Dragonwings by: Laurence Yep Newbery Book #3

Dragonwings by: Laurence Yep is about an eight year Chinese boy, Moon Shadow, who leaves his mother in China to join his father in California. Moon Shadow is frightened and uncertain about the journey as he has never met his father and has had heard horror stories about the 'demons' (white people). Moon Shadow meets his father and begins to form a relationship with him as well as learn about the new land he is living in. His father realizes his dream of making a flying machine with the help of Moon Shadow and sets out to make his dream come true despite the hardships.

At first, I was not impressed by the story. I found my mind drifting as I read the first chapter and had to go back to reread it. As the story developed so did my interest. It was very good and interesting to see what it was like for these people so long ago. This story would be great to use when teaching about discrimination because this story takes place in the early 1900's when Chinese immigrants were being harshly discriminated against. I am glad that I read this book, as I probably normally would have not.

Other works by Laurence Yep include:

The Butterfly Boy

The Man Who Tricked a Ghost

Tiger Woman

Auntie Tiger

The Boy Who Swallowed Snakes

Tongues Of Jade

Cockroach Cooties

Angelfish

Skunk Scout

Hiroshima

Liar, Liar

Child Of The Owl

Sea Glass

He has written a variety of novels. collections, and children's books. There are entirely to many for me to list!

Dr. Suess' Cat In The Hat and The Lorax

Dr. Suess is one of my favorite authors and I still enjoy reading his stories to my students. I am not familiar with other books that present the tension that is presented in the Cat In The Hat. I have read somewhere that authors are sometimes reluctant to use tension as they are afraid children will not like it. I, on the other hand, see how tension could create that excitement and the curiosity to find out what happens. I am sure that there are other books out there that do just that but I am not sure which ones do. I think the tension in the Cat In The Hat makes this story a classic. It has always appealed to children and it still does. Children learn from this book that there can be too much of a good thing. The rhyme and rhythm of the text is also appealing to children. I remember reading this book to my own child for the first time. She was pulled in by the rhymes and was eager to find out if the children were going to get in trouble. I am not sure that this book will ever loose it's appeal.

The Lorax by: Dr. Suess is a book that my students also enjoy. I had never thought of it being didactic but after rereading it I see that it is. It teaches a moral story. It is conveying the message that we should care for the environment otherwise the condition of our world will deteriorate. It is not unusual for children's book to be didactic. Most of the books that I read to my class portray an underlying moral message to kids. A lot of the time it is a message that is embedded within the story.

I have always had a love for the Dr. Suess. I will continue to love his work and I hope to encourage other readers to love his work as well!

The Tales Of Uncle Remus: The Adventures Of Brer Rabbit

The Tales of Uncle Remus by: Julius Lester were compiled to tell the stories of Joel Chandler Harris. These stories are the largest collection of Afro-American folktales that have been written and published. In this collection of tales readers meet Brer Rabbit and are taken on many adventures with him. They are funny and are written in a voice that allows readers to visualize what is going on.

This book was one of the first books that I checked out at the library but one of the last that I read. I kept pushing it aside as the cover was not very appealing. I also wondered how it could be very good as it told various tales about the same characters but there are not illustrations to go along. I judged the book by it's cover. I was pleasantly surprised. I did not even notice that there were not illustrations. The use of the dialect helped me paint vivid images in my mind. I even believe my students would enjoy listening to these folktales.

Other books by Julius Lester include:

To Be A Slave

Let's Talk About Race

A Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue

John Henry

Pharaoh's Daughter: A Novel of Ancient Egypt

Guardian

Sam and the Tigers: A New Telling of Little Black Sambo

Cupid: A Tale of Love and Desire

Shining

And All Our Wounds Forgiven

Time's Memory

Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales

From Salve Ship to Freedom Road

When Dad Killed Mom

Lovesong: Becoming A Jew

Charlotte's Web by: E.B. White Book vs. Movie

Charlotte's Web by: E.B. White is just one of those stories that everyone falls in love with. It begins with a little girl named Fern that rescues a pig runt, Wilbur, from being killed. She cares and loves this runt until he is too big to care for any longer. Wilbur is then sent to a farm to live. Wilbur befriends a spider, Charlotte, and learns that soon it will be time for him to be sent off to the market. With Charlotte's help Wilbur becomes a famous pig and his life is spared.

