PDR Website/Portfolio

Paschkis, J. (2015). Flutter & Hum: Animal Poems / Aleteo y Zumbido: Poemas de Animales. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

 

Awards:

2016 ALA Notable Books for Children, Young Readers

2016 Capitol Choices

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Summary:

This book of poems is all about animals. Not only is this poetry written in English but every poem is also written in Spanish. On every page the author describes what each animal does along with some things to think about when thinking about an animal’s mannerisms. Not only is there a Spanish translation on each page but every object whether it is leaves, an umbrella, flowers also has English as well as Spanish words that add to the character of the animal on the page. Flutter and Hum is full of descriptive words. 

My thoughts and noticing’s:

The first thing that I noticed about this book is the title and how the author did not just use English in his title but also Spanish. This made me really interested in the book and how the author would use Spanish in the rest of the book. I think that this book could be used as a read aloud book in the classroom. I could have students read and Hispanic students can have the option of reading the story in English or in Spanish. I think that this would allow for other students not just to learn more about their fellow classmates but also does not pressure the English Language Learners in my class to read in English if they do not want to. I also liked that the author is describing different animals using poetry. The way that the author uses one letter to describe the specific animal makes for a fun read and also can lead to discussions on descriptive words. I think that I would have my students write a poem (after having a lesson on poetry) about their favorite animals using the style that the author used in the book. For the ELL students I would let them choose whether they wanted to write their poems in English or Spanish. 

 

Peña, M. D., & Robinson, C. (2017). Last Stop on Market Street. London: Puffin.

 

Awards: 

2016 John Newbery Medal

2016 Caldecott Honor Book

 

Summary:

Last Stop on Market Street is about a little boy, CJ, and his nana. The story follows CJ and Nana as they leave church. CJ sees the world around him differently than Nana. Every time CJ asks “why?” his Nana has an answer that makes CJ see the world in a different light. CJ asks why they have to go on the bus and why a blind man cannot see. When a man with a guitar starts to play and sing, CJ closes his eyes and he felt things that he would not have felt when he was looking around and wanting things that he did not have. At the end of CJ and Nana’s journey, CJ sees familiar faces at the soup kitchen and he’s happy that they were there. This story is about a journey that a child takes and finding the beauty in what they have. 

My thoughts and noticing’s:

I loved the meaning behind this book. As I was reading I could think of students and even myself and how we sometimes miss the important stuff because we are wondering “why?” Although “why” is not a word that we should not use, sometimes we get so caught up in “why are we doing this?” or “why do I not get to do this or have that?” we miss the importance behind the word. I also just like how this book shows how wise experience is. The grandmother in the story is very wise and the reader can see that she has a lot of experience. For every question CJ asks her, she has an answer that should make CJ think. Last Stop on Market Street also makes the reader use his/her imagination. When CJ asks why they were waiting for the bus in the rain the grandmother answers him by saying, “…Don’t you see that big one drinking through a straw?” This can lead to discussion on what students think the grandmother means by a “straw.”

 

Pinkney, A. D., Fancher, L., & Johnson, S. (2016). A Poem for Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and The Creation of The Snowy Day. New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

 

Awards:

2016 Publishers WeeklyBest Book

2016 Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year 

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Summary:

A Poem for Peter is a book written by Pinkney about Ezra Jack Keats life. The book tells of not just Keats life but also tells of Keats book, The Snowy Day, and how that book came to be. This book is written in poetry form and has beautiful illustrations that capture what Keats life was all about. This book tells of Keats mother and father coming to America from Poland to escape the harsh treatment that they were enduring. This book tells of the hardships that the Katz (Keats) family went through in order to survive in the poorest part of Brooklyn. A Poem for Peter tells of how Keats wanted to paint and would paint on any surface that he could with paints that his father brought home with him. Keats never went to college for painting because his father passed away but his love of painting endured. Keats joined the Army when World War II came and came back to find that no one would hire a Jew therefore, Jacob Ezra Katz became Ezra Jack Keats who after some time got a job as an illustrator. Finally, Keats gets asked to illustrate and write his own book, A Snowy Day, which features an African American boy which was unheard of at that time. The author tells of the making of Peter and how important he was. 

