Module 15: My Mom's Having a Baby!

• Book Summary:  This book goes through the stages of a woman's pregnancy.  Elizabeth, is the main character and narrator who recounts each step of the process of her sibling being born.  The author gives detailed description of how a baby is conceived, carried, and delivered.  Throughout the book, Elizabeth describes whats happening to her mother as her baby grows in her belly and even asks the question "how are babies born?"  With many details and graphics, the author gives the reader a look into childbirth.

• APA Reference of Book:

Butler, D.H. (2005).  My mom's having a baby!  Morton Grove, IL:  Albert Whitman & Company.

• Impressions:  I believe this book was censored because of its graphics.  Beginning on the second page, the author talks about the mom's uterus, which in my opinion is too advanced for elementary aged children.  The illustrator shows where the uterus is located with a illustration of the mother's stomach.  I was shocked when the book showed a diagram of a naked man and woman and labeled and pointed to their private parts.  The book even goes as far as to describe in detail sexual intercourse between a man and a women.  For elementary students, I personally feel like the author was too detailed and graphic.  Older students could understand this book, but I believe the author wrote this book to educate a younger audience.  

• Professional Review:  Numerous books are available to prepare soon-to-be siblings for the changes that come with the arrival of a new baby in the house.  Butler's goes one better by candidly and thoughtfully responding to the question many such books ignore, "How did that baby get there?"  

Reference:

My mom's having a baby! (2005).  Booklist, 101(15), p 1358.

Library Uses:  I would use this book for sex education for high school students.  I personally wouldn't use this book for elementary or middle school students.

Module 14: A Curious Collection of Cats

• Book Summary:  This book includes different poems about cats.  The poems include things from a cat's shadow, tail, wit, and quickness.  The author also gives insight about the different types of personalities a cat can have as well as their interactions with humans and other animals.  This book is centered around and all about the world of cats.

• APA Reference of Book:  

Franco, B. (2009). A curious collection of cats.  Berkeley, CA:  Tricycle Press.

• Impressions:  This book is very unique with words and color all over the pages.  I liked the way the author didn't just have the words in straight lines like you would normally see in a book of poems.  The author causes its readers to have to move the book around to read some of the poems.  For example, the poem, "Tabitha's Tail," has the words in the shape of a tail.  The book has to be turned and moved in order to read it.  This makes the book become interactive and fun.  I also like the way each poem describes the different type of personalities a cat can have.  This book would especially be loved by cat lovers who would get a joy out of reading about the quickness, wit, and intelligence of cats.

• Professional Review:  In an ideal match of subject and form, poet Franco uses the sinuous shapes and playful motions of cats to distill the essence of felines in all their grace and ridiculousness. Each of the thirty-two concrete poems is a mini-depiction of a particular cat, as in "Veronica Goes Wide": "Veronica's gotten so pudgy / and PLUMP, / she now mostly acts like a snug-gable / lump"; the poem is written across the yellow cat, with the M in lump formed from her ears. Cats interact with dogs, with squirrels, with one another, and with people in a variety of funny ways, but Franco uses words so precisely to capture cats' behavior that cat-lovers will feel a shock of recognition. Cat-haters may, too, as Franco lays bare the less-charming aspects of life with cats, as in "cat haiku 1" ("Tuna fish dinner / Kitty washes down her meal / sips from toilet bowl") and the self-explanatory "that cat peed on my hat." Wirtz's illustrations, mono-prints adjusted in Adobe Photoshop, keep the words that wrap and weave around the cats readable while still creating visual interest in the backgrounds. Together, poet and artist convey the silliness of cats and their humans without ever being silly themselves.

Reference:  

Lemple, S.D. (2009).  [A Curious Collection of Cats, by B. Franco].  Horn Book Magazine, 85(3), p 314-315.

• Library Uses:  This book could be used as an example to show students how different poems can be written.  Allow students to jot words down about their favorite topics and things and see if they can come up with a poem like the ones from the book.

