of books for young adults.

Hoot

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hiaasen, Carl. 2002. HOOT. New York: Random House Children's Books. ISBN 0-375-92181-8.

PLOT SUMMARY
Middle-schooler Roy Eberhardt has moved recently with his parents to Coconut Cove, Florida. Roy soon becomes the target of a much larger boy who bullies him at school and on the bus. One day Roy sees a barefoot boy running down the street and is determined to learn the boy's story. He discovers that the boy, whose stepsister attends Roy's school, is waging a one-man campaign against the construction of Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House on the site of a burrowing owl nesting area. Roy, with the help of his parents, classmates, other adults, and the barefoot boy, succeeds in halting the construction of the restaurant by revealing the presence of the burrowing owls, a protected species.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Carl Hiaasen's award-winning first effort at young adult fiction is populated with characters that exhibit typical middle-schooler behavior. There are bullies and victims, nerds and jocks, popular kids and the socially inept. The students' lives revolve around school work, sports, and friendships. The adults include parents, some caring and others neglectful , teachers, greedy corporate officials, and small town police officers. Roy Eberhardt, a recent transplant from Montana, is lonely and homesick for the mountains and open spaces he left behind. He loves and respects his parents and vows never to cause them any heartache. Intriguing events associated with the future construction site of a pancake house create tension and moments of hilarity for Roy, his new friend, Beatrice, and the "Public Safety Department" of Coconut Cove. Hiaasen establishes a contemporary setting for Hoot through references to ESPN and basketball teams like the Miami Heat.

The themes of loyalty, courage, friendship, and compassion for others are played out in this story of children banding together to protect a colony of burrowing owls. The subplot about Beatrice's dysfunctional family in contrast to Roy's loving relationship with his parents adds depth to the story and fleshes out these characters. Beatrice's stepbrother, Napolean, is a homeless runaway who wages a war of civil disobedience to stop the construction of a pancake house on the owls' nesting site. He is joined eventually by Roy, Beatrice, and other students from their school in a public protest that draws attention to the plight of the owls and shows that anyone, even kids can make a difference. Young readers will see themselves in one or more of the characters in Hoot and cheer the triumph of the owls over corporate greed.

AWARDS

ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Awards - 2003

Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Book Awards - 2003

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award - 2004

Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award - 2005

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Books in Canada: "Hiaasen delivers a powerful message in a wonderfully engaging fiction that is sure to get young readers thinking about what they can do too."

Booklist: "...the story is full of offbeat humor, buffoonish yet charming supporting characters, and genuinely touching scenes of children enjoying the wildness of nature."

CONNECTIONS
>Explore the environmental impact of a construction project in your area. What animals, plants, and water sources are effected?
>Learn more about the fate of the burrowing owls of southern Florida.
(See http://www.ecofloridamag.com/archived/burrowing_owls.htm )

Artemis Fowl

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Colfer, Eoin. 2001. ARTEMIS FOWL. New York: Miramax Books. ISBN 0-7868-0801-2.

PLOT SUMMARY
Artemis Fowl, twelve-year-old child prodigy and genius, uses his vast financial resources and keen intellect to gain access to a book that contains the secrets of "The People" - fairies, leprechauns, and trolls. He uses this knowledge to kidnap a fairy for ransom. The underground forces of the fairy community launch an attack on the Fowl family estate to rescue their comrade. They are outwitted and defeated by the clever Artemis and retreat to their realm deep within the Earth where they vow vengeance and retribution.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This engaging fantasy tale features two main characters, Artemis Fowl, a child with a soft spot for his mentally ill mother, and Holly Short, a female officer in the squad of LEPrecon, "an elite branch of the Lower Elements Police". Eoin Colfer fashions a story of intrigue, cunning, and courage that is populated by humans, the "Mud People", and fairies, "The People". These characters, human and fairy, display feelings and behaviors with which young readers will be able to identify. In his father's absence, Artemis assumes the responsibility for the welfare of his family, particularly his depressed mother. He wants to restore the family's wealth, but more than anything else he longs to restore his mother to mental health. He aches for the mother that no longer exists.

Eoin Colfer has created a world that incorporates familiar objects like computers, cars, and guns with detachable, gas-powered fairy wings and titanium travel pods propelled by thermal blasts from the Earth's core. The elements of fantasy and reality are interwoven into a believable world where the themes of loyalty, love, friendship, duty, courage, and sacrifice are played out. He touches on the issues of conservation and pollution by describing the contempt of the fairies for the "Mud People" and their abuse of the Earth. For example: the solution for the disposal of human waste in the form of indoor toilets, "...taking the fertile out of fertilizer,..." is especially disgusting to the fairies who prefer to return minerals directly back to the soil. The proclivities and distinct language of the two opposing factions help to define their respective worlds. The universality of the emotions of the fairies and humans exemplifies the commonalities between the two disparate groups and shows that beings who look very different can still be very much alike.

AWARDS

Galaxy British Book Awards - 2002

Massachusetts Children's Book Award - 2003

Young Reader's Choice Award - 2004

Garden State Teen Book Award - 2004

REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: "Colfer's anti-hero, techno fantasy is cleverly written and filled to the brim with action, suspense, and humor."

Library Journal: "Fun to read, full of action and humor, this is recommended for all public libraries and to readers of all ages."

