Button Up! Wrinkled Rhymes by Alice Schertle



BIBLIOGRAPHY: Schertle, Alice. 2009. Button Up! Ill. by Petra Mathers. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing. ISBN 9780152050504

PLOT SUMMARY: Poems, from the clothes point of view, talk about their animal owners.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Articles of clothing come to life to discuss their animal owners in the collection of rhyming poems. Mather's illustrations are indeed whimsical, depicting a girl mouse wearing undies and an little boy alligator in pajamas. Rhythm and meter is easily detected in these rhyming poems. 

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS:
From Booklist
Starred Review."Playful spreads and spot art suit the small, snappy verses beautifully. This whimsical little volume will make a delightful addition to poetry collections."
—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

CONNECTIONS:
This book can be used in an elementary school level in thematic units of poetry. It can also be used in introducing literature where animals are given human characteristics.

A Curious Collecion of Cats Concrete Poems by Betsy Franco

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Franco, Betsy. 2009. A Curious Collection of Cats. Ill. by Michael Wertz. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press. ISBN 9781582462486

PLOT SUMMARY: Visual poems about cats

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
A fun poetry book about cats, their characteristics and their every-day adventures. A collection of concrete poems, poems that form a shape, about cats is visually stimulating yet may be hard to read at times because of the shapes. It may be confusing in which way to poem is to be read, but that may be the fun in reading this book. Wertz's illustrations truely invoke the meaning of each poem. With the way the poems are written it is difficult to determine meter, sound even language, but the physical imagery is enticing to a reader at any age. Different kinds of poems such as haiku and limmerick, are introduced between fighting cats and sleeping cats.

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS:

HONOR - Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award

From Booklist
"Once kids get the feel of how to follow the lines--up and down or in curving jumps pr around the page borders--they will have fun with the playful images."---Hazel Rochman, Booklist March 15, 2009.

CONNECTIONS:

This book may be used in a middle/ high school poem themed unit. It can be use to illustrate to young readers that poetry is not boring.

Tropical Secrets by Margarita Engle

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Engle, Margartia. 2009. Tropical Secrets. New York, NY; Henry Holt and Company.
ISBN 9780805089363

PLOT SUMMARY: Daniel's life in verse after escaping Nazi Germany and ending up in Cuba.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Engle's free verse narration of Daniel, a Jewish boy escaping Nazi Germany and a girl in Cuba, where Daniel ends up, is full a descriptive imagery. Students may be bored with the subject of Nazi Germany or Cuba, but reading Daniel's and Paloma's accounts of their lives intertwined is brought to life through the poems. The books reads like an actual story and not like a collection of poems. Although meter, rhythm, sound is hard to detect, because the story comes to life through the imagery and emotion through the poetry.

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS:
 “This book is an outstanding choice for young people of all reading skills. Reluctant readers will be encouraged by the open layout and brief text, and everyone will be captivated by the eloquent poems and compelling characters.”—School Library Journal, starred review

“Readers who think they might not like a novel in verse will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly and smoothly the story flows...The book will provide great fodder for discussion of the Holocaust, self-reliance, ethnic and religious bias, and more.”—VOYA

CONNECTIONS:
Middle and High School themed units in which this book may be used in conjuction with are: immigration, refugees, WWII, Nazi Gernany, Holocaust, Cuba 

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Taback, Simms. 1999. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. Ill by Simms Taback. New York, NY: Viking. ISBN 0670878553

PLOT SUMMARY:
Joseph makes something new out of his old overcoat.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Taback has turned a yiddish folksong from his childhood into delighful, interactive and colorful storybook that will entertain readers of all ages. As a realisitc and a culumulative tale, young listeners can participate in the repetitive phrases with every new thing made from the torn out overcoat. They will also enjoy the cut-outs, which give a clue to what the new items will be. With a mixture of watercolors, gouache, pencil, pen and collage, older readers will be enthrawed with real photos within the illustrations, especially the flower field, "town" scene, "fruit" field, and the lettuce patch. These pages resembles a "Where's Waldo" effect engaging the reader. Also delightful is collage illustrations that are visually stimulating.