I read the book and then viewed the movie. I enjoyed both very much. There is very little difference between the two. There have been many cartoons and movies based on the book. I viewed the one from 2006 that was directed by Gary Winick. The animals were very realistic in this movie. I really cannot choose between the book or movie. They both hold so much charm and I enjoyed both.

While viewing the movie and reading the book I was reminded of my own childhood. Charlotte's Web was a favorite of mine then and I remember watching the cartoon version over and over. This is a movie that I intend on adding to my collection at home as I know my children will love it as much as I do.

Because of Winn Dixie by: Kate DiCamillo Book vs. Movie

Because of Winn Dixie by: Kate DiCamillo is about a 10 year old girl named Opal. Opal has just moved to Naomi, Flordia with her preacher father. She is not only tryign to make friends but has so many unanswered questions about her mother. She left when Opal was 3 and her father has told Opal very little about her. On an errand to the local Winn Dixie, Opal meets an ugly, large, homeless dog that she immediately befriends. Opal's father agrees that she can keep him. Together the pair begins to make friends. They befriend Otis, the exconvict, Miss Franny, the local librarian, and Miss Gloria Dump, the old lady that all the kids believe is a witch. With Winn Dixie at her side, Opal, learns many lessons about friendship, love, forgiveness, and tolerance. She esyablishes a relationship with her father that she has ever known and learns more about her mother. The love of this dog helps her accomplish so much.

I did enjoy the movie yet it did not touch me as the book did. I read this book as a little girl and enjoyed reading this time as much as I did then. The movie and book differed slightly. They left several parts from the book out of the movie. The order of events in the book also slightly differed in the movie. The movie does not do the book justice.

This book makes me think about my dog, Princess, that I had as a young girl. She was a very special dog to our whole family and my very best friend. Although she did not go everywhere with me, like Winn Dixie did with Opal I think that we also also held a special bond.

Coretta Scott King Award- Rosa by: Nikki Giovanni

Rosa by: Nikki Giovanni is a story that summarizes the Rosa Parks story and tells of how that event leads to the Civil Rights Movement. It begins by introducing the reader to Rosa. In the first few pages, it tells readers that Rosa is a seamstress and her husband is a barber. It then proceeds to tell the story of Rosa Parks and how she refused to move from her seat on the bus. From there, the story expands and explains the role of the Women's Political Council, Martin Luther King Jr, and the marches that were held. The story concludes by telling the reader that November of 1956 the Supreme Court decided that segregation was illegal not only in schools but on buses as well.

I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book. They are very beautiful. Unfortunately, I was not as excited about the text. It uses kid friendly terms but the flow of the book was confusing. I had to double check several times to be sure I had not skipped a page. I wonder if it would have the same effect on children?

Newbery #2 Penny From Heaven by: Jennifer L. Holm

Penny From Heaven by: Jennifer L. Holm was surprisingly wonderful! I picked it up at the local library just for blogging purposes. I normally would not have chosen it as the cover is not aesthetically pleasing. The story is about a 11 year old girl, Penny Falucci, that lives with her mother and grandparents. Penny's father died when she was just a baby and Penny is frustrated that no one ever talks about him including her father's side of the family. Penny's father has a gigantic Italian family that plays a large part in Penny's life. Penny does not understand why her mother and her father's family are so segregated. It isn't until Penny is involved in a horrible accident that she finds out the truth about her father. The book is full of emotion - humor, tragedy, love, and sadness.

After reading the author's notes at the end I learned that this story was inspired by Holm's own family. I found that to be interesting and loved that people such as the characters in the story actually existed. In a way, this story reminds me of my own family. We have also been through trying times that have torn us apart but in the end has brought us closer together. This was truly a great read and I look forward to reading other books by this author.