Reflection

Final Class Reflection

From taking this course, I have realized just how beneficial children's literature can be to the elementary classroom. One important concept in the elementary reading classroom is to allow choice in reading selection. I now feel better prepared to suggest the multitude of choices that are currently available for children from graphic novels, informational picture books, poetry to children's novels. During my practicum this semester, my students had time to visit the school library on a day that the librarian was sick. I was excited because I felt prepared to be able to suggest books based upon talking about their interests. From being introduced to the dozens of texts in this class, I feel better prepared to integrate these into science, math, social studies and more. One of the favorite parts of this course has been the investigation into banned books. I enjoyed reading these controversial children's books and looking at both sides of the argument. I also was glad we were able to read Year of Impossible Goodbyes and So Far From the Bamboo Grove to understand how the same story can have two completely different sides. I am excited to bring these novels into my future classroom to give my students a first hand look two sides of the same story. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this class this semester and look forward to using everything I have gained in this class to better suit the learning of my future students.

The Story Goes On

The Story Goes On

by Aileen Fisher
illustrated by Mique Moriuchi

Between the Moriuchi's wonderful illustrations and Fisher's beautifully written story, this children's picture book is excellent. The story is written as a poem and describes the cycle of life starting with a little seed. It continues on as the sprouted seed is devoured by a bug and works it's way up the food chain. Ultimately this book has a happy ending as the seed works all the way through the cycle and is deposited back into the ground to be made into a new beautiful flower all over again. The words of this book are creative as many of the sentences rhyme with the next. The words are thoughtfully placed on the page which keeps the young readers searching for the fun story. The illustrations appear as a collage with the bright and colorful objects. They ultimately add so much to the story and are sure to keep the readers engaged. I enjoyed reading this simple story and I know that young children will too.

Intended Age 4-7

Bugs: Poems about Creeping Things

Bugs: Poems about Creeping Things

by David L. Harrison

illustrated by Rob Shepperson

Harrison does a great job of writing forty fun poems about bugs and collecting them into this fun compact children's book. There is also a large variety of poetry in this book as well with the styles of poems including some unique two person poems. The humor and playfulness shows in the poems like one of my favorite poems in this collection:

spider

In spider talk,
"I'm glad ta meeture!"

means

"I plans ta

catch and

eature

for a tasty

little treature!"

Don't go near
the nasty

creature!

Many of Harrison's poems carry these fun rhyming words that will entertain students throughout the book. The illustrations included are simple, black and white, and modern. I think the often times in collections of poems the illustrators do not include very much details because they are not necessarily needed. In most of these poems the great descriptions tell the readers so much already that the pictures are just used to add some extra fun. Overall I think boys and girls will enjoy reading all about bugs in this exciting collection of poetry.

Intended Age 4-8

A Pizza the Size of the Sun

A Pizza the Size of the Sun

by Jack Prelutsky

illustrations by James Stevenson

A Pizza the Size of the Sun is a magnificent collection of poetry written for all ages of children. The best part about this wonderful collection by Jack Prelutsky is the amount of variety that are found in the book. The poems take on all different formats, lengths, and layouts including one poem called "I Was Walking in a Circle" which has the poem written in a unique way around a circle. He also includes a multitude of different topics and ideas for the poems from opossums, to sailing, to moopies. Readers will defiantly enjoy reading this book because the wide variety of poems always keeps the reader's interests. This book would be a great tool to have in the classroom too when students get stuck on something to write they can easily be intrigued by some of the poems included to begin writing about a similar topic, or similar type of poem. This book got the name from the fun poem at the beginning of the book about making a giant pizza. My favorite poem of this whole book comes as the last one included in the collection which is titled "If." The whole poem poses unique questions about random thoughts or plays on words. The illustrations included in this book are simple, yet add more detail to each poem. Without the illustrations I think some of the young readers would get lost in this book because they may be intimidated by the length of the book. Overall this is a wonderful collection of poetry and a must have in the classroom.

Intended Age 5+

My Feet Are Laughing

My Feet Are Laughing

by Lissette Norman
illustrated by Frank Morrison

This fun children's book of poetry tells about a girl living in Harlem named Sadie. The collect is a collection of sixteen unique poems that tell the story of Sadie celebrating her family and the city around her. Some of the poems describe a specific person in Sadie's live with others tell about special events, memories, and places. One unique thing that Lissette Norman did with her book is start the book of with a simple introductory poem about Sadie, and end with the same exact poem. I think readers will enjoy hearing this story because each poem is different from the next so the readers are always surprised. The illustrations in the book are very contemporary and playful. Each poem has a picture to go alone with it which helps set the mood and feeling of the poem. Norman and Morrison did a great job with this book of poetry that young readers are sure to enjoy.