CONNECTIONS
>Read the other books in the Artemis Fowl series.
>Visit Eoin Colfer's website at http://www.eoincolfer.com to learn more about the author and play the Artemis Fowl Inner Circle Game.

Looking for Alaska

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Green, John. 2005. LOOKING FOR ALASKA. New York: Dutton Books. ISBN 0-525-47506-0.

PLOT SUMMARY
Miles Halter, a sixteen-year-old only child, leaves behind his routine, lonely life in Florida to attend a boarding school in Birmingham, Alabama. He is drawn quickly into a circle of outsiders who delight in bucking the school system and playing pranks on the popular, rich kids. Miles develops a crush on the beautiful, brilliant, and troubled Alaska Young. One stormy night, Alaska leaves the campus abruptly and is killed in an automobile accident. Miles and his friends struggle with the possibility that Alaska committed suicide and contemplate their roles in this scenario. In time, they come to accept that they will never know the truth about Alaska's death and move on with their lives.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
John Green, in his first novel, creates memorable, believable characters who achieve tremendous emotional growth through their experiences at boarding school. Miles Halter's lonely, friendless existence is portrayed vividly in the first pages of Looking for Alaska. Only two classmates attend the going-away party that his parents insist on before his departure to the Culver Creek Preparatory School in Birmingham, Alabama. His roommate, the "Colonel", is a brilliant, scholarship student who smokes, drinks, and plans elaborate school pranks. The third main character, Alaska Young, is a bit of a mystery. She is a bookworm and according to Miles, "the hottest girl in all of human history." These three high school juniors engage in activities and use language that will be familiar to young adult readers. Green describes the boarding school grounds with wonderful details that bring the setting to life. The students have computers and drive their own cars, thus establishing a contemporary time setting. The school is coed which allows for the development of male and female characters and their relationships.

The narrator of the story is sixteen-year-old Miles. The author grabs the reader's attention and sets the stage for a pivotal event by labeling the chapters X number of days "before" and X number of days "after". The countdown to the event provides tension and suspense to the plot. Green explores the themes of alienation, loneliness, alcohol, sex, friendship, loyalty, guilt, and self-discovery through the natural unfolding of the story without preaching or judgment. Young adult and adult readers will find the story of Miles and his friends captivating and thought-provoking

AWARDS
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year - 2005

Michael L. Printz Award - 2006

Bluegrass Award - 2006

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Voice of Youth Advocates: "The anticipated favorable comparisons to Holden Caufield are richly deserved in this highly recommended addition to young adult literature."

Publishers Weekly (starred review): "...the novel's chief appeal lies in Miles' well-articulated lust and his initial excitement about being on his own for the first time."

CONNECTIONS
>Introduce this book in a young adult book club setting. Make a list of the main themes and discuss them.
>Read about John Green at http://www.sparksflyup.com/bio.php.

The Land

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Taylor, Mildred D. 2001. THE LAND. New York: Phyllis Fogelman Books. ISBN 0-8037-1950-7.

PLOT SUMMARY
Paul Logan enjoys an almost idyllic childhood on a large farm in Georgia in the late 1860s. His mother is an African-Indian former slave, and his father is the white landowner. Paul and his sister, Cassie, are educated and treated in the same manner as their white half-siblings. An unfortunate incident brings into focus the fact that he is the illegitimate mixed-race child of a relationship that is condoned but never acknowledged in polite post-Civil War society. Paul's mother dies when he is fourteen, and a disagreement with his father causes him to run away with Mitchell, the African-American son of one of his father's sharecroppers. The teens come of age as they work together in logging camps around the South. Paul loves his father's land and longs to own land himself someday. He works hard for many years as a logger and furniture-maker to save enough money to buy his own farm. Along the way he and Mitchell fall in love with the same girl, Caroline. Mitchell and Caroline are wed for only a short time when he is shot and fatally injured. Paul and Caroline marry eventually and with the help of his estranged white brother, Robert, he realizes his dream of owning his own land in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Mildred D. Taylor draws on her own family history to tell an honest, authentic story about the lives of African-Americans in the South after the Civil War. The social mores, prejudices, and racial double-standard of the era are portrayed faithfully in the story of Edward Logan's mixed-race son, Paul-Edward. The scenes of life on the Logan farm, including family dinners, horse racing, hunting, and fishing, evoke a sense of peace and harmony following the turmoil of the Civil War. Taylor does not, however, sugar-coat the realities of life for Paul-Edward as he grows to young adulthood in a world where he fits in with neither the white nor the African-American communities. She describes in painful detail the humiliation and confusion that Paul feels when he is stripped and beaten by his father in front of others for striking three white boys. Children will be able to identify with Paul's anger and pain at being treated so unfairly. Taylor uses just enough detail to paint an accurate picture of the South in the 1860s. The modes of transportation (trains, horses, and carriages), style of dress (breeches for men, long skirts for women), and language (including the acceptability of racial slurs) are accurate historically to the time period.

The characters in The Land are well-developed and speak and act in a manner befitting the time period. The family relationships and friendships are timeless in quality. There are universal themes of love, trust, betrayal, injustice, joy, and triumph woven throughout the story of Paul-Edward Logan's life. Taylor includes information about her sources of information and comments about life for African-Americans before the Civil Rights Movement in a "Note to the Reader" at the beginning of the book and an "Author's Note" at the end. Her personal connection to the characters in The Land, and her faithful, authentic rendering of their story lends authority and depth to this tale of perseverance and love.