My thoughts and noticing’s:

The first thing I notice about A Poem for Peter is the cover page. The picture of the little boy was a familiar illustration and I was instantly drawn in. I read The Snowy Daywhen I was younger and I remember really enjoying it. I however, never knew the significance of the “Brown-Sugar Boy”until reading A Poem for Peter. The story of Ezra Keats is an important one especially in relation to why he found it necessary to illustrate the little boy in The Snowy Day the way that he did. The poetry used in A Poem for Peter is not difficult to read but is packed with powerful wording and meaning. Discrimination is used in this book and I did not know that Ezra Keats was discriminated against for being Jewish even though he lived in the United States. I think that The Snowy Day is that much more powerful after reading A Poem for Peter because Keats lived in a time where discrimination was prevalent and he was writing about another culture that was also discriminated against. In a world where discrimination is still used, I think these two books are a good resource to use in the classroom. 

 

Pinkney, J. (2015).The Grasshopper & The Ants. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

 

Awards:

2015 Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Book

Bank Street College Distinguished Children's Book

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Summary:

The Grasshopper and the Ants is part picture book and tells of a grasshopper that wants to play and wants the ants to play with him. However, the ants are working to get ready for winter so they cannot play with the grasshopper. Every season goes by and Grasshopper is forced to play by himself because the ants are busy. Winter comes along and Grasshopper goes looking for the ants. He finds them in their home hunkered down for the winter altogether while he is outside alone. At the end of the story, the Queen Ant invited Grasshopper in and he performs for the ants. 

My thoughts and noticing’s:

At first I thought that The Grasshopper and the Ants illustrations were quite busy and hard to depict. However, when reading the story, I think that the illustrations really do depict the fable in which the author is talking about. With books like The Tortoise and the Hare and The Lion and the Mouse, the illustrator really uses the landscape and other animals to tell the story as well and that is what he is doing in The Grasshopper and the Ants. I like fables because they can be used to teach a lesson. In The Grasshopper and the Ants, the lesson is hard work and what happens when the work is finished. I think this is a great lesson to share with children especially those children that ask why they have to do work in school.

 

  

Ruurs, M., & Badr, N. A. (2016). Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family's Journey(F. Raheem, Trans.). Orca Book.

 

Awards: 

Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2016

Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize

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Summary:

In the foreword of Stepping Stones, the author tells of her experience in seeing artwork made of stones that really touched her deeply. The artwork was made from a Syrian artist, Nizar Ali Badr, and his art inspired her book. He made the artwork for Stepping Stones. This story is told through the eyes of a little girl and she is looking back at what their life was like before the war. The story tells of the family’s journey to leave their homeland towards freedom, of the endless walking and terrifying boat ride until they come to a land that was not in the middle of a war. 

My thoughts and noticing’s:

When reading the preface of this book the reader learns that the author was inspired by an artist’s work to write this story. The stone artwork is such a unique addition to the story being told and is brings such simplicity to the story. I think that the use of stones to tell the story visually is such a powerful representation. The stones do tell the story and without the words, the reader can feel the struggle that the family is going through. I think that so many times we read about African American or Native American struggle (although not enough) in the classroom and we forget to mention the other cultures that have struggled to escape war. In a world where there is so much diversity in classrooms, we need to be reading about other cultures. Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey is such a great multicultural book that can be a powerful resource to use in the classroom. 

 

Schiffer, M. B., & Clifton-Brown, H. (2015). Stella Brings the Family. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.

 

Awards:

2016 Rainbow Book List

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Summary:

This story is about a little girl, Stella, who has two fathers. Stella’s classroom is having a Mother’s Day party where all the students can bring a special guest. Stella is confused and worried because she does not have a Mother to bring to the party. Stella worries who she is going to bring to the party all week until one of her friends asks her questions that get her wondering who she should bring. On the day of the party Stella brings her whole family and Stella realizes that she was not the only one who did not bring a mom but other classmates brought their own special guests. 

