Rules by Cynthia Lord

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lord, Cynthia. Rules. New York: Scholastic Press, 2006. ISBN 9780385746779

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Twelve year old Catherine deals with the everyday frustrations of her autistic brother. She makes rules for him to follow to keep herself from being embarrassed and to set boundaries for him. Catherine befriends a paraplegic adolescent boy, for whose communication board, she creates words for and whose friendship causes her another emotional struggle when he asks her to a dance.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Told in a first person narrative, Newbery Award winning, Rules helps you understand what it is like to live with a sibling with autism. The three R’s: Repetition, Routine, and Redundancy, are cleverly written into the text so that you are unaware that these are the mainstay tools needed for autistic people to survive. Having a child with autism allows Cynthia Lord to write with special insight. The dialogue between the siblings and friends draws you into the emotional rollercoaster that Catherine is going through. You ponder what your own feelings would be if you were the one going through the same situations.
This book deals with the subjects of acceptance of others and friendships, from a humorous, adolescent perspective.

Interest level grades 6-8

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Deborah Stevenson, Associate Editor (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May 2006 (Vol. 59, No. 9)) Readers will sympathize with Catherine’s struggle to explain the world to David through his beloved rules and her frustration at his demanding, embarrassing behaviors and his garnering the majority of parental attention. This is an absorbing tale about valuing people even when it’s difficult, and it may encourage readers to consider the benefits and challenges of their own families and friends.
CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2007) As Catherine struggles to find her way into these new relationships, her feelings for her brother float realistically between frustration, embarrassment, love, protectiveness, and everyday sibling ups-and-downs.
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
John Newbery Medal, 2007 Honor Book United States
Mitten Award, 2006 Winner United States
Schneider Family Book Award, 2007 Winner Ages 11 to 13 United States
Skipping Stones Honor Awards, 2007 Winner Multicultural and International Awareness Books United States

5. CONNECTIONS
• Have students decide on one pet peeve they want to eliminate and write a rule for it.
• Create words for a person to use with a communication board, like Catherine made for Jason.
• Role play the siblings relationships and come up with ways to circumvent the situations that can be real catastrophic in a family.
• Read other fictional books about autism
Anything but typical written by Nora Raleigh Baskin 2009. ISBN 9781416963783
Playing by the rules: a story about autism written by Dena Fox Luchsinger 2007. ISBN 9781890627836
Looking after Louis written by Lesley Ely 2004. ISBN 9780807547465
Marcelo in the real world written by Francisco X. Stork 2009. ISBN 9780545054744. ages 14+

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Rosoff, Meg. How I live now. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2004. ISBN 978055337605
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Fifteen-year-old Daisy leaves New York City to live with her deceased mother’s sister and cousins in the countryside of England. Daisy’s new laid back country life takes her on a new big sister protective role when war breaks out and the family is separated. Taken far from her new home, Daisy leads her nine-year-old cousin on an adventure to make it back to their country home through a war torn country.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Michael L. Printz 2005 Award winning book, How I Live Now, deals with many realistic themes of life within a country at war. Told through a first person narrative Daisy shares many heart wrenching emotions dealing with incestuous romance, anorexia, adolescence, love, courage and violence. Meg Rosoff writes with such intensity that you get caught up in the struggles of the characters, wanting to find quick solutions to their problems. The mood of the characters often switches from serious to humorous and the events range from playful and mysterious to dangerous and exciting with a lot of action packed in. Use of capital letters, hyperboles, and metaphors gives Daisy a sarcastic and compelling voice. Rosoff packs a lot of highly disturbing events dealing with relationships and war into a fast thought provoking novel that keeps you captivated until the end. Ages 15-18

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 14)) This is a very relatable contemporary story, told in honest, raw first-person and filled with humor, love, pathos, and carnage. War, as it will, changes these young people irrevocably, not necessarily for the worse. They and readers know that no one will ever be the same.

Timnah Card (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 2004 (Vol. 58, No. 1)) Throughout, the paradisiacal setting of the English countryside and the wretched, sometimes horrifyingly violent lives of the embattled people who live there are presented with such luxurious, terrible realism that readers will remain absorbed to the very end by this unforgettable and original story.

Awards, Honors, Prizes, Best Books:
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, 2004 Winner United Kingdom
Michael L. Printz Award, 2005 Winner United States
Horn Book Fanfare, 2004 ; Horn Book; United States
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books , 2004 ; Cahners; United States

5. CONNECTIONS
• Class discussions about teens and their roles during war can be explored.
• Other topics to explore and discuss – sibling separation, anorexia, teen sex, eating disorders, loss of a parent, survival techniques

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Greg Heffley's Journal by Jeff Kinney

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a wimpy kid: Greg Heffley's journal. New York: Amulet Books, 2007. ISBN 9780810994553

2. PLOT SUMMARY
A novel in cartoons, character Greg Heffley chronicles his sixth grade year with his best friend Rowley. Greg is the ring leader getting him and Rowley into all kinds of trouble. Funny and easy to read, you end up rooting for Greg to make better decisions.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Simple line drawings filled with emotion and very easy to follow humor, Diary of a Wimpy Kid keeps you laughing at the silly situations middle school kids get into. Jeff Kinney captures the essence of adolescent boys without being judged by adults. Text flows easily from situation to situation leading you on adventures of everyday life of two friends who are nerdy, wimpy kids trying to be cool middle school boys. Kinney brings new life into brainless antics that boys seem to get into and makes you want to keep reading the hilarious episodes.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Todd Morning (Booklist, Apr. 1, 2007 (Vol. 103, No. 15)) Greg tells his story in a series of short, episodic chapters. Most revolve around the adolescent male curse: the need to do incredibly dumb things because they seem to be a good idea at the time.
CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices 2008) Often lighthearted and silly, Greg’s journal also manages to tap into common issues of early adolescence—controlling parents, school bullies, evolving friendships—that will resonate with his real-life peers.

5. CONNECTIONS
• Create your own cartoon chronicling a year in your life.
• Create a new look for Greg as he matures into a young adult. Then create new situational cartoons as he gets older.
• Add a new female character to Greg and Rowley’s friendship. Describe how she fits in and what situations they get into.
• Create a cartoon about the antics you and your best friend get into.

The Game of Silence by Louise Erdrich

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Erdrich, L. (2005). The game of Silence. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 9780786232123

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In 1850 on Madeline Island on Lake Superior lived a young Native American Omakayas or Little Frog because her first step was a hop. She belonged to the Ojibwe tribe who were going to be forced off their native lands by the United States government so white settlers could live there. Omakayas shares her feelings for her mother, brother, relatives and friends showing respect and loyalty to the ways of her tribe. The Game of Silence is the title of the book but it is really the way the tribe allows the younger children to be part of the elders’ group when they are discussing serious issues that the tribe faces. It also teaches them to be silent when they must travel through dangerous settings. Omakayas and other young children have chores they must do according to their gender. Omakayas is also considered a healer in training. She learns from her elders which plants are used to cure common ailments. Girls are supposed to help with the meals, tanning of hides, making clothes, and keeping the hut and communal clean. Boys are encouraged to perfect their hunting and warrior skills and make weapons. When a couple of men from the scouting group return with word that the tribe has to leave their tribal grounds, Omakayas helps ready for their new life. The book is rich in history and is a compelling read.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This historical fiction book continues the story of Omakayas that begun in The Birchbark House which was nominated for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. The Game of Silence received the most prestigious award the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction 2006 and many other awards and recognition. A glossary of native words, pronunciation and their meanings were given at the end of the book. Maps and sketches are interspersed throughout the book giving the reader a glimpse of what the people and places looked like. The interest level and reading level are recommended for grades 6-8 however, orally reading this book to younger students will give them a rich background of one Native American tribe’s life.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 9)) Eager readers beguiled by her sturdy and engaging person will scarcely notice that they have absorbed great draughts of Ojibwe culture, habits and language. It's hard not to weep when white settlers drive the Ojibwe west, and hard not to hope for what comes next for this radiant nine-year-old.

