Miss Piggy in Red

      

Title: Olivia

Author:  Ian Falconer

Illustrator: Ian Falconer

Published: Simon and Schuster

Copyright:  2000

Pages: 32

Category:  Children

I chose this book because it reminds me of my two year old daughter, who can be a handful at times. The same things Olivia does my two year old does too except building a giant sand castle. Olivia is a busy body pig, who has so much energy; she is never sleepy. Every day she had a routine that consists of move the cat, brush her teeth, combs her ears, and move the cat. She gets dressed and has to try on everything. Her mother takes her to the beach and she teaches her to make sandcastle. Only Olivia does it better. On an outing to the museum Olivia saw a painting and tries to do the same at home, but she gets sent to time out because she throws paint all over the walls in her bedroom. Olivia and her mother read a book at bedtime, her mother tells her, “You really wear me out, but I love you anyways,” and Olivia replies, “I love you anyways too”.

The illustrations are done on paper in charcoal and gouache. Throughout the book the color red is shown on Olivia and no other place to draw attention to her. The cartoon drawing adds a fun and loving touch.  The illustrator used two paintings in the book, Autumn Rhythm by Jackson Pollack and Bella Rehearsal by Edgar Degas.

The words are very simple and recommend for first through third grade. This book can be used for character education because it shows the responsibilities and caring nature of a family..  During a writing unit ask the children to write about their everyday life, things the like to do, and if they have any siblings that bother them. This book can be used as a read aloud, story time, or even to get the student attention. This book has many honors 2000 Mitten Award Nominee for Honor Book, Parent's Choice Gold Award Winner,  2001 Caldecott Honor, Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Children’s Illustrated, ALA Notable Children’s Book for Younger Readers (2000 & 2001). Nick Jr. Best Book of 2001, Child’s Best Book of 2001, Los Angeles Times Best Books of 2000 & 2001,and Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2000 & 2001.

                                                                                          

Traveling the World by a Balloon

Title: Bun Bun Button

Author:  Patricia Polacco

Illustrator: Patricia Polacco

Published: Putnam Juvenile

Copyright:  2011

Pages: 40

Category:  Children

I chose this book because my children literature teacher did a read aloud story on one of Patricia Polacco books.  The author is becoming one of my favorites along with David Shannon and Maya Angelou. The book is about a little girl named Paige Elizabeth Darling, who loves her Gramma. They baked cookies, made the beds, and feed the cats and dogs. After finishing they sat in the Old Blue Chair. Everybody loves the chair from the kittens to the goldfish. One day Paige thought everyone had a toy to hold while sitting in the chair, and she didn’t. Gramma decides to make her a stuff bunny, and Paige names her Bun Bun Button.  Bun Bun Button went everywhere with Paige, until one day Gramma bought a big red balloon filled with helium. While outside playing the string got caught on a privet hedge and came untied causing the balloon to float up in the sky. Paige cried all night long, while Bun Bun Button was on a great adventure sailing the night sky, getting caught on a goose foot, landing on the back of a seagull and falling on a willow tree limb.  A squirrel finds Bun Bun and took her to Gramma, who sewed her up and made her new again. Gramma places her on Paige bed. That night they sipped mint tea and ate soft sand cookies in the Old Blue Chair together.

The illustrations in this book are done in detail with pencils and markers. Each of the illustrations shows expressionist, realist, and impressionistic drawing the reader into the book. The way the text is written the reader can see the bond between the grandmother, granddaughter, and pets.

I would recommend this book for kindergarten through third grade, it is a great book that shows character education in caring as a family. It would also be a good book for a read aloud, show and tell with favorite stuffed animal, and Patricia Polacco fans. Ask the children what they do when they go to their grandma house. What colors are the balloons and which one did Bun Bun Button fly away on. Use it in math to count all the animals that lived with Gramma and the balloons. Ask how far the students think Bun Bun Button traveled from his owner. This book has no awards.

Chick vs. Dog

Title: Tippy-Toe Chick, Go

Author:  George Shannon

Illustrator: Laura Dronzek

Published:  Greenwillow Books

Copyright:  2003

Pages: 32

Category:  Children

I chose this book because it was just too cute. After choosing this book I read it to my daughter, who loves it. She enjoys saying, “Ruff -Ruff- Ruff” every time I point for her to say it.  A mother hen, and her big, middle, little chick goes to the garden every day for their favorite treats, itty- bitty beans and potato bugs. Then one day a dog blocks their path by barking at them; mother hen knew they were going to eat chicken feed that day. Then one by one big, middle, and little chick decides to approach to the dog. The only chick that succeeds was Little, who ran as fast as she could around a tree, causing the dog rope to get wrapped  around the tree. Little says time to eat to her family and ran past the dog to the garden for their favorite treats.

The illustrations are done in artistic style carton, using acrylic paint. The illustrations are big, bold, and full of emphasis. The author used several emphasis like, middle chick shaking, the dog being dizzy with stars on his eyes, and mother grabbing her heart.  The text is written in Korinna, along the top, bottom and beside the chicks as they speak.

