"The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" by Jon Scieszka

This is one of my favorite books from when I was younger!  I really enjoyed going back and rereading it for my blog.  I like that the author decided to twist the story a little so that the wolf doesn't look bad.  Scieszka has a very interesting writing style; he uses a lot of sarcasm.  I like that his style of writing is very distinct.  I always know when I'm reading a book by him without looking at the author.  I think this would be an interesting book to read to students, paired with the original three little pigs story, to teach point of view in writing.  Students would be able to participate activly in a discussion about the differences between Scieszka's version and the original.  Students may also be interested in writing about whether they believe the wolf really was good or bad.  Each version of the story persuades readers in different ways.  It would be interesting to share what the students believe and why they side with either the wolf or the pigs!

"Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully" by Julianne Moore

I loved this book!  Although the story line is pretty unrealistic it still reminded me of days in elementary school when we would play dodgeball.  I always hated that game!  The "dodgeball bully" in this book exists in all games of dodgeball -- the one kid who is really good and stays in the entire game.  The author really made me think back to days when I was in elementary school.  I remember hating rainy days when we couldn't go outside for recess!  The pictures in this book were interesting; my favorite was the one of Freckleface Strawberry pretending to be an alien monster.  It showed Strawberry in the front with her legs bent and her arms raised in the air, and the monster was behind her in a similar position.  The inclusion of an actual monster in a similar position helped me picture what Strawberry was trying to act like.  I liked that this book was about a different aspect of school.  It focused on Early Bird, the program for children whose parents work early in the morning.  I was never one who had to go to school early but those who do would enjoy relating to this book!  I am not sure how much educational value this book had but I definitely enjoyed reading it just for fun!  It's probably not one I would have in my classroom, though.

"The Best Story" by Eileen Spinelli

This was a cute book that I think many teachers would enjoy reading to their students.  It's about a girl who decides to enter a contest to write the "best" story.  She consults her family and friends and they all tell her different things that make up a good story.  Because the girl doesn't believe the story is ever "just right" she rewrites it so that it comes from her own heart.  I think this book sends a good message to students -- that there isn't one thing that makes a good book.  A good book is one that you are proud of and that comes from your heart.  I really enjoyed reading this book because it reminded me of when I was younger and I entered different writing contests.  My favorite stories that I wrote were ones that I was able to choose the toipc and the words and pictures just poured out.  After I got started it was difficult to stop writing!

Glogster

Here's my glog!

Haley's Glog: Kevin Henkes

"Olive's Ocean" by Kevin Henkes

This was a great book about two girls named Olive Barstow and Martha Boyle.  Although you never actually talk to Olive in the story, the reader gets a good sense of who she was.  I loved this book and found it very difficult to actually put it down once I started reading.  The chapters are very short so it turns into a quick read.  I liked the combination of suspense, drama and romance all wrapped into one book.  I think it is meant more for female readers but I could see boys enjoying it too.  The message was clear and simple, making this an enjoyable book to read.  In the classroom it would be interesting to use this book and lead discussions based on morals, death, honesty and imagery.  I liked that Henkes incorporated popular childhood milestones and realities, just like he does in his children's picture books.  This is probably a novel for upper elementary-aged students because of its reading level and because it has some profanity and sexual references.  I think that overall this is a great book about adolesents and dealing with situations that often arise throughout childhood.  I loved this book!

"Wemberly Worried" by Kevin Henkes

This book does a great job of dealing with a normal childhood habit: worrying.  Many children worry about various things: their parents leaving, strange noises, starting a new school; and they all have the comforts that help them get past their worrying.  I think this book does a great job of showing how many children worry about their first day of school, but that it will turn out good in the end.  They aren't the only one who is worrying!  I liked the page in the book that was full of Wemberly's worries.  They were all written in a different size of font and they got bigger as the concerns held more importance.  Many of Henkes' books highlight habits that children face throughout their early years.  This one looked at starting school -- one of the biggest moments of children's lives.  I remember when I was little I was always so scared to start a new school year.  I usually was just worried about what friends were in my class and if my teacher was nice or not.  This book really made me look back and relate to my past as a child, and I think many other readers would find themselves doing the same thing as they read.  Overall this is a great book that really portrays the feelings of children.

