Genre 6: Holes

Holes by Louis Sachar
Dell Yearling, 1998
ISBN 0-440-41946-8

Summary:
A boy's bad luck (caused by his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather") lands him in a prison camp for wayward boys. As the boys dig holes in the desert for the warden, they begin to wonder if perhaps they are digging for more than character building. As the story flashes back and forth a hundred ten years, the reader begins to realize that Stanley Yelnats' "bad luck" may actually be an opportunity to change his destiny.

Critical Analysis:
Sachar manages to write an incredibly intricate story that spans several generations and two continents, although the reader does not begin to understand the twists and turns for several chapters. Little by little, he reels out history until it becomes obvious that the characters in the current story are offspring of ones in the history.
On one level, Holes is a story of a teenage boy who, through a combination of bad luck and bad choices, ends up facing death in the Texas desert. As Stanley struggles to save a friend, he comes to realize that he is not just a fat kid with no backbone; instead, he recognizes that he has strength, intelligence, and determination. In struggling to save his friend, Stanley also saves himself.
On another level, Stanley is correcting a flaw in destiny created by his great-great grandfather. It is not coincidence that "the great-great grandson of Elya Yelnats carried the great-great-great grandson of Madame Zeroni up the mountain." Each character in history leaves a legacy that somehow aids the two boys in repairing the flaw.
While the tale may not be particularly realistic, it's not meant to be. The reader simply gets lost in the story and waits anxiously to find out what unexpected turn the plot will make next.

Review Excerpts:
"Sachar has written an exceptionally funny, and heart-rending, shaggy dog story. . . . With its breadth and ambition, Holes may surprise a lot of Sachar fans, but it shouldn't. With his Wayside School stories and--this reviewer's favorite--the Marvin Redpost books, Sachar has shown himself a writer of humor and heart, with an instinctive aversion to the expected. Holes is filled with twists in the lane, moments when the action is happily going along only to turn toward somewhere else that you gradually, eventually, sometimes on the last page, realize was the truest destination all along. . . . We haven't seen a book with this much plot, so suspensefully and expertly deployed, in too long a time."

Roger Sutton, The Horn Book, September/October 1998, v. 74 no. 5

"Sachar has cunningly crafted his fiction, precisely placing snippets of historical backstory within the chronicle of Stanley's travails, so that the focus of the book is the coming together and resolving of the manifold strands of karma. . . . Sachar's dry, wry tone assists in making the book's aim something other than gritty realism; though there is indeed wicked villainy and triumphant virtue, the point is less the struggle of the individual characters than their place in the working out of the larger patterns."

Deborah Stevenson, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 1998, v. 52 no. 1

Connections:

• Calculate the volume of a 5-foot deep, 5-foot diameter hole
• Research poisonous animals that live in the deserts of the U.S.
• What is a palindrome? What other words, names, and phrases can you think of that are palindromes?
• What is destiny? Research the fates from classical mythology.

Genre 6: The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowry
Houghton Mifflin, 1993
ISBN 0-395-64566-2

Summary:
In Jonas' world, life is controlled by strict rules and behavior codes, which makes life smooth and comfortable. His predictable life is upended, however, when he begins to see things his friends and family cannot. At his Ceremony of Twelves, he is named as the new Receiver thanks in part to this unusual gift. Jonas finds that beneath his community's peaceful exterior lie choices that will determine whether or not he will embrace the fullness of being human.

Critical Analysis:
Any teenager can identify with 11-year-old Jonas; he is at an age where life is changing rapidly and adult responsibility looms on the horizon. He just doesn't realize yet exactly how much his life is about to change.
No one can read The Giver without encountering new ideas about society, rules, choice, and contentment. The reader is forced to examine what it truly means to live and what the cost of freedom is.
Lowry employs foreshadowing masterfully and weaves tantalizing hints about Jonas' world into every chapter. Early in the book, Jonas notices that baby Gabriel's eyes--which are the same unusually light shade as his own--seem to have a depth "as if one were looking into the clear water of the river, down to the bottom, where things might lurk which hadn't been discovered yet." This is a perfect description of Jonas himself, in whom important "things" certainly have not yet been discovered. The reader notices the community is different from our world early in the book, but the differences seem small at first. In fact, the reader can almost imagine this is a small, isolated town somewhere in middle America near the present time. Then small details emerge such as the single word in a line from Chapter 2: "But her father had already gone to the shelf and taken down the stuffed elephant which was kept there. Many of the comfort objects, like Lily's, were soft, stuffed imaginary creatures." The subtleness of the clue is what hooks readers. Why is the elephant considered imaginary? What happened to the elephants?
Of course, the reader is never given a definitive answer. In fact, part of the beauty (and for some readers, the frustration) of the novel is that Lowry allows the reader to take part in deciding what has happened. At the end of the story, after his long, heroic journey, Jonas begins to sled down a hill "with certainty and joy that below" was happiness. Lowry does not clarify if that happiness is in the physical world or perhaps after death. In her Newbery acceptance speech, Lowry herself says that anyone looking for the "right" ending will be disappointed, and that, in fact, there isn't one. She explains that "There's a right one for each of us, and it depends on our own beliefs, our own hopes.


Review Excerpts:
"In a complete departure from her other novels, Lowry has written an intriguing story. . . . The Giver, who passes on to Jonas the burden of being the holder for the community of all memory 'back and back and back,' teaches him the cost of living in an environment that is 'without color, pain, or past.' The tension leading up to the Ceremony, . . . and the drama and responsibility of the sessions with The Giver are gripping. The final flight for survival is as riveting as it is inevitable. The author makes real abstract concepts, such as the meaning of a life in which there are virtually no choices to be made and no experiences with deep feelings. This tightly plotted story and its believable characters will stay with readers for a long time."

Amy Kellman, School Library Journal, May 1993, v. 39

"The future society in which Jonas lives is benevolently, but totally, controlled. Babies are birthed by anonymous Birthmothers. . . . Sex is repressed, thanks to a pill. . . . Vocations are assigned by the Committee of Elders when each child reaches the age of twelve. While all these strictures are staples of science fiction, author Lowry, new to the genre, must be credited for the calm simplicity with which she describes Jonas' community. . . . The novel takes a didactic turn when Jonas, through the elderly Giver, begins to receive memories of colors, Christmas, family warmth and deep unhappiness. All these losses have already been implicitly rendered, and spelling them out turns story into sermon. . . . Lowry could go a lot further with the intriguingly cool world she has created, but the present novel feels too much like a scene-setting introduction."

Roger Sutton, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April 1993, v. 46

Connections:

• Have students make a list of actions for which they have complete choice, no choice (must follow rules), and partial choice. Then discuss whether or not any choice is complete or any rule is foolproof. What makes people decide to follow rules or not?
• Research the utopia movement of the 19th century. Why did most of the communities fail? Why did communities such as the Oneida and Amana succeed?
• Have students design their own utopian communities, complete with a community philosophy, map, and laws.
• Examine how Lowry's prose style changes from the beginning of the book to the end. Why do you think her sentence structure and description change?
• What is an allusion? Why did Lois Lowry choose an apple as the first object Jonas could "see beyond"? To what story might the apple connect?
• Respond to the story's ending. What do you think happened? If you were to write the next chapter, what would happen?
• How is The Giver a hero's journey? What elements of the hero's journey can you identify?
• Compare The Giver to The Last Book in the Universe. In what ways are Jonas and Spaz' quests similar?