AWARDS
Coretta Scott King Awards - 2002
ALA Notable Books for Children - 2002
Los Angeles Times Book Prizes - 2001
PEN Center USA West Literary Award - 2002
Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award - 2002
ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Awards - 2002

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Voice of Youth Advocates: "Taylor uses stories from her own family's past to create a fascinating and honest look at life's struggles and joys for many African American families after the Civil War."

Booklist: "Like Taylor's Newbery Medal book, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1976), this powerful historical novel, a prequel to Roll of Thunder, refuses to 'whitewash' history."

CONNECTIONS
>Read Taylor's Newbery Medal Winner, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, which is the story of nine-year-old Cassie Logan.
>Learn more about Mildred D. Taylor on the website for the University of Mississippi at www.olemiss.edu/mwp/dir/taylor_mildred/#Internet.

Number the Stars

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lowry, Lois. 2004. NUMBER THE STARS. New York: Listening Library. ISBN 1-4000-8555-1.

PLOT SUMMARY
Annemarie Johansen lives in Nazi-occupied Copenhagen in 1943 with her parents and younger sister, Kirsti. Her best friend is her upstairs neighbor, Ellen Rosen. Ellen and her parents are Jews and when the threat of "relocation" by the German armed forces becomes too great, they decide to flee. Annemarie's family works with the Danish Resistance to get the Rosens and other Jewish people out of Denmark. When the time of departure arrives, Annemarie discovers that an important packet has been left behind. She courageously braves the darkness of the forest and the ever-present German soldiers and their dogs to deliver the packet to her uncle. The Rosens escape across the water to safety in Sweden in Uncle Henrik's fishing boat.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lois Lowry's amazing story of courage and sacrifice is brought to life vividly in this audiobook version of Number the Stars. Blair Brown narrates the story with a variety of voice timbres and inflections which capture the essence of each character. She distinguishes clearly between characters of different genders, ages, and nationalities. From the sweet, child-like voice of little sister, Kirsti, to the harsh, male voices of the German soldiers, Brown's interpretations are accurate and precise.

The author paints a clear picture of Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1943. She uses language of the time period as well as references to real, historical events, like the destruction of the Danish naval fleet by the Danes themselves, to establish the setting of the story. Lowry's characters are well-drawn, fleshed-out human beings, and readers will identify with the universal feelings of love, patriotism, pride, sacrifice, hope, fear, loss, and triumph. The story's ten-year-old heroine, Annemarie, is particularly compelling. The audiobook closes with the "Author's Notes" that make mention of Lowry's friendship with a woman whose personal experiences during WWII were the inspiration for the book. She also includes an excerpt from a letter that a young man with the Danish Resistance wrote to his family before his capture and execution. Lois Lowry's touching, timeless story of friendship and courage comes to life in this audiobook narrated with great sensitivity by Blair Brown.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Kirkus Reviews: "A deftly told story that dramatizes how Danes appointed themselves bodyguards--not only for their king, who was in the habit of riding alone in Copenhagen, but for their Jews."

School Library Journal: "Blair Brown gently narrates this Newbery award-winning novel, which will slowly draw listeners into Danish life 60 years ago."

CONNECTIONS

>Invite a Holocaust survivor to speak to the class or group about their personal observations and experiences during WWII.
>Read more about the Danish Resistance to the Nazi occupation in the mid-1940s.

The Midwife's Apprentice

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cushman, Karen. 1995. THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0-395-69229-6.

PLOT SUMMARY
Brat is a young girl who is roused from her sleep in a dung heap by the village midwife. Jane the Midwife takes in the homeless waif and calls her Beetle. Beetle serves as Jane's apprentice and virtual slave. She watches Jane carefully and in time learns a little about midwifery. Along the way she gains some self-respect and gives herself a new name, Alyce. After unsuccessfully trying to deliver a breech baby by herself, she sends for the Midwife who saves the baby and mother. Alyce leaves the village in disgrace and finds employment at an inn in the next village. One night a merchant and his wife stop at the inn. The woman goes into labor and Alyce delivers the baby successfully. Her confidence is restored, and she returns to the Midwife's village.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Cushman has written a character-driven story about a homeless young girl who gains self-respect and learns valuable life lessons. Brat ekes out a survival existence in Medieval England. She is so cold that she seeks refuge in a dung heap because, "...the rotting and moiling give forth heat." The author vividly describes the dirty, earthy environment of the village with piles of dung and rotting food scraps in the dirt roadways. The villagers engage in work activities that are typical of the time such as milling, midwifery, and farming. Other characters representative of the period include the Lord and Lady of the Manor, a bailiff, a cowherd, and an innkeeper. Cushman establishes the time period with authentic language and clothing. The lesser status of women and children in the Middle Ages is also portrayed aptly. She includes information about Medieval midwifery, the herbal remedies of the time, and superstitions surrounding childbirth in an "Author's Note" at the end of the book.

Alyce's time is very different from the present, but her feelings are universal. Cushman gives readers a believable portrait of young woman torn by self-doubt, loneliness, and a sense of worthlessness in a hard world that has treated her cruelly. Alyce's transformation, through her life experiences, into a confident, capable young woman with friends, a cat, a real name, and a vocation rings true for any time period.