Module 13:Magic Tree House #5: Night of the Ninjas

• Book Summary:  The Night of the Ninjas starts off with the main characters Jack and Annie discovering that Morgan le Fay, the magical librarian is missing.  Jack and Annie find a clue that lead them to real life Ninjas!  Jack finds a Ninja book that helps guide them on their adventure and their way back home.  Along the way, Jack and Annie meet the Ninja master who warns them about the Samurai, fierce Japanese fighters who are at war with the Ninjas and their families.  After hearing the Samurai coming, the master told the children that they knew the way of the Ninja and left them with the words, "use nature, be nature, follow nature (Osborne, 1995).  These words would be the deliverance of Jack and Annie's journey.  They had to become nature by first imagining they were a rock to hide from Samurai, and then imagine themselves as a mouse to cross a stream.  The children found their way back to the tree house where the ninja master and the mouse, Peanut were waiting.  The ninja master gave Jack and Annie a moonstone, to help them find Morgan le Fay.

• APA Reference of Book:

Osborne, M.P. (1995).  Night of the ninjas.  New York, NY:  Random House.

• Impressions:  Although the story was entertaining, I feel that it could have been longer and more detailed.  The author had room to include more events during Jack and Annie's adventure.  By the time Jack and Annie met the Ninjas and crossed the stream, their adventure with the Ninjas was practically over.  Right when I got excited about the Ninjas appearing, they disappeared and were out of the story again.  I would have enjoyed the book more if the Ninjas were included more in the story.

• Professional Review:  

By A Customer on December 7, 2001

• Format: Paperback

  If you like ninjas, then you'll want to read Night of the Ninjas.
  If you like mice, you'll like this book, because Peanut is a mouse.
  The story keeps you guessing. becaue the mouse acts like a human.
  I liked Night of the Ninjas, because ninjas fight like martial

Reference:  Night of the Ninjas (Magic Tree House, No. 5).  (2001).  Amazon.  Retrieved from: http://www.amazon.com/Night-Ninjas-Magic-Tree-House/dp/0679863710/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449204161&sr=1-1&keywords=magic+tree+house+5

Library Uses:  This book and series could be used to do a lesson on narrative writing.  Students could write about an adventure they've had or can imagine in first person point of view.

Module 12: The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss

• Book Summary:  This book starts off by describing Ted Geisel's (the future Dr. Seuss) love for books and animals as he grew up on 74 Fairfield Street in Springfield, Massachusetts.  Ted's father became superintendent of parts, which gave Ted a front row seat to the zoo and his father's stories about the zoo.  At night, Ted's mother (Henrietta Seuss Geisel) would read books from the library and put him and his sister to sleep with stories and nonsense verse.  Ted and his friends enjoyed roaming and playing in the neighborhood until Ted started to feel like he didn't fit in around Springfield.  Children at school teased him because of his German name.  It got so bad that children would chase and beat him up.  Not being skilled at shooting rifles like his parents, or being athletic, Ted found his passion for drawing.  He attempted to take an art class in high school, but was criticized and discourages by his art teacher who reprimanded him for breaking rules.  It was at Dartmouth College that Ted started using "Seuss" as his name in the school's newspaper.  After leaving Oxford University, Ted focused on his drawings and one day he was offered $25 for a cartoon by the Saturday Evening Post.  Ted received letters from other magazines wanting his drawings and soon he was off to New York city where his future began as a writer and illustrator.

• APA Reference of Book:

Krull, K. (2004).  The boy on Fairfield street: how Ted Geisel grew up to become Dr. Seuss.  New York, NY:  Random House.

• Impressions:  This was an enjoyable story, but I would have liked to read more about Ted Geisel's life after he moved to New York.  I know that Dr. Seuss became very successful, but I would have liked to read about his experiences of his early writings and drawings in New York.  I wanted to know more about his personal life after the age of twenty-two (like how long did it take to get his first book published or did he meet the love of his life while in New York?)  The author did a good job telling about Ted's life growing up, but as a reader I just wanted to know a little more about his early days of writing.

