So Far from the Bamboo Grove

I just came to the realization that I never blogged about this novel, So Far from the Bamboo Grove! This novel was written by Yoko Kawashima Watkins and was one of my favorite books from the semester. Due to my enjoyment of this novel, I am surprised I forgot to blog about it! But, better late than never, I guess.

This novel is the author's true story - her account of her life during World War II. The main character (and author) Yoko is an eleven-year-old Japanese girl living in Northern Korea and faced with the hardships of war. This story follows Yoko, her sister, Ko and her mother as they make their journey to Japan for safety. Yoko's brother and father are away due to work, so the family is separated and desperate to reconnect once again so that their family can be together again. This book mostly covers the treacherous journey their family makes - both the women and their brother - and the plight of their people due to the Korean invasion.

This novel is just one perspective and account of World War II and it features Koreans as enemies, yet also as kind supporters. Some chapters of this book are extremely difficult to read and graphic. It was hard to read about the train journey - specifically the mother whose dead child is tossed from a moving train, only to be followed by the mother committing suicide by jumping off the moving train as well. Additionally, rapes were mentioned, along with extreme suffering. These aspects of the book make it controversial. However, if this book were taught to older children - 5th grade and older - it would be more appropriate and they would be more mature to handle it. Also, this book should not be taught on it's own. It should be taught simultaneously with Year of Impossible Goodbyes to show students both sides and perspectives of the war. Also, this unit should encourage research to check facts and to find other supplementary material to support their position or take on World War II.

I really enjoyed reading this book and would certainly teach it in my classroom!

End of the Semester Reflection

I think this class has gone very well for me this semester. The blogs have been very fun and I think they will be very useful in the future when I am selecting books for my classroom for read alouds or student selection. This blog will be a useful resource for me with literature selection - it's essentially mini reviews of books and many are organized by genre, which will also be helpful with units.

My favorite book(s) that we read as a class were "So Far From the Bamboo Grove" and "The Giver". I think both books would be terrific to read in fourth and fifth grade classrooms. Both books were engaging, emotionally riveting and many lessons could come from each. With "The Giver", it would be so much fun to teach a lesson on color. Students could select the passages which feature color. The students could use illustrations and poems to display their understanding of the use of color in the novel. Students could also write about their own thoughts on the future of the world. "So Far from the Bamboo Grove" would be a great book to accompany a World War II unit. Comparing this book to the viewpoints in "Year of Impossible Goodbyes" would create a great compare and contrast paper or discussion.

My favorite part of the class was making our glogs. I love art and am a very creative person. Glogs allowed me to showcase my creative abilities in a digital form. I had also never even heard of glogs, so I was able to learn about a new modern technology that I could use from now on. My glog will also be a great visual for the start of an author study unit or poetry unit about Shel Silverstein.

This class has broadened my knowledge of children's literature and has given me insight into many aspects of book usage. My favorite unit was the controversial book study. The practicality of this class will allow me to be able to use many aspects of this class in my classroom in the future.

LOVE THAT DOG

LOVE THAT DOG is written by Sharon Creech, winner of the Newbery medal for Walk Two Moons. This poetry novel is very interesting and a quick read. This story follows a struggling poet, Jack, who is in Miss Stretchberry's class (Room 105). Jack doesn't feel he can write poetry and any poems of his that his teacher wants to share with the rest of the class leads to Jack's refusal to put his name on his work. Jack is not confident about his poetry work. However, the more Jack writes in his journal and the more positive feedback and prodding he receives from his teacher leads to his true capabilities shining through. Jack discovers that poetry isn't all about rhyming and that splitting up his lines in different ways can cause his words to have a different rhythm and sounds very good after all. Jack also reads a lot of poetry and class. His favorite poet is Mr. Walter Dean Myers. Miss Stretchberry convinces (with Jack's help) Mr. Walter Dean Myers to come visit their classroom and talk to the students about poetry. It is Jack's favorite day and he feels proud of his poetry. Many of Jack's poems focus on his yellow dog who was hit by a car and how tough of a time that was for him.