Joe Sutliff Sanders (VOYA, August 2005 (Vol. 28, No. 3)) The themes are not only more profound, but the episodic structure of the previous novel is also much exceeded by the interweaving plot threads of young love, sibling rivalry, and frustration with gender roles. The threat that the federal government poses to the community is more than just a framing device; it penetrates all the other concerns of the novel, drawing them tightly together.
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Great Lakes Great Books Award, 2006 Finalist United States
Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 2006 Winner United

5. CONNECTIONS
• Role playing the different characters and retelling the story will give students insight into the community of Native Americans.
• Have students create a list and reasons for taking specific items in a single canoe that would help them live and sustain a life living in the wilderness. Compare it to homeless people living on the streets. What items would a homeless person need to survive on the streets?
• Use the glossary at the back of the book to create meaningful sentences for conversing with people from the Ojibwe tribe.
• Research tobacco and find out where it grew in the US and what significance it has throughout the novel. How did the Native Americans get it and why did they use it for giving thanks?
• While reading the novel make a list of foods the Ojibwe tribe ate. Then have a feast using only those foods.
•

Catherine called Birdy by Karen Cushman

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cushman, K. (1994). Catherine called Birdy. New York: Clarion. ISBN 9780786232123
2. PLOT SUMMARY
In 1290 medieval England, you get drawn into the drama that surrounds 13-year old Catherine’s plight not to be married off like a piece of property. Written in the style of a diary, Catherine carefully plots everyday how she can avoid marriage. Many of her suitors leave her father’s home in a state of shock by the antics she plays on them. She starts each entry with a description of a saint and why that person became a saint and her life resembles part of the past. Catherine does everything possible to get away from the “womanly” duties like sewing and hemming imposed on wealthy girls during that period in England. The reader comes away with a sense of the time in England and many good laughs. Catherine’s father does everything possible to get his daughter to understand why she must marry a wealthy older man who Catherine calls Shaggy Beard. She dreads the day she is to be married and actually runs away when his escorts come calling. Needless to say she does marry later on but not Shaggy Beard. Find out who she marries by reading this humorous award winning novel.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Karen Cushman writes a wonderful witty historical fiction novel that depicts the life a young daughter trying to be married off by her English knight of a father. The novel has many authentic historical facts blended in with the text to help the reader become familiar with things that happened in the past. Catherine longs for adventure and to be anything but a wife. Tween and teenage readers can easily identify with the restrictions placed on Catherine by her parents for her misbehavior. The emotional journey Catherine travels is often funny and you can actually see her overdramatic tantrums being played out with similar situations with todays young. The author’s notes at the end give examples of actual occurrences that occurred during this period. While reading this novel you find many facts of history that are not mentioned in most books. The floors of the dining halls lined with reeds, the body lice and fleas that attack people and crowded unsanitary conditions are just a few of the details that are interwoven in the book. Cushman does a great job researching historical facts for her novels and weaving them in a fictional story. She makes history come alive for all who read her novels.
Interest level 6-8
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Jacqueline C. Rose (KLIATT Review, September 1995 (Vol. 29, No. 5))
Readers will learn much about the historical time period. Realistic, interesting, and sometimes utterly disgusting details of dress, eating habits, sanitation (or lack thereof), social justice, religious beliefs, celebrations, treatment of disease, etc., are plentiful throughout.
Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)
Cushman brings the Middle Ages alive with a revealing, humorous and riveting story of a young girl who devises clever schemes to escape marrying all the repulsive men her father would give her to.
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
John Newbery Medal, 1995 Honor Book United States
Reading Magic Awards, 1994 Winner United States
Golden Kite Award, 1995 Award Book Fiction United States
Lone Star Reading List, 1996-1997 ; Texas
ALA Best Book for YAs

5. CONNECTIONS
• Have students write a letter from the perspective of an English Knight to a possible suitor to marry his daughter (what traits could he list? What traits would Catherine’s father be able to list)
• Create a recipe or potion to discourage a suitor. What ingredients are needed and what would it do?
• Create a list of talents that a wealthy daughter needs to posses in order to be married back in the medieval England. Compare the list to now.
• Create a list of the skills a man would need to posses in order to win the heart of a lady or gain the father’s wealth.
• What medical advances do we have now that weren’t available back then?
• After reading the story adlib and role play each of the character retelling their side of the story.
• Read other books by Karen Cushman and compare and contrast them to Catherine Called Birdy –
Matilda Bone (2001) ISBN 9780786232123
Alchemy and Meggy Swann (2010) ISBN 9780547231846
Rodzina (2003) ISBN 9780807215760
The Ballad Of Lucy Whipple (1996) ISBN 9780395728062
The midwife's apprentice (1991) ISBN 9780395692295
The loud silence of Francine Green (2006) ISBN 9780618504558.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry Narrated by Blair Brown

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Lowry, L. (Author). Brown, B. (Narrator). (2004). Number the Stars [Three CDs]. Listening Library, Unabridged CD - Library Edition. ISBN 9781400085552

2. PLOT SUMMARY
A Danish family risks their lives to save a Jewish family during the Holocaust. Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her family help her best friend Ellen Rosen and family escape from German occupied Denmark. They take the families to her Uncle Henrik’s house north of Copenhagen in the North Sea. After a daring night escape from the Nazis, Henrik takes the Rosen family and others on a boat ride to freedom in Sweden.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Newbery Award winning Number the Stars is a historical fiction book based on many real events during the Holocaust. Lois Lowry blends in history in such a moving way that you often think the characters are real. In her author’s notes she describes how she walked the streets in Copenhagen and imagined how a ten year old would view events of World War II. She researched how Danish King Christian X helped the people of his German occupied country resist the Nazis. Lowry mentions how the Swedish scientists worked on fooling the German police dogs from sniffing out Jewish people by creating a powerful powder composed of dried rabbit’s blood and cocaine. The blood attracted the dogs and when they sniffed it the cocaine numbed their noses and destroyed, temporarily, their sense of smell. With well placed history packed scenarios throughout the book you get a feel for how the Danish Resistance helped save Jewish people. The details Lowry describes have you focused on the attitudes, values, and morals of the Danish people. Blair Brown brilliantly narrates this story often changing her voice to depict the little girls, grown women, men and the German Nazis. Hearing the intonation of her voice compels the listener to feel the suspense of the danger and excitement of the powerful story unfolding. This unabridged audio book is giftedly orchestrated.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Nola Theiss (KLIATT Review, May 2004 (Vol. 38, No. 3)) This Newbery Award-winning children's book can be listened to by the whole family. While the main characters are only ten years old, their story is a universal one of man's inhumanity to man and also of the goodness and courage of others, willing to risk their own safety for their fellow human beings.
Jeni Menenedez (Audiofile, April/May 2004) With vocal versatility, Blair Brown portrays the soft-spoken Johannesens, as well as the loud, brutal Nazis. When important conversations take place, she lowers her voice to cue listeners to pay closer attention. The combination of Brown's steady voice and Lowry's dramatic story creates a mesmerizing production.
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Charlotte Award, 1992 Winner Grades 3-5 United States
Jane Addams Children's Book Award, 1990 Honor Book United States
John Newbery Medal, 1990 Winner United States
National Jewish Book Awards, 1990 Winner United States
Sydney Taylor Book Awards, 1989 Winner Older Readers United States


