A Place Where Hurricanes Happen

"A Place Where Hurricanes Happen" tells the tale of Hurricane Katrina in a perfectly formatted picture book for the early elementary age readers. While the beautifully drawn illustrations show the true devastation of New Orleans' aftermath, the story is presented through the eyes of children, allowing this to be read to a class with little discomfort and provides the ability for readers to build a connection to this event.

The story revolves around Adrienne, Keesha, Michael, and Tommy who are friends that live in the same community. Each page changes the perspective of the story to each of these friends and the reader is brought through three different parts. The first part covers the culture of New Orleans subtly by involving the kids with different parts, from walking down a typical street to the jambalaya cooking for dinner. The second two parts cover the time during the hurricane and the different routes people took for their safety and then continues into discussing life after the hurricane. The choice of writing style is free verse which seems to work in the benefit of voicing each child's perspective in the book.

Renee Watson's story is a great voice for the children who went through Hurricane Katrina. She allows her writing to encompass the voices of different children which makes this a perfect book to read to an audience. Shadra Strickland's illustrations do a good job of bringing alive the overflowing culture that exists in New Orleans. Each illustration has a good relationship with the story and makes a great addition to the overall book.

"We're from New Orleans, a place where hurricanes happen. But that's only the bad side." New Orleans is a wonderful place that was hit by a devastating hurricane. This story shows the vibrant life that was and still is present in New Orleans. I highly recommend this book.

For another good children's literature choice on Hurricane Katrina, check out "Ninth Ward" by Jewell Parker Rhodes.

Happy Reading!

Trevor Burbank

Rainbow Fish

Re-reading Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister instantly reminded me of why I used to love this book as a child. The classic tale of the rainbow fish with sparkly scales is still known today as one of the most distinctive children’s picture books. Written in 1992, Rainbow Fish has understandably been the continuous recipient of numerous awards. This story tells the tale of a Rainbow Fish who is undeniably beautiful because of his shiny, shimmery scales. Every other fish is jealous of his unique looks and wants to have pretty scales too, but when asked to share his scales with others, Rainbow Fish is selfish and unwilling to share. As a result, he loses his friends and no longer receives the praise and admiration he once took for granted. It is not until he is referred to visit the wide old Octopus that Rainbow Fish is told that in order to be happy again, he must share with others. Hesitant to give up his claim-to-fame but also discouraged by his loss of friends, Rainbow Fish decides to share one scale with each fish. In the end, Rainbow Fish learns a valuable lesson: happiness comes when you are willing to give and not receive. In his case, Rainbow Fish learned that although it was great to be the recipient of constant praise and admiration, the feeling of sharing with others and making them happy was ultimately they key to his own happiness.

It was immediately apparent why I loved Rainbow Fish so much as a child and why it is continuously used with young children in classrooms and homes. The very necessary lesson and moral of the dangers of selfishness are not only presented and explained in very simple terms, but also give children a beautifully colorful representation of what it means to share love with others.

Marvelous Picture Books- "The Secret Box" by: Barbara Lehman

This adventure picture book takes hold of its reader in the first few pages. The only words that are provided are on the opening sleeve of the book:

“Times change. Cities may grow large. Summers may come and go. And people might grow old, but the one thing that always remains the same is the desire for adventure.”

Although very simple this message is extremely powerful throughout this entire book. The story takes place in a city and the readers get to experience the changes of the city’s structure through a box of secret souvenirs left by a boy. The book begins with the young boy leaving the box in the attic of the school or orphanage. Then after what looks like a few years passing, some children in the school find the box. The children follow the maps and pictures and find a secret tunnel that takes them through time and to the final destination of Seaside Park. The children not only find the park but they also find the original owner of the box who takes them to a room full of children from all different generations of time. The adventure starts all over again when two new kids find the box in the same place some years later.

My favorite part of reading this book was that I felt as if I was experiencing the changes and evolutions of the city while they were happening. The orphanage or school is one of two pieces of architecture that stay the same while the rest of the rural farmland quickly evolves into a lively modern city. The message that I got from the book was that children still need adventure, and adventure that takes them out and about in the world around them. Today times are changing and children are less and less likely to find entertainment from playing outside; but even as technology takes over I think the message Lehman’s message is very strong that all children should keep their imaginations flowing by playing outside in the world that surrounds them.