Genre 6: The First Part Last

The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
Simon and Schuster, 2003
ISBN 0-689-84922-2

Summary:
This story of teenage pregnancy is told by the 16-year-old father, Bobby, who gropes his way through the very adult responsibility of taking care of his baby. He experiences the joy of loving someone completely as well as the confinement of caring for someone who is so dependent.

Critical Analysis:
Angela Johnson twists the expected teenage pregnancy book by writing from the often overlooked male perspective. Although Bobby does not actually carry the baby for nine months, his relatively carefree world changes along with that of his girlfriend.
The story is told in alternating past and present chapters, allowing the reader to see Bobby's present parenting unfold while being held in suspense about the past: Where is the baby's mother? Why didn't the teens put the baby up for adoption? Why is this boy raising his child?
The story addresses the day-to-day reality of parenthood. Bobby laments, "I should have scoped how the day was going when Feather puked on me just as I picked her up out of her crib this morning." Every parent can relate to Bobby's having "about twenty minutes' sleep in the last three days" when caring for an infant. While Bobby clearly loves his daughter, no young reader will mistake parenthood for an easy job after reading this book.
Of course, along with the misery, Bobby experiences the joy of loving someone who is an actual part of himself. The reader can feel the depth of his bond with his daughter when he describes the end of a long day: "Afterward I always kiss her, my baby, and look into her clear eyes that know everything about me, and want me to be her daddy anyway."
The story is told in a believable manner for teens. In addition to being a dad, Bobby is a typical teenager who deals with parents, school, friends, love, loss, and his own uncertainty about the future.
In Chapter One, Bobby muses,

"I've been thinking about it. Everything. And when Feather opens her eyes and looks up at me, I already know there's a change. But I figure if the world were really right, humans would live life backward and do the first part last. They'd be all knowing in the beginning and innocent in the end.
Then everybody could end life on their mamma or daddy's stomach in a warm room, waiting for the soft morning light."

Although Bobby's rights of passage are more harsh than those of the average teen, he does grow wiser with experience, a feat any story's hero might hope to accomplish.

Review Excerpts:
"There's no romanticizing. The exhaustion is real, and Bobby gets in trouble with the police and nearly messes up everything. But from the first page, readers feel the physical reality of Bobby's new world: what it's like to hold Feather on his stomach, smell her skin, touch her clenched fists, feel her shiver, and kiss the top of her curly head. Johnson makes poetry with the simplest words in short, spare sentences that teens will read again and again."

Hazel Rochman, Booklist, September 1 2003, v.100, no. 1

"The story is deepened by realistic portrayals of Bobby's loving but tough mother, who refuses to raise her son's child, and his softer, more forgiving father, but mostly it's the unfolding tale of Bobby and Feather as he tries to find the best way to raise his child, remember her mother, and live his life."

Deborah Stevenson, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 2003, v. 57 no. 1

Connections:

• Have students brainstorm what they know about caring for a baby. Calculate how much time a day is needed to care for a newborn baby.
• Research statistics about teen pregnancy in the U.S. How have the numbers changed over the past ten years?
• Research the medical dangers to teenage mothers and their babies.
• Compare this book to more typical teenage pregnancy stories told from the mother's point of view.
• Respond to the way Bobby's mother does not take on the role of caring for Feather. Why do you think she does this? Do you think she's making a wise choice?

Genre 5: Good Queen Bess

Good Queen Bess by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema, illustrated by Diane Stanley
Four Winds Press, 1990
ISBN 0-02-786810-9

Summary:
Stanley and Vennema give a brief factual account of the life and reign of Elizabeth I, queen of England from 1558 to 1603.

Critical Analysis:
Although the beautifully illustrated biography of Elizabeth I is brief, the authors discuss the queen's talents, tricks, and influences in addition to the expected milestones, even if some of her more interesting exploits are left out. Elizabeth is portrayed as a person with hopes, disappointments, love, faith, enemies, and intelligence.
One of Elizabeth's failures is discussed throughout the biography: her lack of heirs. The authors include discussion about Elizabeth's reasons to avoid marriage and how expectations of marriage influenced her rule. Stanley relates that Philip II of Spain offered to "relieve her of those labors which are only fit for men," presumably ruling her country. The other topic discussed throughout the biography is the influence of religion on Elizabeth, her enemies, and other European rulers. Clearly, marriage (or lack thereof) and religion were tremendous pressures during her entire rule.
The events and achievements in the biography show Elizabeth to be a resourceful pioneer; few men ruled as successfully as she did in a time when women were considered weak and inferior.
The overarching statement in the biography was not made by the authors, however, but by the queen herself: "Though you have had--and may have--many mightier and wiser princes sitting in this seat, yet you never had--nor shall have--any that will love you better." This love for her people is clearly why she is remembered as "Good Queen Bess."

Review Excerpts:
"This biography of Queen Elizabeth I does an excellent job of describing the context of her life so that reasons for many of her actions become clear. The resulting depth is a pleasant surprise and will give the book a wide audience. . . . {The text} informs on many aspects of Elizabeth's life: her childhood, how she became queen, what the political climates were that shaped her strategies and decision making, and who the key players were in her life."

Denise Wilms, BookList, September 1 1990, v. 87

"The book accurately describes the history, costume and culture of the Elizabethan era. Sadly, however, it does little to capture the spirit of this extraordinary queen. . . . This book devotes little space to her childhood. . . . The majority of the tale, devoted to Elizabeth's reign, . . . {is} a well-researched story of her magnificent statecraft, but the grandeur never materializes. Perhaps the book's most disturbing failure is also its most striking feature: the numerous and elaborate illustrations, all based on contemporary court portraits and engravings. . . . {Ms. Stanley} carefully conveys the pageantry of royal life without reflecting any of its liveliness."

Marianne Partridge, The New York Times Book Review, March 17 1991

Connections:

• Read biographies of other rulers from that time period. What are some similar problems they faced? How do their successes match with those of Elizabeth?
• Research the fashions, music, architecture, and art of the period.
• Create a family tree for Elizabeth showing her relationship to Mary and Jane Grey.
• Read excerpts from Shakespeare's plays. What attitudes toward women are apparent in his writing? What attitudes about religion?

Genre 5: Crispin The Cross of Lead

Crispin the Cross of Lead by Avi
Hyperion Books, 2002
ISBN 0-7868-0828-4

Summary:
A boy with no name of his own living in 14th-Century loses his mother. Following her death, he discovers his real name, Crispin, and is declared "Wolf's Head," the medieval version of "Wanted: Dead or Alive." His only option is to leave his village, a dangerous proposition for a boy with no family, no trade, no money, and no idea where to go. He is claimed as a servant by a traveling entertainer, and while his new master may seem harsh at times, he is also a protector who eventually helps Crispin claim his own freedom.