AWARDS
Newbery Medal - 1996
Young Reader's Choice Award - 1998

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist: "Cushman writes with a sharp simplicity and a pulsing beat. From the first page you're caught by the spirit of the homeless, nameless waif, somewhere around 12 years old, 'unwashed, unnourished, unloved, and unlovely,' trying to keep warm in a dung heap."

Publishers Weekly: "Cushman has an almost unrivaled ability to build atmosphere, and her evocation of a medieval village, if not scholarly in its authenticity, is supremely colorful and pungent."

CONNECTIONS
>Read Cushman's Newbery Honor novel, Catherine, Called Birdy, which focuses on a well-born young heroine of the Medieval Age.
>Research information about the herbal remedies that were used in Medieval times and find out if any of them are still in use today.

Lightning

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simon, Seymour. 1997. LIGHTNING. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-688-14639-2.

PLOT SUMMARY

The dramatic weather phenomenon, lightning, is explored in this book. Facts about lightning and safety tips are presented accompanied by photographs of various types of lightning.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This photo essay book about lightning by Seymour Simon is packed with brilliant, exciting photos of lightning bolts in a variety of settings. Simon's explanations include references to objects that children can readily identify and that give them perspective on the size and power of lightning. For example, he says, "A single lightning bolt travels through twisted paths in the air about as wide as one of your fingers and from six to ten miles long." "...it pulses with hundreds of millions of volts and billions of watts, as much power as there is in all the electrical generating plants in the United States...." The author includes a little history (Ben Franklin and his kite experiment) and safety precautions to observe if you are outdoors during a lightning storm ("...crouch down with you hands off the ground and become 'a basketball with legs.'"). Although Lightning does not include a bibliography, Simon's reputation as a prolific author of over 250 nonfiction books for children, and his 23 years of experience as a science teacher vouch for the accuracy of the facts presented. The vivid photographs and engaging writing style of Lightning make this a science book that will enthrall young readers.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

School Library Journal: "Short, simple sentences make this topic accessible to younger readers but do not talk down to older report writers."

Booklist: "The subject is exciting, the information is amazing, and the full-color photographs are riveting, each spectacular picture more exciting than the last."

CONNECTIONS

>Watch a video or DVD of a lightning storm. Describe what you see using the vocabulary from Seymour Simon's book, Lightning.

>Discuss safety strategies one might use if caught outdoors during a lightning storm.

Michelangelo

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stanley, Diane. 2000. MICHELANGELO. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-688-15086-1.

PLOT SUMMARY
Michelangelo, artist, sculptor, poet, and architect, was born into genteel poverty in Caprese, Italy in 1475. From infancy, he was left in the care of a stonecutter's wife until he was ten years old. This experience ignited his passion for the art of sculpture. For the next seventy-nine years, Michelangelo lived the life of a true Renaissance man. At the behest of popes and wealthy noblemen, he created enduring works of art until his death at age eighty-nine in 1564.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Diane Stanley's award-winning style is evident in the Orbis Pictus Honor Book, Michelangelo. She traces the long, incredible life of the Renaissance artist from his humble birth to his death in a very readable way. Stanley includes interesting pieces of information about Michelangelo's personality that make him human and accessible. For example, he was prideful, quick-tempered, and did not make friends easily until his later years.

Stanley illustrates her biography in an innovative way. She uses the Adobe Photoshop program to insert actual photos of Michelangelo's sculptures into her own watercolor scenes of the Maestro at work. This creates an almost 3D effect in the illustrations. Another visual access feature of the book is a colorful rendition of a map of Italy in Michelangelo's time. This is accompanied by the author's note that provides background material on the Italian Renaissance at the end of the Middle Ages. At the conclusion of the book is a brief bibliography and photo credits. Stanley's attention to detail in her illustrations, for example the dress and architecture of the time, is historically accurate and lends authenticity to her biography of the Renaissance Maestro, Michelangelo.

AWARDS
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year 2000
ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Awards 2001

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly: "There is no one like Stanley (Leonardo da Vinci; Joan of Arc) for picture-book biography as she brings to the genre an uncanny ability to clarify and compress dense and tricky historical matter, scrupulous attention to visual and verbal nuances, and a self-fulfilling faith in her readers' intelligence. "

Booklist: "Stanley continues her series of outstanding biographies, but this time she puts a new twist on some venerable art by using computer images."

CONNECTIONS
>Read Complete Poems and Selected Letters of Michelangelo translated by Creighton Gilbert and edited by Robert N. Linscott to learn about the other passions in Michelangelo's life.
>Read Diane Stanley's biography of Leonardo da Vinci. Compare his life, artistic and personal, to that of Michelangelo.

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Murphy, Jim. 2003. AN AMERICAN PLAGUE: THE TRUE AND TERRIFYING STORY OF THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC OF 1793. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0-395-77608-2.

PLOT SUMMARY
This book tells the story of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia. President George Washington and other government officials live and work in Philadelphia, the temporary capital of the new nation. The long drought and primitive sanitation practices of the day have combined to foster conditions that are conducive to the spread of yellow fever. President Washington and Congress are wrestling with a variety of issues including the question of America’s involvement in the war between the French and the British. As the yellow fever epidemic spreads from the waterfront area of Philadelphia to the entire city, citizens, including local, state, and national government officials, leave town to escape the contagion. This exodus cripples the city’s ability to handle the crisis. Among the brave people who stay behind to tend to the sick, are the members of the Free African Society. In due time, the epidemic runs its course, the citizens return, and life continues.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Jim Murphy has written a gripping account of the yellow fever epidemic in 1793 Philadelphia. The accuracy of Murphy’s information is substantiated by an extensive list of sources in the back of the book. The sources are arranged conveniently into broad categories including "Firsthand Accounts: Nonmedical", "Firsthand Accounts: Medical", "All About Yellow Fever", "Blacks in Philadelphia", and "Other Plagues". A table of contents, a word about the illustrations and an index are other verbal access features included in Murphy’s book.

