Traditional Literature # 1

Author: Paul Zelinsky
Title: Rumpelstiltskin
Publisher: E. P. Dutton Date: 1986

Age level: Primary (K-2)

Summary:
A strange little man helps the Miller’s daughter spin straw into gold for the King in exchange for her firstborn child. After the Miller’s daughter is married to the King she doesn’t want to give up her child, and the strange man gives her three days to guess his name, otherwise she will have to give up the child.

Strengths:
There is a great use of contrast of white space and detailed pictures. It really emphasizes the story and keeps the reader intrigued. The storyline is so precise in all the pictures that it could easily be told with fewer words, which is great to see in a picture book. The storyline is intriguing, and it has a charm to it that most children would love. At the end of the book there is an additional section which talks about the origin of the story and how it has evolved. This is great to tie into teaching children about folklore.

Concerns:
Some of the concepts in the book may be a little out there for children to understand, and a little too fantastical. At the same time, it is traditional literature so it is supposed to be like that. I don’t see too many problems with the book, I really enjoyed it and think it would be great for a young class.

Classroom use/Other comments:
This is a great read aloud book, or just a book to read for fun. It can also be used to introduce folklore and this type of literature because of the extra information at the end of the book. It would also be a great book to teach children about picture walks, and predicting what will happen in a story by looking at the pictures first before reading.

Historical Fiction #4

Author: Patricia Reilly Giff
Title: Nory Ryan’s Song
Publisher: Delacorte Press Date: 2000

Age level: Elementary (3-4) Upper (5-6)

Summary:
This is a story based off of true accounts of the Irish potato famine. It follows the path of a little girls survival in this desperate time, and everything that happens to her family. It tells how the potatoes spoiled and then all that happened afterwards that led to millions of people starving in Ireland. Some of them were lucky enough to get away to America, but it took a long time.

Strengths:
This book does a great job of incorporating Irish terminology into the story. At the beginning of the book is has a glossary so that reader knows exactly what everything means. The story itself is so compelling that any reader would find it hard to put down. The main character is really loveable and has a great sense of survival about her. All of these components lead to a truly inspirational story.

Concerns:
The story itself seems to go really quickly, and at some points seems almost unbelievable. This is probably because it is hard to understand what the Irish went through during the famine, and what seems impossible to us really could have happened to them. My biggest concern with the book was that it gets a little confusing sometimes because new events are not always explained, but rather thrown in and explained later. This is fine for an experienced reader, but may be a little confusing for an emergent reader.

Classroom use/Other comments:
This would be a great book to use when studying heritage and/or history. It really portrays the terribleness of the Irish potato famine and all that the people went through. It is a great story to tell of the importance of food and family. It is a great story for easy reading, or to tell history.

Historical Fiction # 3

Author: Barry Denenberg
Title: So Far From Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl (Dear America Series)
Publisher: Scholastic Inc. Date: 1997

Age level: Elementary (3-4)

Summary:
Being part of the Dear America series, this book acts as a diary of a young girl. It follows her travels from Ireland to America and all the hardships she faces. It details the horrible conditions on the voyage across the Atlantic, and the still horrible conditions when they finally reach land. It talks of all the sadness she faces and all the tragedies that strike the people around her. She ends up fairly lucky and ends up receiving a job in a textile mill. She makes friends with one of the girls who works there and she learns a lot about the hardships in America. The diary is her outlet for dealing with everything she goes through.

Strengths:
This is a great book for children to see a kid’s point of view of immigration. It incorporates all the important things that happened, and also added details that make it easy for a child to understand. The language that the author writes in is representative of the Irish culture and is very well done. The diary format of the book allows for easy flow and the ability for someone to read just a few pages at a time.

Concerns:
Even though the language adds to the story, it may be a little confusing for young children to understand all the terminology. The storyline of the book is very good, but it ends rather abruptly and then finishes with an epilogue. I did not like the ending spot and even though the epilogue summed up the loose ends, it was still very strange.

Classroom use/Other comments:
This is a great book to use to teach children about immigration. At the end of the book there is also an appendix which gives background information about early America. This would be a great history lesson for the students, and a great way to tie in a writing assessment.

Picture Book # 4

Author: Emily Gravett
Title: Orange Pear Apple Bear
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Date: 2005

Age level: PreK Primary (K-2)

Summary:
This is a classic picture book which just plays on the meaning of the title- or four simple words. It repeats the words multiple times and illustrates their different use every time. There is no definite storyline.

Strengths:
The book does a good job of rotating the words and having matching illustrations of their new order and meaning. There are some great pictures and it is a great book for young readers to learn what apples, oranges, pears, and bears are.

Concerns:
The repetition limits the book into a certain category of really young readers, and does not challenge others. Some of the ideas that are put together of “pear bears” and other such things are a little silly and may not be the best choice for certain readers. The ending also seems a little sudden and strange for younger children. The book is okay but it is not one of my first picks.

Classroom use/Other comments:
It would be a great book to use when teaching reading and/or writing. It gives them plenty of practice with the same words. It is also a nice easy book to read for fun.

Picture Book # 3

Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Title: Goodnight Moon
Publisher: Harper Collins Date: 1947

Age level: PreK Primary (K-2)

Summary:
This is a classic picture book dedicated to saying goodnight to all the things in a little bunny’s room. It first introduces all the different things in the room, and then says goodnight to all of them. It is a simple bedtime story.

Strengths:
The book plays upon the emotions of a young child and all the things they think of before they go to sleep. It has great contrast with the bright pages of the room, and then the black and white pages of single pictures. The storyline is very easy for a child to relate to. It has a great series of rhyming words and good repetition to help the children recognize what is happening.