Critical Analysis:
While the draw of this book is firmly rooted in characterization, vivid details of daily living in 14th-Century England make the characters seem realistic. Crispin's first glimpse of a real city astonishes him:

"Pressing in on the crowded, narrow streets were looming walls of close-built buildings, structures two, sometimes three stories high, with slate, not thatch, roofs. These houses were, for the most part, built of timber beams with pale mortar filling in between the wood."

This is a far cry from his native village where doorless thatched huts house people on one side and livestock on the other, and the reader can imagine how engrossed a young boy would be by all the new sights and sounds.
Plot events are also dependent on a historical setting. When Bear claims Crispin as a servant, a modern reader's response might be indignation. People can't simply "claim" other people! However, Avi has already set the scene by introducing the medieval idea of loyalty to a lord, even a bad one, as well as the idea that peasants --especially young ones-- have no rights.
Even as a servant, Crispin's character is interesting because he is constantly growing. He learns the art of entertaining with music and dance at the same time he is uncovering clues about his past, which, from the earliest chapters, is clearly more complex than it might appear on the surface. The child who at one time is resigned to his peasant fate eventually figures out his past and grows to claim his own freedom.
Avi combines three staples of engrossing young adult fiction--mystery, action, and friendship--to create a book that children and adults of all ages can enjoy.

Review Excerpts:
Avi conjures the atmosphere of the medieval English landscape by concentrating on that world's physical details (especially the smells), yet it's also clear from Crispin's narration, wherein he constantly defers to the will of God, the overwhelming role that religion played in the life of the medieval peasant. The pace is quick, and the boy's change from cowed serf to courageous hero is logical and believable.

Janice M. Del Negro, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2002, v.56, no. 2

"Avi writes a fast-paced, action-packed adventure comfortably submerged in its fourteenth-century setting, giving Crispin a realistic medieval worldview even while subverting it with Bear's revolutionary arguments. . . . From Crispin's initial religious dependence and inability to meet others' eyes to his eventual choice of his own path and freedom, the theme of self-determination is carried lightly, giving this quick, easily digested thriller just the right amount of heft."

Anita L. Burkam, The Horn Book, September/October 2002, v. 78 no. 5

Connections:

• Research various aspects of 14th-Century English life: religion, food, architecture, government, or weaponry.
• Compare life in 14th-Century England to historical fiction about life elsewhere during the same time period (example: A Single Shard).
• Create models of the village or the city; create costumes for various characters.
• Discuss the themes of oppression and freedom across the centuries. Why do people always seek freedom, even when it involves risk?

Genre 5: Bud, Not Buddy

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Delacorte Press, 1999
ISBN 0-385-32306-9

Summary:
A ten-year-old orphan boy sets out on a quest to find his father after fleeing an abusive foster home. To make matters worse, he is black trying to survive in a society that considers him a second-class citizen during the middle of the Great Depression. Using a few clues left to him by his mother, Bud (whose mother always told him not to let people call him Buddy, a "dog's name") goes on the lam, trying to reach the man he believes to be his father without getting sent back to the orphanage.


Critical Analysis:
Christopher Paul Curtis uses a combination of research and family history to write Bud, Not Buddy. Although two of the characters are based on his grandfathers, Curtis admits he did not pay enough attention to "those boring old tales" told by family members, so much of his information about the Depression was accumulated through research.
He accurately portrays both the hardships of the Great Depression and the kindnesses extended by those who often did not have much to share. In Chapter 6, Bud faces the reality of going hungry when he is denied access to a breakfast bread line, but a hungry family pretends he belongs to them so he can eat despite the fact that they are risking their own place in line. Later in the book, homeless people in "Hooverville" offer Bud dinner and a place to sleep shortly before police raid and destroy the makeshift town. Throughout the book, Bud experiences both the worst and the best in people around him.
Even though Bud's plight seems grim at times, Curtis tells his story with a sense of humor. Early in the story, Bud explains that being six years old is tough. He uses losing teeth as an example. He says that you discover a loose tooth when you wake up one day, and when the tooth falls out, adults tell you it's "normal."

"You can't be too sure, though, 'cause it shakes you up a whole lot more than grown folks think it does when perfectly good parts of your body commence to loosening up and falling off of you.
Unless you're as stupid as a lamppost you've got to wonder what's coming off next, your arm? Your leg? Your neck?"

Of course, there is a sad counterpoint to his humor. Bud goes on to say, "Six is real tough. That's how old I was when I came to live here in the Home. That's how old I was when Momma died."

Bud eventually reaches the man he believes is his father, and clues Curtis has planted throughout the story begin to come together until Bud finds his true identity.


Review Excerpts:
"This is an Oliver Twist kind of foundling story, but it's told with affectionate comedy. . . . Told in the boy's naive, desperate voice, with lots of examples of his survival tactics, . . . this will make a great read-aloud. Curtis says in an afterword that some of the characters are based on real people, including his own grandfathers, so it's not surprising that the rich blend of tall tale, slapstick, sorrow, and sweetness has the wry, teasing warmth of family folklore."

Hazel Rochman, BookList, September 1 1999, v. 96 no. 1

"{This} book is a gem, of value to all ages, not just the young people to whom it is aimed. . . . In a time when it is all too easy to misread the signs of a child's yearning to belong, 'Bud, not Buddy' reminds us with great humor and grace what a difference connectedness makes."

Trudy C. Palmer, The Christian Science Monitor, September 23, 1999, v. 91 no. 209

Connections:

A Newbery Medal Winner, Coretta Scott King Award

Pair Bud, Not Buddy with a variety of other books about children who grow up during the Depression or children who face racism.

Research the Big Band era and bandleaders.

Research early labor unions.

Have students draw and cut out items that would symbolize their lives to "pack" in paper suitcases.

Listen to a recording of all or part of the story and discuss how the dialog is written.

Genre 4: An American Plague

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy
Clarion Books, 2003
ISBN 0-395-77608-2

Summary:
Jim Murphy paints a vivid portrait of epidemic-ridden 18th-century Philadelphia using excerpts from journals, newspaper articles, medical records, public records, church records, and personal letters.

Critical Analysis:
After reading the juvenile book An American Plague, I cannot think of any reason I would ever want to read an adult informational book about the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 unless I decide to attend medical school in the future. Jim Murphy's thirteen pages of sources for yellow fever research attest to the detail with which he researched his 165-page book. Murphy pulls from personal and public documents as diverse as newspaper articles, journals, church records, and 18th-century medical books. His research even lead him to visit Mutter Museum for Infectious Diseases, supported by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, a group whose predecessors battled the fever and fought over possible cures and causes.
Besides presenting an enormous amount of information about the epidemic and societal attitudes of the times, Murphy manages to make the account read more like a novel than a typical non-fiction book. In the opening of chapter two, Murphy writes

"It was clear that thirty-three-year-old Catherine LeMaigre was dying, and dying horribly and painfully. Between agonized gasps and groans she muttered that her stomach felt as if it were burning up. Every ten minutes or so her moaning would stop abruptly and she would vomit a foul black bile."

