Book Review: You Hear Me? Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys edited by Betsy Franco

Bibliography:
Franco, Betsy, editor. (2000). You Hear Me? Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.


Summary:
This compilation of poems is written by teenage boys. The book consists of 73 poems and/or writings by teenage boys. Each poem or writing has a unique feel and pattern. The authors are listed with their age at the end of each contribution. Some authors have multiple writings in the book. Franco begins the book with background on how this anthology came about. Most writings are titled, but a few are untitled. 


Critical Analysis:
This poetry book is filled with emotion. The poets are open, sharing their innermost thoughts with the world. The book is full of courage, sadness, heartfelt confessions, inspirations and honest anger. Each poem is one of a kind, like no others in the book. Franco prefaces the book with how this anthology came about. Before reading the poems, it was great to read the background.

With one poem, the fate of a poet is told after the text (Me, pgs. 37-38). The heartbreaking confession of this young poet's death made me stop and think about the lives these boys are living now, twelve years after publication. This really brings the fact that the poems are real stories, real feelings, real people, to light. Keeping the words, abbreviations and capitalization as the poet wrote them was also an important aspect of each poem. I believe the open and honest poems by teen boys helps make poetry attainable by other boys. Poetry is an outlet for expression, and this anthology truly shows how teenagers can use it.

With minimal experience with young adult poetry, You Hear Me? was not the fun, bouncy poetry I am used to hearing/reading. It was almost dark with emotion. I shared several poems with my own teenage brother who enjoyed them. I feel that this anthology would be a definite "must" in any high school classroom hoping to promote poetry to young boys. My only warning for the book is that it contains some very mature content and language.


Awards:
ALA Best Books for Young Adults 2001
ALA Quick Picks for Young Adults 2001
Booklist Top Ten Poetry Books For Young Adults
School Library Journal excerpt: "...honest, raw and sometimes tender selections..." (As quoted on betsyfranco.com)

Connections:
-Use the book to open a unit of poetry (to show students that poetry is not scary!)
-Open up conversation about how powerful poetry can be
-Use the book in a boy's book club
-Compare and contrast writing styles of different age groups
-Use poems like Carabao Dreams, My Pockets Ain't That Phat, Black Boy Blues, to talk about poem layout and orientation
-Use specific poems to open up conversation about issues like homosexuality, bullying, death, drug abuse, teen parenting, etc. (I Am, Being Beat Up, Me, Does My Mother Look Like This?, I Refuse)
-Also by Betsy Franco -- Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writings by Teenage Girls, 21 Monologues for Teen Actors.

Sources:
Betsy Franco, Children's Book Author/Actor. "You Hear Me? poems and writings by teenage boys Things I Have to Tell You, poems and writing by teenage girls." Accessed on March 2, 2012. http://www.betsyfranco.com/you_hear_me____poems_and_writing_by_teenage_boys______things_i_have_to_tell_you__27178.htm. 

Book Review: Button Up! Wrinkled Rhymes by Alice Schertle

Bibliography: 
Schertle, Alice. (2009). Button Up! Ill. by Petra Mathers. New York, NY: Harcourt Children's Books. ISBN 9780152050504.

Summary: 
Button Up! is a children's poetry book. The collection is poems by Alice Schertle. The poems are about different articles of clothing. Poems are written from the point of view of the article of clothing. Overall, Button Up! is very fun book of poems for children with many opportunities to connect to other subjects besides poetry!


Critical Analysis: 
The poems in Button Up! rhyme and have nice rhythm. The rhyming in most of the poems does not feel forced in any way and flows naturally. Some words are repeated (See Emily's Undies for an example of repetitive words - seen). The rhythm of each poem seemed to flow naturally when read aloud. A few times while I read the poems allowed I added in a word without much thought, then went back to reread and find out why I said the word. In many cases, I was just in a "groove" of rhythm, but the poem was written differently. One poem that stuck out as different from the others was Clyde's Costume. The rhythm of this poem wasn't intuitive like many of the other poems.

All poems portray a natural, bouncy emotion. The poems are fun and sometimes a little silly. For example, Rick's Wool Sweater was a funny poem talking about the itchy sweater that Rick wore. The sweater talks about how sometimes it is nice to prickle poor Rick. This silly, bouncy fun is sure to be enjoyed by children and adults alike. Most of the poems display a traditional format. A few poems show an interesting orientation, with stanzas in different places (all in an intuitive flow). Others show bold words. See Wanda's Swimsuit or Violet's Hiking Hat for examples of each.