Murphy blends elements of science, medicine, history and politics into an inviting and readable story. The illustrations in the book are black and white reproductions of art from the period and facsimiles of maps and newspaper articles. These enhance and complement the text and lend authority to the account of this terrible time in Philadelphia history. The author closes An American Plague with a thought-provoking chapter about malaria - "A Modern-Day Time Bomb". Readers will want to investigate the sources in the back of the book to learn more about mankind’s delicately balanced relationship with the environment in which we live.

AWARDS
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year 2003
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award 2004
ALA Notable Books for Children 2004
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award 2004
Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards 2004
James Madison Book Award 2004

REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: "Murphy chronicles this frightening time with solid research and a flair for weaving facts into fascinating stories, beginning with the fever’s emergence on August 3, when a young French sailor died in Richard Denny’s boardinghouse on North Water Street."
Publishers Weekly: "Archival photographs and facsimiles of documents bring the story to life, and a list of further reading points those interested in learning more in the right direction."

CONNECTIONS
>List the environmental, living, and social conditions of Philadelphia in 1793 and compare them to a present day region like Brazil, Paraguay, or Argentina where new outbreaks of yellow fever were reported in January 2008 according to the World Health Organization. (for one example see the following link - http://www.who.int/csr/don/2008_02_07/en/index.html )
>Pair this book with a fictional account like Paul Fleischman’s Path of the Pale Horse or Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. Compare and contrast the writing styles present in a fiction versus a non-fiction book.

Out of the Dust

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hesse, Karen. 1997. OUT OF THE DUST. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0-590-36080-9.

PLOT SUMMARY
Billie Jo, age fourteen, struggles to survive the Great Depression and the Oklahoma dustbowl in the mid-1930s. She blames her father for the fiery accident that killed her mother and unborn brother. Her hands were burned severely in the incident, and she was robbed of her ability to play the piano. After a brief sojourn on a westbound train, Billie Jo returns to life on the family farm and reconciles with her father.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Karen Hesse's acclaimed novel, Out of the Dust, reads like a journal. The free verse poems are dated to indicate the passage of time. The poems are titled, complete works individually and differ from each other in form and length. Although the book contains no illustrations, Hesse uses well-chosen, descriptive words to paint vivid images of her tragic, downtrodden characters and the bleak landscape of the Oklahoma dustbowl in the 1930s. In "First Rain", she evokes the personal misery of Billie Jo's dust-filled existence, "Restless,/I tangle in the dusty sheets,/sending the sand flying,/cursing the grit against my skin,/between my teeth,/under my lids,/swearing I'll leave this forsaken place." The brevity of the shorter poems makes the reader feel the emotion of the words in an almost visceral way. The most striking example of this is "Broken Promise" - "It rained/a little/everywhere/but here." Some poems lend a historical perspective to the narrative by featuring real events like the birth of the Dionne quintuplets, FDR's birthday celebration, and the volcanic eruption of Kilauea in Hawaii. With each free verse entry in Billie Jo's life, Karen Hesse draws in the reader to share the joys, sorrows, hopes, and dreams of this remarkable girl.

AWARDS
Newbery Medal - 1998
ALA Notable Books for Children - 1998
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Award - 1997
Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award - 1998
ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Awards - 1998
REVIEW EXCERPTS

Publishers Weekly (starred review): "This intimate novel, written in stanza form, poetically conveys the heat, dust, and wind of Oklahoma along with the discontent of narrator Billie Jo, a talented pianist growing up during the Depression."

Booklist: "The entire novel is written in very readable blank verse, a superb choice for bringing out the exquisite agony and delight to be found in such a difficult period lived by such a vibrant character."

CONNECTIONS

>Read this book in conjunction with a history lesson on the Oklahoma dustbowl.

>Study the factors, like the removal of the sod and the weather conditions, that led to the dustbowl.

>Look for areas of the world that are currently experiencing conditions similar to that of the 1930s Oklahoma dustbowl.

Stepping Out with Grandma Mac

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grimes, Nikki. 2001. STEPPING OUT WITH GRANDMA MAC. New York: Orchard Books - an imprint of Scholastic, Incorporated. ISBN 0-531-30320-9.

PLOT SUMMARY
A 10-year-old girl learns many valuable life lessons from her Grandma Mac. Grandma Mac is somewhat aloof and very proper, and she takes her job as rolemodel very seriously. She instructs her granddaughter by personal example about the intrinsic value of education, good-quality clothes, and etiquette.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Nikki Grimes' delightful tale of the relationship between a 10-year-old girl and her grandmother is played out through a compilation of 20 poems. A table of contents provides a list of the titles of the individual poems. Although the poems written from the granddaughter's perspective are capable of standing alone, there is a natural progression from one poem to the next that exemplifies the evolution of the relationship between the two characters. Three poems placed one after the other towards the end of the book serve as a turning point in the girl's perception of Grandma Mac. "Duet", "Grandma's Gloves", and "Keeping Secrets" each relate in exquisitely expressive language a facet of the grandmother's life of which the girl was unaware. In particular, "Grandma's Gloves" speaks poignantly of the gloves "worn and warm-/all loyal to the form/of work-weary hands/that have spared/Mom and me/more hard times/than we know." The simple vocabulary and short lines of the poetry give it a conversational quality.

