Holes by: Louis Sachar - Movie vs. Book

Holes by: Louis Sachar is about a boy, Stanley Yelnats, that is sentenced to a juvenile detention camp for a crime that he did not commit. Stanley swears that he has bad luck thanks to a curse that is placed on his great-great grandfather. At this camp Stanley and the other boys are forced to dig 5 foot deep and 5 foot wide holes everyday. The heat is unbearable and it never rains. Stanley finally learns why the warden forces them to dig holes...she is searching for something. Three separate stories are intertwined and reveal the curse and the reason for the holes.

I really enjoyed the book. I remember when it first came out and how it was a big deal. I always wondered what all the fuss was about. It was an exciting read. I enjoyed trying to make connections between the three stories and figuring out the secrets. I can see how this book would intrigue the curiosity of students.

I enjoyed the movie as well. I watched it with my family and my husband was pleasantly surprised. There were several differences in the movie. First of all, Stanley was portrayed as overweight in the book and was very slim in the movie. The beginning and ending also differed slightly. I did like that Stanely's friend, Zero was reconnected with his mother at the end. Although there were differences, it did not take away from the plot. I was concerned that the movie would be a bit confusing because of the 3 stories that are intertwined but they did a wonderful job of portraying them all. My husband (he has not read the book) was easily able to make the connections.

Although I enjoyed the movie I did prefer the book. As always, the book allowed me to imagine things in my head and provided me with more detail. I am glad I found out what all the fuss was about. It was very enjoyable and I am looking forward to recommending it to students and adults!

Newbery #1 Rules by: Cynthia Lord

Rules by: Cynthia Lord was unlike any story I have read. It is about a girl named, Catherine and her autistic brother, David. Catherine loves her brother but has conflicting feelings about his disabilty. She is embarrassed by it and feels that her parents neglect her. Her way of coping is creating "Rules" to live by for David. These are common sense rules ("No toys in the fish tank" or "If you can only choose one, pick carefully") that she hopes one day David will remember and follow. She makes friend with Krisiti, the girl that moves next door and is afraid how she will react to her brother's behavior. It isn't until Catherine meets Jason, a non-verbal parapelgic, that she begins to feel at peace with the differences that she sees in her brother. Jason's friendship begins to make her question what is normal.

This book would be ideal for children that are experiencing the same situation. It would also be great for children that are not in the same situation. It allows readers to learn about living as a sibling of someone with autism. So often, the feelings of the siblings are forgotten about because they are not the one with the disability.

I loved this book. The author chose the perfect words to tell this story. As I read the story, the text created vivid images for me. I also was amused by David's repeating of the stories of Frog and Toad. For me, it portrayed that there was a bond between Catherine. She would always answer David with a line from his beloved story. I cannot wait to start suggesting it to students!

Caldecott Book #5 No, David! by: David Shannon

No, David! by: David Shannon really makes me smile. It is about a rambunctious little boy named David. David's mother is constantly telling him no because of the choices he makes. He drags mud through the house, chews with his mouth open, streaks through the neighborhood, and breaks mom's vase. Although he is not the "perfect" little boy, his mom hugs him tight and tells him she loves him at the end. The illustrations are great! Although there are very few words in the story, the pictures help young readers understand what is happening. The illustrations are very humorous!

David reminds me of my little brother. He was a handful and always creating havoc in our household as a child. He liked to torture the cat, eat the dog's food, and destroy anything he came into contact with. This story makes me smile because it reminds me of the little boy that my little brother once was (he's now 24 years old). I really like the message that is portrayed at the end. David's mother loved him even though he was not perfect.

Children really enjoy this story. It has become a favorite in my classroom year after year. My classroom copy is actually beginning to fall apart because of the frequent reads. I am hoping to add more books from David Shannon's to my collection. I know my students will love them as well.

Newbery vs. Caldecott

The Newbery and Caldecott Awards are given annually and are the most prestigous childrens' book awards given. One award is not better than the other. The Newbery award is given for the literature or the text of the book. The Caldecott award is given for the illustrations of the book. Both awards are given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.