Intended Age 4-8

Love That Dog

Love That Dog

by Sharon Creech

Love That Dog is a very fun and unique children's novel because it is written from the perspective of a young student named Jack who is writing poetry for a class. While the whole book is written poems it is actually a novel as the reader begins to grow with Jack as he grows with the help of his teacher, dog, and poetry. I enjoyed the beginning because it started out with:

"September 13

I don't want to

because boys

don't write poetry"

Creech includes this interesting start to her novel which grabs the reader's attention. The novel continues on from the perspective of young Jack as he tries to figure out what poetry exactly is. He questions whether it is categorized by the format or wording or even the vagueness. As a future teacher I found this whole book very interesting because we see the side of what one student is thinking. While a teacher may assign students to simply write a poem, this novel reminds us that students may have many other things on their mind about poetry in general. I also liked the format of this book because it follows Jack throughout the whole year as he continues to grow and enjoy poetry as he finds his inspiration in Mr. Walter Dean Myers. This lapse in time is unusual for novel because it takes place over a long period of time, but the book still reads very quickly. While reading the book I was very curious about what poem Jack wrote that was inspired by Mr. Walter Dean Myers so I was very surprised and excited when it was included as the last line of the novel. I was also glad that the in the back of the novel Creech included some of the poems that were discussed throughout the book because it was nice to see what exactly Jack was reading. I am torn about whether I wish Creech should have said from the front that the poems were there in the back so the readers could refer to them as they came up in the book. On one hand this would tell the readers more about why Jack was writing poems or was confused, but it may also give the readers too much. I have never really enjoyed reading poetry or books of poetry in my life, but then again I have never seen them complied into a novel like this wonderful book was. Overall I really loved reading this book and I would think many others of all ages would too.

Intended Age 8-12

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten

by Joseph Slate

illustrated by Ashley Wolff

This children's book is one in a series about a kindergarten teacher named Miss Bindergarten. This book goes through telling the story about the first day of school in phrases that are alphabetical order. This fun and humorous text is written with playful rhymes all the way throughout. I think that young readers will really enjoy this text because the first day of school is either something they probably remember, something they are nervous about or even something they are looking forward too. This series of children's books is great because they follow other important moments that young kids would be able to relate to. The illustrations in this books are colorful and fun with large easy to read text. Overall this is a fun book that kids are sure to enjoy.

Intended Age 3-6

Year of Impossible Goodbyes

Year of Impossible Goodbyes

by Sook Nyul Choi

This children's novel tells the heartbreaking story of ten-year-old Sookan as she lives in North Korea as it is occupied by the Japanese. When her father and three older brothers leave their hometown, Sookan and a couple of family members are left behind and forced to run a sock factory for the war effort. This story is so heartrending as Sookan and her family are forced to drop all of their history and customs. With the war's end the Russian Communists move into the devastated area and does not make life any easier for the remaining family. Sookan, her mother, and younger brother try to escape to safety past the 38th parallel. This breathtaking story gives readers a true feeling of what it was like for a young girl living in North Korea during World War II. Choi's writing is so descriptive that it makes the words come alive off of the page. I would defiantly plan to read this book after reading So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins. By pairing the two books, readers can see how much stories can change based upon the point of view from which they are told. Both of these books tell the story of the Korean conflict in World War II that I have not heard before with two very different perspectives. Reading children's novels like these can teach children so much more than a textbook, dates, and articles could because they allow students to really think about the situation. Overall, I enjoyed both of these books so much because they carry so much emotion within the rich descriptions.

Intended Age 9-12

A Writing Kind of Day: Poems for Young Poets

A Writing Kind of Day: Poems for Young Poets

by Ralph Fletcher

A Writing Kind of Day is a children's book of poetry that contains over twenty-five wonderful poems. The writing and word choice is set for young poets because it is simpler and more straight forward. This book collects great examples of styles of poetry that is sure to help students see that poetry can be rather simple or very intriguing and developed. Flectcher also does an excellent job showing students that just about any topic can be made into a poem as he has poems on his grandmother, a Venus flytrap, slavery, and even writer's block. I would keep this book in class but also take it out for myself because it has many useful examples that would be perfect for some mini lessons during readers and writers workshop. This children's book also includes unique and fun pictures as the backgrounds or additional side images that allows these fun poems to come alive. Although the pictures are great, I believe that the pictures would have been better if they were in color. All in all, this is a wonderful book of children's poems that is sure to be seen in my classroom.