With an introduction like that, who wouldn't be tempted to continue reading?
Where possible, Murphy lets the witnesses' words speak for themselves. When groups of physicians square off against each other defending their respective "cures" for yellow fever, Murphy does not need to point out the intensity of the rivalry. Instead, he lets Dr. Adam Kuhn's own words express the depth of his dislike for Dr. Benjamin Rush: "He, I say, is a scourge more fatal to the human kind than the plague itself would be."
Throughout the book, readers see the impact the fever had on the city, everyday residents, and both local and national leaders. Along with the victims, readers are also introduced to heroes from the expected (College of Physicians) to the unknown (Free African Society).
In addition to engaging, information-rich text, Murphy includes line drawings, maps, and engravings to help tell the story. Interestingly, hardly any art exists from the actual epidemic in Philadelphia, although the author is able to use related historical images to give readers an idea of what life during those times would have been like.

Lest anyone think history might not relate to modern life, the last chapter of the book explains how the U.S. is currently poised for another yellow fever epidemic. Since we have not been able to eradicate the mosquitoes that spread the disease, we have not manufactured the vaccine in years, and there is still no cure for yellow fever, we may be more connected to those souls in Philadelphia than we realize.

Review Excerpts:
"History, science, politics, and public health come together in this dramatic account of the disastrous yellow fever epidemic that hit the nation's capital more than 200 years ago. Drawing on firsthand accounts, medical and non-medical, Murphy re-creates the fear and panic in the infected city, the social conditions that caused the disease to spread, and the arguments about causes and cures. With archival prints, photos, contemporary newspaper facsimiles that include lists of the dead, and full, chatty source notes, he tells of those who fled and those who stayed--among them, the heroic group of free blacks who nursed the ill and were later vilified for their work."

Hazel Rochman, BookList, June 1, 2003

"Murphy injects the events with immediacy through his profiles of key players, such as local doctors who engaged in fierce debates as to the cause, treatment and nature of the "unmerciful enemy"—among them the famous Benjamin Rush. The text documents many acts of heroism, including the Free African Society's contributions of food, medicine and home care: the Society was rewarded afterwards only with injustice. Archival photographs and facsimiles of documents bring the story to life, and a list of further reading points those interested in learning more in the right direction. This comprehensive history of the outbreak and its aftermath lays out the disputes within the medical community and, as there is still no cure, offers a cautionary note."

Publishers Weekly, March 10, 2003

Connections:

• A Newbery Honor Book; National Book Award finalist; The Robert F. Sibert Medal winner
• Read An American Plague as a companion to the historical novel Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, possibly alternating a chapter of the novel with a chapter of the informational book.
• Research other plagues in history and how they affected society.
• Research the Free African Society of Philadelphia.
• Access the web sites for the Centers for Disease Control or the World Health Organization to find out what current epidemics are affecting the globe and what precautions they advise.

Genre 4: Out of Sight: Pictures of Hidden Worlds

Out of Sight: Pictures of Hidden Worlds by Seymour Simon
SeaStar Books, 2000
ISBN 1-58717-012-4

Summary:
Simon uses images captured by various forms of magnifying technology to show readers views we cannot see with the naked eye. Each image is accompanied by text that not only explains the subject being photographed, but also explains the technology capable of capturing the image.

Critical Analysis:
Simon is a noted author of non-fiction science books for children, often writing about outer space. In Out of Sight, much of the book focuses instead on inner space, worlds too tiny to see or worlds enclosed in the human body, while the last chapters show Earth and heavenly bodies as seen from space. In an unexpected take on our visual limitations, Simon also includes a chapter titled "Hidden Worlds of Time" showing events too fast for our eyes to see.
Having taught photography for a number of years, I may be biased, but I find this book magnificent. The sheer number of technologies needed to supply the photos is testimony to humans' inventive creativity: scanning electron micrographs (SEMs), microscopes, endoscopes, tonograms, CAT scans, arteriograms, thermograms, electronic strobe photography, satellites, infrared photography, and telescopes. Although the focus is on the images, I learned about technologies I previously did not know existed.
Part of the fun is guessing what the beautiful color photos are before reading the text. Bug heads magnified 26x or 57x are not too difficult to figure out, but viruses and Velcro take a bit more imagination.
For me, the most amazing image in the whole book is one captured in a "bubble chamber" showing the paths of subatomic particles "many times smaller than the period at the end of this sentence." The text explains that the particles are too tiny and too fast to be seen with any of our technology, so scientists study the particles' paths as they travel through a heated and pressurized liquid, leaving behind a trail of bubbles. The image the trails produce does not look like anything we would expect to find in nature; instead, it resembles a joyful, fantastical drawing created by an artist with a fistful of markers.

Review Excerpts:
Amazing photomicrographs of objects too small to be seen with the unaided eye are sometimes colored or enhanced by computer to reveal intricate patterns and complex images. Seymour clearly explains both the processes used to capture these tiny or hidden entities-some in our own bodies, some in the world around us-and the structures the photography allows us to understand better."

Judy O'Malley, ALA Book Links, Dec./Jan. 2000-2001, v.10, no.3

"Simon directs his readers' attention to images of "hidden worlds," a phrase that he interprets broadly. A picture of a spiked virus, invisibly small before the invention of electron microscopes, is here enlarged to extend beyond the boundaries of the large, double-page spread. The inside of a human heart is seen through an endoscope using fiber-optic tubes. A bullet, caught in the flash from an electronic strobe, is photographed at the instant when it rips through a playing card. An infrared photo, taken from the Landsat satellite and color enhanced by computer, shows details of the Nile River Delta. A picture of Jupiter's red spot, photographed by a passing spacecraft, reached Earth via radio waves. At times the text seems torn between discussing what we are seeing and explaining how the image was made. More emphasis on technique would have made this a stronger, more coherent book, but anyone who comes across it will happily browse through the intriguing and sometimes awesome pictures collected in this handsome volume."

Carolyn Phelan, Booklist, Oct 1, 2000, v97 i3

Connections:

• Use in science class to introduce microscopes or viruses; in physics class, introduce subatomic particles; in geography, look at river deltas.
• Use magnifying glasses to examine common items. What do you notice using magnification that you don't otherwise notice? Draw small parts of what you see and have your friends guess what it is.
• Research the Hubble Telescope. What is its purpose? What have we learned from it?
• Use zoom lenses to photograph parts of common objects. Be sure to use the principles of good composition. How does extreme close-up photography affect the visual value of a photograph?

Genre 4: Behold...the Dragons!

Behold...the Dragons! by Gail Gibbons
Morrow Junior Books, 1999
ISBN 0-688-15527-8

Summary:
Behold...the Dragons! is a factual look at dracontology, the study of dragon myths and lore from around the world.