The illustrations are lovely watercolor. Each illustration does a fine job of bringing each poem to life. One specific poem where I felt the illustrations were imperative to the poem was Joshua's Jammies. The poem describes how Joshua's jammies are only good for Joshua, not for any of his animal friends. The illustration shows alligator (or crocodile, perhaps?) Joshua being carried to bed by his mother with all of his friends in the floor. The friends mentioned in the poem (penguins, whales, tigers, etc.) are Joshua's stuffed animal toys. In many cases, Mathers' illustrations really bring the poems to life.

Awards:
Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award 2010
Review excerpt from School Library Journal: "Alice Schertle's Button Up: Wrinkled Rhymes is "light fare" but exquisitely so. Schertle writes true and perfect "verse"-it rhymes, it has internally logical rhythm, it is funny, good to read aloud, and memorable."

Connections:
Also by Alice Schertle -- Pio Peep! Traditional Spanish Nursery Rhymes, Little Blue Truck, Very Hairy Bear.
Science Connection -- Introduce a weather unit with several poems
Physical Education Connection -- Introduce a unit on safety (Bob's Bicycle Helmet) or other units on sports (Wanda's Swimsuit, Jack's Soccer Jersey)
Language Arts connection -- Literary elements: onomatopoeia
Writing connection -- Use to enhance word-to-visual images and ideas
Music Connection: Use to teach about rhyme and rhythm
Use for vocabulary and fluency
Use the poems to teach about syllables in words
Use the book to introduce clothing articles to young children

Sources: 
Goodreads. "Books by Alice Schertle." Goodreads. Accessed February 26, 2012. http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/191218.Alice_Schertle. 
School Library Journal. "Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog." Posted by Nina Lindsey on October 22, 2009. http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/heavymedal/2009/10/22/poetry-2/. 

Book Review: The Three Little Pigs retold by Barry Moser

Bibliography: 
Moser, Barry. (2001). The Three Little Pigs. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316585440.

Plot Summary:
Three pigs set out on their own in the world. One pig builds a house of straw and the big bad wolf blows it down and eats the pig. The second pig builds a home from sticks and the wolf blows the house down and eats him, too. The third pig builds a home out of brick. The wolf tries to blow the house in, but fails. The wolf tries to trick the pig, but the pig always outsmarts the wolf. In the end, the third pig has a nice wolf stew for dinner.

Critical Analysis: 
Moser is both the author and the illustrator of this book. This adaptation of the traditional Three Little Pigs is hilarious and outrageous. The style of the book is traditional with a very modern flare. The story will be familiar to children with some new details thrown in. For example, the pigs leave home on Valentine's day! The story would work well with both self reading or as a read aloud. As a read aloud it allows the reader to point out the fun details like the "Wolf Cook" book at the end.

The characters in the book are predominately male. The only female is the mother, crying as her boys go away on the first page. All the characters are very detailed. By the end of the book, you can see the hunger in the wolf's eyes and see his ribs. One minor detail I took note of when brainstorming about the characters was the one pig who had a teddy bear with him at the beginning of the story. Perhaps he was the baby of the family or perhaps he was the weak runt. It was interesting to see him as the first pig to be eaten by the big bad wolf.

Illustrations throughout the book are detailed. Emotions are very present in the faces of each character. For example, when the big bad wolf eats the second pig, a nice empty bottle of "PigA Pepper Sauce" is beside him while he wipes his mouth with a napkin. Pig three builds his house with brick and "Wolfe Pruf Cement." The little details really make the reader laugh out loud! The illustrations bring a lot to the text of the folktale.

Awards:
To my knowledge, this particular book by Barry Moser does not have any awards. Moser does have awards for other texts.
Review excerpt from the School Library Journal: "Well written and cleverly illustrated, the book is the perfect choice for replacing tattered editions with inferior illustrations that may be cluttering library shelves or a fine first pick for a growing library." -Jody McCoy, The BushSchool.

Connections:
--Holiday connection: The story takes place on Valentine's Day
--Literature connection: Compare and contrast other "Three Little Pigs" variations
--Author/Illustrator Study: Example of books to include - Earthquack!, Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes, The Three Silly Billies, and Dogs of Myth: Tales From Around the World
--Begin a study on pigs and/or wolves
--Science connection: Open a study about air (blowing, air pressure, etc.)

Sources:
School Library Journal. "Six Transplanted Tales." School Library Journal, November 27, 2007. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6505748.html

Book Review: The Frog Princess: A Tlingit Legend from Alaska retold by Eric Kimmel

Bibliography: 
Kimmel, Eric A. (2006). The Frog Princess: A Tlingit Legend from Alaska. Ill. by Rosanne Litzinger. New York, NY: Holiday House. ISBN 0823416186.