Black-and-white pencil drawings by Angelo are used sparingly but to great affect in Grimes' book. The illustrations are almost photographic in quality, and the effect suggests that one is looking at a family photo album. The facial expressions and body-language of Grandma Mac and her granddaughter speak volumes about their personalities.

Stepping Out with Grandma Mac is presented in a slender, manageable size that even the most reluctant poetry reader will find appealing. Grimes' window into the strong, loving relationship between the girl and her grandmother may encourage children to share this reading experience within their own families.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: "Simple metaphors and carefully chosen vocabulary make these selections read more like conversations that formal poems."

Booklist: "Angelo's black-and-white photorealistic illustrations in soft pencil are as hands-off as the words, just a glimpse of two strong people and their connection."

CONNECTIONS

>Make a list on a large piece of paper of all the titles of the poems in Stepping Out with Grandma Mac. Have each child in the group write their name next to every poem to which they can relate. Tally the results and discuss two or three of the most "popular" poems.

>Visit Nikki Grimes' website which includes a teacher's guide for another poetry compilation entitled Oh, Brother! about the relationship between stepbrothers in a newly blended family.

Insectlopedia

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Florian, Douglas. 1998. INSECTLOPEDIA. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0-15-201306-7.

PLOT SUMMARY
This book is a topical collection of 21 poems about insects with accompanying illustrations by the poet.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Insectlopedia presents a whimsical look at 21 different insects including mosquitoes, termites, and ticks. Douglas Florian opens the book with a table of contents that enables readers to find a particular poem about their favorite bug. Each poem is varied in its verse form to suit the characteristics of the subject. For example, "The Inchworm" is a shaped or concrete poem in which the words form the shape of a bowed-up inchworm. The clever arrangement of the words in the opening lines of "The Army Ants" suggests the left/right, left/right movement of marching feet. In some poems, certain words are printed in boldface to create puns or a play-on-words. "The Dragonfly" is called the demon of skies, and "The Praying Mantis" swallows its victims religiously. The poet uses words sparingly in "The Walkingstick" and "The Mosquito" to suggest the minimal physical presence of these two insects. Each poem contains a similar use of language and sound to enhance the connection of the words to the subject.

Each poem is placed on a large white page facing the accompanying illustration on the opposite page. Florian constructs collages made of ink drawings and watercolor paintings with cutout letters to illustrate the subject of each poem. He cleverly inserts human elements into his illustrations such as the Father's Day card in "The Giant Water Bug" and hand-weights in "The Daddy Longlegs". The overall effect of the poetic and artistic elements produces a delightful anthology about a familiar topic for kids age 5-10.

AWARDS

ALA Notable Books for Children - 1999

Beehive Children's Poetry Book Award - 2002

ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Awards - 1999

REVIEW EXCERPTS

School Library Journal: "The words are arranged in pleasing patterns and the rhythms fit the characteristics of the subjects."

Booklist: "The artwork consists of collages of drawn and painted images and printed letters on paper that is cut and juxtaposed for effect."

CONNECTIONS

>Read other books of poetry by Douglas Florian such as beast feast, on the wing, and in the swim.

>Look at photographs of the insects represented in Insectlopedia and compare/contrast these images with Florian's artwork.

Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids' Own Rhymes for Rope Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sierra, Judy. 2005. SCHOOLYARD RHYMES: KIDS' OWN RHYMES FOR ROPE SKIPPING, HAND CLAPPING, BALL BOUNCING, AND JUST PLAIN FUN. Ill. by Melissa Sweet. New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-375-92516-3.

PLOT SUMMARY
Schoolyard Rhymes is a compilation of fifty playground rhymes and chants. Most of the rhymes are well-known favorites that have been around for many years. Some are more recent, less familiar additions to the genre.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This delightful, silly, and fun collection of rhymes and chants from playgrounds and schoolyards is presented in a colorfully chaotic manner. The higglety pigglety arrangement of the characters in the illustrations conjures up the very atmosphere of a busy schoolyard. Words from some of the rhymes are strung together to form jumping ropes. This further suggests activity and movement. The expressive faces of the people and animals invite the reader to share in the fun. Melissa Sweet uses mixed-media and watercolor to create amusing, ridiculous, and sometimes just plain gross images that represent the chants and rhymes. The selector, Judy Sierra, has thoughtfully included an introduction about schoolyard rhymes at the beginning of the book. At the end is an index of first lines for the fifty rhymes and chants included in the compilation.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: "Sierra has selected some of the funniest and most memorable schoolyard rhymes available in this appealing collection, including such old favorites as 'Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack,' 'Lady with the Alligator Purse,' and 'Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire.'"
Booklist: "Sweet's comical, mixed-media art adds to the wackiness of the rhymes, with jump ropes commanding a prominent position, whether used by children or pickles or bears."

CONNECTIONS
>"Test drive" some of the rhymes in the collection to see which ones lend themselves to jumping rope and which ones are better suited to clapping games.
>Try your hand at creating additional verses for some of the chants and rhymes.
>Read Street Rhymes Around the World by Jane Yolen (ISBN 1878093533). Compare and contrast the counting games, circle games, and jump rope rhymes from 17 countries with those in Judy Sierra's Schoolyard Rhymes.