Critical Analysis:
Gail Gibbons is an experienced writer and illustrator with more than 100 children's non-fiction books to her credit. She draws children into Behold...the Dragons with what sounds like the beginning of a narrative story: "A long time ago, people began telling stories about happenings in their world that they couldn't understand." This Once-upon-a time-like beginning is not only familiar to children, but it also sets the stage for myth and magic, which dragons are, of course. Somehow she manages to honor the legends and stories without pretending they are true. She tells readers on the second page that early people often explained natural occurrences they did not understand by blaming lightning, thunder, or earthquakes on huge beasts. She then moves on to the etymology of the word "dragon" (from the Greek drakon, meaning "a huge snake with piercing eyesight") and a description of what dracontologists study, the five basic classifications of dragons in world mythology.
The book is organized primarily by class: serpent dragons, semi-dragons, classical dragons, sky dragons, and neodragons (who knew so many types existed?). Within each class, she shows drawings of dragons from different parts of the world and gives a brief background of where they were supposed to live, what they looked like, and what they did. Following the classes, Gibbons recounts the classical dragon stories of Marduk and Tiamat, Hercules and the Hydra, Beowulf and the beast, and St. George and the dragon. Four more page layouts are devoted to the cultural importance of dragons to the ancient Chinese, the ancient Egyptians, and the Aztecs. At the end of the book, Gibbons includes a pictorial index of other famous dragons such as the Loch Ness Monster and Uther Pendragon's symbol that would offer additional research possibilities for children.
The illustrations throughout attempt to reflect some of the culture represented by different stories. My personal favorite is the illustration from the story of Marduk, where, in the fashion of ancient Mesopotamian art, Tiamat the dragon is drawn in a two-dimensional profile.
Gibbons is careful to handle this mythical topic in a manner that is purely non-fiction without killing the magic and wonder.

Review Excerpts:
"{Gibbons} follows dragons through different cultures and times . . . and discusses their modern-day use in celebrating the Chinese New Year. The pictures vibrate with energy and combine colored pencils, watercolors, and textured papers, all outlined in Gibbons' characteristic black pen. . . . If displayed so that library patrons can see its gilt title and the fire-breathing creature on the front, this will be snapped up and enjoyed."

Susan Dove Lemke, Booklist, May 1 1999, v. 95, no. 17

"Gibbons's book entertains readers as it teaches them something about history and literature.

Susan L. Rogers, School Library Journal, April 1999, v. 45 no. 4

Connections:

• Use the brief stories as a springboard to finding more detailed classical dragon stories.
• Research other mythical creatures such as Pegasus, unicorns, or mermaids. Create displays of traits, habitats, powers, and limitations for each creature.
• Read current fiction (Eragon, Fire Within, etc.). Which category do these dragons fall into? How do our current fictional dragons compare with those of classical stories? Which dragon traits are probably modern inventions added to historical dragon lore?
• Use The Dragons Are Singing Tonight by Jack Prelutsky as a companion piece.

Genre 3: Witness

Witness by Karen Hesse
Scholastic, 2001
ISBN 0-439-45230-9

Summary:
Witness describes the effect the Klu Klux Klan has on a small Vermont town in 1924. The story unfolds in five "acts" with poems from different characters chronicling the rise and fall of the Klan.

Critical Analysis:
While Witness does not compare to Hesse's Newbery winning poetry novel Out of the Dust, it is still a worthwhile read.
Hesse certainly avoids any cliche for stories about the Klan by setting the book in Vermont instead of the South. This unusual setting makes the story interesting because most of us never stop to think about racism in the North. Another break with cliche is that the characters who become involved with the Klan are not all evil people. Some are, but others are simply "regular" folk who like the values of patriotism and family life that the Klan's propaganda claims, although they are not completely comfortable with some of the bigoted attitudes of fellow members. We often ask the question, "How could people become wrapped up in an offensive group like that?" and Hesse offers possible explanations as her characters wrestle with the decision to join or not to join.
The introduction to the book is a gallery of portraits representing the various characters whose poems will tell the story in five acts. I found myself looking back at the photos and character descriptions often as I read.
Hesse uses blank verse with no capital letters to tell her characters' story. Overall, I felt the poetry sacrificed imagery and beautiful wording so that the plot could move forward more quickly. Probably the most interesting sounding poetry comes from six-year-old Esther Hirsch, who has some unusual speech habits:

"i did give helpings to sara chickering.
we did dip all the keys in oil and put the oil keys in the locks
and then
openshutopenshut
we did take feathers and we did oil those
and we did move through the house,
out to the barn,
tickling hinges with our oiled feathers."

While the child's point of view and "tickling hinges" are interesting, the strange speech habits become annoying after several poems.
Witness is a powerful story that needs to be told and read; however, don't expect the same kind of magic from this poetry as you can find in Out of the Dust.

Review Excerpts:
"The account is sometimes contrived (the all-lower-case type isn't particularly useful, and some of the characters, such as the rather predictable cowardly preacher, are functionary) and sometimes romantic, . . . but this is also a thoughtful and thought-provoking examination of a national phenomenon on a local level."

Deborah Stevenson, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, November 2001, v.55, no. 3

"Hesse's latest free-verse novel employs eleven different voices to record the Ku Klux Klan's effects on a Vermont town in 1924, with dubious success. . . . Witness has a compelling story to tell, but one that is too complex to work effectively in this format."

Christine M. Heppermann, The Horn Book, November/December 2001, v.77, no.6

Connections:

• This book could be a springboard for discussing many types of bigotry: racial, religious, economic class. Since it is not a typical Southern racism book, it introduces an unexpected viewpoint concerning the Klan.
• Discuss peer pressure in school and compare it to peer pressure felt by characters in the town.
• Have students compare characters to those in other books about oppression (Holocaust, Civil Rights Movement, Japanese internment, etc.)
• Capitalization practice: Since the verse is written with no capitals, have students rewrite stanzas as if they were sentences, capitalizing where appropriate.

Genre 3: The Great Frog Race

The Great Frog Race by Kristine O'Connell George, Illustrated by Kate Kiesler
Clarion Books, 1997
ISBN 978-0-395-77607-0

Summary:
The Great Frog Race is a collection of poems inspired by childhood in the country. The poems are told with a child's eye viewing everyday things: garden hoses, frogs, meadows, buckets, and dropped scoops of ice cream. Kate Kiesler illustrates each poem, and the overall effect is that of following a young girl's experiences growing up in the country.

Critical Analysis:
Sadly, young children may not find these poems interesting because while they are light, they are not silly, and the subject matter may not be familiar to suburban and urban kids. Grownups, however--especially ones who have spent time on a farm or in the country--will be thoroughly delighted with these poems.
George is a master of capturing poignant moments in her mostly free verse poetry. In "Evening Rain," she is able to capture the beauty of light sparkling off raindrops during an evening shower through use of creative personification:

"The porch light shines on rain
taking thin silken stitches
with strands of wet thread.
I run outside to the rain
to see what it is sewing."

