Fantastic Books from the Past - Madeline

For Wednesday's theme, books from our past, I chose to read Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. Madeline was one of my very favorites growing up! This enchanting book tells the story of Madeline, the smallest girl in a house in Paris of twelve little girls under the ever-watchful eye of Miss Clavel. Madeline loves nothing more than to frighten poor Miss Clavel, who's illustrated character always makes me laugh because of how she runs across the page:

Madeline is fearless, and is both missed terribly and greatly envied by the eleven other girls when she gets her appendix out. Madeline is beloved by all who read her stories, and her character is a huge reason these books are so wildly popular (so much so that they have been adapted into film and television series!).

I thought it extremely appropriate to choose this book in light of our class' recent discussion of poetry. Madeline is written in a very distinct way - there are few words on each page, and it follows a certain rhythm. It also rhymes: "In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines/ lived twelve little girls in two straight lines." Those are two elements that make it so incredibly appealing to children. The images on the pages tell the story better than words, and the words are enticing and easy to memorize. When this book was read out loud in another class I have, almost everyone could recite it along with the reader.

Good news! Madeline has a website: www.madeline.com. Books about her and her many adventures are still being written, by the original author's grandson.

Freight Train- By Donald Crews

Donald Crews’, Freight Train, completely embodies the ideal young children’s picture book. The book combines simplicity with wonder, boldness with soft edges, and tranquility with excitement. It was due to all of these characteristics and many others that this children’s book received the Caldecott Medal in 1979.

The book contains clear, bright illustrations and is centered solely on the travels of one single freight train. The text is short and sweet, containing only a few words on each page. The clear font and big sizing make the words easy to read, and the changing colors make them stand out against the background of the page. The story takes the reader along on the train’s journey, from country to city, day to night. It names different parts of the freight train, such as the “red caboose at the back,” “orange tank car next,” “yellow hopper car,” etc. Seeing as many children, especially young boys, love to play with toy trains, I know that this book would only fuel their interests and keep them engaged. The combination of limited text with fantastic pictures make this book a perfect first story for infants and preschoolers.

Donald Crews artwork is both simple and intricate all at the same time, just like his text. The colors are infectious and the range of textures used is very appealing. Some of the illustrations are clean and straight lined, while others show action and movement through blurred and smudged edges. I really think that this makes the reader feel as if they are moving along with the train and seeing what the train is seeing. I like that the different cars represent different colors, which allows the children to connect colors to the matching words.

As mentioned previously, I would highly recommend this book to any preschool teacher, new parent, or anyone else dealing with young children. I think that the book’s features are most appropriate for very young readers and will definitely spark an interest in books. The book is available in hardcover, paperback, and more recently, board book format. It would be a great addition to any young child’s book collection!

Enjoy!!

Abby Lester

"Around The World In 80 Legs"

The first thing that we noticed was that the title of th book is a cute play on words of Around the World in 80 Days. The cover tells us that the legs are referring to different types of animals. The back has an alphabetized table of contents of all of the animals discussed in the book along with a picture of the animal. The book describes these animals more in-depth, child-friendly way, but the table of contents is a fabulous and quick overview if a child were ever curious to take a peak.

When you first open the book, the publishing information and everything is on a map with some previews of the animals to come. The map is an interesting way to help teach children about geography, without it being boring. The book begins with animals from “the Andes to the Amazon,” then continues to the poles with “Far, Far North and Far, Far South: The Arctic and Antarctic.” The next stop is “From the Sahara to the Savanna: Africa,” before the adventures leads to Asia with “From Malaysia to the Himalayas: Asia.” It ends in “Down Under and Out Back: Where Other Than Australia?” As children read this book, their imaginations will go on a wild ride while learning valuable information about geography and animals.

The descriptions are poetic, charming, and clever. For example, our personal favorite was the description of the Warthog. In order to exemplify the busy lifestyle and sometimes shocking looks, Gibson writes: “Bless her heart, she tries her best, but never gets her beauty rest.”

The placement of the text often reflects the nature of the animal. For example, the line “Oh, the elegant elephant trunk” literally wraps and curves with the winding trunk in the illustration of the elephant. The text varies from page to page, which would help keep children engaged…it kept us engaged.

The illustrations are, well, magnificent. It appears that they are watercolor, and the delicate detail of each picture accurately depicts the texture of the animal in addition to the atmosphere the animal’s surroundings.

We would definitely teach this book in a class room. We had a lot of fun with it and couldn't put it down. you want to keep flipping through the pages and reading about the animals. Another nice aspect to this book is it does not have a story line to follow, so you could read about the animals without having to go through the whole book. Again, we would definitely suggest this as a teaching book in a classroom or even just for fun!

Hope yall get a chance to read and enjoy it like we did!

Happy Reading!

Haley K and Sarah B

Marvelous Picture Books! I'm Gonna Like Me

I’m Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem by Jamie Lee Curtis (author) and Laura Cornell (illustrator) was first published in 2002 by HarperCollins. It is one of ten books written by Curtis and Cornell. The duo’s books have themes like self-esteem, love, growing up, help, values, goals, moods, imagine, and family. 

I first fell in love with I’m Gonna Like Me this past summer when working as a special needs counselor to a child of short stature. This book was such a great resource and its quirky characters were intriguing to my camper. Laura Cornell illustrates loveable, unique characters and fills the book’s pages with bright, eye-catching colors that captivate the reader. The story’s silly characters pair perfectly with its silly text, and could be enjoyed by readers of any age. 

The book follows a boy and girl as they each explain when they are going to like themselves and why. Despite many of the sentences being split between the two characters, the lines still flow very well. This story just keeps lifting you up the more you read. Regardless of whether you have or are working with a child who is “different,” this book is great for young readers with its rhyming characteristic and use of complex, but familiar words throughout the book. I would highly recommend this book for the classroom, camp settings, or in the home! To learn more about Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell, visit Jamie's website: http://www.jamieleecurtisbooks.com/

Enjoy! Jennifer P.

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