Professional Review:  Just in time for Dr. Seuss's one hundredth birthday comes this biographical tribute, an affectionate survey centered onTed Geisel's boyhood, plus a bit on his brush with higher education (neither Dartmouth College, where he was voted "Least Likely to Succeed," nor Oxford University engaged his full attention), concluding with the first months of his career. Four additional pages summarize the high points and pivotal moments of his entire life in somewhat more detail, but the real story here is of a boy who couldn't stop doodling, who "feasted on books and was wild about animals," and who "excelled at footing around." Krull does a good job of linking such early propensities with what turned up later, visually and thematically, in Geisel's books, Johnson and Fancher provide nostalgic full-page paintings that nicely recall illustrations of the period; a wealth of adroitly chosen vignettes from Seuss's own books (listed at the end) illuminate points made in the text (teenage Ted "knew his art broke the rules," observes Krull on a page sporting a gleefully determined race car-driving fish from One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish). Fans are sure to enjoy meeting theirrepressible man behind the ever-popular books.

Reference:

Long, J.R. (2004).  [Review of the book The boy on Fairfield street, by K. Krull].  Horn Book Magazine, 80(1).

• Library Uses:  This book can be read and displayed during Dr. Seuss Week (Birthday).  Older students could use this book to do research and a report about Dr. Seuss early life.

Module 11: The Day-Glo Brothers

• Book Summary:  The Day-Glo Brothers is about the creation of glowing colors like yellows, oranges, and green by Bob and Joe Switzer.  Early in their lives, Bob enjoyed working and planning, while Joe enjoyed practicing magic tricks and problem-solving.  After moving to Berkeley, California, Joe would do an illusion trick called black art, where an object painted half black and white looked like it was floating and disappearing when held under a white spotlight in front of a black background (Barton, 2009).  In 1933, Bod had an accident in a pickle and ketchup factory that caused him to have seizures and double vision.  Unfortunately, the accident ruined Bob's dream to become a doctor.  Due to the accident, Bob was forced to heal in the family's darkened basement.  In this basement, Joe and Bob started experimenting with black lights and flourescence.  They built a ultraviolet lamp and discovered a yellow glow after shining the light on a chemical-stained label on a bottle in their father's drugstore.  Eventually, the Switzer brothers invented a new color called Fire Orange that glowed in daylight.  This is how the "Day-Glo" colors came about.  During World War II, the military used these colors for different signals.  The Switzers' inventions helped the United States win the war.  After the war, Bob and Joe became rich.  Their colors were used in many ways including Andy Warhol's famous paintings.

• APA Reference of Book: 

Barton, C. (2009).  The day-glo brothers.  Watertown, MA:  Charlesbridge.

• Impressions:  I thought it was clever how the illustrator started off drawing the pages in black and white, and as the story developed as the Switzer brothers created colors, the pictures in the book also became colorful.  The gave lots of information about the Switzer brothers that was interesting and entertaining.  For example, I enjoyed reading about how both brothers' gifts and talents helped them create something spectacular!  My favorite part of the book was how the author ended it with, "One brother wanted to save lives.  The other brother wanted to dazzle crowds.  With Day-Glo, they did both" (Barton, 2009).  Very thoughtful way to sum up the Switzer brother's lives.