For more information on either award please visit the American Library Association website at: http://www.ala.org/

John Henry illustrated by: Jerry Pinkney

John Henry by: Julis Lester and illustrated by: Jerry Pinkney is a tale about a man named John Henry. John Henry was a miraculous beginning at birth. The day after he was born John Henry helped his daddy add a wing onto the houseand and chopped down an acre of trees. The story continues to tell how he grew big, strong, and fearless in no time at all. John's biggest achievement was winning a contest that consisted of him breaking through a mountain so that a railroad could go through it. He beat a steam drill and this contest cost him his life. After he finished hammering he fell to the ground and died. The people that was there realized from what had happened that " Dying ain't important. Everybody does that. What matters is how well you do your living." This story made me think of Paul Bunyan. The way that he grew and was strong resembles Paul Bunyan.

The illustrations by Jerry Pinkney are wonderful. I spent a great deal of time studying the illustrations as I read the story. There is a full two page spread of the mountain and I was amazed by all the detail Pinkney had provided. It was as if images were inside of other images. It was sort of like trying to find Waldo. There was so much to look at and I was surprised many times when I found an image I did not even know was there.

Other books Jerry Pinkney has illustrated include:

The Patchwork Quilt (written by Valerie Flournoy)
The Tales of Uncle Remus (written by Julius Lester)
Mirandy and Brother Wind (written by Patricia McKissack)
The Talking Eggs (written by Robert D. San Souci)
Half a Moon and One Whole Star (written by Crescent Dragonwagon)
Pretend You're a Cat (written by Jean Marzollo)
The Man Who Kept His Heart in a Bucket (written by Sonia Levitin)
Tonweya and the Eagles and Other Lakota Tales (written by Rosebud Yellow Robe)
Back Home (written by Gloria Jean Pinkney)
I Want to Be (written by Thylias Moss)
The Sunday Outing (written by Gloria Jean Pinkney)
Sam and the Tigers (written by Julius Lester)
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman (written by Alan Schroeder)
The Hired Hand (written by Robert D. San Souci)
Drylongso (written by Virginia Hamilton)
Black Cowboy, Wild Horses (written by Julius Lester)
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (written by Rudyard Kipling)
Aesop's Fables
The Ugly Duckling (written by Hans Christian Andersen)

The Best Bad Thing by: Yoshiko Uchida

I really enjoyed the book The Best Bad Thing by: Yoshiko Uchida. It is about a young Japanese American girl named Rinko. Rinko just knows that her summer will be ruined because her parents have asked her to spend the last part of her summer helping Mrs. Hata. Mrs. Hata is a widowed friend of her parents' that Rinko has found to be a little crazy. By the end of the summer, Rinko changes her mind about the situation and finds it to be the best bad thing that has happened to her. She learns a valuable lesson - people are not always what they seem to be and that bad things can turn into the best things.

The story's setting was set in California in the 1930's around the time that a lot of Japanese immigrants were coming to America in hopes of finding fortunes. It shows the cultural differences and illustrates the prejudices that the Japanese culture was facing in America at that time. It not only portrays a great message to readers to accept others and that bad things can turn into good things but it also provides them with an insight into history and diversity.

I think I enjoyed this book because of the insight it gave me into that time period. I was able to see how the Japanese culture lived and interacted with one another. It was an easy read and held very many surprising events.

Books of Yoshiko Uchida also include:

