Poetry Book # 1

Author: Eloise Greenfield & Jan Spivey Gilchrist
Title: Night on Neighborhood Street
Publisher: Dial Books Date: 1991

Age level: PreK Primary (K-2)

Summary:
This is a book of poems that revolve around Neighborhood Street. They include poems about many of the African American children and parents that live on the street, and about the street itself.

Strengths:
The poems in this book are great for young children to relate to. Many of the situations in the book are scenarios that children could have found themselves in, or will find themselves in, in the future. The pictures are colorful and warm, inviting the reader to stay on the page for a while after they have already finished reading the poem. Everything is light and easy, a great read – and a quick one too!

Concerns:
My only concern about this book is that there should be more poems. It is a picture book however, so it makes sense to have so few. The book is designed so well that there would easily be more added and it would still be read!

Classroom use/Other comments:
This book is great for teaching about simple poems, and showing them to the class. It is a great book for read aloud or individual reading because the pictures are so wonderful. It can teach the students a lot.

Traditional Literature # 5

Author: Charles Perrault (Translated by John Bierhorst)
Title: The Glass Slipper
Publisher: Four Winds Press Date: 1981

Age level: Primary (K-2) Elementary (3-4)

Summary:
This is a collection of French Fairy Tales that have been told throughout the ages. It includes such classics as “Cinderella”, “Little Red Riding Hood”, and “The Sleeping Beauty”.

Strengths:
The stories in this book are wonderfully imaginative and excellently described. The details in these fairy tales really make the stories. They are simply entertaining and can catch any child’s interest. Some are familiar, while some are not so familiar, which is a great way to intertwine them and get children to read. The language is simple and easy to understand.

Concerns:
Some of the stories have slightly different endings than what children hear now, or see in the movies, so they may be confused. Some even have more disturbing endings. For instance, at the end of Little Red Ridinghood, Red is eaten by the wolf! There is nothing too graphic about it, but it may upset some children. The other concern I have with this book are the illustrations. They do not do the stories any justice and are very plain compared to the elegance of the stories.

Classroom use/Other comments:
These are excellent fairy tales to share with the class whenever there is free time. They are also good stories to have the children write alternate endings to. Perhaps another use could be comparing and contrasting some of these stories to the movies they have seen of them.

Traditional Literature # 4

Author: Julius Lester
Title: The Tales of Uncle Remus
Publisher: Dial Books Date: 1987

Age level: Elementary (3-4)

Summary:
This is a collection of African American folk tales presented in one succinct story. It follows the life and tales of Brer Rabbit and all of his friends- mainly his encounters with Brer Fox. It is a series of short tales interwoven into one entertaining story.

Strengths:
This book does a great job of catching children’s attention with a series of exciting and funny adventures. There are so many great tricks and endings to these stories that it is sure to keep their interest. The chapters (which are individual stories) are kept relatively short and are easy to read. Even if you have not read them all straight through, they would still be simple to understand and entertaining. There are some great lessons to be learned in these folk tales and some are really things children can relate to. Another great thing about this book is the personification of animals and how they come alive in a way most stories cannot accomplish.

Concerns:
Some of the language in this book relates to the old slave language of the 1800’s and may be slightly confusing for children. At most it is only a few words here and there, usually names, which may confuse them. As long as the teacher clarifies it, there should not be a problem. Also, there are many 10-20 pictures interspersed throughout the book, which I do not really like. It should have them more often if they are going to include them.

Classroom use/Other comments:
These are great little stories to read aloud to the class when there is lag time between classes and specials. They are also great stories to have the students illustrate! An idea that may be good for older students is to have them create their own story about Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox.

Traditional Literature # 3

Author: (Translator) Erik Haugaard
Title: Hans Andersen: His Class Fairy Tales
Publisher: Doubleday and Company Inc Date: 1974

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

Summary:
This is a collection of 18 of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tales. Some of the more famous ones include “The Little Mermaid”, “The Ugly Duckling”, and “The Princess and the Pea”.

Strengths:
This is a book filled with some classic fairy tales which children love to read. It allows them to access them all at once, and enjoy reading. The stories are great to get imagination flowing, yet also teach children morals and the difference between good and evil. Most of the stories have great themes which make it all the better for the students to read. The illustrations that are interspersed throughout the text are great, and really depict some crazy scenes in the stories.

Concerns:
I wish that there were a few more pictures in this book, but I guess that is hard to do with a collection of stories. It gets the point across with very little pictures, which is something that usually captures students’ attention. These stories are great, however, and there is little to complain about. One small detail may be the old language that is used sometimes and may be unfamiliar to young children.