My thoughts and noticing’s

I liked Stella Brings the Family. As I was reading this book, Stella goes through many emotions. Stella is confused, determined, and content just through the course of this book. This book has a powerful story but also a powerful meaning. In today’s society there are many children that are growing up with two fathers or two mothers and some may become confused when events such as Father’s Day and Mother’s Day come because of their circumstances. Stella Brings the Family shows the reader and even those children who are going through the same circumstances as Stella, that life is not black and white. Stella Brings the Family is a story that also allows for the teacher to talk about stereotypes and how every family is not always traditional. Not only is this story for those children that have two mothers or two fathers but this is also for those children that are being raised by their grandmothers or aunts and uncles. 

 

Smith, L. (2017). Grandpa Green. London: Two Hoots.

 

Awards:

American Library Association Notable Children’s Book

Caldecott Honor Book

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Summary: 

Grandpa Green is told from the great grandson’s voice. He is telling of his great-grandpa’s life. He tells of his early years, playing in the garden and reading wonderful stories. The great grandson tells of his great-grandfather’s older years of fighting in the war and marrying his great-grandmother. The great-grandson finally tells of his grandfather’s forgetfulness and how even though he forgets, his grandfather’s garden “remembers” the important things. 

My thoughts and noticing’s:

Grandpa Green is a wonderfully, imaginative book. I love that Lane Smith used really understated colors in her drawings but also utilized the color green. Grandpa Green really is a testament of the grandfather in the story and the color scheme is no exception. I liked that the story is told from the great-grandson’s point of view because I think this book would be really good to share with a group of younger students. Grandpa Green is a book that many students can relate to, if not through their great-grandfather than through their grandfathers or great-uncles. I think that this book could be used to conduct some sort of heritage research paper. I could have my students interview an older person in their family whether that is a grandfather or just a guardian. I would then have them write a short story about what they found when they were interviewing their family member. They could even illustrate their book using a color that they think would represent the family member. 

 

Stanley, D., & Hartland, J. (2016). Ada Lovelace, Poet of Science: The First Computer Programmer. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

 

Awards:

American Library Association Notable Book

NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children

 

Summary:

This is a story about a young girl who dreamed of doing more with her life. She was born to Lord Byron and Lady Byron who were complete opposites. Her father was a poet and a dreamer while her mother was conservative but who loved science and math. Through her status, Ada met an inventor, Charles Babbage, who invented the machine that could calculate arithmetic. Next, Babbage invented the first computer but before he actually started building he needed Ada to explain what he was making so that he could be funded and people would actually buy his product once it was made. Ada took her passion and turned it into helping to invent the first computer. 

My thoughts and noticing’s:

The first thing that I notice about Ada Lovelace, Poet of Science: The First Computer Programmer is the cover page and that the woman is writing on some sort of board. I think that this could lead into really good conversations about how woman were not always respected. This could also lead into discussions about other important women that broke the norm and did something spectacular. I think that still today there is somewhat of a stigma of women in the workforce and this could lead into discussion about why that is and if there would always be that stigma. This could become a lesson about what my students want to do when they grow up and what they would do in order to insure their dreams became reality. I liked how the illustrator, Jessie Hartland, drew the process in which Ada thought about her wings in the beginning of the story. Since this story is about inventing, I think that it is really important to show the process in which something is invented. 

 

Sweet, M., Newborn, R., Paquette, C., & McDonough, J. (2011). Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macys Parade. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

 

Awards:

The Robert F. Sibert Medal

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Summary:

Balloons Over Broadway is a story of how one puppeteer, Tony Sarg, loved to make things move. Sarg became a puppeteer and moved to London where he found that no one was making puppets that moved and none were for kids. He moved to New York City where his marionettes performed on Broadway and caught the attention of R.H. Macy who asked him to make store displays. The store displays quickly evolved into something bigger because most of Macy’s workers were immigrants and missed their country, Macy decided to have a parade and have Sarg make the puppets for the parade. The small puppets that Sarg made for the original parade evolved into bigger and bigger until we have the balloons that now adorn the Macy’s Day Parade on Thanksgiving Day. 

My thoughts and noticing’s:

Balloons Over Broadway is such a fun biography of Tony Sarg. All of the colors and illustrations really draw the reader’s eye and make for a really enjoying read. I like how the illustrator uses different textures and mediums in the book. I think that not sticking to one texture or medium makes books more interesting to read. Even though most of my students most likely have not lived in New York City or even been there before, almost every family in the United States watches the Macy’s Day Parade on the television every Thanksgiving. This would be a great read aloud to use during the month of November and as a class we could discuss why the Macy’s Day Parade was formed and the many other people that make the parade happen. This is a fun book to read but also a fun book to look at the illustrations. 

