Nappy Hair By Carolivia Herron

This controversial picture book points out that black people have hair that can be nappy. The cover of the book has a young black girl who is looking up at her dark hair with the title "Nappy Hair" written in white to stand out. The background is red, which compliments the dark color of her hair. The endpaper is white and has a picture of the young girl skipping along withe the title colored with primary colors. The story begins with an old man stating that the story happened at a backyard party. I thought this to be helpful for me as a reader to think that this was a "true story" and that young black girls go through situations similar to the one in the book. The illustrations have very little white in them, the sky is even a bright colored orange and sometimes purple. I think that the illustrator did this because the people in the book are of black skin and the orange goes well with brown. Because the story took place at a backyard picnic, there are two different fonts in the book. One font is what the family says to the girl, and the other is the girls response. If I were to read this book to my class, I think it would be a good way to the students to get involved by staying the young girls response. I think that this book shows that everyone is different, include their hair and it is okay. This book could teach a lesson that looks and images are not important and sometimes it is out of a persons control, like the girls hair. I think it was a happy ending because the young girl was proud of her uniqueness and dealt with the fact that she had nappy hair.

Friends from the Other Side By Gloria Anzaldua

This controversial book has a unique approach to incorporating another culture and language more then any of the other diversity picture books I have read. The cover has an image of a young girl standing with her arms crossed. Her face looks like she is staring off into the distance. She is standing near a tree and wildlife that is looking in the same direction as the young girl. The background is mainly yellow colored and the title is written in purple. I believe it shows intention is placed on the individual more then the title because of the small font. The end papers are of a solid bright blue color that matches the blue jeans of the girl on the cover. The illustrations are colored in colored pencil, which makes it very informal because there are a lot of white spaces between each colored line. I think that the illustrator did this one purpose because it makes it more "kid friendly" and one could think that it was written by the young girl that is a main character in the book. I liked how the English and Spanish was separated into two different paragraphs, but it makes me wonder if it draws attention to a literal separation between the two countries. I think that it is important to have the Spanish in the book because it allows for those students who do not speak English to read the book and to be able to have a connection to the characters. If I were to use this book in my classroom, I would tie it into a lesson of history and immigration rules. I think that all students would benefit on what it means to be an American citizen and what immigrants have to go through to become a legal citizen as well.

Smoky Night By Eve Bunting

This controversial book did a very good job of incorporating the illustrations into the story. The illustrations are in a collage form that makes the pages look three-dimensional. I really like the variety of color seen throughout each paper, even the endpaper is set up in collage. There is a great deal of texture in the illustrations, but it does not take away from the story because the words are typed in black that are sectioned off on top of a solid colored paper. The main characters in the book are painted in a Cubism form that reminds me of Picasso when he painted "Les Desmoiselles D'Avigon." This is because there are sharp angles and thick black lines that outline the figures. I think that it is a good story for children to read because it shows how important family is in bad situations. This family had riots going on outside there home and there house was set on fire. The young girl listened to her mom and remained brave throughout the incident. I like the page layout because the words were always on the left hand side of the page and then the illustration was on the right side. There are issues of race that young children might not understand, but it is important to introduce them to other cultures. If I were to use this book in my classroom, I would have my students create their own collage along with a story about a time they had to be brave.

White Wash By Ntozake Shange

This book shocked me the most out of all the controversial picture books. I liked the cover of the book because it foreshadowed what was going to take place. I think that for teachers and parents that do not want to talk about racial subjects they would know from the cover this was not a book for them to read to a child. The font is very realistic to what graffiti looks like, making the illustrations more reasonable. The illustrations set the tone for the book. They illustrate two black children with dark blue and purple colors behind them, this is a symbol for danger, unlike bright yellow that could represent happy and cheerful emotions. The font is also typed to look handwritten like it could be graffiti too. I like how the pictures take up most of the page, making the reader aware of what is going on to the girl visually. I was disturbed that these "Hawks" attacked a young girl calling her a "mud" person. I think that this book is for an older audience who understands that this event that took place is not appropriate. I felt sorry for the girl because she was spray painted white in the face. Racism still exists and that is why it is important to introduce the topic to students. I think that this book does a good job of having a happy ending because her classmates protect her and make her feel happy in the end. I noticed that the class was multi raced and that even the white students came to Helene-Angel's house. If I were to use this book in my classroom I would make sure that the students understand what diversity is and talk about bullying.