• Professional Review:  The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and BrandSNew Colors. illus. by' Tony Persiani. unpaged. CIP. Charlesbridge. 2009. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-1-57091-673-1. LC 2008026959. Gr 4-6-Before 1935, fluorescent colors did not exist. Barton discusses how two brothers worked together to create the eyepopping hues. Joe Switzer figured out that using a black light to create a fluorescent glow could spruce up his magic act, so the brothers built an ultraviolet lamp. They began to experiment with various chemicals to make glow-in-the-dark paints. Soon Joe used fluorescent-colored paper costumes in his act and word got around. Through trial and error, the brothers perfected their creation. The story is written in clear language and includes whimsical cartoons. While endpapers are Day-Glo bright, most of the story is illustrated in black, white, gray, and touches of color, culminating in vivid spreads. Discussions on regular fluorescence and daylight fluorescence are appended. This unique book does an excellent job of describing an innovative process.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

Reference:  Callaghan, A.C. (2009).  The day-glo brothers.  School Library Journal, 55(8), p. 118.

Library Uses:  This book could be part of a STEM program.  The book gives lots of scientific information that educators could use about light, colors, and chemicals.  The library could host a science experiment day using this book as one example of how students can experiment with scientific chemicals and information.

Module 10: Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy

• Book Summary:  Shoeless Joe got his name from playing an entire baseball game in his socks.  Before becoming a major league baseball player, Joe went through a horrible hitting slump.  He tried different things like changing the way he stood at home plate, switching his left hand to his right, and even wearing glasses.  When all of these things didn't work, Shoeless Joe went to Ol' Charlie who was gifted at making bats.  Ol' Charlie made a bat for Joe, which he named Betsy, after Betsy Ross.  Unfortunately, the bat didn't help Joe get out of his slump.  Shoeless Joe asked Ol' Charlie to change how Betsy how Betsy was made to see if it would help him out of his slump.  Each time, Joe wanted Betsy to represent strong people and symbols from America's History.  For example, he wanted her to be made out of Hickory, after President Andrew Jackson.  He also wanted Betsy to weigh forty-eight ounces.  "One ounce for each state in America" (Bildner, 2002).  With the use of tobacco, Betsy was made big and black.  Shoeless Joe entered the minor league, and during his first year he had 120 hits in 87 games.  He was drafted by Philadelphia to play in the major leagues.  After a poor season, he was dejected back to the minor leagues.  Each time Joe was dejected from the major leagues back to the minor leagues, Ol' Charlie gave Joe instructions on how to take care of Black Betsy to help his swing.  He had to keep her warm by sleeping with her at night, oil her every night, and wrap her in cotton cloth.  Finally, Shoeless Joe had a great season in the major leagues in Cleveland, where, as a rookie, he had a record breaking 233 hits in only 147 games.

• APA Reference of Book:

Bildner, P. (2002). Shoeless Joe & black Betsy.  New York, NY:  Simon & Schuster.

• Impressions:  My favorite parts of Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy is how the author makes references to America's history when Ol' Charlie is trying to create the perfect bat for Joe.  For example, the first time Shoeless Joe went to see Ol' Charlie, he named Betsy after Betsy Ross, because he said, "Pitchers are going to honor and respect this bat the way they respect the flag Betsy Ross created" (Bildner, 2002).  I found this to be an interesting way to give the reader some facts about America's history.  This book is also had its funny moments.  You never knew how Shoeless Joe was going to ask Ol' Charlie how to make his bat to help him out of his slump.

• Professional Review:   Plummeting from star slugger to an outcast besmirched by scandal, Shoeless Joe Jackson is the eponym for baseball drama, but this tall-tale rendering of his early career zeroes in on the relatively tepid theme of Jackson's persnickety quest for the perfect bat, realized at last in the form of his fabled Black Betsy. Blaming each batting slump and subsequent fall from major-league grace on inadequate equipment, Joe continually consults Ol' Charlie, the consummate craftsman who not only fashions his forty-eight-ounce bats but also instructs him in their care and feeding: "When you get up north to Cleveland, you make sure you wrap her in cotton cloth every night. The South is the land of cotton, Shoeless Joe, and a good Southerner must always be true to his roots." Folksy idiom and repetition brush a folkloric patina over the proceedings, but the slim plotting cannot justify the rambling text; Payne's mixed-media illustrations capture flap-eared, ham-handed Joe at some startling and original angles, but they awkwardly cast the semi-tragic figure in a comic light. Four pages of concluding notes comment on the 1919 World Series debacle that saw Jackson tossed from the pros, and it's here that aficionados will find the satisfying intrigue. Readers sufficiently outraged by Shoeless Joe's banishment can pursue the closing reference (that seems to pass as a wildly biased source note) to his booster club at www.blackbetsy.com and nutz the Baseball Commissioner for Jackson's posthumous reinstatement.