 

Tingle, T. (2008). Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and Freedom. Cinco Puntos Press.

 

Awards: 

Jane Addams Peace Award Honor Book

2008 American Indian Library Association Award for Best Picture Book

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Summary: 

This book is a tale of freedom that has been passed down through many generations. This tale tells of a little girl, Martha Tom, who did not listen to the danger of crossing Bok Chitto. Martha Tom crossed Bok Chitto looking for blackberries and came upon a church gathering of African Americans. She meets a little boy named Little Mo and they form a friendship that lasts. When Little Mo’s mother is sold to another plantation and will be leaving her family, Little Mo helps his family to escape across Bok Chitto to freedom. 

My thoughts and noticing’s:

The first thing that I notice is the cover page and I wanted to know the meaning behind such an intriguing picture. I like how the author, Tim Tingle, makes the reader wait until the end of the book to find the meaning behind the cover page because it makes the reader want to know more. I learned about the interactions between the Native American people and the African American people as I was reading this book. I think that this book is such a great story of friendship and equality between people groups. As I was reading this story I had fear for Martha Tom and later in the story for Little Mo and his family. As I was reading I also felt the power of friendship and how Martha Tom had a child’s curiosity but never fear or hatred towards the African Americans and Little Mo did not have these emotions towards Martha Tom. This would be a good multicultural book to share in a classroom of diversity to show not only the history of both of these people groups but also the friendship.  

 

Tonatiuh, D. (2016). The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers.

 

Awards: 

2017 Pura Belpre Award Honor, Illustrations

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Summary:

The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes is a legend that has been passed down orally from generation to generation. The legend is about a young princess who fell in love with a warrior. The emperor would not allow his daughter to marry the warrior until he had defeated the enemy. While the warrior was fighting, the enemy gave the princess a potion, which caused her to fall asleep and was not able to be woken. The warrior came home to find his bride asleep and took her up a mountain where he stayed waiting for her to waken. The two volcanoes, Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepetl are thought to be the princess and her warrior. 

My thoughts and noticing’s:

This book made me think of the many different stories that I have read about princesses and could lead to discussion about the different princess stories my students have read and their predictions on what could happen in this book. The title, The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes, made me think of how the volcanoes could be connected to the princess and the warrior in the story. This could lead to great predictions on what my students think the volcanoes mean. I know from my background knowledge of tales that this story could be a tale made up about how the volcanoes were made. This book could also be used to discuss why tales are made and the importance storytelling in different cultures. Finally, I like the Aztec colors and clothing that was used in the book, because the illustrations really add to the story being told.  

 

Watts, J. H., & Yum, H. (2016). A Piece of Home. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

 

Awards:

Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award Winner

ALA Notable Children’s Books

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Summary:

This book is told from the perspective of the boy, Hee Jun. At the beginning of the book Hee Jun and his family live in Korea and when his father tells them they are moving to West Virginia. Hee Jun does not know any English at the beginning of the story and neither does his little sister or his grandmother (who was a teacher in Korea). The adjustment is hard for Hee Jun, his sister and his grandmother. Slowly, Hee Jun begins to learn some English words and begins to make friends. His grandmother, who starts to go to school with the little sister, begins to learn English and becomes friends with Se Ra’s teacher. The story ends with Hee Jun going to a friend’s house and finding a flower that is also grown in Korea which he then takes home and is planted in their garden. 

My thoughts and noticing’s:

I think that this book, A Piece of Home, is such a great story about change and tribulations which turn into connecting in unexpected ways. Although I have never moved from a foreign place to somewhere that I did not know the language or the culture, there are children in the classroom that may have went through this. This is such a great book to read to students about the hardships that some children have when they move to an unfamiliar place. This would be a really good multicultural book to read in the classroom. This could also lead to discussions about change and finding connections in many different ways. 