5. CONNECTIONS
• Recommended for grades 4-8
• Another book that students can read that depicts the struggles a family faces during the Holocaust is The Diary of Anne Frank
• For younger students: A picture book of Anne Frank by David A. Adler
• Students can visit this website and put names, photographs and biographies of children who survived the Holocaust http://graceproducts.com/fmnc/main.htm
• Students can act out the daring escape by night moving around silently
• Guest speakers can be invited to discuss the Holocaust
• Other subjects can be researched about Denmark during World War II 1939-1945

Quest for the Tree Kangaroo An Expedition To the Cloud Forest of New Guinea by Sy Montgomery Photographs by Nic Bishop

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Montgomery, S. (2006). Quest for the tree kangaroo: an expedition to the cloud forest of New Guinea. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Photographs by Nic Bishop ISBN 9780618496419


2. PLOT SUMMARY
Author Sy Montgomery goes on an expedition to the cloud forest of Papua New Guinea with scientific research team leader Lisa Dabek photographer Nic Bishop and many other well known scientists. This book discusses the grueling and adventurous trip to find the mysterious Matschie (“MATCH-eez”) tree kangaroo. Well documented are the trials and tribulations associated with the capture, testing, tracking and releasing of the tree kangaroo. Flora and fauna are beautifully photographed as well as unusual and often unidentified species. Background information is intertwined in the telling of the story so you get an inner feeling for the people of the land. This is a must read for people curious about wildlife and glimpses of undiscovered territory.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Sy Montgomery uses her background knowledge as a naturalist, documentary scriptwriter, and radio commentator, to explain an accurate story of the expedition to find the elusive tree kangaroo. She follows scientists from around the world to document their journey up into the cloud forest. Montgomery tells the story with vivid details about the scenery and life of natives of Papau.

The saying “pictures tell a thousand words” is so true in this book. Nic Bishops’ ability to capture the eye of even the minutest subjects conveys more meaning than words can say. His photos are truly amazing and offer such insight into the physical surroundings that you are able to identify with the emotions of the people trudging through the clouds and see the animals as they are viewing them for the first time.
This photo essay has text interspersed with a design pleasing to the eye, inviting and easy to read. The level and complexity of the text is at a higher level and could easily be considered to be appropriate for a younger reader due to the size and amount of text. Some pages appear to be written on vellum so you can view the background of the cloud forest. Bishop’s creative style of framed photographs pops out at you and invites you to turn the pages. Montgomery adds a page of advice from Lisa Dabek to encourage students to get involved in rainforest and animal conservation efforts. She also includes pages about zoos where you can view tree kangaroos and websites to visit. An acknowledgment page to the native people that helped make their expedition a success and simple verses spoken are included. This is a highly recommended book that can be used as a springboard into all curriculum areas.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS and Awards
Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature) Informative and interesting, and kids who love animals or are thinking about becoming veterinarians will keep this book moving off the library shelves.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 19)) …Bishop's photographs, shots of the expedition members, striking close-ups of flora and fauna including the sought-for kangaroo and lush, green cloud forest scenes, are beautifully reproduced.

Eileen Wright (Library Media Connection, April 2007) The reader becomes quickly drawn into the quest, and one feels as though the narrator is sitting beside her sharing the details of the expedition.

AWARDS: Green Earth Book Award, 2007 Honor Book United States
Henry Bergh Children's Book Award, 2006 Winner Non-Fiction Environment and Ecology United States
John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers, 2006 Winner United States
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, 2007 Winner United States
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, 2007 Honor Book United States


5. CONNECTIONS
• Do an author study on Sy Montgomery and read other books written by her.
• Use other books written by or photos included by Nic Bishop and compare his style of photography and text in each of his books.
• Students can compare and contrast tree kangaroos and other marsupials.
• Art: create an actual rainforest out of paper. Leaves can be studied and made to look like the canopy. Flowers and animals can be drawn and then cut out to tape onto the different layers of the rainforest.
• Science: The layers of the rainforest can be studied. Sizes and weights of the kangaroos can be converted from metric to standard units of measurements.
• Music: Students can study the different sounds of the rainforest like birds, rain, insects, and animals. They can make rain sticks with toilet paper tubes, toothpicks and rice or beans.
• P.E.: Students can crawl like a bear, slither like a snake, hop like a kangaroo and investigate movements of different animals.
• Social Studies: Study the people and history of Papua New Guinea. Compare and contrast their customs and living conditions to ours in the U.S.
• I Wonder Why I Wonder Why Kangaroos Have Pouches by Jenny Wood ISBN: 978-0-7534-6559-2
• Kangaroos by Melissa Gish ISBN: 978-1-58341-970-0
• Pocket babies and other amazing marsupials by Sneed B. Collard III ISBN: 978-1-58196-046-4
• Marsupials by Nic Bishop ISBN: 978-0-439-87758-9

The Boy Who Invented TV The Story of Pholo Farnsworth by Kathleen Krull

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Krull, K. (2009). The boy who invented TV: the story of Philo Farnsworth. New York: A.A. Knopf. ISBN 9780375945618


2. PLOT SUMMARY
Philo Farnsworth was an inquisitive child by nature. He was born in 1906 in the American West at a time where electricity, indoor toilets and phones were rare and TV was non-existent. Kathleen Krull writes about his life, his vision and tenacity of sticking to an idea he had to create an Image Dissector - television. Philo was a thinker and doer, someone who would change the world with his invention.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This picture book biography allows people to see the inside story of an inventor who won the race to invent TV but lost getting credit for doing it. Kathleen Krull has written a well organized, well designed, and well-written story that makes you want to find out the inside “scoop” of Philo Farnsworth as well as other inventors. An added author’s note at the back of the book explains Farnsworth’s patent battle with the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), the largest electronics company in the 1930s. The illustrations created by using an acrylic wash with a colored pencil and dry brush allow you to envision the period of time before high definition color and more technical images were created. The front and back inside covers were cleverly styled to include pictures of some of the first invented televisions to modern day TVs. The style of writing and vocabulary allow young readers to be able to pick up the book and read with ease. The large print and few words fit well for young readers but the book and information given is sure to grab the attention of all ages. The narrative demonstrates the real heroes of Farnsworth’s life the people who believed in him, his parents, teacher, and wife. Krull gives a very personal insight into Farnsworth’s struggles in his life and continuance to believe in his dreams.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS and AWARDS
Ilene Cooper (Booklist, Jun. 1, 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 19)). In an attention-holding narrative, Krull explains how Farnsworth held on to his dream to develop television and in smart, concise fashion ably explains scientific concepts behind it.


Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2009 (Vol. 77, No. 16)) A detailed author’s note further explains how the Radio Corporation of America challenged and subsequently disregarded Philo’s patent, thrusting him into obscurity.