This book was very fun to read. It would be great to read this novel at the start of a poetry unit for 4th, 5th or 6th graders. This book shows students how poetry can really be simple words broken up in many different ways. This book also shows the feelings of a student learning to write poetry and coming out of his shell. Many students will feel the same way as they're learning to write poetry - a genre that is out of their element. I plan on implementing writing journals in my writing workshop, so students could be simultaneously writing in their own notebooks while reading this book.

I like how the book is formatted in a dated diary/notebook style. This makes it more fun to read. I also like the changes Jack makes from the beginning of the book to the end. It's a wonderful transition to witness. I think older elementary and middle school kids will love this book and get a lot out of it!

Button Up!

Button Up! is a poetry picture book written by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Petra Mathers. This book is all about clothes and how they can have a life of their own. Each item of clothing is paired with an animal and then a poem is written about their pairing. Many of the pages write about growing up and how your clothes change. For example, in Emily's Undies the switch from diapers to big girl undies is discussed. Many young children transitioning into undies, big kid beds, sippy cups, etc. will relate and find themselves interested in the poems.

I would recommend this book to young preschool aged children, but up until age 6 or 7. The poems are longer but relatable for children of these varying ages. I think my favorite poem from the collection would be Emily's Undies.

We're Emily's undies
with laces and bows.
Emily shows us
wherever she goes.
She doesn't wear diapers,
not even to bed.
Now she wears undies
with ruffles instead.

We're Emily's undies,
fit for a Queen,
the prettiest undies
that anyone's seen,
and everyone's seen
our laces and bows
because Emily shows us
wherever she goes.

Each poem is written from the perspective of the clothing, which is an interesting spin on things. Each poem rhymes and has smooth rhythm. The illustrations are sweet, but not overly exciting. They're pretty simple and there is a lot of white space. I think the poems would stand out more if the illustrations were more colorful, bigger, detailed and really popped. That was my one complaint. But this book would be great to read to young preschool aged children and kindergarten or first graders. I enjoyed the poems.

Busy in the Garden

Busy in the Garden poems are written by George Shannon with pictures by Sam Williams. There are 24 poems in all that deal with nature and more specifically, the garden. Each poem is short, simple and very creative. These poems are definitely geared more towards preschoolers or possibly kindergarteners. It might be fun to read these poems to kindergarten students for the start of the spring season or during a gardening or planting unit.

These poems are very creative. They are written stylistically very different from one another. Each poem is in a different format and is read with different rhythms. They also don't all rhyme, although the majority do. In the table of contents you can easily find the poems and determine which is best to read aloud for the purpose of a unit. Each poem is appropriate and educational. Some are silly and mind twisters, while others are more complex. The variation among the poems is awesome and shows kids all of the different ways poetry can be written.

The illustrations are sweet. They are done in watercolor and are very colorful and eye-catching. They're not overly thrilling though and do not contain a ton of detail. They use large brush strokes and thick lines with soft colors. They're pretty paintings, but I don't know if they'll be thrilling for kids to look at. I think they could be modernized a bit. Overall, I would read this book to young children as a way of introducing poetry and a way to introduce a unit on planting/agriculture.

Almost Late to School And More School Poems

This poetry picture book is written by Carol Diggory Shields and is illustrated by Paul Meisel. This book of fun school poems was a blast to read! There are poems about the first days of school, the science fair, what happens when the school is locked up at night, late excuses, detention, etc. The poems all rhyme and stick in your head. They're fun and relatable for school aged children. My favorite poem is: They're Calling Me that Name Again

They're calling me that name again -
It's driving me insane -
In voices shrill, like little drills.
Attacking my poor brain.
In classroom, playground, hall and gym,
From swing and slide and bleacher.
I hear it everywhere I go -
"Teacher! Teacher! Teacher!"

I think this poem is great because I know that students do this all the time. They are constantly asking their teacher questions over and over again, which can give a teacher a headache! This would be the perfect poem to hang up in the room so students know to raise their hands and not call out repeatedly. Many of these poems would be great hung up in the classroom - they're fun, creative and relatable.

The illustration are fun to look at. Sometimes the words are incorporated quite creatively with the illustrations. There's always something different to look at while reading each poem. The illustrations are detailed and they are diverse - kids from all different backgrounds are represented in each picture.