Fly Away Home By Eve Bunting

This "controversial" book made me feel really bad for the boy and his father. I am used to reading really positive and upbeat children's book, but this one had a different message. The cover shows the father and son sitting in an airport terminal. The two people look really sad and lonely in the illustration. I really liked the illustrations because they showed a lot of important facial details and the colors were appropriate. The emotions were not cheerful so the colors remained dull like the characters feelings. They remained upbeat about life, especially the ending because he saw a similarity to the bird that eventually escaped the airport. I like how the endpaper was plain white with no extra images drawn on them. It gives the book a serious and more mature feeling to it. I can see this book as being really controversial for parents that do not want to teach their children about how it is for struggling parents. They want to teach there kids to be responsible and have a job. Being homeless is not the ideal situation for anyone, and teaching kids how to live in an airport is not something adults want children to know. I think that it is a good idea for children to read books that are diverse and teach about different ways of living. I feel that this book does open the door to conversations that are important to have with your children. I do not think that this is the type of book I would keep in my classroom. I think that it is something that parents should have at home and read with their child.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

I vaguely remember reading this book back in sixth grade. Reading it the second time, I found that I have a greater appreciation for the current society that we live in. It is strange for me to think about how much we can take for granted on a daily basis. Memory was a theme throughout the book that made me look at my life from a different lens. While reading about the strenuous training that Jonas had to go through to become the next Giver, I felt really sorry for him. It was hard to me to read about a little twelve year old going through all that pain alone, especially when he experienced war. This book seemed over my head in the beginning because I was trying to guess what was going to happen next. I think the part that made me realize that this community was unique, was when the characters had certain jobs and responsibilities depending on ones age. For example when a member of the community member turns nine they are allowed to ride bikes. I found this to as a stereotype that could relate to the life that we live in. There are certain standards that one must upheld or they are seen as out of the norm. Being able to talk, walk, and read are some of the characteristics that parents find important to be able to do at a certain age. It is almost as if we are assigned to be able to do things on a timely fashion too. In our school system we expect students to be able to read in first grade and write in cursive handwriting by forth grade. It is almost the same thing that the characters in the book had to go through. I have mixed feelings about how it would be to live in that community. In the book it mentions that when one turns eight they are allowed to wear sweaters with small buttons and pockets (Lowry 45). They are also no mirrors in this society. I thought about how much easier people would have not having to worry about what they look like. In todays society, there is so much pressure put on people to look and dress a certain way. Because all of the members are assigned a "uniform" of what to wear, I think that it is one's characteristics that matter, not their image. I feel that young adults can learn a lot from this book. It allows the reader to think about their life in a different way and appreciate both pain and happiness. If I were to use this book in my classroom I would have my students keep a personal journal while reading so they could reflect on the events and how it made them feel.

Mr. Mosquito Put on His Tuxedo- Barbara Olenyik Morrow

The title, Mr. Mosquito Put on His Tuxedo reminded me of watching Bugs Life, James and the Giant Peach, and other stories that have talking insects. I thought that it was clever for the illustrator to draw the insects all dressed up in their formal attire standing on a red colored surface. It is as if the mosquitoes are walking the red carpet at the Oscars. I think that the color choices on the cover were good because it allows for the black to pop out. The red lettering on top of the blue background is also a good compliment. The back of the book has a picture of a medal, which the readers find out at the end is an award given to the hero insect. I think that this was a creative addition to the exterior of the picture book. The endpaper is a very bright red which grabbed my attention right away. I felt that the illustrations were very appropriate for the style of the storyline. The font of the lettering was helpful for teachers if they were to read the book aloud to their class. There are words that are enlarged and/or in italics to emphasis specific parts of the book. I think that the illustrations were very well done. The colors and size of the insects are very appropriate, it makes the reader believe in this fantasy world of insects. I would use this book in my classroom for grades first-forth.

For Sale: One Brother- P. Stren

The audience for this book is for girls who have other siblings, mainly younger brothers. It is clear from the title that this little girl does not want to live with her brother anymore. The illustrator draws in the perspective of this little girl who is the narrator. Molly starts off talking like she is writing in her journal. The format of the book is set up like a notebook with a handmade drawing of Molly's above or below the text. The illustrations play a large role in this picture book. I felt myself paying less attention to the story then the images. The images were made out of markers and pen, but are very bright in color. The images also have labeling and dialog within them. I found this to be helpful to have words, but it was also a big distraction. The images were very realistic and I could see other young girls being able to relate to the story. The endpaper was also patterned like her illustrations, allowing the reader to get a sense of how elaborate the drawings are going to be. I would recommend this book for younger girls that are interested in art. I think that they would really enjoy the many bright illustrations. There is a happy ending for all the girls to think about who have arguments with their younger brothers. I think that those students of an older age who understand you can not sell a person will think that the book is funny.