AWARDS School Library Journal Best Books, 2009; United States
School Library Journal Book Review Stars, September 2009; Cahners; United States


5. CONNECTIONS
Check out the sources of books, web sites and television documentaries at the end of the book to give more in depth studies on the history of television.
Inventions: study biographies of famous inventors who made a difference in the world.
• Microwave- Percy L. Spencer
• Phonographs – Thomas Edison
• Radio- German physicist, Heinrich Rudolph Hertz
• Telephones Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray
• Air conditioners- Willis Haviland Carrier
• iPods- Tony Fadell
• Disposable diapers Marion Donovan in 1950
• Light bulbs- Thomas Edison
• Refrigerators- William Cullen An improved refrigerator design was patented by African American inventor John Standard
• Sticky note Arthur Fry a 3M chemist invented the post it note and Spencer Silver invented the glue
• Internet Tim Berners-Lee
• Computers- Konrad Zuse
• Asphalt- Belgian immigrant Edward de Smedt. Belgian chemist, Ernest Solvay
• Ovens British inventor, James Sharp patented a gas oven in 1826, Thomas Ahearn with inventing the first electric oven in 1882
• Internal combustion engine- 1886 - On January 29, Karl Benz received the first patent (DRP No. 37435) for a gas-fueled car
• Photocopier- Chester Carlson was the inventor of the photocopier
• Penicillin
• Chlorine
• Indoor Plumbing

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Murphy, J. (2003). An American plague : the true and terrifying story of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780395776087

2. PLOT SUMMARY
History at its worst and storytelling at its best, Jim Murphy takes readers on a well-researched synopsis of what happened during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Spine tingling traumatic events of mercury ingestion, blood letting, whole households dying, bodies left in the streets, mass burials, animal and human waste strewn all around encourages you to keep turning the pages to find out how the disaster ends.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Jim Murphy writes an accurate account of what happened during the yellow fever epidemic using books, newspapers, magazines, personal journals, and letters he researched to enlighten the story. Murphy writes concise details to the sequence of events, from August to November 1793, with such powerful words they cause heart wrenching emotions for the people involved. George Washington, the wealthy and many people in government flee the city to escape the dying. The Free African Society banned together to help care for all the people too ill to care for themselves. They often put other white people ahead of their own health or families. Murphy includes a great list of sources so others can continue reading to learn more about various topics from firsthand accounts of medical and nonmedical resources, yellow fever, doctoring in the old days, George Washington, African Americans in Philadelphia, mosquitoes, and other plagues. The reproductions of eighteenth-century newspaper articles help to authenticate the illustrations with the text. The illustrations match the topics or people within the chapters. Murphy’s style of writing encourages critical thinking and piques your interest to continue learning about other epidemics. Middle grades 6-9 will enjoy learning about the horrific epidemic that brought our nation’s government to a standstill.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Joan Kindig, Ph.D. (Children's Literature) This book is a well-researched endeavor with innumerable sources that manages to captivate its readers.
Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June 2003 (Vol. 56, No. 10)) Readers view the panic from several vantage points: the mayor, who overreaches his elective mandate to impose order on his city; Dr. Benjamin Rush and his medical colleagues, who squabble over cause and cure; the Free African Society, whose brave members nurse in stricken households, only to be accused of profiteering; and the doctor-merchant-barrel maker team that runs the Bush Hill hospital with compassion and common sense, achieving impressive results.
CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2004) Wonderful reproductions of old maps and drawings of the key figures of the time, as well as of primary sources such as newspaper articles, obituaries, letters, and church records, add additional interest to this drama-filled volume.

Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 2004 Winner Nonfiction United States
James Madison Book Award, 2004 Winner United States
John Newbery Medal, 2004 Honor Book United States
National Book Awards , 2003 Finalist Young People's Literature United States
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, 2004 Winner United States
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, 2004 Winner United States


5. CONNECTIONS Do In depth studies of different topics pertaining to this book
• Early life medicine and the advancements we now have
• Free African Society leaders in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1793 like Richard Allen and Absalom Jones
• Study mosquitoes and other insects that carry diseases
• Bloodletting
• George Washington and his problems
Books that might interest you:
• Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson ISBN: 978-0-689-84891-9
• Malaria, West Nile, and other mosquito-borne diseases by Nancy Day ISBN: 978-0-7660-1597-5
• The secret of the yellow death : a true story of medical sleuthing by Suzanne Jurmain ISBN: 978-0-618-96581-6
• Yellow fever by Holly Cefrey ISBN: 978-0-8239-3489-8

Doodle Dandies Poems That Take Shape by J. Patrick Lewis images by Lisa Desimini

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lewis, J P. 1998. Doodle Dandies Poems That Take Shape. Ill. by Lisa Desimini. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780689810756

2. PLOT SUMMARY
J. Patrick Lewis publishes a compilation of his poems about different themes or objects. His humor and cleverness shines throughout each poem Lisa Desimini does an outstanding job of illustrating the poetry in different shapes. Both the poems and illustrations capture the essence of the objects and with concise language.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
It’s exciting to see poetry that will pique your imagination. Lewis’ powerful but few words give such concise pictures to the reader. Each poem has its own unique rhythm that creates a visual and often humorous image. The play on words lets you imagine and create your own images that remind you of more in-depth thoughts and emotions. When you first read this book you think of young readers but surprisingly adults will like it too for the imagery, rich language, and emotions each poem possesses.
Lisa Desimini does such great work relating the illustrations to the topic, it is as though the poems were written for the illustrations. Her use of mixed media makes each poem pop out at you. The poem Giraffe is shaped like a giraffe and written in yellow and orange. The upper background is full of rich hues of greens shaped like leaves and allows you to think of the giraffe eating the leaves off the tops of trees. The floor is like the grassland found in Africa with hay-like blades sticking up. The giraffe’s legs are shadowed in the grass looking like the last words “on wooden Stilts, Stilts, Stilts, Stilts.” Each poem is magnificently illustrated. This is a must have book for all willing to share the beauty of poetry. It easily lends itself to teaching the elements of poetry.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Cherie (BookHive (www.bookhive.org)) The poems will spark your imagination, as you watch the words bend and twist on the page.
Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature)
In this collection of poems, the placement of the words and associated pictures form a whole--neither would be that effective without the other.
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1998) Desimini's mixed-media images contain a measure of sophisticated giddiness to give the poems an added fillip.

5. CONNECTIONS
• Challenge students to write poems about their favorite object and then illustrate them in that shape.
• Discover other poems to illustrate into shapes that would represent the poem.
• Provide many poetry books and have students compare and contrast what they like and dislike about each book. Hint: it gets kids to read more poetry books!
• Have students use a poetry website to find birthdays of different poets born on their birthdays. Then students can read about the poet and study more poems written by the poet that celebrates their date of birth.
• Read the poem first, then have students guess what the picture will look like.
• Pick out poems to introduce a unit of study using the book Doodle Dandies. For a unit on seasons you can read: Winter, First Burst of Spring, Synchronized Swim Team, and Umbrella. For a unit on animals you could read: Dachshund, Giraffe, The Butterfly is…, Big Cat, The Oyster Family, Creep and Slither, The Turtle and How Many Humps?

J.Patrick Lewis’s work has been compared to Shel Silverstein and John Ciardi. Pick up some of their books and compare and contrast their works.

Written by Shel Silverstein: A light in the Attic,Where the sidewalk ends, Falling up, A giraffe and a half, Who wants a cheap rhinoceros? Lafcadio: the lion who shot back.

Written by John Ciardi: You know who, I met a man, Doodle Soup: poems Echoes: poems left behind, The inferno, How does a poem mean? Fast and slow: poems for advanced children and beginning parents, The reason for the pelican.