Because I Could Not Stop My Bike and other poems

This poetry picture book is written by Karen Jo Shapiro and is illustrated by Matt Faulkner. Shapiro rewrites famous poems from English and American Literature from poets such as Emily Dickinson, William Shakespeare, Sir John Suckling, Walt Whitman, and Edgar Allen Poe among others. Shapiro's creative spin on the classics is very entertaining. She apologizes to each well-known poet and the original poetry before beginning her silly poems on daily blunders fashioned after the classics.

Shapiro shows a lot of creativity in her writing and each poem can be read with a smooth rhyme and rhythm just like the originals. The illustrations are unique. They creatively express the poem and are vivid and detailed. The poems are supposed to be funny, but I wasn't sure if I found them that hilarious. They seem to focus primarily on day-today issues and dilemmas yet they are not hilarious. I'm not sure if kids would get into them or not. The poems are a little bland, but the idea behind the book is wonderful. My favorite poem from the poetry book is titled Where My Feet Go.

Where my feet go, there goes me.
But one day we did not agree.
I thought we'd go to the library,
But my feet wanted to climb a tree.

"Dear feet," I said, "oh, please be fair."
My feet said they'd be glad to share.
So now we all go EVERYWHERE.

I think this poem is clever and the illustration of a girl hanging by her feet high above the library in a tree reading a book perfectly captures the essence of the poem. All of the poems are appropriate and cute, but they're not very funny/they don't have that WOW factor like a lot of other poetry books for children I have read. However, they're all great for beginner poets and they all feature rhyme and are appropriate for students of all ages. I would keep this book in my classroom.

Monster Goose

Monster Goose is written by Judy Sierra and is illustrated by Jack E. Davis. This children's poetry picture book is very spooky. It takes traditional nursery rhymes (like Humpty Dumpty, Little Miss Muffit, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc.) and turns them into haunted nursery rhymes. My favorite ghoulish poem is There was an Old Zombie.

There was an old zombie who lived in a shoe.
She had so many maggots, she didn't
know what to do.
So she soaked them in soapsuds and
painted them green.
She'll be giving them out next Halloween.

This poem based on "There Was an Old Lady who Lived in a Shoe" is very humorous. It's creative and contains the same rhyme and rhythm as the original. Additionally, the illustrations in this book are fabulous. Very detailed and creative. Each picture perfectly captures the elements of the poem. Whatever you read in the poem you can find in the picture. The illustrations are colorful and successfully creepy.

Some of the poems I felt were slightly inappropriate. For example, the poem Little Miss Mummy.

Little Miss Mummy
Lay on her tummy
Smoking a big cigar.
A very large spider
resided inside her.
(She kept all her guts in a jar.)

A cigar isn't something to get all upset about, but I don't see why tobacco use has to be encouraged in any way to children. This book would be great for read-aloud during Halloween week, allowing me to skip certain poems and read a few of my favorites instead. I don't think I'd keep it in my library.

Year of Impossible Goodbyes

Year of Impossible Goodbyes is written by Sook Nyui Choi. This book is from the perspective of ten-year-old Sookan - a Korean girl living during World War II. The Japanese Military is invading Korea and Sookan and her younger brother, Inchun, endure the hardships of war. After the Koreans win the war the communist Russian troops take control over North Korea and Sookan and her family must escape to South Korea. With her older brothers in labor camps and her father in Manchuria, Sookan, Inchun and their mother flee the north. The children become separated from their mother and after terrorizing weeks, the children make it successfully to the south without being caught by the Russians. Their mother is held by the Russians and eventually was made to be a servant for a Russian family. She escapes their home and she too makes it to the South and is reunited with her children and husband. Sadly, their Aunt Tiger is killed when she remains home in North Korea.

This novel is based on many true facts from the author's life, which makes it more emotionally pulling. The story was slow to start off, but in the 4th/5th chapter it really took off and I became immersed in the book. The writing was so detailed and descriptive, allowing me to visualize as a reader. I began to truly feel for Sookan and her family as the book went on and I was pulling for their safe entry into the South.

This book would make a fantastic unit paired with So Far from the Bamboo Grove. Both of these book take oppositional viewpoints on World War II from both the Korean perspective and the Japanese perspective. It would be interesting to hear students takes on the oppositional sides and to sympathize for both countries. A war involves more than one country (typically) so it's important to hear both sides. It's also crucial that students understand the torture and despair war can bring to those who are least deserving of it - i.e. women and children.