Plot Summary: 
A Tlingit princess is to find a suitor. She is unhappy with all her options and announces she would rather marry a frog. She runs away underwater with a frog person. Her parents try and find their daughter when they awake to her disappearance. The headman threatens the frog people: either give back the princess or they will go to war. The princess comes back to land but is very, very unhappy. The princess disappears once again and the frogs move from the lake. Later, a frog tells a traveler to tell the headman the princess is happy then hopped back in the water.

Critical Analysis: 
Kimmel does an excellent job of retelling the Tlingit legend and Litzinger accompanies the words with nice illustrations.The illustrations reflect the text well, especially the emotions and body language of the characters. There were few characters in the folktale. The illustrations were soft and subdued with bright colors for the most part. Little extras such as pottery and/or small animals added nice detail to the pages.

As a folktale, the story line is well written. Kimmel uses very short sentences throughout the story.  The story does not contain very much description overall. The features of the frog people were described well and depicted by the illustrations in a satisfactory manner. I was not impressed by the amount of detail in the story, however the folktale itself was impressive and does a fine job of portraying the moral. This would be an appropriate story to share with students at any age.

The closing of the story was disappointing. It left somewhat of a cliffhanger. My questions included the following: Does the princess live happily ever after with the frog people? Do her parents find peace without the princess? A frog does say to pass along a message to the headman that the princess is happy with her new life, but the story still felt open and unconcluded overall. When I picked this book up, I was not expecting the story presented. It was well received as a whole.

Awards Won: 
The particular book The Frog Princess by Kimmel has not won any awards to my knowledge. Kimmel has won various awards for other texts.
Review excerpt from School Library Journal: "Bright swaths of watercolors illuminate the landscapes and backgrounds."

Connections: 
--Author study: Eric A. Kimmel (other traditional tales include Medio Pollito, The Gingerbread Man, Bearhead: A Russian Folktale, and Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock - my personal favorite! See www.ericakimmel.com for an exhaustive list.) 
--Culture connection: Use the book to begin a unit study on Alaska or the Tlingit tribe.
--Art connection: use the story to open up conversation about watercolors in artmaking
--Social connection: Use to teach about acceptance and happiness across all cultures/creatures
--Science connection: Students discuss amphibians

Source: School Library Journal. "Preschool to Grade 4: Nonfiction." School Library Journal, June 1, 2006. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6340933.html. 

Book Review: The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

Bibliography: 
Pinkney, Jerry. (2009). The Lion and the Mouse. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9870316013567.

Plot Summary: 
The story begins with a mouse escaping an owl, but then ending up atop a resting lion. The lion growls at the mouse, but lets her go. The lion is captured by a net that poachers put out. The mouse hears the cries of the lion and gnaws the net away to set the lion free. The mouse takes a piece of the net back to her mice babies to see.

Critical Analysis: 
This specific rendition of The Lion and the Mouse is beautifully wordless. The illustrations are thoughtful and detailed. The illustrations seem to be done with watercolors and pencils. The front cover of the book is a picture of the lion, no words. Throughout the traditional tale you see little details like the whiskers of the animals, each blade of grass and/or other animals in the jungle (butterflies, ants, baby cubs). I would like to note one special illustration where the mouse goes to the nest and her family of sweaking babies, and the lion is in the background. I think this illustration brings light to the good deed of the lion.

The entire story is very will understood through the use of illustrations without words. The several words in the book are merely sweaks and growls (animals noises). There are several  times in the book where the illustrator uses frames to highlight action. For example, the mouse gnawing the rope the lion is caught in. This helped focus the reader on certain aspects of the illustrations instead of those special details going unnoticed.

Story wise, this traditional tale does an excellent job of showing the moral of the fable. The kind deeds of the mighty lion towards the small mouse were rewarded. It does a great job of showing students that kind deeds may go unnoticed at first, but in the long run they are beneficial! Overall this is a great book to share with students at any age.


Awards Won: 
2010 Horn Book Awards Honor Book - Boston Globe
2010 Best Illustrated Books - New York Times
2010 Book of the Year Winner, New Picture Book - Indies Choice
2010 Randolph Caldecott Medal - American Library Association
Review excerpt from the School Library Journal: "The Lion and the Mouse takes a classic Aesop tale and spins it into wordless picture book gold. A must have, and a must purchase." 