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Weatherford, C. B., & Holmes, E. (2015). Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

 

Awards: 

2016 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal

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Summary: 

The Book, Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer by Carole Boston Weatherford is about the life of Fannie Lou Hamer. The book is told using a type of poetry style to explain the struggles and triumphs that Fannie Lou Hamer went through in her life. Hamer was born to sharecroppers in Mississippi. Hamer went to school up until she was thirteen years old and loved spelling and poetry. Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer tells of Hamer’s fight for equality no matter the cost. Hamer volunteered to apply for a voter’s registration, in doing so; she was then fired from her job and kicked off the plantation in which she worked, leaving behind her family. While going home from attending citizenship school, Hamer was arrested and thrown in jail where other prisoners beat her repeatedly. Still, Hamer fought for equality. Hamer ran for Congress where she was repeatedly road blocked. Finally, when Hamer was at the end of her life she could sit at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and although Hamer never won a spot in Congress or a state senate position, she was able to see equality. 

My thoughts and noticing’s:

One of the things that I noticed about this book was the tone. Carole Boston Weatherford did a really good job really capturing the emotions that Fannie Lou Hamer must have been going through during each of the events in her life that was written about in the book. Weatherford also made sure to really highlight the speech that Fannie Lou Hamer had in the Delta. Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer is written in free voice poetry, which I think, really allows for the audience to feel like they are getting to know Fannie Lou Hamer as they are reading. Lastly, what I noticed was the paintings in the book. All of the shapes in the collages make me think of a song because there is such movement. The colors of the pictures also change with the mood and they really help to bring the backgrounds to life. 

 

Winter, J., & Evans, S. W. (2015). Lillian's Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Schwartz & Wade.

 

Awards:

ALA Notable Books for Children 2016

2016 CCBC Choices – Picture Books for School-Age Children

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Summary:

In Lillian’s Right to Vote the story follows an older woman who was around for the most prevalent times in African American civil rights history. The older woman is remembering everything all of her ancestors went through and what she went through to get to the point that America is at now. The book tells of an uphill journey that is a metaphor more than a physical action but one that describes the main character’s journey perfectly. This book is meant as a celebration to those that went through the hard times of not being allowed the freedom to walk into a voter’s booth and be a part of their right as an American citizen. 

My thoughts and noticing’s:

Lillian’s Right to Vote is a beautifully written and illustrated book. The first sentence, “A very old woman stands at the bottom of a very steep hill.” draws the reader in. I wanted to know why this woman was standing at the bottom of this hill and as I read forward on the first page, I realized why. I think that the author used the metaphor of a very steep hill and Lillian climbing this hill to her final destination is emotional. I thought that the authors use of metaphor in telling what Lillian “sees” when she is climbing the hill is powerful because the author is telling the history of Lillian as well as her family members. This book describes the struggle of African Americans to have the right to vote and how difficult of a climb it was for them. I think that this would be a good culture study and a good book talk to discuss the significance of African Americans being able to vote today because not that long ago they were not able to. 

 

Yolen, J., & Green, K. M. (2015). Stone Angel. New York, NY: Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

Awards:

2016 list of Notable Books for a Global Society

Massachusetts Center for the Book Must Read choice

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Summary:

Stone Angel is about a Jewish family who lived a happy life until the Nazi’s invaded and they were forced to leave their home in Paris. The family escapes to the forest where they are alone until others join them in hiding from the Nazi’s. When the forest becomes too dangerous the family takes off on a journey to England. The journey leads them up and down mountains and on a boat where they finally make it to England. Once the war ends, the family is able to go home and at the end of the book, the little girl tells of looking up at their new home and seeing a beautiful stone angel hanging on her apartment building. The daughter tells the story and even though there is sadness in this book, there is also a sense of hope from the little girl. 

My thoughts and noticing’s:

This is a story about freedom and a family’s journey to escape to freedom. I love reading about events in history and one of the events I like to learn more about is the Nazi invasion and the stories of the families that were displaced or that even died because of their beliefs. I found this story to be really sad but also full of hope. The little girl tells of her family’s journey as they fled Paris. As I was reading I learned about the family’s hiding in the woods, I did not know before reading Stone Angel that families did this in order to escape. I find that so many times when I read a book about the Holocaust and Nazi invasion, I only read about the horror and although that is real and should be learned, Stone Angel gives a perspective that younger children can read and can lead to deeper conversations. This book is also illustrated beautifully. I think the understated colors in the book add to the story behind told and does not distract from the story.