Ellen's Broom by Kelly Starling Lyons

Lyons, K.S. (2012). Ellen’s broom. New York, NY: The Penguin Group.

Ellen’s Broom is written by Kelly Starling Lyons and illustrated by Daniel Minter. Minter was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award in 2013 for his illustrations. Ellen’s Broom  tells the story of a young African American girl and her parents wedding broom. At the beginning of the story, Ellen learns that her parents, like all African Americans at the time, were not allowed to officially be married but times are changing! Slavery has ended and soon Ellen’s family is off to the courthouse so her parents can finally become husband and wife under the law. Ellen connects with her past and her future through the story and tradition of the broom. The story is told from Ellen’s perspective and we learn that Ellen is a kind and caring young girl that loves her family. The book could easily be aligned with social studies standards. It would be a great read aloud when discussing slavery and the injustices faced by African Americans at that time. Students could write their personal reactions to the injustices which could then be used to initiate a meaningful discussion or even a debate at the upper elementary grade levels. Ellen’s Broom  was an enjoyable story, although it was not one of my favorite picture books.

(Image from www.scholastic.com)

Lon Po Po by Edward Young

Young, E. (1989). Lon po po: A red riding hood story from China. New York, NY: Penguin

      Putnam Books for Young Readers.

Lon Po Po by Edward Young is the Chinese variation of the little red riding hood folktale. In this version, the mother of three young girls leaves the house to visit their sick grandmother. Upon seeing the mother leave, a sinister wolf thinly disguised as the grandmother comes to the house. The oldest of the siblings, Shang, soon realizes this visitor is not what she seems and tricks the wolf resulting in his demise! This clever story shows the young girls outwitting the wolf which is in contrast to our idea of the traditional red riding hood tale in which the young girl must be saved by someone else. Shang, the eldest, is a smart and cunning girl that essentially saves her own life and her sisters’ lives. She is a great role model for young girls. I have actually used this picture book in my classroom in the past. I read Lon Po Po aloud and then read the traditional red riding hood tale. My students had to compare and contrast the two stories using a venn diagram. The focused on the similarities and differences between the plots, settings, themes, and characters of the two tales. To extend the lesson, I had my students write a persuasive paragraph. In the paragraph they needed to state which version was their favorite and also try to persuade others to agree with them. My students were very intrigued by the idea of familiar folktales being told in slightly different ways in other countries. Personally, I prefer Lon Po Po over the traditional tale because it values ingenuity and cleverness especially in young girls. The messages of working together, problem solving, and determination are admirable. The lesson from this story would be beneficial in any elementary classroom.

(Image from www.scholastic.com)

Is it red? Is it yellow? Is it blue? by Tana Hoban

Hoban, T. (1978). Is it red? Is it yellow? Is it blue? New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Is it red? Is it yellow? Is it blue? is a concept book meant to teach or reinforce color recognition. This book is best suited for very young preschool aged children. The author uses actual photographs of everyday objects to reinforce colors. Displayed at the bottom of each page is a circle or circles of the prominent color(s) on the page. There is no cohesive story to speak of since this is book is completely wordless and only consists of unrelated photographs. It would best be used in preschool rooms as a read aloud. The teacher could ask students to identify the color(s) on each page. Then the teacher could ask students to point out various objects in the photo. This task would help with observation skills as well as vocabulary since it would require students to verbalize their response. Is it red? Is it yellow? Is it blue? was not my favorite concept book simply because it was a bit outdated and a little too simplistic. I would have preferred to see the names of the colors on the page so that students could start to link the name (in text) with the spoken word. Overall, though, it was a good example of a concept book because it focused solely on the concept of color.

(Image from www.harpercollins.com)

Edward and the Pirates by David McPhail

McPhail, D. (1997). Edward and the pirates. Boston, MA: Little, Brown Books for Young

      Readers.

Edward and the Pirates is a wonderfully imaginative story about a book-loving young boy that experiences many grand adventures through the books he reads. In his biggest adventure yet he is approached by a gang of pirates that demand he help them find the treasure by giving up his beloved library book, but will Edward help and risk losing the book?