"Owen" by Kevin Henkes

This was a cute story about a mouse named Owen who doesn't want to give up his treasured blanket.  I think that anyone who remembers their treasured childhood item could relate to and enjoy this book.  Many of Henkes' books involve mice as main characters.  This is one that especially captures a milestone childhood moment.  Owen received the Caldecott Honor Award.  I think it deserved the award because of its cute and uplifting story, colorful illustrations and useful message to children.  Parents could read this book to their children when they're trying to get rid of their blanket or other item that is inseperable with their child.  My favorite part of this book were the little things that show what Owen is saying in the illustrations.  They are cute and add a personal touch to the rest of the story!

"Lilly's Big Day" by Kevin Henkes

This was an adorable picture book.  It is the story of Lilly, a mouse, who has dreamed of bring a flower girl.  When she finds out her teacher is getting married, she is asked to be the flower girl's assistant.  Originally crushed, she ends up thoroughly enjoying her responsibility and becomes friends with the flower girl.  This book had colorful pictures and the topic really caught my interest.  It doesn't seem to me like there are many books out there about little girls wanting to be flower girls.  Although this is not typical of all girls when they're children, I think it would appeal to those who do have that dream.  Henkes placed the text in a unique way on each page.  Whether it was lines separated and placed all over the page, or just a simple paragraph, the text caught my eye and focused my attention more on the story line.  Overall this unique children's book was cute and I really enjoyed reading it!

"A Good Day" by Kevin Henkes

This was another very simple book, geared towards early readers.  The print on each page is very large and the pictures are simple but eye-catching.  I liked that the book started out as "a bad day" and turned to "a good day."  It shows children that even if things aren't going well, they can always turn around and end up well in the end.  I think that children would enjoy reading this book because it has a happy ending.  I also think that a lot of kids like reading books with animals as the main characters, so they would appreciate that about this book.  A Good Day is a newer book, published in 2007, but has an "old" feel to it.  I think that this may repel some readers who choose books based on their looks, but I think this quality makes the book look more interesting.  It gives it an antique feel, one that students probably don't experience much with so much emphasis on reading newer books.  Overall this is an interesting and simple book for younger readers!

"Clean Enough" by Kevin Henkes

This was a simple book about a boy who takes a bath and the things he does while in the tub.  I thought this book was good but it didn't really catch my attention very much.  I can see how children may enjoy it because they probably goof off in the bathtub too, but I saw little educational value in it.  The pictures were not very vivid, but that is probably because it was published in 1982.  As one of Henke's earlier books I can see how his style has changed a lot as he has grown as an author.  His early writing is very simple and appeals to younger readers.  Overall this was an OK book, but probably not one I would recommend to others.

Reflection

I have really enjoyed Children's Literature this semester.  I have found it to be an interesting class that does a great job of exposing new literature.  I like doing the reading blog a lot.  It takes a good amount of time each week, but I think it's going to be a great resource when I am a teacher.  I like that some weeks we have a certain genre to concentrate on while other weeks we are free to explore whatever books we want.  I enjoy having assigned novels to read as well because the discussions in class really help me picture how a discussion could go in my future classroom.

I also really like doing the genre project.  My group did information books, a topic I am not very familiar with.  I learned so much when researching and reading these types of books.  I learned that as a teacher I need to know a lot about many different genres in order to inform my students and encourage them to explore different ones.  I also really liked being able to access the handouts from other groups because they will be very valuable once I have my own classroom.