Mirror Mirror by Marilyn Singer

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Singer, Marilyn. 2010. Mirror Mirror. Ill by Josee Masse. New York: --Dutton Children's Books. ISBN 9780525479017

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Marilyn Singer’s unique book of fourteen different fairy-tale poems is cleverly written in reverseo. On one side of the page the poem is written down and then the exact words are written backward going up. Except for the capitalization, punctuation and line breaks the poems read the same forward and backward. Many of the well known fairy tales like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood are retold with surprise variations. This is a must read for those who are enchanted by fairy tales and poetry.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Marilyn Singer’s Mirror Mirror poetry book is written in a unique way to retell a story packed with emotion and visual imagery through few words. This powerful style of writing adds a new dimension to retelling of favorite fairy tales. The arrangement of lines and verses is deliberate to create a distinctive language full of metaphors and significance. The color scheme on the written page is split in half with yellow on one side and white on the other. Josee Masse’s illustrations use colors rich in reds, yellows, greens and blues. The side by side pictures depict the polar opposites of time and the reversal meanings. The only poem that deviates from the side by side pictures is The Doubtful Duckling. Its picture is split into fourths with the ugly duckling’s head on top and the beautiful swan’s elegant neck and head mirror imaged on the bottom. The Swan’s backend is on top with the ugly duckling’s tail end on the bottom. The colors and hues of yellow, green and blue flow from frame to frame like the water and sky. It gives the four intertwined pictures a common theme.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Patricia Austin (Booklist, Jan. 1, 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 9))
Starred Review* This ingenious book of reversos, or poems which have one meaning when read down the page and perhaps an altogether different meaning when read up the page, toys with and reinvents oh-so-familiar stories and characters, from Cinderella to the Ugly Duckling.
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2010 (Vol. 78, No. 4))
A collection of masterful fairy-tale–inspired reversos—a poetic form invented by the author, in which each poem is presented forward and backward. Starred Review

5. CONNECTIONS:
a. Do an author study on Marilyn Singer see her website http://www.marilynsinger.net/index.htm
b. Use her Fairy Tales and compare them to her poetry books
c. Compare and contrast her books to other books from Jack Prelutsky, Bruce Lanksy, Laura Numeroff, and Shel Silverstein
d. Use a document camera to capture the presentation of this book for everyone to see
e. Create poetry in reverse
f. Read some of Marilyn Singer’s other books

Poetry books by Marilyn Singer
FIRST FOOD FIGHT THIS FALL (Sterling, 2008)Illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa. SHOE BOP! (Dutton, 2008) Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata.
MONDAY ON THE MISSISSIPPI (Holt, 2005) Illustrated by Frane Lessac.
CENTRAL HEATING: Poems about Fire and Warmth (Knopf, 2005) Illustrated by Meilo So.
CREATURE CARNIVAL (Hyperion, 2004) Illustrated by Gris Grimly.HOW TO CROSS A POND: Poems About Water (Knopf, 2003) Illustrated by Meilo So.
FIREFLIES AT MIDNIGHT (Atheneum, 2003) Illustrated by Ken Robbins.
THE COMPANY OF CROWS (Clarion, 2002) Illustrated by Linda Saport.
FOOTPRINTS ON THE ROOF: Poems About the Earth (Knopf, 2002) Illustrated by Meilo So.
MONSTER MUSEUM (Hyperion, 2001) Illustrated by Gris Grimly.
ALL WE NEEDED TO SAY (Atheneum, 1996) Photographs by Lorna Clark.
THE MORGANS DREAM (Holt, 1995) Illustrated by Gary Drake.
PLEASE DON'T SQUEEZE YOUR BOA, NOAH! (Holt, 1995) Illustrated by Clement Oubrerie.
FAMILY REUNION (Macmillan, 1994) Illustrated by R.W. Alley.
SKY WORDS (Macmillan, 1994) Illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray.
IT'S HARD TO READ A MAP WITH A BEAGLE ON YOUR LAP (Holt, 1993) Illustrated by Clement Oubrerie.
IN MY TENT (Macmillan, 1992) Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully.
TURTLE IN JULY (Macmillan, 1989) Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.

One of those hideous books where the mother dies by Sonya Sones

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sones, Sonya. 2004 One of those hideous books where the mother dies. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780689858208

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Ruby Milliken, a fifteen year old, from Boston is forced to leave behind her whole world to go live with her biological father in Hollywood when her mother dies of cancer. The anger of her move, betrayal from friends left behind in Boston and the new relationship with her unknown father entices you to keep reading. The book takes a close look at emotions pent up in a normal life of a fifteen year old and throws in some unusual curves. Ruby is unable to shed any tears until a fellow classmate is killed in a car accident and then her tears stream out. Her father is there to comfort her. There is a surprise ending that seems to make everything fall into place for Ruby. This book gives a new look at poetry written in verse and will even keep a reluctant reader entranced.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones is a compelling read. It is a novel written mostly in verse with a few letters and email messages intertwined. It pulls at your emotional strings right from the start with the death of Ruby’s mother. Ruby is forced to go live with her father in Hollywood who she thought never loved her or her mother. The only connection she had with her father was her aunt used to take her to movies that her father starred in. Sones’ provides great insight into the life of a child dealing with the death of parent. It is written in the first person from the perspective of Ruby the main character. The emails Ruby writes to her dead mother are humorous and are full of sarcasm, although you can feel the warmth and love within each line. Lines to her deceased mother like “How are things in heaven? LOL. How are things in the casket? Not too damp, I hope.  I mean, you can’t see every move I make down her in Hollyweird can you? If so, quit snooping and get a life. JK.” Ruby has a playful type of personality that shines with ever word written. Sones’ use of character development keeps the book hopping from one scene to another. Ruby has emotional storms and high drama that will appeal to all teenagers. The style of writing is easy and makes you want to read more novels written in verse. Sones’ work is filled with tongue-in-cheek humor and puns.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Gillian Engberg (Booklist, May 1, 2004 (Vol. 100, No. 17)) Sones' novel is an unusual combination of over-the-top Hollywood fairy tale and sharp, honest story about overcoming grief. Starred Review
Claire Rosser (KLIATT Review, May 2004 (Vol. 38, No. 3)) Sones is a gifted writer of novels in poetry. Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students.
Monica Irwin (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 17, No. 1)) Ruby is a totally sympathetic character who will appeal to teen girls. She is realistically portrayed, and this novel, like Sones’s others, will be a popular addition to the genre.