 I recommend this book for all ages and grades, and it can be used to show bullying in some form. This book can be used to show self-esteem and size does not matter, even little people can get the job done. It can be used to talk about the relationship between chicks, hen, and a dog.  In language find words such as, big, middle, little and talk about what type of words they are(prepositions, verbs, nouns, size, position, and so forth). This book has no awards.

 

I'm G-o-o-d Boy...of you say so

 

Title:  Good Boy, Fergus!

Author:  David Shannon

Illustrator:  David Shannon

Published: The Blue Sky Press

Copyright:  2006

Pages: 40

Category:  Children

I chose this book because the author stands out, and I have so many of the Trouble David series. I think I am drawn to his books because of the illustrations; they are amazing. The book is great, and it didn’t take me long to read it to my daughter. The book is very simple although the illustrations can tell the story too. Fegus is a playful dog, who loves to play, get scratched on his tickle spot, chase police bikes and much more. I love the part were Fergus is told not to beg for food, but he does and the owner gives in. The book shows the everyday life of Fergus in a nutshell.

The illustrations in the book are done with acrylic paint showing expressionist.  Some of the illustrations are big and bold showing when Fegus is happy or sad. The text is done as though someone is talking to Fergus like a kid. 

I recommend this book for first through second grade; it is very simple and has a lot of repetition. I would use this in the math area, ask how many times the owner says, “Good boy, Fergus” or says the name, “Fergus”. I'd even ask how many names Fegus was called, (Mr. F., Mister itchy bobo scratchitty man). What is the dog full name as a language question? I would even use this book to show the children what it is like taking care of a dog.  This book won the 2008 Kentucky Bluegrass award.

ALL I see is GREEN

Title: Grandpa Green

Author:  Lane Smith

Illustrator: Lane Smith

Published: Roaring Book Press

Copyright:  2011

Pages: 32

Category:  Children

This book was chosen at the last minute, but I really enjoyed reading it. It reminds me of my daughter retelling some of our family outing. The story is told by the grandson, who explores the life of his great grandfather, who is very old now and can’t remember things. The boy is walking through a  topiary garden picking up items and placing them in his wagon. The garden has different events of his great grandfather's life using the shapes of scrubs bushes to remember the important things such as growing up on a farm, getting chicken pox, going to the war, and getting married. The book is a timeline told from a boy version that was told to him by his grandfather.

The illustrations is done in green, brush, watercolor, and oil paint. Throughout the book I notice that all the main events were done like a topiary garden.  The illustrator uses the artistic style surreal to capture the reader attention, that even without words I still could follow along. Shaping the scrubs into realist life objects like his wife, wedding cake, and boy with chickenpox (using red berries) gave it the life event touch. There is also, a four page fold out, showing the entire topiary garden. I love that the grandson and great-grandfather both have on matching outfits.

I would recommend this book for kindergarden through fourth grade because this can be used as a memory tool to see what memories a student can remember that are important to them. I would even use this in science to talk about horticulture and what jobs it consist of. Ask the children do they know what a topiary garden is. (A topiary garden is a type of horticultural that people practice to make a living sculptures or shapes out of shrubs that turns in to beautiful art.)  This book has several awards  in 2012 Caldecott  Honor, Children’s Book of the Year, Notable Children Books and in  2011 Best  book of the Year,  New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book, Under five Notable Books of the Year,  and Younger Readers PW’s Best Children’s Book.

 

Letter Writing Mouse

Title: Love, Mouserella

Author:  David Ezra Stein

Illustrator: David Ezra Stein

Published: The Penguin Group

Copyright:  2011

Pages: 32

Category:  Children

I chose this book because it was just a funny and cute picture book. The book is about a mouse, which Grandmouse comes to visit and leave. She misses her so much; she writes a letter to tell her the different events going on since she left. She writes about the blackout, grab the cat whisker, and her brother bothering her. As she writes the letter, she includes drawings, maps, and photos to share with her Grandmouse.

The illustrations in the book are very brilliant. The illustrator use watercolors, crayons, stencils, and pencil. The illustrations are meant to interpret the mouse drawings that are done in crayons. The text is written in crayon and certain words are written differently to show meaning. The book is in a letter and landscape style layout.

This book is recommended for kindergarten through second grade to show them how to write a letter. I feel this book would be a great tool for early literacy skill writing, to show the students how she writes just like them. This books it really good for character education showing the respect she has for her Grandmouse. This book does not have any awards.

Gosling Fashionista

 

Title: Gossie

Author:  Olivier Dunrea

Illustrator: Olivier Dunrea

Published:  Houghton Mifflin Company

Copyright: 2002

Pages: 32

Category:  Children/Animals

I choose this book because it was the perfect book for my daughter. My daughter has several favorite things, but her all-time favorite is shoes. No matter what color or style she has to get them. Gossie is a gosling, who wears RED BOOTS every day. She wakes up one morning and discovers they are missing. She looks everywhere, under the hen, her bed, and in the barn. She searches until she finds them on another gosling foot, her friend Gertie. Gossie shares one of her boots with Gertie.
 