This book unit would definitely be most appropriate for 5th grade at the youngest through to middle school aged children due to some of the graphic content and material. However, I feel that all of this content is necessary for older students to understand and read about. I would also certainly be open to conversation about any topics students are concerned about. These books would definitely open up conversation in the classroom regarding the devastation of war.

Things that are most in the world

Things that are most in the world is written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by John Nickle. This book carries a common theme of, you guessed it, things that are most in the world. For example, each page bears a silly, out of the ordinary example. "The wiggliest thing in the world is a snake ice-skating." and "The quietest thing in the world is a worm chewing peanut butter". This wacky "most in the world's" are fun and engaging for young children. Additionally, the illustrations are great - very detailed and appealing. They're fun to spend time looking at and make the "mosts" come alive.

What I like most about this book is its ability to be a mini-lesson in the classroom. At the end of the book, there is a blank page that reads: The _________est thing in the world is ____________________________.

It would be fantastic to read this book animatedly to students and then follow up with a worksheet that has the above phrase on it. The kids can then brainstorm about something that is most in the world and write what that would be. I think this would be such a fun assignment for kids to work on - something that gets them writing, but isn't overwhelming.

Obviously, I would certainly use this book in my classroom. It's fun and engaging! It also stems into a wonderful lesson suitable for young children. This book is sure to be a winner in the classroom!

Little Red - A Fizzingly Good Yarn

Little Red is written/retold by Lynn Roberts and is illustrated by her brother, David Roberts. This book takes a slight twist on the traditional fable of Little Red Riding Hood. In this story the main character, Little Red, is a young boy. He travels weekly to his grandmother's house to bring her food and his parent's special ginger ale that comes from their inn they own. Little Red's mother warns him to stay on the path to grandmother's house. However, along the walk, Little Red spots some red apples high up in a tree. He takes off his red jacket in order to climb better to reach the apples. The wolf that has been following him grabs Little Red's jacket and takes off for Little Red's grandmother's house to eat her first. Dressed as Little Red, the very shortsighted grandmother thinks the wolf is her grandson and lets him inside. The wolf swallows the grandmother whole! When Little Red arrives he is worried about his stolen jacket and he looks for his grandmother inside. He finds his grandmother in a dark room and he comments on some of her features that he can make out in the dark. Frightened, he realizes that this "grandmother" is really the wolf! The wolf tries to eat him up for dessert, but Little Red has other plans. He convinces the wolf to try the ginger ale first before eating him. The wolf guzzles down the ale which causes a loud burp. He burps Little Red's grandmother right out! Then Little Red hits the wolf over the head with the ale jug and knocks him out cold. He ties up the wolf. When the wolf awakens, the little boy talks reasonably with him about a trade-off. They come to a compromise and agree that every week Little Red will leave a jug of ginger ale in the woods for the wolf IF the wolf never eats anyone again. The wolf agrees (because the ale is better than humans anyway!) and they both live happily ever after.

This book was very fun to read. I love twisted fairy tales that still contain the positive message for kids. I loved how creative the story was and how the main character in this story is a little boy, rather than a little girl. It's nice for the boys to be represented in fairy tales too! The writing was very clever and engaging. I immediately wanted to know what the twist was when I began reading. I also love, love, love the illustrations. They're very interesting and I've never seen any like them. They have a very spooky vibe to them and it was fun to find little details in each drawing. They are more detailed than they actually appear. I like the overall creepy, scary twist to the story, enhanced mostly by the effective illustrations.

There is some violence in this story, but none that I feel is too inappropriate. Plus, the violence is performed in self-defense so the little boy is not eaten! I think I'd become a little violent as well, if a wolf were going to eat me. There was also the reference to ginger ale a lot. I was assuming this drink was alcoholic, but I didn't know. That could be viewed as inappropriate, but I think it would probably pass over most kids heads anyways. Overall, I loved this remake of Little Red Riding Hood and was very engaged while reading it. Kids would love it!