Intended Age 8-12

So Far From the Bamboo Grove

So Far From the Bamboo Grove

by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

This amazing children's novel tells the heartbreaking story of an eleven-year-old Japanese girl living in Korea. Yoko finds out that she has been taking her peaceful and secure life for granted when all of a sudden it changes during the frightful times at the end of World War II. All Yoko has left is her older sister Ko and her mother as they flee away from their home in the bamboo grove and away from the vengeance-seeking Korean Communists. Yoko's true story of her fight for her life is filled with unimaginable violence and death. Yoko writes this novel with strong descriptions that it can easily draw many readers into tears. While these stories are heartbreaking and horrible they are the truth about what happened during the war and should be told to show the truths of war. Yoko tells the story about loosing so much honor by having her and her sister's heads shaved so the two could pretend to live the life of a man to escape from some of the fears of getting raped. She also tells the unbelievable account of the death of a newborn baby while riding in a train's cargo car. The death and disease on the train made the doctor toss the deceased newborn off of the moving train into the railroad ditch as if the newborn was a mere football. The story continues on past the violence and death to ultimately tell a story family, love, and life. While these topics are extremely hard to read, the classroom can be a very supporting place to open a discussion about the thoughts and feelings of reading this amazing novel. I defiantly plan on bringing this wonderful children's novel into my classroom, but I will be cautious about the grade and maturity level of the readers.

Intended Age 9-12

Go, Dog. Go!

Go, Dog. Go!

by P.D. Eastman

Go, Dog. Go! was one of my very favorite books when I was a young child. After reading this book again I do not completely understand what exactly I saw in the book. The story of this children's book is nonsense about dogs up in trees and dogs wearing hats. If you could say this book has a plot you would also say it is very interrupted because it switches between many smaller stories going through it. The illustrations in this book are extremely simple and slightly whimsical. This goes to show that children enjoys books for reasons other than the plot, wording, or pictures. It could be the way that a parent reads the book, or who the child is reading the book with that makes it so special. I plan to share this book with my students and children, but I am cautious because the grammar used does not present a great example for the children reading it so I will include other stories that are better examples of grammar and plot.

Intended Age 4-8

The Moon Dragon

The Moon Dragon
by Moira Miller
illustrated by Ian Deuchar

The Moon Dragon tells the Chinese folktale about a boastful young man named Ling Po. Ling Po always claims hat he can do better than everyone else. When it came time for the annual kite flying festival, Ling Po made no kite but still as able to scoff at the others. Ultimately he boasted that he could make the best kite that could even fly to the moon. This folklore continues on to teach the excellent lesson about how boasting can get people into trouble. The bold illustrations help tell the story by showing the actions with beautiful pictures. Before reading this story I have never heard of this folktale and I really enjoyed it with it's powerful message. I believe that children will enjoy this children's book just as much as I did.


Intended Age 4-8

Cinderella Skeleton

Cinderella Skeleton

by Robert C. San Socuci

illustrated by David Catrow

This unique children's book tells the common story of Cinderella and her evil step-sisters, but with a twist. Cinderella Skeleton takes place in Boneyard Acres with the most beautiful ghoul in the world with her dankish hair and yellowing nails. The story continues on as Cinderella Skeleton not only loses her shoe but her whole foot bone snapped off with it too. I enjoy reading fun and wacky takes on one of the more original takes on this story and I think young boys and girls will enjoy this as well. The illustrations in the book add so much to the story because they show the wildest and creepy images. The colors that were chosen for this book are dark, drab, and dreary which also supports the whole theme of this book. Overall, I enjoyed reading this inventive take on Cinderella.

Intended Age 5+

The Barefoot Book of Princesses

The Barefoot Book of Princesses

retold by Caitlin Matthews

illustrated by Olwyn Whelan

The Barefoot Book of Princesses is an amazing children's book. It tells the story of seven different princess stories from around the world including the Danish The Princess and the Pea, the Chinese Beggar Princess, and the German Sleeping Beauty. A book like this could bring in diversity into children's literature because children could compare and contrast these unique princess stories and the culture which they came from. By reading these different princess tales children will learn just how complex and different a princess can be. The illustrations in this book are bright, imaginative, and colorful as they bring life to the stories. I defiantly plan to bring this unique and fun book into my elementary classroom.

Intended Age 4-10