The Goose Girl: a Story from the Brothers Grimm

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kimmel, Eric A. 1995. THE GOOSE GIRL: A STORY FROM THE BROTHERS GRIMM. Ill. by Robert Sauber. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 0-8234-1074-9.


PLOT SUMMARY
A naive, young princess travels with her cunning, self-serving maid to a far away kingdom where she is to marry the prince. The maid taunts the princess cruelly and forces her to trade clothes and horses. Upon their arrival at the distant kingdom, the maid is ushered inside the castle, and the princess is sent to help the boy who herds the geese. The King eventually learns the truth about the maid's deception and condemns her to a grisly death. The true princess marries the prince.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Eric Kimmel's retelling of the Brothers Grimm story of the goose girl incorporates all the traditional elements of a fairy tale. The story begins in the typical European manner with the phrase, "Once upon a time...." Characters include a princess, a prince, a talking horse, a goose herder, a king, and a maid. The princess and the maid are archetypes of good and evil respectively. Kimmel employs the style motif of a talking horse, Falada, who continues to repeat the phrase, "If your mother were to see, her heart would burst with grief for thee." even after the cruel maid has him killed.
The author uses well-recognized elements to place the story in a long ago kingdom. The women ride horses through a forest to a castle in a far away land where the princess is to wed a prince. The dress of the characters, the furnishings in the castle, and the style of the buildings are used by the illustrator, Robert Sauber, to help define the setting of the story. His painterly style uses deep, vibrant colors applied with broad, sweeping strokes. Each illustration is framed in a border which reinforces the sense that one is looking at oil paintings in an art gallery.
This beautifully illustrated tale of betrayal and courage will draw the reader into a world of castles, royalty, and talking horses. Love and goodness triumph in the end and they live "...happily ever after."

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly: "This Brothers Grimm story of a good-hearted princess usurped by her maid and turned into a common goose girl is classic fairy tale fodder, and Kimmel revels in the magical, wistful aspects of this fanciful genre."
School Library Journal: "The story is propelled by Kimmel's perfect pacing and phrasing and by the vitality of the oil paintings, achieved through a sense of rapid dashes of color, with some scenes having an almost unfinished quality."

CONNECTIONS
>Read another work by the team of Kimmel and Sauber, I-Know-Not-What, I-Know-Not-Where: A Russian Tale. Compare and contrast the illustrations in this book with The Goose Girl. >Read other books that feature talking animals like Charlotte's Web.

Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella

BIBLIOGRAPHY
San Souci, Robert D. 1998. CENDRILLON: A CARIBBEAN CINDERELLA. Ill. by Brian Pinkney. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-689-80668-X.

PLOT SUMMARY
Cendrillon's mother dies soon after giving birth. The girl's father remarries, and his new wife presents him with another daughter. The stepmother is cruel to Cendrillon and promotes her own daughter's interests when a wealthy suitor comes to town. Cendrillon's godmother intervenes and with the help of a magic wand, ensures that her goddaughter attends the ball in order to meet the young man. The magic ends and Cendrillon runs away leaving her pink slipper behind. When the young man comes to claim the wearer of the slipper as his bride, the half-sister and the stepmother try to trick him. Cendrillon's godmother urges her to step forward and reveal herself as the owner of the slipper. When the slipper fits perfectly, the young man, Paul, knows that he has found his true love, and they are soon wed.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This French Creole variant of the traditional tale, Cinderella, is set in the West Indies. The typical Cinderella story characters including the mean stepmother, spoiled half-sister, magical godmother, and handsome young man are all present. The theme of goodness overcoming evil is played out against the backdrop of the Caribbean Sea. San Souci gives a twist to the usual Cinderella tale by using the godmother as a narrator. The author uses French Creole words and phrases to reinforce the setting of Cendrillon. A glossary is added at the end of the book that provides pronunciations and translations. The Caribbean setting of the story is rendered beautifully in the rich, vibrant, colorful illustrations by Brian Pinkney. The artist includes palm trees, tropical flowers, and seascapes in his signature style of multimedia art to support the story setting. Pinkney also places his subjects in typical West Indies-style clothing including head dresses and jewelry. This lovely, lush retelling of the traditional story of the triumph of love, faith, honesty, and hard work will delight readers and listeners alike.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book Magazine: "An exemplary author's note reveals that this adaptation is based on a French Creole version of Perrault's familiar tale..."Publishers Weekly: "The lyrical cadences of the text spattered with French and Creole words combine with the sensuous paintings to bring the tropics to life."

CONNECTIONS

>Read another collaboration by San Souci and Pinkney such as The Faithful Friend or Sukey and the Mermaid to examine how the illustrations work to support the story.

>Study maps and books about the Caribbean Sea. Make lists of foods, animals, and plants that are native to the region.

Picture Book Review - Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Taback, Simms. 1999. JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-87855-3.