Journey to Topaz

Jar of Dreams

The Sea of Gold: And Other Tales From Japan

The Birthday Visitor

Sumi and the Goat and the Tokyo Express

Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family

Takao and Grandfather

Picture Bride: A Novel

The Invisible Thread: An Autobiography

Picture Bride: A Novel

Caldecott Book #4- Color Zoo by:Lois Ehlert

Color Zoo by: Lois Ehlert is a 2009 Caldecott Honor book and is an award winner in my household as well! Rylee, my daughter, and I went to the public library this week so that I could check out some books for my blog. I told her that she could also get some books for our nightly bedtime stories. Not only did she go crazy with collecting books but she came carrying Color Zoo to me. I was thrilled to see that she had found a book that I could use! We have already read this book several times and I see that I am probably going to have to purchase it because she adores it. The colors in it are bright and grabs the readers' attention. Rylee's favorite thing is the animals. It is a fun concept - the book begins with a layer of shapes. The shapes on each page make an animal. As the reader turns the page it takes a layer away and reveals a different animal. It was a great reinforcement for my daughter as we have been working on learning shapes this summer. I can even see using this book in my classroom when we learn about plane shapes. This book has encouraged me to check out more of Lois Ehlert's work. I hope to find them to be attention grabbing and fun just like Color Zoo!

Caldecott Book #3 - Click, Clack Moo Cows That Type by: Doreen Cronin

Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by: Doreen Cronin is a fun story. It all begins when Farmer Brown's cows begin typing him letters with demands that are ridiculous. Farmer Brown answers their demands with letters of his own. This leads into the cows going on strike and the ducks are even brought in on the action.

I first read this story just a few months ago when I used it to create a webquest for a literacy class. I read it and knew it would be perfect for the project. I grew up on a farm and will always be a farm girl at heart. As a little girl, I would always talk to our farm animals and secretly wished they would talk back to me. I wonder what they would have said? Needless to say the project became fun for me (I had been dreading it) because I enjoyed the story so much. I was very anxious to share the webquest with my students and we had fun completing it together.

I also recently read some of Doreen Cronin's other books and found them to be amusing as well. Other books include Duck For President, Diary of a Worm, and Diary of a Spider. They are witty and very entertaining for both children and adults!

Caldecott Book #2 - My Friend Rabbit by: Eric Rohman

My Friend Rabbit by: Eric Rohman is about a little rabbit that gets into trouble. His friend, the mouse, is telling the story from his point of view. Rabbit's trouble begins because he throws his toy airplane into a tree. Rabbit has an idea that only leads to more trouble. Once his airplane problem is solved, Rabbit only continues to cause trouble.

I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book. They are very colorful and allow readers to understand what is happening in the story. It is a great read for beginning readers as there are very few words. The illustrations do an amazing job of telling the story.

As I was reading this story, I had many ideas pop into my head as to how I could incorporate this book into my classroom. I could ask my studens to infer about what is happening on the text free pages by using the illustrations. It could also be used to make predictions about what will happen next. This book could also be used to teach sequencing. I could even have students write about how they would solve Rabbit's problem. It could also be used in the classroom to teach the message to be patient with others. Students can relate to this. They can see that although some people cause us trouble by the things that they do, they may actually mean well and to be patient with them. What a great message to pass along to young students and their teachers!

Caldecott Book #1 -Olivia By: Ian Falconer

Olivia by: Ian Falconer is such an amusing read! This book introduces young readers to the main character, Olivia. Olivia is a rambunctious, quirky, imagaintive little pig that mimics behaviors seen in small children. She occupies herself in this story by dealing with her pesky little brother, building sandcastles, trying to work her way out of naps, drawing on walls, and reading bedtime stories with her Mommy. It's hard not to be drawn into this book!

This book is appealing to everyone in my family. I love this book as does my 3 year old daughter, Rylee and my husband. Our copy is actually beginning to fall apart as it is often the book that is chosen for our bedtime story. We always laugh when we read the part about Olivia not wanting to take a nap. Rylee finds herself in the same situation when it is her naptime. She is also amused when Olivia draws on the wall and is placed in time out. This part of the story almost always takes us into a discussion about the time that Rylee got into trouble for drawing on the door. The book is just so likeable because the author is able to relate to children in this wondorous way through Olivia and her experiences. It's funny, imaginative, and everything that a small child wants in a story!

We have purchased and read only one other Olivia book and love it as well. In this book, Olivia helps with Christmas, Mr. Falconer does not disappoint and brings Olivia alive in this story as she celebrates Christmas with her family. I look forward to reading more of the Olivia books and sharing them with my daughter. This little pig has already created fond memories for my entire family!