5. CONNECTIONS
• Students dealing with grief can identify with the loss of a loved one by sharing their feelings through poetry. Writing about death or letters to their departed ones can relieve emotional stress.
• Form a group of students who have lost a loved one and offer to meet with them weekly in the library. Suggest books that deal with death and the feelings of anger and abandonment. This could also include students dealing with divorced parents.
• Students can create a story in verse using this book as a guideline on how to keep the story moving.
• Read other novels-in-verse
YA books about death:
What is goodbye? By Nikki Grimes. ISBN 9780786807789
Cures for heartbreak by Margo Rabb. ISBN 9780385734028
I found a dead bird : the kid's guide to the cycle of life & death by Jan Thornhill. ISBN 9781897066706
Walk softly, Rachel by Kate Banks. ISBN 9780374382308

• Read other novels-in-verse
A LIST of NOVELS-IN-VERSE taken from Sonya Sones’ website http://www.sonyasones.com/greatbooks.htm
A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone
After the Death of Anna Gonzales by Terri Fields
A Place Like This by Steven Herrick
Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse
Almost Forever by Maria Testa
Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson
Becoming Joe DiMaggio by Maria Testa
BeenTo Yesterdays: Poems of a Life by Lee Bennett Hopkins
Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes
By The River by Steven Herrick
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
CrashBoomLove by Felipe Herrera
Dark Sons by Nikki Grimes
Escaping Tornado Season by Julie Williams
Foreign Exchange: A mystery in poems by Mel Glenn
Frenchtown Summer by Robert Cormier
Girl Coming in for a Landing by April Halprin Wayland
God Went to Beauty School by Cynthia Rylant
Hard Hit by Ann Turner
Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech
Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
Hold Me Tight by Lorie Ann Grover
Hugging the Rock by Susan Taylor Brown
Jinx by Margaret Wild
Judy Scuppernong by Brenda Seabrooke
Jump Ball: A Season in Poems by Mel Glenn
Keesha's House by Helen Frost
Learning to Swim: A memoir by Ann Warren Turner
A Lion's Hunger: Poems of First Love by Ann Warren Turner
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
Loose Threads by Lorie Ann Grover
Love Ghosts and Facial Hair by Steven Herrick
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff
North Of Everything by Craig Crist-Evans
One Night by Margaret Wild
On Pointe by Lorie Ann Grover
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
Running Back to Luddie by Angela Johnson
Scout by Christine Ford
Seventeen by Liz Rosenberg
Shakespeare Bats Clean Up by Ron Koertge
Sister Slam and the Poetic Motormouth Roadtrip by Linda Oatman High
Soda Jerk by Cynthia Rylant
Soul Moon Soup by Lindsay Lee Johnson
Stardust otel by Paul B. Janeczko
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy by Sonya Sones
Taking of Room 114: A hostage drama in poems by Mel Glenn
Talking In The Dark by Billy Merrell
The Brimstone Journals by Ron Koertge
The Geography of Girlhood by Kirsten Smith
The Realm Of Possibility by David Levithan
The Secret of Me by Meg Kearney
The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick
The Way a Door Closes by Hope Anita Smith
The Voyage of the Arctic Tern by Hugh Montgomery
This Full House by Virginia Euwer Wolff
True Believer by Virginia Euwer Wolff
Under the Pear Tree by Brenda Seabrooke
What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
Whitechurch by Chris Lynch
Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? A mystery in poems by Mel Glenn
Who Will Tell My Brother? by Marlene Carvell
Witness by Karen Hesse
World’s Afire: The Hartford Circus Fire of 1944 by Paul Janezcko
You Remind Me of You: a Poetry Memoir by Eireann Corrigan

Cinderella retold by K.Y. Craft

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Craft, K Y. Cinderella. New York: SeaStar Books, 2000. ISBN 9781587170041

2. PLOT SUMMARY
This is a traditional retelling of Cinderella. An orphaned girl is raised by her stepmother and two wicked stepsisters. She meets the handsome prince while she is tending to a wounded bird in the forest. The stepsisters are invited to several balls. Cinderella comes to the balls beautifully dressed and leaves before midnight. She leaves behind a glass slipper and the prince comes to find her. While fitting the slipper on Cinderella, the prince doesn’t see any rags just her inner beauty. Cinderella forgives her stepsisters, marries the prince and they live happily ever after in a beautiful castle.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The retelling of this story differs slightly because the prince and Cinderella meet in the woods while she is tending to a wounded bluebird. He immediately sees her gentleness and humanity while treating the bird. The bluebird later comes back as the fairy godmother. What has made this book truly unique are the illustrations and use of elegant language. As stated in the book, Craft depicts the setting around the time of Voltaire, who lived in the seventeenth and eighteenth- century France. Every page is framed with ornate fine lined patterns that add a magical appeal to the page. The first initial on each page has its own box with elaborate details that flow beautifully into the framed text. The use of yellows, reds and blues add to the illusion of riches and gold. The medium used is oil over watercolor with such magnificence that captures your eye to search for all the fine details. The dark backgrounds lush with flowers and plants lets you focus on the characters and evokes a special magical fairy tale atmosphere. The gowns and clothes of all the people are filled with such details that you can imagine that they are made of diamonds, pearls, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. The blue hues in the flowers, clothes, pillows and skies helps you make the connection to the bluebird that Cinderella helped at the beginning of the story. The illustrations create a mood of elegance, wealth and the history period in France during the seventeenth and eighteenth century. K.Y. Craft state he text was adapted from The Arthur Rackham Fairy Book and Andrew Lang’s The Blue Fairy Book.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)- Awards
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2000 (Vol. 68, No. 20)) “This beautiful and very traditional retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale is lavishly illustrated in a very painterly style, with oils over watercolors and placed in imaginary settings of 17th- and 18th-century France. A nice addition to any library or classroom, and a lovely gift book, this is clearly the most elegant of the year's avalanche.”

Marsha Harper (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 13, No. 4))
The unusual part of this Cinderella is the emphasis given to the kindness and generosity of the heroine. She is kind to the birds, to the small animals--even to her haughty, abusive stepsisters.

Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, November 2000 (Vol. 54, No. 3)) The point of this title is not the storytelling, however, but the lavish illustrations.
Best Books:
Best of the Year, 2000 ; Child Magazine; United States
Booklist Book Review Stars, Nov. 1, 2000 ; United States
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, Supplement, 2002 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Children's Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006 ; H.W. Wilson; United States

5. CONNECTIONS
• This book lends itself to comparing and contrasting the different books about Cinderella. You can easily point out the different types of illustrations and the different types of fairy godmothers. This book has a bluebird that Cinderella healed who later returned as the fairy godmother. In other books, what other objects or people were used for the fairy godmother? Explore some other Cinderella books for different animals and fair godmothers.
Cinderella Penguin, or, The little glass flipper 1993 Janet Perlman.
ISBN 9780670847532
The gift of the Crocodile : a Cinderella story 2000 by Judy Sierra ; illustrated by Reynold Ruffins. ISBN 9780689821882
Trollerella 2006 by Karen M. Stegman-Bourgeois ; illustrated by Ethan Long.
ISBN 9780823419180
Chickerella 2005 by Mary Jane and Herm Auch. ISBN 9780823418046
The Turkey Girl : a Zuni Cinderella story retold by Penny Pollock ; illustrated by Ed Young. ISBN 9780316713146

• Different countries have their own versions of Cinderella. Comparisons can be made with different versions. Small groups of students can use a Venn diagram to study the Cinderella stories of two or three countries and then share as a whole group.
The Korean Cinderella 1993 by Shirley Climo; illustrated by Ruth Heller. ISBN 9780060204327
Abadeha : the Philippine Cinderella 2001 adapted by Myrna J. de la Paz ; illustrated by Youshan Tang. ISBN 9781885008176
Adelita : a Mexican Cinderella story 2002 written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola. ISBN 9780399238666
The Persian Cinderella 1999 Shirley Climo; art by Robert Florczak. ISBN 9780060267636
The golden sandal : a Middle Eastern Cinderella. 1998 by Rebecca Hickox ; illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. ISBN 9780823413317
The Irish Cinderlad 1996 by Shirley Climo; illustrated by Loretta Krupinski. ISBN 9780060243968
Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society 2005 Adeline Yen Mah. ISBN 9780060567347
Smoky Mountain Rose : an Appalachian Cinderella 1997 by Alan Schroeder ; pictures by Brad Sneed. ISBN 9780803717336
Cendrillon : a Caribbean Cinderella 1998 Robert D. San Souci ; illustrated by Brian Pinkney. ISBN 9780689806681