Reference:  

Bush, E. Review of Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy by P. Bildner.  Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 55(6), p. 200.

• Library Uses:  This book could be used to help students learn history facts.  A game could be played where students have to name how many times a history fact was mentioned and what has changed.

Module 9: The Trouble with Chickens

• Book Summary:  The Trouble with Chickens is a funny mystery about a retired rescue do named J.J. Tully.  He is approached by Moosh, the mother chicken who needs his help to find her missing chickens.  J.J. agrees to help in exchange for a cheeseburger.  J.J. sniffs for clues, and after finding a note, he is led into the owner's house where the vilian, Vince the Funnel (who is also a dog) resides.  Vince intellectually captures J.J. with the chicks' help.  J.J. soon finds out that it was the chick, Sugar, who caused him to be captured.  Sugar wrote the note and made a deal with Vince in exchange for reading books.  It seemed that Vince had won until, Dirt, the chick J.J. trained to rescue, comes up with a plan.  Very cleverly, the chickens rescue J.J. and trap Vince just as planned.  In the beginning, J.J. could barely tolerate the chickens, but by the end he gained a sense of belonging with them.

• APA Reference of Book:

Cronin, D. (2011).  The trouble with chickens.  New York, NY:  HarperCollins Children's Books.

• Impressions:  This book grabbed my attention from the beginning with its clever humor and dialogue.  I loved J.J. Tully's description of Moosh, the chicken when they first met.  "Her eyes were tiny and black, and set so close to each other they practically touched.  I'd be surprised if the right eyes could report back seeing anything other than the left eye" (Cronin, 2011, p. 2).  The book goes on with clever and humorous lines.  My attention was really alerted when chapter 10 switched to Vince the Funnel becoming the storyteller and giving his side of the story.  I loved how the story builds up to telling how the chickens were in on luring J.J. into the house so that Vince could trap him.

• Professional Review:   With its sharp wit and suspenseful mystery, Cronin's foray into the crowded chapter-book field is a crowd pleaser. Retired search-and-rescue dog J.J. Tully is enjoying the simple life on a farm when his world is turned upside down by an annoying hen, Moosh, and her two equally obnoxious chicks, Dirt and Sugar, who hound him to help locate Poppy and Sweetie. They fear that the missing chicks have been kidnapped and are being held hostage inside the house where ferocious Vince the Funnel -- an aptly-named canine-lives. When Moosh appears with a note stating it "behooves" the chickens to "rendezvous" to get back her peeps, J.J. muses about the likelihood of birdbrains with sophisticated vocabulary, and he must sniff out the true offenders. Cronin's tongue-in-cheek humor spills forward as the detective story unfolds, while the whodunit will keep readers guessing until the ending. Cornell's black-and-white cartoon illustrations add to the hilarity with bespectacled Sugar, cone-headed Vince the Funnel, and J.J. Tully's mismatched floppy ears. Teachers will embrace the story as a great read-aloud, while reluctant and nonreluctant readers will savor this quick read of a mystery and eagerly await the next case for J.J. Tully to crack.

Reference:  Shaw, M. (2011).  The trouble with chickens.  School Library Journal, 57(2), p. 78-78.

• Library Uses:  I would use this book to read to students and have them try to solve the mystery before getting to the end of the story.  This would be a great book to teach foreshadowing and drawing conclusions.