Concerns:
Even though the book seems to utilize a specific pattern, it sometimes strays and could be slightly confusing for children. Other than that, I do not find anything bad about the book.

Classroom use/Other comments:
This would be a great book to use before naptime in pre-k or kindergarten. It would also be a good book to use for fun for the students and to give them a chance to talk about what they do before they go to bed- or maybe incorporate it into their own writing assignment or project.

Picture Book # 2

Author: Eric Carle
Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Publisher: Philomel Books Date: 1969 & 1987

Age level: PreK Primary (K-2)

Summary:
This is a book about the life cycle of a caterpillar. It follows the caterpillar from birth until it grows into a butterfly. It details the things that the caterpillar eats and how it makes a cocoon. Then it hatches into a butterfly.

Strengths:
This is a great visual book, and a great tool for counting. It goes through what the caterpillar eats on each day of the week, and is the type of picture book where the pages lead onto the next and the children get really excited flipping them. It does a great job of showing the stages of a caterpillar’s life in a way that children can understand. The pictures are bright and fun and really go with the text.

Concerns:
I don’t really have any concerns with this book, I think it is a great book for children at any age. It is informative and fun, and accomplishes everything it is meant to do.

Classroom use/Other comments:
This book can be used in a variety of ways. It can be used in science, to learn about caterpillars and butterflies. It can also be used to help children learn to count, and the days of the week. It is also just a fun story that children can listen to at the beginning or end of the day when they need a break. It is one of my favorite books!

Historical Fiction #2

Author: Ellen Levine
Title: Henry’s Freedom Box
Publisher: Scholastic Press Date: 2007

Age level: Elementary (3-4)

Summary:
This is a story of a slave named Henry who went through a lot of hardships in his life. First, he was sold away from his mother and his first master. He was lucky to be married to a girl that he loved, and had children, but then they were sold away from him. He leads a very unhappy life until he decides to try and escape by being mailed in a box to the North. He has some help from friends yet goes through a long, hard journey in the box. In the end, he winds up being free in Pennsylvania.

Strengths:
This book shares a compelling story about a slave’s journey for freedom, and teaches kids a lot along the way. It has great illustrations to go with the story that really show the hardships that this man went through. The storyline is put in terms simple enough for young children to understand, yet still shows a deeper meaning. It would be a great book for children to read for fun, and learn something at the same time. It was very well done.

Concerns:
The time span of the book passes very quickly, and may be a little hard to understand. However, that is my point of view, but children may read it differently. Sometimes the story jumps around, but it usually works. The other issue I had was that sometimes I found myself almost missing some of the text because it is always in a different spot and sometimes blends in with the background colors on the page.

Classroom use/Other comments:
This would be a great book to use in a social studies class, especially when studying American history and the slave era. There are multiple creative projects a teacher could come up with to have the students do afterwards (create own escape ideas, research underground railroad, diary entries, etc). It is definitely a great book for the classroom that will teach kids history without them even realizing.

Picture Book #1

Author: Mo Willems
Title: Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children Date: 2006

Age level: PreK Primary (K-2)

Summary:
A pigeon is trying to convince the reader that they need to let him stay up late. He comes up with all sorts of activities and ideas to try and distract you and to let him stay awake. He is really sleepy though and ends up falling asleep at the end.

Strengths:
The illustrations of the pigeon go perfectly with the things he says. His expressions are fantastic and really keep the book entertaining. There are a lot of creative ideas in this book and it would be really appealing to young readers who can relate to wanting to stay up late as well. The variation on page spreads and speech bubbles is great. Overall the book is really entertaining and engaging- any young child would love it!

Concerns:
I don’t really have any concerns about this book, I really enjoyed it.

Classroom use/Other comments:
This is a great book to read to children for fun, and to just keep them entertained in the classroom. It would be awesome read the series of the Pigeon books and let the kids become accustomed to them.

Historical Fiction #1

Author: Patricia Polacco
Title: Pink and Say
Publisher: Philomel Books Date: 1994

Age level: Elementary (3-4)

Summary:

A white Union soldier named Say is injured in the Civil War, and a black Union soldier, Pink, finds him and carries him home to care for him. They are both boys the age of 15, and Pink’s mother cares for them while they are staying. Pink and Say talk about slavery and decide they have to go back to the war, to keep Pink’s mom out of danger. The day they are to leave, Pink’s mom tells them to be brave, but then Marauders come and shoot Pink’s mom. They bury her and vow to be brave as they set out, but they are captured by Confederate soldiers. They are brought to a prison camp and separated. Eventually Say is released, but Pink was killed in the camp.

Strengths:

This story has been passed down from generation to generation from Say himself. It is a great story of friendship, and tells a lot about the horrible ways of war. At the same time, it shows how things change and how the civil war was necessary with all the hatred present in the United States. It is a great educational book, and it tells how children were involved in the war too. It would help kids be able to relate, and to learn about the different time people lived in then. The illustrations greatly enhance the story, and there is a lot of great vocabulary. There is also a great usage of different dialects.

Concerns:

This story is based on a real life account, which talks about two deaths. For younger grades it could be pretty upsetting. Also, the dialect could be a little confusing (but it adds so much to the story!) so the teacher should make sure to go over that beforehand. Otherwise this is a great book, full of life and history.

Classroom use/Other comments:

This is definitely something to be used in conjunction with a history class- specifically a civil war unit. The teacher has a lot of options and ways to use this book in the classroom.