PLOT SUMMARY
Joseph lives on a farm in Poland. He is also a tailor and uses his knowledge to rework his tattered, plaid overcoat into items that get smaller and smaller with each alteration. The overcoat becomes a jacket, then a vest, then a scarf, then a tie, then a handkerchief, and finally a button for his suspenders. At the end he loses the button and decides to write a book about his experience.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Joseph is a resourceful character who makes the best out of difficult circumstances. Children in today's throw away society might not see the value in Joseph's thrifty renovation of his overcoat. Young readers will, however, be thrilled by the illustrator's (also Taback)primitive folk-art style, use of vivid color and clever die-cuts that dwindle in size page by page as the story progresses. Taback also mixes photos of real objects with painted renditions of similar objects in a sort of collage that provides the background setting for the scenes of the story. The use of real photographs, framed and hanging on the walls of Joseph's home, catches the reader by surprise and encourages a closer inspection of the page. The story is set in pre-WWII Poland, and the illustrations support this setting with numerous examples of appropriate cultural markers. The style of dress, facial features, activities, names, home decor, newspapers, and books all reinforce the culture represented in this story. Children who are familiar with Yiddish culture will find sayings and other references tucked away on almost every page.

Caldecott Medal - 2000

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Publishers Weekly: "With its effective repetition and an abundance of visual humor, this is tailor-made for reading aloud."
Horn Book Magazine: "The text is simple to the point of prosaicness...but the art sings with color and movement and humor and personality."

CONNECTIONS

>Read Simms Taback's Caldecott Honor book, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, and compare the use of the die-cut pages in this book to those used in Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. >Talk about ways to recycle and reuse old, worn out items.

Book Review - A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Marcus, Leonard S. 1998. A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION: SIX ARTISTS AND THEIR PATHS TO THE CALDECOTT MEDAL. New York: Walker and Company. ISBN 0-8027-8656-1.
PLOT SUMMARY
Leonard S. Marcus, children's book historian, biographer, and children's book critic, has written a delightful and informative book on six Caldecott medal winning illustrators. The book begins with an introduction to the award's namesake, an explanation of the selection process, and a description of the benefits of winning a Caldecott medal. The six chapters that comprise the body of Marcus' book each represent one of the six decades (1940's-1990's) of the award's existence. They are essays about a Caldecott Medal winning illustrator and the book for which he or she won the award. Each chapter has background information on the illustrator including his or her training as an artist. The creative process for each book is discussed by the illustrator - how he or she prepared for and rendered the final product. At the end of A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal, is a list of all the winners from 1938-1998, a glossary of terms about illustration methods and materials, and an index of proper nouns.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Marcus has provided us with an excellent view into the process of illustration. By showcasing award winning illustrators, he has piqued our interest in the stories behind some well-known children's books. He uses these personal stories as a vehicle to acquaint readers with the decisions and methods, materials and media that go into book illustrations. Children and adults will be amused and captivated by the personal stories of the illustrators' efforts to study the subjects of the illustrations.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly: "Filled with witty anecdotes and pithy observations, Marcus's ...approach to examining the works of six Caldecott Medalists will be of as much interest to adults as to picture book readers."
Horn Book Magazine: "A fresh, inviting examination of an established process and ritual."
CONNECTIONS
>Read the featured Caldecott Medal winning book after reading the chapter in Marcus' book about the illustrator. Continue on a weekly basis until all six are read.
>Look at other books by the illustrators featured in A Caldecott Celebration. Look for similarities in style and composition between these books and the medal winners presented in Marcus' book.

Picture Book Review - Duck for President

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cronin, Doreen. 2004. DUCK FOR PRESIDENT. Ill. by Betsy Lewin. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-689-86377-2.
PLOT SUMMARY
Duck becomes disenchanted with his lot in life on Farmer Brown's farm. He organizes an election and replaces Farmer Brown as the leader of the farmyard. The change in status comes with its own set of problems, and Duck decides to move on to higher office. Landing eventually in the Oval Office, Duck finds that he is still unhappy and returns to the farm to write his memoirs.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Duck for President is the third story to feature Farmer Brown and his difficult duck. Children will identify with Duck's dislike for the chores he must perform on the farm. The distasteful and dirty nature of the farm animals' chores is shown in Betsy Lewin's illustrations of them covered in debris. Duck exhibits strength, determination, creativity, and confidence in his efforts to change his circumstances. The plot presents a basic representation of the election process that is well within the grasp of children in the primary grades. The author indicates the passing of time by using phrases such as "at the end of each day" and "the next morning". Betsy Lewin's illustrations featuring red, white, and blue bunting and American flags, compliment the election story and support the festive atmosphere of an election campaign. A running joke in the text and the illustrations is the fate of the missing votes in each election. Children will catch on to this device after the second election and look for it as the story progresses. References in the story to Duck playing the saxophone on late night TV (a la Bill Clinton) and an illustration of a downcast Duck in the Oval Office with his back to the audience (Richard Nixon) will draw a chuckle from adult readers. The theme of Duck for President is that one may not gain happiness or avoid work by simply changing one's circumstances.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Reviews: "Just in time for an election year, the feathered troublemaker of Click, Clack; Moo (2000) and Giggle, Giggle, Quack (2002) enters the political arena, with sidesplitting results."
Publishers Weekly: "...Lewin's chunky-outlined watercolors continue to cater to the younger crowd with her usual dashes of humor and daffy sweetness. Her depictions of the campaign-trail motorcades, parades, and town meetings are a hoot."
CONNECTIONS
>Read other Farmer Brown stories by Doreen Cronin like Click, Clack, Moo and discuss Duck's behavior. What lessons does he learn from his adventures? Will he ever change his ways?
>Have a pretend election with a parade.