Some of the poems such as "Ambush" and "The Great Frog Race" are short narratives, while many of the poems are simply impressions of a moment or a memory. In the haiku "Morning Grasses," George writes

"Thin frosted grasses
lying flat under footprints
slowly straighten up."

George also uses unexpected metaphor. She describes a spring wind blowing through a window as a lady who "looked inside," "whispered her thanks,/lifted her silk skirts,/and rustled away."
This entire series of poems is written with a child's ability to focus on the extraordinary in the everyday. The overall feeling, however, is not that the child is writing the poems, but rather that the moments and impressions are filtered through an adult's fond memory of childhood.


Review Excerpts:
"George's deft, short poems take many forms as they encapsulate appreciative glimpses of the natural world and small moments of childhood. Haiku, blank verse, bits of rhyme, and some lovely little bundles of words are sprinkled along in pieces that are descriptive and engaging. . . . Most readers will easily find favorites here. The soft, full- and double-page scenes are evocative and inviting, featuring a comfortably homely cast of boys and girls. For personal enjoyment, reading aloud, and encouraging children in the writing of poetry--this offering has lots of uses."

Margaret Bush, School Library Journal, April 1997, v. 43

"The poems are quiet and observant, tending towards free verse and sometimes reminiscent of William Carlos Williams ('A crow stole the cone/ and six tiny sparrows hopped/ vanilla footprints/ across the sidewalk'--'What Happened to the Ice Cream Cone Someone Dropped'). The phraseology is fresh and apt, employing tactile as well as visual conceits, and the subjects are kid-appealing ones indeed."

Deborah Stevenson, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June 1997, v. 50

Connections:

• The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
• Have students find a poem they like in The Great Frog Race. Then have them write "copycat" poems about everyday objects in the classroom such as erasers, chalk dust, or artwork hanging on the bulletin board.
• Quick write: Who is the girl seen in many of the illustrations? Where does she live? What is her family like?
• Find examples of simile, metaphor, and personification. Why are these devices effective?

Genre 3: The Dragons Are Singing Tonight

The Dragons Are Singing Tonight by Jack Prelutsky, Illustrated by Peter Sis
Greenwillow Books, 1993
ISBN 0-688-09645-X

Summary:
Jack Prelutsky uses poetry to present a wide range of dragons and dragon lore. Imaginative poems include "I Made A Mechanical Dragon," "A Dragon Is in My Computer," and "My Dragon Wasn't Feeling Good." The collection even includes such disparate titles as "If You Don't Believe in Dragons" and "Once They All Believed in Dragons."

Critical Analysis:
This analysis may be somewhat biased because The Dragons Are Singing Tonight is a book near and dear to my heart. Why? It was a longtime favorite of my sons when they were young, and we spent many, many nights reading and rereading its poems. The title poem is still my favorite, partly due to the beautiful illustration of dozens of singing dragons and partly due to the idea of all the magical noise:

"Tonight is the night all the dragons
Awake in their lairs underground,
To sing in cacophonous chorus
And fill the whole world with their sound."

Lovers of traditional dragon tales will not be disappointed. Some of the poems give mention of knights, maidens, and dragon's treasure, although an element of surprise (such as a lazy dragon or a bored dragon) is usually included.
The bigger genius in this book is the imaginative way Prelutsky and Sis portray the dragons. One of the dragons is tiny with "a nasty, nasty temper," while another is cured of illness by ingesting "turpentine and phosphorous and gasoline." In "I Made a Mechanical Dragon," the narrator creates a junkyard dragon made from "thrown-away clocks and unmendable socks" and other castoff rubbish. In the accompanying illustration, children can find many of the listed building materials along with an unfortunate cat stranded in the washing machine Sis uses for the dragon's rump.
While the poems are a good read simply because they are written with fun rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration, they also introduce children to some advanced vocabulary. My children knew how to use the words "cacophonous" and "pillage" and "despicable" at a young age due to reading these poems repeatedly.
Perhaps the fact that my sons wanted to read this book so often is evidence enough that it contains great children's poetry.

Review Excerpts:

"It's tempting to quote nearly all the 17 poems in this excellent collection, but here's just a short one: 'If you don't believe in dragons, / it is curiously true / That the dragons you disparage / Choose to not believe in you.' . . . There's a 'just right' quality to the verse that makes it a pleasure to read the words aloud. Their sounds fit together with seamless craftsmanship, and their sense rewards listeners with humor, imagination, and occasional poignancy. More than a mirror for the verse, Sis' artwork extends the imagery with paintings of haunting beauty, subtlety, and strangeness. . . . Because it appeals on so many levels, this is one poetry book that won't sit on the shelf for long."

Carolyn Phelan
Booklist September 1 1993, v. 90

"These engaging, funny, and touching poems will delight readers with rhyme, rhythm, and wonderful words. Kudos for word choices such as 'malevolent,' 'disconsolate,' and 'obeisance,' which add texture and intelligence to fanciful vignettes of dragon life. In addition to poetic wizardry, much of this book's appeal must be credited to Peter Sis's inventive and evocative illustrations. Each covers a double page and will hold readers spellbound studying fine details."

Williams, Karen
The Christian Science Monitor (Eastern edition), October 7 1993

Connections:

Have a class create or collect poems about one certain type of animal. How many can you find? How much of a variety can you find? Which are your favorites?

Compare dragons in the poems to dragons in other stories. What do they compare and contrast?

Create a dragon kite based on "I Have a Dozen Dragons."

What would be some problems in keeping dragons as pets?

Compare dragon stories from different geographic areas such as Asia, South America, and Europe.

Genre 2: The Persian Cinderella

The Persian Cinderella by Shirley Climo, Illustrated by Robert Florczak
HarperCollins, 1999
ISBN 0-06-026763-1

Summary:
In ancient Persia, a girl is born with a star-shaped birthmark and is named Settareh, which means "star." Settareh, left motherless with a father "busy in the world of men," must fend for herself in the women's part of the house where she is often ignored except when being picked on by her stepsisters. In typical Cinderella fashion, Settareh has a generous spirit but few opportunities to move up in the world until she buys a broken pot that turns out to house a pari, a fairy that grants her wishes. Her mean sisters steal her pari, but Settareh is still able to meet her prince.

Critical Analysis:
This retelling of a traditional Persian fairytale is much more interesting than the Americanized Cinderella story. The gender-segregated household, bazaar, and magic hairpins are fascinating exotic details compared with the usual glass slippers and kingdom castle.
The illustrations in this book are amazing. Every page has fabulously detailed drawings, and every text block is surrounded by patterns resembling those found in Persian weaving.
The author notes at the end of the book that her story is a retelling based on earlier stories dating back to a ninth-century Persian book called A Thousand Tales. The illustrations are also well-researched. In fact, the illustrator used live models from the Persian community in Los Angeles when creating the drawings.
Overall, this book provides a much more substantial story than the usual Cinderella story.

Review Excerpts:

"The story, drawn from the Arabian nights, is nicely told. Embellishments new to Western readers include the transformation of Settareh, once united to her prince, into a dove through the treachery of her stepsisters. The magical means by which Settareh realizes her wishes is also an interesting variation. While the story has little in the way of emotional impact, beyond the theme of goodness and beauty ultimately rewarded, this beautifully produced book is bound to enchant young readers with a fondness for the exotic."

