Stick Man: A Winter Holiday Book Review

Stick Man, a new release by Scholastic, is out this season for holiday enjoyment. Created by Julie Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, this seasonal rhyming tale tells the story of a stick man who is taken accidentally from his family tree by a well meaning pooch. One mishap after another takes him farther away from home. On his final stop, he ends up in a woodpile by a fireplace. It looks like the end until instead of another Stick Man, he hears a stuck man (Santa) who needs his help getting out of the chimney. From there, all ends well.

Clever rhyming sequences using word families and repetitive language make Stick Man well suited for primary classrooms.

Truce: A Book Review

Jim Murphy and Scholastic have teamed up to provide an engaging historical Christmas narrative for intermediate level readers. Teachers of nine-twelve year olds looking to incorporate a real life holiday story with their studies of World War I may want to take a look. Read on.

 Synopsis:

 In Truce, Newbery honor author Jim Murphy tells the true tale of the 1914 Christmas miracle that occurred when troops on both sides openly defied their commanding officers and had a spontaneous holiday celebration with each other.

 Illustration Commentary:

Illustrated with archival images, the publisher has taken the extra step to incorporate sepia tones. In my opinion this helps liven up the photos, as books illustrated with archival photos (and there was really no way out of it in this case) can come across as a bit drab if only black and white image are used.

 A Prophetic Quote:

 I found the most profound portion of the book to be at the very beginning with the following quote spoken by Winston Churchill to his wife Clementine, nearly a month to the day prior to the spontaneous Christmas truce. “What would happen, I wonder, if the armies suddenly and simultaneously went on strike and said some other method must be found of settling the dispute?”

Classroom Recommendations:

Truce is quite suitable for older classrooms who might already be studying that particular time in history. This would be a way to work in the holiday while staying on track curriculum wise. Includes a detailed timeline resource in the back of the book and references to other books, movies and web sites to build the theme.

Scheduled for release in October 2009. Truce is currently available on Amazon.Com.

 Photo Credit: Scholastic.Com

Crow Call: A Book Review

Two time Newbery Medalist Lois Lowry takes her first stab at a picture book in Crow Call, published by Scholastic.

This title for primary grades features a young girl’s first memory of a big outing with her father, a man who had previously been a stranger to her due to a long war time absence. The event: a hunting trip where the day starts off with the girl’s father purchasing her a rainbow colored plaid shirt and a double helping of cherry pie. From there, they enjoy a day in the woods calling crows with a wooden tool.

It wouldn’t be fair to do a review of Crow Call without a serious nod to illustrator Bagram Ibatoulline. The book’s illustrations are absolutely precious. Done in color choices that mimic the seasons, they are period appropriate as well and have a decidedly Norman Rockwell feel.

While this timeless historical piece will appeal to a wide range of readers, this writer feels it would be particularly suited to the following audiences: military daughters whose fathers are currently deployed, daddy-daughter read aloud events and women who grew up “Tom boys” and remember hunting with their fathers.

Crow Call is due out in October of 2009. Available at Amazon.Com.

Photo Credit: Scholastic Press

Walt Whitman: Words for America

Written by Barbara Kerley. Illustrated by Caldecott honor artist Brian Selznick. Published by Scholastic Press.

First Impressions

A perfect picture book for older children just getting introduced to the life and works of Walt Whitman. This book looks like a present at first glance, with its gilded lettering, cut-out picture frame and Robert F. Sibert silver award medallion. The illustrations are well done, and blend the intimate with the unexpected, and the incidental with the iconic.

Tidbits Learned

Walt Whitman was working as a printer’s apprentice by the age of twelve, and publishing his own newspaper at nineteen. After traveling the country to write poetry celebrating the common everyday people, he because deeply passionate about the Civil War and the suffering of the soldiers. A great deal of his work also focused on them.

Personal Verdict

A well-developed piece worthy of inclusion to any collection or study of Mr. Whitman’s works.

Photo Credit: Scholastic 

Pancakes for Supper: A Book Review

Written by Caldecott honor book author Anne Isaacs, this pioneer themed tale is set in the American wilderness. This Scholastic Press title is boldly illustrated by Mark Teague.

PERKS

Opportunities for student story predictions.

These exist each time the main character, Toby, meets a new forest animal. Since she trades one item of her winter gear for her safety each time, this provides a built in infrastructure for repeated instruction during the very first group reading.

Repetitive language.

Each time Toby or the animals speak, there are certain repetitive phrases used. This provides a consistent set of chances for young readers to gain confidence and accuracy with those phrases.

Integrated rhyming pairs.

On the majority of pages in the book, numerous pairs of rhyming words are available for student identification. This makes for a great whole group, reading buddy or independent study activity.

Inspirational illustrations.

The scale and color pairings chosen for this title’s pictures are such that children will be able to draw inspiration for their own literature-based art projects without feeling overwhelmed.

Built in pancake recipe.

The complete pancake recipe on the back of the book is a nice extra. Perfect for homeschooling parents looking for an extra extension activity, or teachers who love cooking in the classroom with students.

QUIRKS

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with the ending the first time around. I found the “melting” of the animals, and the fully boiled and reduced syrup coming out of the tree instead of the more accurate clear sap to be a bit of a let down after the solid story build up of individual animal encounters. I also wasn’t quite sure why the title connection wasn’t worked in until the very end.