This book reminds me of a quote I read recently that says “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one” by George R.R. Martin. I enjoy this quote on several levels but mostly because I have “experienced” many stories in my lifetime as an avid reader. Edward, the main character, has also experienced a vast number adventures through reading. His imagination allows him to travel to any time past, present, or future and any place in the world and beyond! This book exemplifies the joy of reading. As such, it would be an ideal read aloud at the beginning of the school year to get students excited about reading. In fact, I will most likely use this picture book in my own classroom or library to do just that. It is of utmost importance to get young students excited about reading! A love of reading helps set students up for academic success throughout their lives. Obviously, I enjoyed this book very much! It was clever, imaginative, and meaningful!

(Image from www.amazon.com)

Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom by Shane Evans

Evans, S. (2011). Underground: Finding the light to freedom. New York, NY: Roaring Book Press.

Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom by Shane Evans is a 2013 Coretta Scott King Award winner. Underground tells the harrowing tale of the plight of slaves escaping to freedom using the underground railroad. It is told very simply with no more than a few words on each page. The illustrations of the book are primarily composed of deep blue hues with dark tones to signify the night time journeys undertaken using the underground railroad. Some yellow is introduced as the story moves along to show light along the way shining from the lamps of those who helped the slaves along the way. At the end yellow hues are prominently displayed to symbolize the slaves’ new found freedom and life. This book would be a good story to use to infer various story elements. For example, students could infer why the author says certain things like “We run”, “We fear”, and “Some don’t make it.” Students could then make inferences about why the slaves must run or are fearful or why some don’t make it to freedom. Additionally, Underground could easily be used as a link to the social studies curriculum when learning about slavery and the underground railroad. For instance in the third grade standards, students are expected to learn about the contributions of famous americans and Harriet Tubman is included in those famous people. This book would be a good read aloud while learning about Harriet Tubman and her bravery leading slaves to freedom using the underground railroad. The overarching theme of the story-hope, determination, and freedom make this book a pleasure to read!

(Image from www.amazon.com)

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Klassen, J. (2012). This is not my hat. Sommerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen is a simple, humorous picture book that won the Caldecott Medal in 2013. A sneaky little fish steals a bowler hat from a sleeping, much larger fish and swims away insisting page after page that he will not get caught. Little does he know that the big fish is on his tail and finally recovers his hat after all! The illustrations are very simple and consist of the little fish, the big fish, the hat, and some seawood all placed on a dark black background. The light colored fish are in stark contrast to the dark background making the reader’s eye focus on the fish, the main characters. This book would be best for younger preschool aged or early elementary school aged students do to the simple comedy and design. The illustrations very subtly show emotion through eye movements and color, therefore, a teacher could use this book to help young readers determine the emotions of the characters. The students could act out different emotions using just their own faces to practice. At the end of the book, the big fish gets his hat back but the reader does not get to see how it happens. Students could make a prediction about what happened when the big fish swam into the seaweed behind the little fish and then came out with his hat. Overall, I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed the other Caldecott books that I read. It was okay, but I was somewhat turned off by the smug attitude of the little fish and I did not particularly love that fact that he was stealing. While I did not enjoy this book, I can see how young children might enjoy the story.

(Image from candlewick.com)

Flotsam by David Wiesner

Wiesner, D. (2006). Flotsam. New York, NY: Clarion Books.

Flotsam was written by David Wiesner in 2006 and received the Caldecott Medal in 2007. The illustrations are absolutely breathtaking in this wordless picture book. They tell an intriguing story about a magical camera that travels around the world capturing surreal images of undersea life. A young boy finds the camera on a beach and discovers this fantastical water world after he develops the photos from the camera. Upon further investigation, the boy realizes this magical camera has been taking amazing images of ocean life for dozens of past generations. At the end of the story, the reader is taken to a new beach with a new child and realizes that the magical camera will continue its work well into the future. This is a fascinating picture book and it’s almost hard to believe that the story is told entirely through illustrations alone! It is no wonder how it was awarded the Caldecott Medal. This book is appropriate for children of all ages. In lower elementary grades, the book can be used as a catalyst for story writing. In upper elementary grades, students can use the book to infer story elements and make predictions. Also to extend comprehension, a teacher could ask inferential questions such as “why does the author show the pictures within pictures?” or “how does the reader know that this camera has taken pictures in the past?” I truly loved this picture book!! It is beautifully illustrated and tells an wonderfully imaginative story.

(Image from www.hmhbooks.com/wiesner)