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Caldecott Medal

From School Library Journal
"A book bursting at the seams with ingenuity and creative spirit."- Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly
"This diverting, sequential story unravels as swiftly as the threads of Joseph's well-loved, patch-covered plaid coat." Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

CONNECTIONS:
This book may be connected to a unit on recycling.  Taback also wrote the 1997 Caldecott Honor Book There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! By A. Wolf as told to Jon Scieszka



BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Scieszka, Jon. 1989.The True Story of The 3 Little Pigs! by A. Wolf. Ill. by Lane Smith. 
New York, NY: Viking Penguin. ISBN 0670825792

PLOT SUMMARY:
Alexander T. Wolf recounts the incident(s) that occurred with his neighbors, three pigs, to Jon Scieszka.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

This fractured fairy tale will send readers into a laughing fit even adult readers. With the story of The Three Little Pigs firmly planeted in everyone's childhood memory, the recounting of it by Alexander T. Wolf is hilarious. Convincing the reader that he was baking a cake for his granmother, that his sneezes were accidental and his eating the pigs, a natural instinct, Wolf possesses an "it's not my fault" attitude that may draw sympathy for him but in the end he is punished. The reporters, newspaper clippings and police modernize this classic tale. Although Smith's illustration are whimsical and fantasy-like, they are clever, using items as letters in "This is the real story" page to begin the tale.

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS:
From Booklist

"Wiesner's latest is a post-modern fantasy for young readers that takes Scieszka's fragmentation a step further: it not only breaks apart and deliciously reinvents the pigs' tale, it invites readers to step beyond the boundaries of story and picture book altogether."-Carolyn Phelan Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From School Library Journal
"... the bespectacled wolf moves with a rather sinister bonelessness, and his juicy sneezes tear like thunderbolts through a dim, grainy world. It's the type of book that older kids (and adults) will find very funny." - John Peters, New York Public Library Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

CONNECTIONS:

The Firebird by Jane Yolen



BIBLIOGRAPHY

Yolen, Jane. 2002. The Firebird. Ill. by Vladimir Vagin. Hong Kong:  HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN 0060285389

PLOT SUMMARY:
Hero Prince Ivan, with the help of the Firebird, defeats the evil wizard and frees a princess and her maids

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Yolen's retelling of the Russian folktale of the Firebird is beautifully illustrated to bring it to life. With the classic concept of a folktale, of good vs. evil and a happy ending, hero Prince Ivan, with the help of the Firebird, defeats the evil wizard and frees a princess and her maids. Beautifully illustrated, Vagin transports the reader to czarist Russian, with dense forest and recognizable architecture. With illustrations of the famous Firebird ballet, (choreographed by George Balanchine to Igor Stravinsky's music) at the bottom of each page, Yolen introduces an added visual to the book.

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS

From Publishers Weekly
"The elegant costumes and poses in his ballet scenes may well leave many readers eager to view a live performance." Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal

"Not to be confused with two stunningly illustrated titles of different folktales, Demi's The Firebird (Holt, 1994; o.p.) and Ruth Sanderson's The Golden Mare, the Firebird, and the Magic Ring (Little, Brown, 2001), Yolen's Firebird will be most appreciated as an introduction to the ballet."
Ellen Heath, Orchard School, Ridgewood, NJ
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

CONNECTIONS
A great book to be used with a music themed unit, specifically to introduce ballet to young readers.

Tomas and the Library Lady

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mora, Pat. 1997. Tomas and the Library Lady. Ill. by Paul Colon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
ISBN 0679904018

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Migrant worker, Tomas learns the joy of reading and the love for books and educates family members and the librarian, too!

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Tomas travels with his family to Iowa as migrant workers. Mora's depiction of a poor migrant is evident when Mama makes a ball out of an old teddy bear and also when the family rummages in the junkyard for extra money. It's curious how Papa Grande (grandfather) gave Tomas the idea of going to the library, but he haven't gone himself? but then again, he speaks only Spanish. The book also moves from oral tradition of telling stories to reading a book with stories. Tomas teaches his family English and also teaches the librarian, Spanish. The depiction of the librarian is realistic in that she initiates contact with Tomas. she doesn't wait for him to ask questions; she welcomes him in, offers him the water foundation for cool water and brings him books to a table. Colon's illustrations reflexes Mexican-American culture with earth tones scratch board pictures.