That being said, I did read on the interior book jacket flap about Anne Isaac’s affinity for tall tales as a story form. If this was the author’s intent, then teachers have an opportunity here for instruction by assigning the investigation and identification of the specific tall tale elements towards the end of the book, and in other parts of the story.

Have you had the chance to read Pancakes for Supper? What were your thoughts and reactions?

Photo Credit: Amazon.Com

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared To Dream

 

This true story of the Mercury 13 Women, written by Tanya Lee Stone, chronicles the trials and tribulations of these remarkable women who stepped up to the space challenge.

Why have you never heard of them? After completing all of the testing and a grueling training schedule, they were basically scrubbed from the program. In fact, many would argue that NASA never intended to allow them in space to begin with. Regardless, these women were ahead of their time, and the story is worth reading.

While this is clearly a book for junior high students, I’m still not sure why no attempt was made to dress up the historical photos. Changing a few to sepia, or tossing in the occasional element of color would have done wonders for this title. I understand the only available images were older black and whites, but the use of them exclusively throughout the book makes it look rather dated and drab. A helpful read though, for those interested in the history of women in the space program. From Candlewick Press.

Photo Credit: Amazon.Com

Sign of the Beaver

Looking to integrate Native American heritage with a state of Maine studies unit? This title by Elizabeth George Speare might be just the ticket.

In this historical fiction piece for intermediate students, a young man is left alone in the wild to tend the new homestead while his father returns to civilization for the rest of the family. He makes friends with a reluctant Native American boy and at the request of the boy’s father, teaches him to read. When his father is late arriving back with the family, the boy begins to fear the worst and must decide whether to stay and wait, or travel with his friend’s tribe, who are leaving for good.

This tale of coming of age is an excellent title for use in literature circles or whole group instruction.

Photo Credit: Amazon.Com

Sarah, Plain and Tall

This historically themed, family style story of the American prairie features a family’s grief, a farm’s struggle and a mail order bride.

A classic piece in American classrooms for early intermediate students, this book turned movie by Patricia MacLachlan is an excellent example of a “big kid” story written at a more accessible level for younger readers.

A father and farmer with two young children loses his wife and struggles to keep his life and family on track. He posts an advertisement and a woman from Maine answers. She arrives to make a difference, but not the one he expects.

Personal verdict: A great choice for introducing chapter books to younger readers, both in literature circles or as a whole group book study.

Photo Credit: Amazon.Com

The Village of Round and Square Houses: A Book Review

The Village of Round and Square Houses, by Ann Grifalconi is the story of the village of Tos, in Cameroon.

Here, men and women live separately, and in differently shaped houses. Thistale was told to the author by a girl who actually grew up there. From what I understand, they actually had to walk in for a day or two on foot to actually get there. Now that’s a dedicated writer. Ann, you go, girl!

Photo Credit: Barnes and Noble

Gugu’s House: Review of the Children’s Book

In this book by Catherine Stock, a young girl named Kukamba enjoys spending time helping her grandmother, Gugu, with her art.

What I loved most about this title is how it demonstrates so clearly the contribution art can have in our everyday lives, as well as how powerful the concept of temporary art can be. In celebration of the African nation of Zimbabwe, this book also includes a glossary of story terms. Worth including in your multicultural library or as an asset for your African studies unit.

Photo Credit: Target.Com

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: A Book Review

Told by noted children’s author Verna Aardema, this tale is from the Nandi tribe of Kenya.

The storytells how an unusual drought on the plain inspires a cow herder to come up with an unusual solution. The illustrations? Absolutely charming. The story was discovered nearly one hundred years ago by Sir Claud Hollis, a noted anthropologist who published the story in his book, The Nandi: Their Language and Folklore, published in 1909. In my opinion, this isa true classic for those studying Kenyan culture and folklore, as well as African heritage in general.

Photo Credit: Amazon.Com

The Mountains of Tibet: A Book Review

Written by Mordicai Gerstein, this piece tells of a man who is offered all the choices of the universe, yet learns to appreciate the simple beauty of his own life.

The illustrations are softly yet strikingly done, making for an absolutely precious piece of children’s literature. Written from the perspective of Tibetan spirituality, yet perfectly suitable for the multicultural classroom interested in exploring this majestic mountain kingdom.

Photo Credit: Amazon.Com

Why the Sky Is Far Away: Review of the Nigerian Folktale

Retold by Mary-Joan Gerson, this tale from the Bini tribe of Nigeria is at least a half a millennium old.

In the story, the tribe’s people learn the hard way about the management of available resources. In addition to exploring Nigerian folklore, this book would also be fabulous to use when teaching about conservation and respect for the planet’s environment.

Photo Credit: Target.Com

Muhammad: Review of the Children’s Book

Written and illustrated by the author Demi, this is an exquisitely illustrated biography of the world’s most famous Meccan.

The author consulted and worked closely with many regional, historical and religious experts for the publishing of this book. Written with cultural sensitivity, tolerance and tender respect, this title is an excellent addition to any multicultural children’s library.Personal verdict? Two thumbs up!

Photo Credit: Amazon.Com