• Another connection can be made by researching different illustrated books that use the period of history during Voltaire’s lifetime seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in France.
• Students could compare and contrast the socioeconomic differences of the people of France during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Song of Creation by Paul Goble

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Goble, Paul. Song of Creation. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2004. ISBN 9780802852717
2. PLOT SUMMARY
“O all you (insert the name of an animal, flower, or object) Lord, bless you the Lord: praise him and magnify him forever.” This simple phrase is stated over and over throughout the entire book. Different animals, plants, and creations are prayed for.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book resembles the song from The Book of Common Prayer. The title page includes an illustration that depicts The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men being saved from the fires of death by the power of prayer. The men are shown with hands up in the air, behind a wall of fire and surrounded by angels. Paul Goble states that he has made some changes in verse order to fit comfortably with the illustrations, and a few words and verses were changed or left out. His use of watercolor is superb. Goble has used American landscapes and animals for his book even though the book was originally set in England. His work shows roots to the Native American culture. Landscape scenes of the Black Hills of South Dakota are depicted on every page. Goble takes great care to incorporate many of the animals in their natural surroundings with different types of birds on each page. A page giving thanks for the fish illustrate many of the common fishes like bass, trout, sturgeon, sunfish, catfish, and minnows. The birds migrating from the north to the south are portrayed using beautiful backgrounds with snow and fields of grass. Seasonal changes show autumn leaves, spring flowers, and snow covered tree branches with snowy mountains in the background. The changes in sky show different acts of nature like sunsets, rain, lightning, daytime, nighttime and cloud formations. In smaller print the verse differs to include many different animals, flora and fauna.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Barbara L. Talcroft (Children's Literature) “For those familiar with the author’s body of work drawing on the legends and natural environment of the Plains Indians, this book may or may not be a surprise.”

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 16)) “Goble's instantly recognizable illustration style is at its best, from the herd of charging wild horses on the cover to the snowy mountain on the final page.”

Julie Cummins (Booklist, Oct. 1, 2004 (Vol. 101, No. 3)) “Goble uses his elegant signature watercolors in a gloriously illustrated creation prayer that sings praise to God. In striking graphic compositions, Goble creates magical, yet concrete, scenes of birds, beasts, fish, and more, conveying a personal and a universal reverence for and connection to nature.”
Best Books: Children's Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Kirkus Book Review Stars, August 15, 2004 ; United States
Top 10 Religion Books for Youth, 2005 ; American Library Association-Booklist; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes: Midwest Book Award, 2004 First Place Picture Book United States. Paul Goble was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1979 for his book The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses. His books have also earned praise form the National Council of Social Studies, the International Reading Association and the Children’s Book Council.
5. CONNECTIONS
• Students can conduct a study of Native Americans and their culture. Then they can look closely at prayers and chants with this book and compare and contrast the types of chants and prayers used with Native Americans and the Anglican Church.
• Students can discover some of the many contributions Native Americans have made to world cultures.
• Students can focus on the theme of migration. They learn the variety of reasons why groups of people migrate like herd of animals.
• Students can create different types of clouds and acts of Mother Nature with different landscapes.
• Students can create animals that are nocturnal with star patterns in the sky.
• Read books about Native Americans.
Native North American wisdom and gifts 2006 Niki Walker & Bobbie Kalman. ISBN 9780778703846
Famous Native North Americans. 2004 Bobbie Kalman & Molly Aloian.2004 ISBN9780778703792
Lasting echoes: an oral history of Native American people 1997 Joseph Bruchac; assemblage and painting by Paul Morin. ISBN 9780152013271
Native Americans: an inside look at the tribes and traditions. 2001 by Laura Bullet; consultant, Darren Ranco. ISBN 9780789479778
As long as the rivers flow: the stories of nine Native Americans 1996 by Paula Gunn Allen and Patricia Clark Smith. ISBN 9780590478694

Yummy Eight Favorite Fairy Tales by Lucy Cousins

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cousins, Lucy. Yummy: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2009. ISBN 9780763644741

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Great classic fairy tales are retold with bold illustrations. Favorites such as Little Read Riding Hood, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Enormous Turnip, Henny Penny, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Little Red Hen, The Three Little Pigs, and The musicians of Bremen.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lucy Cousins uses large bold print that helps bring out the text and make it easy to read. Simplistic black bold outlines of the characters against bright primary colors makes the characters pop out at you and your focus is on each picture and the text. Most have a white outline behind the black paint strokes that give the illusion of being cut and pasted onto the page. The lack of an illustrated background makes the characters the main focal point. Throughout the book Cousins uses onomatopoeia to attract the reader to the action taking place. The tales have villains and heroines but none feel overly threatening. The violence is downplayed due to the illustrations creating a more of a cartoon and young aged characters. The emotions of the characters are easily seen with simple lines defining their unique facial expressions. Animal characters are personified by wearing clothes or holding objects that people use. The mood of the book is light hearted by the expressions of the animals and people.





4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Keri Collins Lewis (Children's Literature) “Though Cousins uses simple language to tell the stories to a younger audience, she manages to convey the wit and wonder of these tales with an admirable economy of language.”
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2009 (Vol. 77, No. 13))
“…on the whole this lap-sized collection offers younger children an eye-opening cross-section of the far-from-innocuous world of folk literature.”
Carolyn Phelan (Booklist, Oct. 15, 2009 (Vol. 106, No. 4)) “Absolutely perfect for the youngest.”

Booklist *Starred Review*
5. CONNECTIONS
• Read other books by Lucy Cousins and compare and contrast her style of writing and illustrations. She has written and illustrated over 200 books and has won numerous honors for her work.
Maisy, Charley, and the wobbly tooth 2006. ISBN 9780763629045
Lucy Cousins' big book of nursery rhymes. 1998. ISBN 9780333722695
Maisy's snowy Christmas Eve 2003. ISBN 9780763621964
Hooray for fish! 2005. ISBN 9780763627416
Noah's ark 1993. ISBN 9781564022134
Za-Za's baby brother 1995. ISBN 9781564025821

• These stories would be great to create a Reader’s Theatre and students act out each part. Students could easily make a paper plate mask and say their parts.

• An engaging activity would be to collect a stand alone book of each of the fairy tales and compare and contrast the stories and illustrations. Students could then find out the meaning of an anthology that includes several fairy tales.

• Students could vote on which type of book they liked a book with one fairy tale or an anthology. They could also look at different anthologies with the same tales in them and compare and contrast those books.