I would recommend this book for children between the ages of 4-10. I think older children would really enjoy this book because they might be able to figure out the story line on their own. However, I still think younger children would find this book mesmerizing because of the pictures that take the reader into the children’s adventure through time in the city around them.

Happy Reading!

Paige Cahill

Marvelous Picture Books - Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

Mo Willems is a distinguished writer and illustrator whose career began as an animator and illustrator for Sesame Street. Since then, he has acquired 3 Caldecott Honors, 2 Geisel Medals, 2 Carnegie Medals, 6 Emmys, a Geisel Honor and several Bubble Gum Cards. His 2005 Caldecott Honor book, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale addresses the attachment a toddler has to her beloved stuffed animal and the responsibility parents are obliged to uphold in making sure that this attachment is not prematurely severed.

Young Trixie goes on an errand with her Dad to the Laundromat. She takes along her precious Knuffle Bunny but manages not to return with it on her way back home. While Trixie cannot coherently convey that Knuffle Bunny is missing because she is too young, she adamantly makes it clear that something is wrong through her actions; screaming, crying – just generally being difficult. When Trixie and her father return home and Trixie’s mother opens the door, Trixie’s mom instantaneously asks, “Where’s Knuffle Bunny?” The family rushes back to the Laundromat to find Knuffle Bunny still intact from being in the washer.

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale is a charming story that is an adaptation of traditional stories about friendship. Trixie has developed what some parents may consider an unhealthy obsession with a stuffed animal but at such a young age, we understand that that will eventually pass. Most children can probably identify with Trixie’s attachment although it may have taken a different form (such as a blanket). So, this book exudes a certain element of identification or nostalgia. The illustrations in Knuffle Bunny juxtapose grayscale/sepia images of a neighborhood in Brooklyn (Brooklyn stand up! – I’m a native) with vibrant, rich and outstanding artistic images of the elements that move the book along (like Trixie and her Dad walking down the street). Children will find it easy to concentrate on the plot of the story because the imagery literally jumps right up at you because of the color contrast. The illustrations make for comprehensible and believable emotions as well as an appropriate setting to use as a canvas.

Children will fall in love with this story and parents will sympathize with Trixie’s parents. Willems has a distinct and catching style that will surely leave you yearning for more. Lucky for us, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale is a three part series to satisfy the itch of wanting to know what will become of Trixie and her beloved bunny.

Happy reading!

-Alexandria

http://www.mowillems.com/

Children Make Terrible Pets

When we were younger, who didn't go off outside to play and come back with a new pet animal? A turtle, butterfly, ladybug, anything cute made for a great pet. And we were always so sad when our parents told us we had to put them back in the the wild!

Peter Brown's "Children Make Terrible Pets" is a hilarious reversal of those parties involved. One day a young bear named Lucy is practicing her twirling in the woods when she is startled by a sound. Well isn't she surprised when she finds it to be a young boy, who she immediately knows she needs as a pet.

But when she brings her pet, who she names Squeakers, home to show her mother, she is less than thrilled with the idea. "Children make terrible pets," she tells Lucy, but Lucy will not have that and convinces her mother to let her keep her pet. What comes next is a series of adventures starring Lucy and Squeakers that show the fun and the perils of taking care of an animal.

A classic scenario most all children have found themselves in provides excitement for young readers who can relate to Lucy and her new found love of her pet. Much like as humans, we cannot understand what our animals say when they talk, Lucy cannot understand the child, only hears him squeaking, hence the name Squeakers.

Along with an entertaining twist of a classic story line, Brown's illustrations are captivating: pencil and construction paper (with a bit of digital editing) on tan backgrounds and all framed in wood. Dialogue is captured in colorful speech bubbles, all hand lettered by Brown.

This book is a simple and fun read for elementary aged students and can teach them in a way the responsibilities that go into caring for another living being.