Elsa Marston

MultiCultural Review, December 1999, v. 8 no. 4

"Climo adds to her series of multicultural Cinderella books (The Korean Cinderella (1993)), once again choosing a version of the traditional story authentic to the culture. . . . Persian stories are not as plentiful as those from other cultures, and though the pacing isn't as successful as other versions, the memorable details (such as the thousand matched pearls that shower upon the new couple once the spell is broken) more than make up for it. Florczak's illustrations are stunningly exotic and beautiful. . . . A fine addition for any folktale collection."

Susan Dove Lempke

Booklist, July 1999, v. 95 no. 21

Connections:
Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee

Compare to other Cinderella books such as The Egyptian Cinderella, The Irish Cinderella, or The Korean Cinderella by the same author.

Inspect maps of Ancient Persia. On a modern map, locate the area that was once Persia. What countries are there now?

Why is the household segregated by gender? In what countries is this custom still common?

Genre 2: Stories to Tell a Cat

Stories to Tell a Cat by Alvin Schwartz
The Trumpet Club, 1992
ISBN 0-440-83296-9

Summary:
Alvin Schwartz retells fourteen short tales about cats in "Stories to Tell a Cat." All of the tales have roots in traditional tales from around the world, and Schwartz maps each tale's genealogy in a section at the end of the book.
An author's note at the beginning explains that Schwartz enjoys telling his own cat these tales as "a nice cozy way to spend an evening."

Critical Analysis:
A reader need not be a cat lover to enjoy this book, although cat owners would be especially enchanted. The book is a combination of various types of folktales centered around cats.
I was amazed by the breadth of the stories: poems, fables, and fairytales alongside downright spooky tales. "The Cat Came Back" even includes a sung chorus!
An adult reader looking for surprising, inspirational stories will be disappointed, but as long as the reader understands these traditional tales will sound familiar, the stories are entertaining.

Review Excerpts:

"Though you'd never know it by looking at the fetching dust jacket (a perky green parrot sits atop the head of a friendly looking marmalade cat), this collection of cat stuff isn't for children who want to read about cuddly critters. In fact, the late Schwartz's first story reads very much like a horror tale. . . . But even though Schwartz's cats rarely purr sweetly, they are certainly an intriguing lot. In 'Make-Believe Cats,' for example, cats sketched on a screen spring heroically to life to save a boy from rats; and in 'The Fastest Cat on Earth,' a funny takeoff on the familiar fable about the tortoise and the hare, a self-satisfied feline meets its match in a clever crab."

Stephanie Zvirin

Booklist, December 15 1992, v. 89

"Some of the selections are familiar; . . . 'The Make-Believe Cats,' about a boy whose drawings come alive, is an Americanized version of a well-known Japanese folktale with the same motif. 'The Ship's Cat' and others are more unusual, but overall, the retellings are uneven. While 'The Green Chicken' . . . is tightly written and funny, 'Rosie and Arthur' (about a bad dream) is anticlimactic, and 'The Nest' (a variant of 'Belling the Tiger') is meandering. Nevertheless, Schwartz has an easy-to-read style and the book's format will invite cat-lovers to browse through and pick out their favorites. The author's notes are, as always, informal and helpful; only the first title in the bibliography is annotated."

Betsy Hearne
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, February 1993, v. 46

Connections:
Compare and contrast cats from the various tales.

Write more verses to "The Cat Came Back."

Research the role of cats in ancient Egyptian culture.

Research the mythical origins of other animals after reading "A Tail of Grass."

Genre 2: Tomie dePaola's Favorite Nursery Tales

Tomie dePaola's Favorite Nursery Tales Told by Tomie dePaola
Putnam, 1986
ISBN 0-399-21319-8

Summary:
Tomie dePaola retells traditional tales collected by Jacobs, the Brothers Grimm, Asbjornsen, and Aesop. Along with these traditional fables and folktales, he also includes modern tales by writers such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Hans Christian Anderson. The bulk of the stories, however, are traditional stories.
Some favorite stories included are "The Little Red Hen," "The Frog Prince," "The Three Little Pigs," "Rumpelstiltskin," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Elves and the Shoemaker," and "The Three Billy-Goats Gruff."

Critical Analysis:
All of the tales are retold in a manner faithful to tradition with characters, plots, and morals that are easy to understand. The language dePaola uses is interesting because while most words are easy for young readers to understand, he does use some more sophisticated words that would expand children's vocabularies: "waistcoats," "gratitude," "lofty," and "procession." These words do not interrupt the story but do expose children to new words.
While dePaola's charming folk-art illustrations are appropriate to the tales, I can't help but notice the humans are all rosy-cheeked Anglos (who look somewhat similar to dePaola himself) wearing traditional English clothing. The one nod to a different culture might be the head coverings worn in a Russian tale, "The Straw Ox."
I would still happily read the book to students or my own kids, but I would also provide some cultural variation with other stories.

The author's dedication caught my eye: "For my mother, Flossie Downey dePaola, whose lap I sat on a long time ago, and listened to her tell me many of these stories." I can't help but wonder how much these early memories of hearing traditional tales contributed to the Caldecott and Newberry winner's literary success.

Review Excerpts:
"The book design is handsome and spacious, the illustrations variously successful. DePaola is at his best in a light mode: the humor in the art for 'The Fox and the Grape' and 'The Emperor's New Clothes,' for instance, enhances elements of both tales, while some of the fairy tales suffer from a farcical graphic interpretation, as in the pictures for 'The Frog Prince,' or from stock images like those in 'Rapunzel.'"

Betsy Hearne
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, February 1987, v. 40

"Like a good winter coat in a large family, this anthology can be passed along to many children. . . . The only off note is Longfellow's 'The Children's Hour,' which is so much more sentimental than the other selections. . . . DePaola's droll, witty, and very funny illustrations capture the essence of each story from a child's point of view. . . . The beautiful layout of these pages, in which the print and pictures are perfectly at ease with one another, invites confident new readers as well as adults for reading aloud."

Anna Biagioni Hart
School Library Journal, January 1987, v. 33

Connections:
Have students turn tales into fractured tales or reader's theater scripts.

Have students use text details to draw scenes from stories.

Compare similar characters from different tales. For example, use the foxes found in "Johnny Cake," "Chicken Licken," and "The Fox and the Stork." What traits do the foxes have in common? How do they differ? What does this tell us about humans' views of foxes?

Use longer tales to practice finding plot elements: setting, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Draw and illustrate a plot map.

Genre 1: My Friend Rabbit

My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann
Roaring Brook Press, 2002
ISBN 1-59643-080-X

Summary:
Mouse and Rabbit manage to get their plane stuck in the branches of a tree. Well meaning Rabbit rounds up an entire zoo-load of animals to rescue the plane via somewhat unconventional means. Despite the inevitable disaster created by Rabbit's rescue plan, Mouse accepts his friend's shortcomings, and in the true spirit of friendship, saves him from the angry animals. Predictably, because "whatever he does, wherever he goes, trouble follows," Rabbit and Mouse end up stuck again.