Henny Penny 2006 Vivian French ; illustrated by Sophie Windham. ISBN 9781582347066
Little Red Riding Hood 2007 [written and illustrated by] Jerry Pinkney. ISBN 9780316013550
Little Red Riding Hood 2004 retold by Josephine Evetts-Secker & illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. ISBN 9781841486215
3 tales retold and illustrated : The three little pigs, Goldilocks and the three bears, Three billy goats Gruff 2007 Edward Miller. ISBN 9780805079166
Three billy goats Gruff 2005 illustrated by Alison Edgson ISBN 9781904550440
The enormous turnip 2002 Alexei Tolstoy ; illustrated by Scott Goto. ISBN 9780152045845
Goldilocks and the three bears 2010 Emma Chichester Clark. ISBN 9780763646806
The three little pigs 2000 retold and illustrated by James Marshall. ISBN 9780448422886
The musicians of Bremen 2005 a Brothers Grimm tale retold and illustrated by Niroot Puttapipat. ISBN 9780763627584

Talking With Artists Volume 3 by Pat Cummings

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cummings, P. (1999). Talking with artists : volume three : conversations with Peter Catalanotto, Raul Colon, Lisa Desimini, Jane Dyer, Kevin Hawkes, G. Brian Karas, Betsy Lewin, Ted Lewin, Keiko Narahashi, Elise Primavera. New York: Clarion. ISBN 9780395891322

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Pat Cummings talks with different authors and has them respond to the same questions. Questions include short biographical information about their lives with photos of them as children and adults. This book can inspire artists of all ages. All of the artists have individual answers like their art.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Pat Cummings gets the artists to discuss their lives in a way that is simplistic but allows them to elaborate on what makes them unique. The artists draw upon their personal background to inspire their work. Cummings asks the artists the same questions. Where do you get your ideas? What is a normal day like? Where do you work? Do you have any children? Any pets? What do you enjoy drawing the most? Do you ever put people you know in your pictures? What do you use to make your pictures? How did you get to do your first book? Their responses are all varied but their love for their work is very evident. The reader sees what the artist wants you to see about their work. It adds a very personal touch to understand what the artist might have drawn about. Pictures of the artists and their work at different stages of their lives lets you see that at a very young age their personality was coming through. It is interesting to find out how the artist got their first book. Anyone who is thinking about becoming a published artist should read about how other artists got started.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Carolyn Phelan (Booklist, March 15, 1999 (Vol. 95, No. 14))
”Beautifully designed to draw readers, this book will inspire many children to make art and possibly even to choose it as a career some day.”

Tanya Tullos (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 12, No. 1))
“A special section on "Secret Techniques" will perhaps inspire young artists to try new techniques.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Other books for children about illustrators: Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators talk to
Children About Their Art by Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book
A Caldecott Celebration by Leonard Marcus
Pass it Down: Five Picture Book Families Make their Mark by Leonard S. Marcus
Show and Tell: Exploring the fine Art of Children’s Book Illustration by Dilys Evans
* Have students create their own art while using the style of a famous artist.
* Gather other books illustrated by the different artist and compare and contrast their work.
Andy Warhol by Joanne Mattern
Mary Cassatt by Joanne Mattern
Georgia O”Keeffe: painter of the Desert by Jacqueline A. Ball and Catherine Conant
Monet by Mike Venezia

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Willems, M. (2007). Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 9781423102991

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Trixie and Sonja took their exact stuffed bunnies to school to share with their friends. The girls started fighting about their Knuffle bunny in class. The teacher took away their bunnies but returned them at the end of the day. However, the bunnies were switched. At 2:30 in the morning both girls learned they had the wrong bunnies. In the middle of the night the fathers and daughters met each other in town and exchanged bunnies. The girls had their original stuffed bunny and became best friends.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The sentences in this book are limited to one to three sentences at the most. The real story is told through the photographs and illustrations. The background photographs are in black and white and show actual scenes of a city, home, and school. The illustrations are in color, in a cartoon style that pop out at you. Mo Willems uses a non-structured approach to his drawings. He uses more whimsical and lyrical lines than fluid lines. The focal points are the characters and not the background. He takes a more elementary approach with pointy triangle noses and round marble eyes which younger kids can easily relate to. You can get a feel for the setting of the city from the photos. He drops his characters into the photographs’ shadows so they easily match and make sense. The illustrations depict the daily life of a pre-school to early elementary aged child. You can see the emotions through the illustrations and the photos give the background information you need to follow the storyline. I love the pages where Trixie is in bed. The clock on the wall is Knuffle Bunny with its ears pointing to tell the time. The book is cleverly designed to show what parents do to help ease the anxiety of child losing something very special.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 13)) “Too often, sequels come off as obviously calculated attempts to cash in on success; this offering, with its technical brilliance and its total and sympathetic understanding of the psychology of the preschooler, stands as magnificent in its own right.”

Ashlee Smith (Children's Literature) ”Mo Willems uses simple text and simple characters to bring out a complex message about the importance of friendship and individuality.”

5. CONNECTIONS
• Discussions can be shared about losing something special and then getting it back.
• Teachers can have a special bring your stuffed animal to school day. Older students can write about adventures their favorite stuffed animal has been on.
• Discussions can be made about going to school in the city versus going to school in a suburb or rural school.
• Books about losing something special:
Red Ted and the Lost Things by Michael Rosen ISBN 978-0-7636-4537-3
Rumble Tum by Stephanie Peters ISBN 978-0-525-42156-6
Long Tail Kitty by Lark Pien ISBN 978-1-934706-44-2

Lion and the Mouse By Jerry Pinkney

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pinkney, Jerry. The Lion and the Mouse. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009. ISBN 9780316013567

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Jerry Pinkney retells Aesop’s classic fable the Lion and the mouse through illustrations and a few words. The mouse running away from an owl flees into the paws of a lion. The lion lets the mouse live. The mouse in return frees the lion when it is entangled in a hunter’s net. The moral of the story proves that little friends may prove to be great friends.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
People of all ages will enjoy this book. The illustrations are breathtaking. Jerry Pinkney’s use of pencil, watercolor, and colored pencils on paper provide so many intricate details that you can easily see what the book is about. When you pick up this book your eyes are immediately drawn to the details. Pinkney uses cross hatching for the shading instead of short choppy stokes. He uses tints and shades of yellow to play off the African grasslands. He adds more water to dilute the colors which make the pencil strokes more transparent. The use of foreground, middle ground and background are evident in almost all of his illustrations. You get a great depth perception and perspective with the large objects in the foreground which are sharp and clean. The background objects get more blurred and smaller and are not full of details. The lion drawings have warm colors more reds oranges, and yellow and the backgrounds have more cool colors with blues, purples and greens. Pinkney uses different points of view from an aerial to ground views to show different settings. The intricate details will keep the older children engaged and will capture the younger children’s vision of what is transpiring throughout the story. The depth and beauty of each portion of the pictures lets you see it is a true masterpiece.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2009 (Vol. 77, No. 15)) A nearly wordless exploration of Aesop's fable of symbiotic mercy that is nothing short of masterful.

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, November 2009 (Vol. 63, No. 3)) Aesop tales are usually more about the morals than the animal actors; here’s a retelling that puts the animals front and center and breathes a note of furry reality into the proceedings.

5. CONNECTIONS
*Other books for children about fables:
Rocco, John. WOLF WOLF! ISBN 9781423100126
Tingle, Tim. WHEN TURTLE GREW FEATHERS: A FOLKTALE FROM THE CHOCTAW NATION. ISBN 9780874837773
Stone, Chuck. 2003. SQUIZZY THE BLACK SQUIRREL: A FABULOUS FABLE OF FRIENDSHIP. ISBN 9780940880719
Hartman, Bob. 2002. THE WOLF WHO CRIED BOY. ISBN 9780399235788
* Gather other books illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and compare and contrast their illustrations to THE LION AND THE MOUSE.
Grifalconi, Ann. 2007. AIN’T NOBODY A STRANGER TO ME. Illus. by Jerry Pinkney. ISBN 9780786818570
Andersen, Hans Christian. 1999. THE UGLY DUCKLING. Adapted and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. ISBN 9780688159320