The Cow That Laid an Egg

The Cow That Laid an Egg is written by Andy Cutbill and is illustrated by Russel Ayto. This book is about a cow (Marjorie) who feels rather ordinary and down in the dumps. She wishes she were as talented and special as the other cows she knows. Her friends, the chickens, devise a secret plan to make her more special than the other cows - they make an egg and paint it like a cow with black splotches and put it under Marjorie! In the morning, Marjorie discovers the egg and is shocked herself! She shrieks and the cows and the farmer are in awe. The farmer's wife calls the local paper to tell them about their special cow who laid an egg. Marjorie becomes famous and visitors continue to come to the farm to see this miraculous cow. But the other cows on the farm don't believe that Marjorie laid an egg. They suspect that the chickens just put the egg under her! Angry, Marjorie swears that the egg came from her and they all wait until one day when it hatches after being kept warm by Marjorie. Out pops a baby chick and the cows laugh and think they're right. However, the baby "chick" looks up and says deeply, "MOOOOOOOOO!" and Marjorie knows the baby is her own.

This book has wonderfully creative illustrations! They were so fun and very unique. The illustrator seemed to use multiple forms of media to put the illustrations together. They were brightly colored and very stylized - could have only been done by this illustrator. The writing was very simple, but it read easily and smoothly and was easy to get into. This book would be for lower to middle elementary school. It could be used in a farm animal unit or science unit. I loved the goofy story, the positive message (everyone is special in their own way!) and the illustrations. I would highly recommend this book to other teachers teaching lower elementary grade levels.

Bandit

Bandit is written by Karen Rostoker-Gruber and is illustrated by Vincent Nguyen. This book is similar to a graphic novel. It contains numerous speech bubbles of what Bandit the cat is thinking or saying. This story follows Bandit, an orange tabby cat, whose owner decides to move. Bandit can't figure out why his house is emptying out and all of his belongings are being taken away by strange men in a van. His owner drives much further than the vet to get to their new house. Only Bandit thinks he must return home! None of his possessions are in this cold, stark new house so he takes off out the door and runs all the way back to his old house. He slips inside the screen door and the new family who has moved in is shocked to find a cat in their home. The woman demands that Bandit leave. He is kicked out and as he's running off his owner drives up and finds him right where she thought he would be. Relieved to be safe, Bandit is taken home to his new house where he finds it unpacked and all of his things where they should be. Comforted, Bandit accepts his new "home".

This book is really fun to read. All of the speech bubbles and it's comic look make it aesthetically pleasing. It also contains a lot of humor - the cat makes for an interesting main character! This book would be great for middle elementary. It would also make for a fun read aloud. It has a great, relatable message about moving and how tough that can be. I'm sure many students will have dealt with moving before so this book is a great way to approach that subject. After reading the book it could be fun to have them share moving stories or how they felt/would feel if they moved to another house, neighborhood, city or even state. I like to read books with kids that open up conversation and this one definitely fills that category. Additionally, I think the illustrations are so great - very modern and unique. They're simple, but appealing. They remind me of a cartoon, which many kids love! I would definitely include this book in my classroom for read-aloud or for my classroom library for the cat lover out there.

Guess Where You're Going, Guess What You'll Do

Guess Where You're Going, Guess What You'll Do is a great beginning to read book written by A.F. Bauman and illustrated by True Kelley. This book is definitely suited for very young children - ages 2 - 5. This book is interactive - you read clues about an activity/the place you'd do this activity and guess what the activity is. The illustrations help you to figure out where you're going and what you'll do, as well. This book takes you on many adventures - and adventures that all little kids will recognize and likely have experienced themselves. You start out sledding, then having a picnic in the park, fishing at a creek, at the beach, going to school, going trick-or-treating and finally going to sleep to dream of what you'll do and where you'll go in the future.

This book would be a great read-aloud because it's so interactive. You could give the students clues and then have them guess before you turn the page and show them the answer. This book would also be great for read-aloud because of the detailed pictures. Students would enjoy spending a lot of time looking at the detailed, vivid pictures. This would also be a good book to have in your library if you teach preschool or Kindergarten because students could definitely get a lot out of it and make educated guesses from the pictures.

My only issue with this book is how dated it looks. It was published in 1989 (the year I was born!) so I guess that was over two decades ago. I just would be slightly hesitant to use it in my classroom because of how old it looks. However, all of the pictures and things to do are things we all still enjoy and take part in, so it could still definitely work.