Critical Analysis:
The strength of My Friend Rabbit is in the illustrations. Not that the story is bad; it's simply a sweet, run-of-the-mill, predictable children's story. The illustrations are what stand out.
One of my favorite pages is when Rabbit first presents his idea for getting the plane down from the tree. The page has no text, but Mouse sits on the left watching with curiosity while Rabbit pulls the tail of what appears to be a large animal in from the right. With thick black borders around the page, the effect is almost that of an actor being pulled on stage from the wings.
The first animal is an elephant, followed by other unlikely "helpers" such as a rhinoceros, a hippo, an alligator, and a family of ducks. Rohmann unexpectedly turns the illustrations vertical across both pages (requiring the reader to turn the book) to show the entire animal ladder. The potential kinetic energy of all that stacked animal flesh coincides with the climax of the story when Rabbit has another one of his misguided ideas.

Review Excerpts:
A simple story about Rabbit and Mouse, who, despite Rabbit's penchant for trouble, are friends. When Rabbit launches his toy airplane (with Mouse in the pilot seat at takeoff) and it gets stuck in a tree, he convinces his friend that he will come up with a plan to get it down. He does so by stacking animals on top of one another (beginning with an elephant and a rhinoceros) until they are within reach of the toy. The double-page, hand-colored relief prints with heavy black outlines are magnificent, and children will enjoy the comically expressive pictures of the animals before and after their attempt to extract the plane. The text is minimal; it's the illustrations that are the draw here.

Kristin de Lacoste

School Library Journal, May 2002, Vol. 48, Issue 5

Connections:

• Caldecott Medal Winner
• Why does the author repeat the line, "Whatever he does, wherever he goes, trouble follows"? Do you know anyone like that?
• Why do you think the illustrator drew parts of the illustrations off the page?
• Write a continuation of the story: how will Rabbit and Mouse get down this time?
• Writing prompts: Write about a time you were able to help a friend or a time when a plan you made did not work out the way you expected.

Genre 1: Yo! Yes?

Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka
Orchard Books, 1993
ISBN 0-531-07108-1

Summary:
Two boys of different cultures negotiate their way to friendship using fewer than 20 words.

Critical Analysis:
Chris Raschka manages to convey both the vulnerability and power kids feel when they make new friends using only a few words, some well-chosen punctuation marks, and illustrations of the main characters without any background.
The drawings are somewhat stereotypical: an outgoing African-American boy dressed in basketball clothes and a shy, nerdy Anglo boy wearing his pants pulled up too high. The stereotypes bothered me until both characters displayed the uncertainty that is natural when attempting to be accepted by a potential friend. At that point I ceased looking at the outside and could see the inside, which, I suppose, is the message Raschka is trying to present.

Review Excerpts:
"Once or twice the dialogue seems less than natural ('What's up? Not much. Why? No fun'), but overall, there's a novel's worth of drama in these exchanges, and Raschka's charcoal and watercolor characters pop with longing and vitality. The African-American kid is hip-hop cool, with posture that reveals the vulnerability beneath his exuberance; the little white boy (who was clearly dressed by his mother) definitely needs a friend."

Sutton, Roger, reviewer

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books v. 46 (April 1993) p. 262

Raschka exhibits an appreciation of the rhythms of both language and human exchange in his deceptively simple story. The boys appear on facing pages, physically separated, until the final two pages in which they cross boundaries to choose friendship over isolation.

Parravano, Martha V., reviewer

The Horn Book v. 69 (May/June 1993) p. 323

Connections:

• Caldecott Honor Book
• Have students explore how the use of different punctuation, text color, and text size affects to the meaning.
• How does the author convey characterization with such simple drawings and so few words?
• Use as a springboard for discussing how the idea of friendship is similar or different across various cultures.
• Compare "Yo! Yes?" to other picture books with simple drawings and few words such as Mo Willems' Pigeon books.
  

Genre 1: Picture This: How Pictures Work

Picture This: How Pictures Work by Molly Bang
SeaStar Books, 2000
ISBN 1-58717-030-2

Summary:
In this book, Bang examines how element shape, color, size, and page position impacts the viewer's psychological and emotional reaction to pictures. Using the story of Little Red Riding Hood, she shows how simple shapes can convey emotion and action when color, size, and arrangement are manipulated. Every page has an example picture with Bang's commentary about how different changes in composition affect the viewer's response.

Critical Analysis:
To be truthful, I expected boring. I didn't care much about the MAKING of picture books as long as I could READ them. Molly Bang surprised me, though.
The closest type description I can think of for Picture This is a concept picture book for adults or teens about principles of art and page design.
Despite my negative pre-judgment, I was completely drawn into the book. I was drawn at first by the pictures: simple shapes in only four colors that conveyed a variety of ideas even without the text. Slight differences in pictures engaged my curiosity, compelling me to read the text to find out what Bang was trying to do when she manipulated shape, color, size, or placement of various elements.
While the text is too sophisticated for young children, the ideas, the pictures, and the exercise suggested at the end of the book would be appropriate for learners of all ages.

Review Excerpts:
"This is a playful book with a serious purpose. Most of us can describe how a painting makes us feel, but few can say why. Bang brilliantly illustrates how simple forms . . . can be active, soothing, or downright scary. She shows how color alone can change the dynamics of those forms. . . . The book contains visual surprises on every page. . . . Picture This can help child or adult visualize the ordinary with the eye of an artist."

Lombardo, Daniel J., reviewer

Library Journal v. 116 (December 1991) p. 138

"By experimenting--adding pointed teeth and a lolling tongue to the suggested visage of the wolf or tilting the trees to achieve a more menacing atmosphere--{the author} explains not merely what but how a picture means."

Burns, Mary M., reviewer

The Horn Book v. 68 (July/August 1992) p. 462

Connections:

• After reading this book, find some of the principles Bang discusses in other picture books.
• Give students instructions such as "Cut out a triangle and paste it to a page." Hang up the various results and discuss as a class which ones seem friendlier, scarier, "good" or "evil"--let the students be creative. Then show favorite pages from picture books and let students repeat the process of discovering why illustrations convey meaning and emotion.
• For older students, supply paper and scissors. Have them create pictures that identify the tone or mood of a selected passage.

Old dog, new tricks

When I graduated as a journalsim major from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1988, we had manual typewriters in the journalism lab. I'm not kidding--the old be-careful-or-your-fingers-will-get-stuck-in-the-keys manual typewriters. The lab was obviously about thirty or forty years out of date and was still a few generations away from the desktop publishing revolution taking place at the time.
Now I'm taking my master's classes completely online. I've learned a tremendous amount about finding electronic information efficiently, using various web tools, keeping up with discussion boards, and now I'm figuring out how to blog.
Talk about new tricks.
I'm afraid my novice status will be obvious, but be patient. I'll get it eventually!