Happy reading!

-Cara

The Newest of the New: Eight Days- A Story of Haiti

Written by Edwidge Danticat, "Eight Days- A Story of Haiti" is told through the eyes of Junior. Junior is a seven year-old boy who was trapped underneath his home as a result of the Port-au-Prince earthquake in Haiti. The book begins with Junior talking about when he was removed from under his house after eight days and all of the questions that he was asked, such as if he cried and if he was afraid. When discussing his feelings while being trapped, he says, "but in my mind, i played." The book then continues with Junior retelling the games he played and the friends whom he met day by day while trapped underneath his home. It is evident throughout the story that Junior's sense of imagination is what really allows him to get through those long eight days.

Alix Delinois' illustrations in the book instill a feeling of hope and courage among the readers. His use of vibrant colors go along with Junior's imagination and portray the idea that the terrible disaster will eventually end. The situation is not illustrated as a depressing one, but instead as one that made Junior and his family closer, and one that allowed Junior to overcome his feelings of nervousness by his imagination and hope.

I think that both young children and older children would enjoy this book. Younger children would enjoy the colors of the illustrations. They would be able to relate to the illustrations of Junior and his family and friends. I also found that while I was reading the book that I forgot that Junior was recounting his time underneath his home. It is written in such a way that one could get the feeling that the book is one about Junior and the fun that he has with his family and friends. I think young kids would really enjoy this and be able to relate to it, especially the activity on the seventh day in which Junior and Justine had a bicycle race. This is a typical activity that children take part in. Older children would enjoy this book for its messages. I personally enjoyed it because I developed such an admiration for Junior and the strength and hope that he maintained throughout such a difficult period. I think that adolescents will develop sympathy for Junior and this would lead to a good class discussion on not only the situation in Haiti, but also on similar situations. I think it would help children who went through Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters to read this book because it will inspire them that there is hope and things will get better if they maintain a sense of hope and make the best of the situation.

Happy reading!

Michelle

Wonderful Books of the Past: Cats Cats Cats Cats Cats

The title says it all--this book is all about cats. After beginning with a clever and cute dedication to all types of cats as well as to "every boy, girl, or grownup who doesn't absolutely hate cats," author Beatrice Schenk de Regniers provides readers with a collection of poems and funny information about her favorite feline friends. First published in 1958 by Pantheon, illustrator Bill Sokol enhances de Regniers' imagery with entertaining three-tone drawings of cats that are reminiscent of a magazine ad from the mid-twentieth century (compare the perfume ad below that is from 1960 to one of the drawings in the picture book).




















"Cats Cats Cats Cats Cats" is an entertaining read for children of a variety of ages. I would recommend it for younger children who will be very entertained by the drawings, but it could be appealing for older children who like the rhyming and information about cats. As I read it, I appreciated it for the various types of poetry de Regniers used as well as the clever placement of text and pictures. My favorite part was the poem about how cats love books:

"Whenever you're sitting and reading a book, Pussy comes over and takes a look. Then if he likes it, he'll quietly creep on it And snuggle down and go to sleep on it."

This reminded me of the cat that I had growing up--every time I sat down to do homework, she would come into the room and curl up on my textbook! It was adorable, but made being productive very difficult. I know if my dad had read this book, the most memorable part for him would have been the picture of the cat distroying a chair by scratching it (he was not the biggest fan of our cat...).

I also love how de Regniers included a poem by a cat, which consisted of various spellings of the word "purr" placed artfully all over one of the pages. It is clever poems like this one in combination with the entertaining drawings and relatable situations that make "Cats Cats Cats Cats Cats" a truly wonderful book from the past!

Purrrrrr (That's cat for "Happy Reading!")

~Jenny

(P.S. If you like this book, or if you are not a fan of cats, I recommend the book "Dogs" by Emily Gravett. It has a similar concept and also has very entertaining and adorable illustrations of a large variety of dogs! Plus--there's a surprise ending that's sure to please readers!)

Resources:

http://www.vintagechildrensbooksmykidloves.com/2010/06/cats-cats-cats-cats-cats.html