I think it would be interesting to do some type of book group in future semesters.  During this activity, students could choose from a variety of books and be in a group with others who chose the same one.  Meeting with the group a couple times and discussing the issues present and questions that the readers had would be useful because in many classrooms there are literature groups who do similar tasks.  It's just an idea, and I think students would enjoy doing it! :)

Overall I think this semester has gone great so far and I'm excited for what the second half has to offer.  Viewing everyone's "glogs" about the author/poet/illustrator study will be really fun I think.  Learning about how to encorporate technology is important because most of us will have the opportunity to do so when we become teachers!

"The Misfits" by James Howe

This book was interesting to me because it brought out a lot of issues students deal with when they're in middle school/junior high.  I liked it a lot because I was able to relate to it.  I remember all the different "groups" in middle school and how everyone seemed to find which one fit them best.  My favorite character was Addie, because she was very opinionated and she reminded me of one of my friends in 7th grade.  The whole time I was reading I felt like I was really getting to know the characters personally and was cheering for them to win the election.  It really surprised me in the end when they ended up loosing, but I also kind of liked that everything didn't work out perfectly.  Howe's writing style was interesting and it helped me understand the characters better.  He did a great job of capturing the reader's interest and making them feel like a member of the Gang of Five.  Overall I think this was a great book and I could definitely see myself using it in my classroom.  I understand the controversy around it but I believe that it's important for students to read literature such as this to understand what other students are going through and how it is usually very easy to relate to those who are different from you.

"The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss

This controversial book is a metaphor for the environment and its destruction to produce goods. I think this book serves as a good example of an extreme environment in which there has been too much "biggering". Many students may not understand the repercussions of cutting down trees and producing goods in factories. This book could be used during a science lesson that investigates smog or pollution. I think it helps describe/talk about environmental destruction without making it too much of a touchy subject. It helps that the Lorax and the Tuffula Trees are metaphors. Children can appreciate the topic while enjoying the book and learning about the effects of human impact on the environment. Teachers could do a lesson during which The Lorax is read aloud to the students, then they write responses and come up with solutions to the problem. This could stem out to create a 'school grounds clean up' initiative that the students take part in. Overall, I believe that this is a valuable book about the history of our environment and it could be used in several different ways. It is one that I definitely wouldn't have a problem with having in my classroom.

"Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" by William Steig

I chose to read this book because I saw it on a Controversial Books list; however, after I read it I was unsure as to what may have been found as controversial in it. After researching a little bit about people's opinions of the book, I found that the conversy lies in that the police men are portrayed as pigs. I do not believe that this is an issue because all the characters in the book are animals. When looking to the meaning of Steig's choice to use pigs to illustrate police officers, I think you need to look at the context and the rest of the story. Because this is a book that mainly focuses on Sylvester and the pebble that grants his wishes, I think that this is a fine book to have in the classroom. If the main characters were humans and the police were pigs, and the storyline was more focused on the police, then I could see it being controversial if this book was in my classroom. I think that the controversy must have stemmed a long time ago, as this probably wouldn't be much of an issue today. There are many, many books that portray different characters as animals and I believe reading these types of books helps widen children's imagination.

"The Story of Little Black Sambo" by Helen Bannerman

This controversial children's book is about a boy's walk in the jungle. I disliked the author's choice of words in this book, in particular that she used 'Black' in front of each character's name. Every time the boy was mentioned he was called 'little black Sambo'. I would not have this book in my classroom because it places the boy's race as part of his name. The term 'sambo' has also been viewed as a racial slur in many countries. In order to avoid the use of this word, and to avoid using the term 'black' as a name, I would not want my students reading this book. This book is very disrespectful to many people and I would not want children in my classroom to think that it's ok to call people by their race. Just as I would not approve of a book about 'little white Jerry', for example. I believe that it's important for children to learn about different races and to read literature that incorporates multicultural views, but this book doesn't include much about the culture of the characters. I think that it should not be allowed in classrooms due to its use of the terms 'black' and 'sambo' and their potential to be extremely offensive to some people.