Classroom use/Other comments:
This is a great read aloud book for a class- whether for fun or for teaching purposes. The stories usually have some underlying theme which teaches children about morals, and would be a great way to get them thinking about situations where they need to use their better judgment. Also, it may be a good idea to have students write their own versions of some of the fairy tales, after reading a sampling to the class.

Traditional Literature # 2

Author: Niki Daly
Title: Pretty Salma
Publisher: Clarion Books Date: 2006

Age level: Primary (K-2)

Summary:
This is the story of Little Red Riding Hood told from an African point of view. The characters and details have been changed, but the theme remains the same. The story is about Salma going to the market for her grandma, but meeting a dog along the way to tricks her. The dog tries to trick Grandma as well, but Salma has a plan.

Strengths:
The pictures in this book are absolutely fantastic. The use of the white space and the contrast between using the whole page, or splitting it into four parts is perfectly put together. The language is simple, yet it incorporates some African words that a student would be able to decipher. The storyline is similar to Little Red Riding Hood and a child would definitely be able to see the connections. The text is always placed at a different spot on the page, and seems to go along with the action of the book- which is really effective. Also, there are a lot of lead-ins (…) to get the reader onto the next page. It is really engaging!

Concerns:
My only real concern with this book is that some of the children may be disturbed that a dog can be bad. Or they may be upset at the emaciated pictures of the dog. As long as they realize it is only a story, then it is fine. The book is really well put together and I do not really have any other concerns.

Classroom use/Other comments:
This is a great book to use in the traditional literature unit, to show the contrast between different cultures. It is both a great read aloud, and an individual reader. This would be a great book to have the students write responses to, or to have them create their own “Little Red Riding Hood” stories, after they hear Salma’s story.

Picture Book # 5

Author: Margaret Musgrove
Title: Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
Publisher: The Dial Press Date: 1976

Age level: Primary (K-2)

Summary:
This is an alphabet book which also details different African tribes and their traditions.

Strengths:
The pictures in this book really depict what each letter is saying. It is a great idea to teach children about African traditions by using the alphabet and telling them a little bit each tribe’s culture. There is a map in the back of the book which shows where every tribe mention actually resides in Africa, which is really helpful. Most of the descriptions encompass what the children’s role in the village is, which makes it easier to relate to.


Concerns:
This is not an easy read for a child who is first learning the alphabet. In fact, it is aimed at a much older audience, as more of a social studies lesson. There are a lot of large words used in each description, which would be hard for young children to understand. There are also a lot of unfamiliar words, which would cause the child to struggle through the reading.


Classroom use/Other comments:
This is definitely a read aloud book for younger children, as opposed to an individual read. It can be used to teach students about Africa and some of the traditions the people there have. It is a great way to teach diversity.

Historical Fiction # 5

Author: Sook Nyul Choi
Title: The Year of Impossible Goodbyes
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Date: 1991

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

Summary:
This is a story of a little girl who lived in North Korea during WWII and the beginning of the Korean War. It tells the struggles her family went through with the Japanese during WWII and all the hardships dealt to them. Finally, when the war ends they believe freedom will come again, but the Russians invade and seize control. The little girl and her brother try to escape to South Korea, but a lot of obstacles stand in their way.

Strengths:
The book uses fairly simple language which is great for upper elementary students to understand, yet also throws in some new vocabulary. It also adds some Korean and Japanese words, which strengthens their idea of other cultures. It is filled with traditions and historical information on Korea, which is great for the children to learn. The story is told from the point of view of a young girl, which makes it easily relatable for elementary school students. The story itself can be pretty upsetting and demoralizing, but it is good for the students to learn the history of another country.


Concerns:
Sometimes the book has too graphic of depictions of some of the hardships that the family endures in Korea. It may be a little much for some of the younger children to take, and a little hard for them to comprehend. It is something the teacher would really have to talk about with the students, and some parents may be opposed to the harsh reality the children in the story face. Also, when trying to explain some concepts, the book is a little vague, and I struggled to understand what it was trying to say. I think the goal was to make it from the point of view of the girl, and she did not always know what was going on. However, this can be slightly confusing for a reader and may cause them to lose interest.


Classroom use/Other comments:
This is a great book to use in a history class when talking about the impact of WWII on other countries or even the Korean War. This book could even be used to explain a background of Korea itself, and what children there had to deal with for many years.