Illustrations are done in watercolor and cartoon ink by using earth tone colors to make it look real. Using the watercolor gave a real feel to the character emphasizing the mood. The text was written in 20-point Shannon.

This book is appropriate for first grade classrooms and a great beginner reading book, because of the sight words, usage, and repetition. This book can be used for character education to show fairness and caring. I would use it to introduce emotions, how happy or sad a person can be when they have lost their favorite item.  It can be used in science to show connections to farm animals that live on farms and include the insects too. I loved how the author did not say Gossie shared with Gertie, but it is illustrated in the book. This book has no honors.

DOG GONE and WOOF WOOF

Title: The Stray Dog

Author:  Reiko Sasso Retold by Marc Simont

Illustrator:  Marc Simont

Published:  Harper Collins

Copyright:  2011

Pages: 32

Category:  Children/ Fictional Picture Book

Choosing this book was not hard at all. Working at McDonald's I see it all. Several of the customers are always feeding and trying to capture the stray dogs that come along. This book is a true story about a family who goes on a picnic one Saturday and meet a stray dog. The family falls in love with him and names him Willy. They couldn’t take him home because his family may be searching for him. The family thought about him so much; they forgot what they were doing. The next Saturday they went to the park looking for Willy, but he is being chased by a dogcatcher. After talking and convincing the dogcatcher he was their dog, Willy has a family to go home with. 

The illustrations are done in rich watercolor, but the pictures really tell the story to be honest. Some of the illustrations use facial expressions, like the father looking out the corner of his eyes, and the little boy holding his pants after taking the belt off. The text is on every page except four, the opening page of the bridge with the city skyline and the children claiming Willy. The illustrator used expressionist artistic style which makes the book more real life charm. 

I would recommend this book for first-third grade as a starter book because of the sight words. I would use this as an activity on how to spot a stray dog and what to do if one was found. Ask the children what would they do if they saw a stray dog. Because many kids love animals this would be a good read aloud book. This book is a 2002 Caldecott Honor book.

Girls love PINK!!!!

Title: Polly Pink Pajamas

Author: Vivian French

Illustrator: Sue Heap

Published: Candlewick Press

Copyright:  2010

Pages: 32

Category:  Children/Bedtime Story

I chose this book because it is my daughter's all-time favorite bed time story for our Saturday night pajama party. The character in the story reminds me of my daughter, except her favorite pajama to wear is Minnie Mouse.  Polly is a pink pajama wearing little girl, who wears pink pajamas faithfully every day. Until one day she gets invited to her friend party and has no clothes to wear. She begins to ask all her friends for something to wear, who all provides her with something to wear. After getting ready for the party, she looks in the mirror and discovers that either the clothing is too big, too little, too tight, or too loose and most of all it doesn't match. Her friend calls to see why she isn’t at the party yet, and to her surprise it is a pajama party. She does have something to wear after all.
 

The illustrations in the book are done in crayons and acrylic paint. In the background, such as on the walls you can tell it was done in pink crayon.  On every page there are many hearts to emphasize how much she loves her pink pajamas. The illustrations capture the love of wearing pajamas and being upset, using expressionist artistic style media. The text is written in carnation and illustrations on every page. 

I would use this book for character education to show friendships in second through fourth grade. The book really showed the importance of friendship and sharing. I would also use this book to help  with the recognition colors due to the variety of color throughout the book.  I would really recommend this book as a great start for sleep-overs; it is a joy to read. This book does not have any awards. 


 

Adventures in Mysteries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Author: Gertrude Chandler Warner

Published: Rand McNally and Albert Whitman & Company

Copyright:  1942

Pages: Varies with book series

Category: Children Literature/ Mysteries

I chose these books because when I was in  fifth grade, I began reading this series, and I wanted to be an independent reader. I just fell in love with them. I wondered in their world and wanted to be a part of their adventures. I loved the fact that each book had its own mystery. The series is about four Alden siblings that are orphans. Jessie, Henry, Violet, and Benny all lived in a boxcar in the woods they found during a storm. They used their resources to help them survive and soon bring home a dog they named Watch. Soon the children found out by Dr. Moore that their grandfather had a $5,000 reward out for them, because they ran away from home. They finally got to meet James Henry Alden, and he is not the cruel grandfather they thought he was. After moving in the house with their grandfather,got the boxcar and placed it in the backyard. The series has over 125 mysteries, and they vary from book to book and place to place. In order to see what happens after the first book, you will have to read the series.

The illustrations are done in penciled black and white throughout all the series. The text is very simple. I love that the pictures always came at the right moments and the showed expression. The medium was done on paper and done with great detail.

I would recommend this series to third grade and up. With this book series there is so much a teacher could do with any lesson plan.  I would use this in my classroom as a sequence of events activity to see if students could remember what went next in the story.  I would even use it as a read aloud for my independent readers. Lastly, I would use the boxcar as part of a science lesson on trains. Candlewick Press Award Winning Independent Publisher of Children, Newbery Medal Awards, and Teachers Top 100 Children Books are to name a few of the awards.