Connections: 
--Use the book to begin a lesson about kindness
--Unit study of Jerry Pinkney (other books include Sunday Outing, Pretend You're a Cat, Turtle in July and Noah's Ark. For an exhaustive list see http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/frameset.html)  
--Use the illustrations to discuss texture and details with older art students
--Use this book with other traditional tales (adaptations) by Jerry Pinkney (Examples include Three Kittens, Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Red Hen)
--Use the book to start learning about animal sounds (squeak, roar, whoowhoo)
--Begin a lesson on storytelling or improvisation using the book as their inspiration

School Library Journal. "Review of the Day" Review of the Day: The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney. School Library Journal, July 20, 2009. http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2009/07/20/review-of-the-day-the-lion-and-the-mouse-by-jerry-pinkney/

Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora - Book Review

Bibliography: 
Mora, Pat. (1997). Tomás and the Library Lady. Ill. by Raul Colon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0679804013.


Plot Summary: 
Young Tomás' family is a migrant farmer family, travelling between places every fall and spring. Tomás finds the public library and begins to visit often. He makes friends with the librarian who lets him take books home and share the stories with his family. Tomás falls in love with books and spends his spare time at the library. When it is time for Tomás' family to move again he gives a parting gift to the librarian. The story ends with a note about Tomás Rivera (the muse for the story) and his love for books.  


Critical Analysis: 
The illustrations are fabulous. The colors are very subdued yet defined. The lines of the illustrations flow well and show action in the pictures. The front of the pictures are defined, with the background a little hazy. There are very intricate details, like the dinosaurs teeth and the eyes of the characters. Another thing I noticed was the texture of the pictures. 
Tomás becomes the storyteller of the family since he is going to the library and reading new books and gaining new ideas. Tomás is not the only person in the library learning - Tomás is also teaching the librarian Spanish. Several Spanish words come up in the text. The book is almost a 'coming of age' as the storytelling is passed down from the Grandfather to Tomás. 
It is interesting to note the author's note in the back of the book. Tomás Rivera's life was influenced by a librarian and by books. If reading the book aloud, be sure to make note of this to students. Having the "true story" behind the picture book brings reality to the already heartwarming book.


Awards Won: 
Texas Bluebonnet Master List 1999-2000
Notable Children's Books - Smithsonian 1997
Children's Picture Book Review excerpt: "The combination of watercolors and colored pencils in earth tones creates the hazy feel of summer days, which nicely compliment the heartwarming story by Pat Mora. The story is even more affecting when we realize it is a fictionalized account of one summer in the life of a real person." 


Connections: 
--Use to introduce new cultural ideas or careers
--Use to introduce a bilingual study
--Use as an icebreaker for "Meet the Librarian" or "Get to know the Library"
--Use in conjunction with lessons on the importance of reading or the art of storytelling.




Source:
About.com. "Tomas and the Library Lady: Children's Picture Book Review." http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/productreviews/fr/tomas_library.htm

Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág - Book Review

Bibliography: 
Gág, Wanda. 1928. Millions of Cats. Ill by Wanda Gág. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0399233156. 


Plot Summary: 
The book begins with an older couple, sad because they are lonely. The old man departs on a journey to find a cat to make the old woman happy. The old man comes upon a great many cats, but cannot pick just one. He brings all the cats back with him. The old woman is surprised and tells the man they cannot keep all of the cats. The old man and the old woman want the cats to pick the prettiest of them all which brings the cats to all fight each other. The last cat standing is a small kitten (who did not get involved in the cat-fight). The old man and the old woman declare the kitten the best and the three are very content in the end. 


Critical Analysis: 
Wanda Gág brings a wonderful story to life with her illustrations. The drawings are detailed and all in black and white. Many of the pages have too much text for my liking in a picture book (one entire page covered with text). I think it is important to note the book was written and published first in 1928. 
The story follows a good sequence, from the old woman wanting a cat to the old man bringing many cats home, and finally the old couple settling with one cat. The manner in which the cat becomes theirs is important to note as well. This was a small cat that was so scrawny it was overlooked in all the fighting. The words and pictures of the story are logical for a child to understand. 


Awards Won: 
Newbery Honor Award - 1928 
Notable Fact - Oldest American Picture Book still being published
School Library Journal excerpt - "Considered by many to have ushered in the age of the modern picture book, this Newbery Honor winner is characterized by innovative design and a strong storyteller's cadence."


Connections: 
--Other books by Wanda Gág- Snippy and Snappy, The Funny Thing
--Use as an introduction to a math lesson (billion, trillion, etc). 
--Use in a study about cats
--Use in an art class to study the pen & ink drawings
--Use in a lesson about exaggeration




Source:
School Library Journal. "One Hundred Books that Shaped the Century" Review of Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág. School Library Journal, January 1, 2000. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA153035.html