4. AWARD AND EXCERPTS
 Texas Bluebonnet Master List, 1999-2000                                                                          
 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, Southwest Texas State University, 1998
 Teachers' Choices, International Reading Association, 1998
 Honor Award in the Multicultural and International category. Skipping Stones Magazine, 1998
 Notable Books for Children, Smithsonian, 1997
 (Pat Mora Website. http://www.patmora.com. Assessed Sept. 15, 2010)        

From School Library Journal
"Colon's earthy, sun-warmed colors, textured with swirling lines, add life to this biographical fragment and help portray Tomas's reading adventures in appealing ways."-Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition


5.CONNECTIONS
"Stack this up with Sarah Stewart and David Small's The Library (Farrar, 1995) and Suzanne Williams and Steven Kellogg's Library Lil (Dial, 1997) to demonstrate the impact librarians can have on youngsters." -Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


This book may go over well here in Texas, emphasizing the Mexican-aAmerican community and a bilingual household. It may be used when introducing students to library science/ dewey decimal system/ Spanish and early research units.

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
McCloskey, Robert. 1941. Make Way for Ducklings. Ill. by Robert McCloskey. New York: Viking Press.
ISBN 0670451495

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Ducks, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard,  are looking for a perfect new home for their ducklings. Searching all over town and with the help of humans, they find a great place to rise their new-hatched baby ducks.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
McCloskey takes readers on a delightful tale of duck parents looking for a place to hatch their ducklings. Searching the landmarks of Boston, MA., the Mallards hatch their babies but move to another part of Public Gardens. With the help of a police officer, who has been feeding the parents, Mrs. Mallard and the duckling make their way safely to their new home. McCloskey's illustrations, done in charcoal, bring to life the plight and determination of the parent ducks. Especially entertaining is the expression of the ducks when almost being run over by the cyclists. Though in this very scene, Mrs. Mallard "squawked..., all in a dither", may not be understand by young readers. A close-up  illustration of the little ducks as they "grow-up" is adorable.


4. AWARDS AND REVIEWS
1942 Caldecott Medal

From The New York Times (recovered from book jacket) "This brilliantly illustrated, amusingly observed tale of Mallards on the move has won the hearts of generations of readers.  Awarded the Caldecott Medal as 'the most distinguished American picture book for children' in 1941, it has since become a favorite of millions, children and adults alike, as 'one of the merriest picture-book ever...told in very few words with a gravity that underscores the delightful comedy of the pictures'".


5. CONNECTIONS
Make Way for Duckings is a bit long for a preschool story time, it may suit well for elementary students. I think this book may be used in a thematic units on animal habitats; though ducks are considered farm animals, we see them here in the city.

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Henkes, Kevin. 2004. Kitten's First Full Moon. Ill. by Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow Books.
ISBN 0060588284

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk and tries different ways to get to it.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Henkes's tale of a kitten who mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk will capture a young reader's attention by his gouache and colored pencils illustrations. The simplicity of black and white will compare to a real night adventure. The layout of large illustrations and text makes for an easy and fast read. The expression on Kitten's face after a misadventure will entertain the reader. Also Henke has captured characteristics of a cat that will bring a smile to a young child.

4. AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCEPTS
Caldecott Medal

From School Library Journal
"An irresistible offering from the multifaceted Henkes".-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* "Henkes' text, reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown's work in the elemental words, rhythms, and appealing sounds, tells a warm, humorous story that's beautifully extended in his shimmering, gray-toned artwork."
-Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

5. CONNECTIONS
"Pair this tale with Frank Asch's classic Moongame (S & S, 1987) and Nancy Elizabeth Wallace's The Sun, the Moon and the Stars (Houghton, 2003) for nocturnal celebrations."-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This book will be an excellent choice for story time. Listeners can participate with repetition and/or echoing the phrases of "Poor Kitten". Storytellers can initiate predicting thinking.

In a pre-school environment which uses learning centers and /or thematic lessons, this book will emphasize the themes of moon, milk, cats/kittens, and night.