Henry and Mudge (The First Book) - Cynthia Rylant

This level two read together book is decked out in dog bones, including the outline of the title. One can tell from the cover that this book is going to tell a story about a little boy and his dog. The illustration on the cover page gives the reader an visualization of what is going to occur. I really like the simple art because it makes it seem as if the young child was the illustrator. The red colored boarder adds a pleasant visual to the overall book, I wish that the endpapers were this color also. The inside of the dust jacket has a nice little dog bone, I feel that this was a good addition to the page. There is not a lot of detail in the pictures and the typography is standard Arial 14 point font. I think that the author and illustrator did this on the sole purpose to make the book seem really informal. The story has a good message in the end that places more importance on the meaning of the book, instead of what it looks like. The pictures are placed at different parts on each page, making it visually appealing. On page 30, the illustrator decided to use the same picture as the cover. I feel that this was a good idea because it ties the entire book together. Page 38 is the only page that has no text, only an image and it is of Henry and Mudge. I think that this shows symbolism and is an excellent touch. On the back cover sleeve there are photos of the author and illustrator. I like how the pictures include the women with their pets. If I were to include this book in my classroom, I would have my students write a story about a pet and have them draw a picture of them with their pet.

The Day the Picture Man Came-Faye Gibbons

The main character in the book is a young redheaded girl who has freckles. She is not comfortable with her image, she prefers how her older sister looks. I think that other girls could relate to Emily Howard and her not so good day. From the looks of the cover, one would think that the book would be focused on school picture day because that is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of taking pictures. There is a dog on the cover along with the photography so I knew that this book was going to be different from my picture taking experiences. I think that the endpaper color was a good choice. I like the green because it reminds be of nature, similar environment to where the setting takes place in the picture book. The characters in the book look old fashion in the illustrations. I like how the words do not overlap any of the illustrations. The pictures are either above or below the text. The text is the same font throughout the book, making the focus be placed on the characters and their actions. I think that the story had a good storyline for those families who live on farms or have a lot of animals. The internal design at the end of the book was creative having the photos taken by the photographer in black and white coloring. I think that the wording in the book was at a reading level for grades second-forth. If I was to use this book in my classroom I would do a photography unit.

The Jade Stone-Caryn Yacowitz

This Chinese folktale has realistic images that were painted in ink and water color. I really like that the paper was homemade rice paper, making the book seem more realistic. Being my first folktale book for this class, I have nothing to compare it to, but I think that it was well written. I feel that it was to the authors advantage to add the quotes from the characters. This made it seem as if were being told in story form, like an actual folktale. The painted images assisted me while reading the story and put it in perspective of the Chinese culture. The clothing was very realistically designed in the paintings. I like the format of the paper because each page was lined up so the homemade rice paper looked like a scrip. I think that the cover and endpapers could have had more color. The dust jacket had two small images and a legible spin. The information on the front flap was an helpful introduction, along with the information in the back of the book. If I wanted to include cultural diverse stories in my classroom, I feel that this folktale would be a good choice. I would recommended for students in grades second-sixth.

Three Little Cajun Pigs By Mike Artell

I would recommend this picture book for those in grades first-sixth grade. The illustrations take up a large part of the book. The inside jacket flaps tells the audience to look for a mouse on every page. The book is mainly setup to read horizontally, but there is a vertical page also. The paper choice is appropriate being a matte finish. This matte finish allows the colors to stand out without a glossy feeling. I believe the paintings were done in watercolor, giving the illustrations a calm and warm feeling. Each illustration is designed to take up the entire page, making the pictures play a large role in this picture book. I feel that students would really relate well to this modern fantasy because they know the original fairy tale. I feel that the story teaches a good lesson that kids of all ages need to know. As a teacher, I could use this book as a read out loud. In the front on the first page of the book, there is a glossary. The book is a unique because it has some French terminology a good incentive for older students to read. On every page there is a colorful work or art, including on the Publishing page. The animals have human characteristics that add humor to the illustrations. As a classroom activity, I would have my students write their own story and have animals that run into trouble like this picture book.

The Prog Frince: A Mixed-Up Tale By C. Drew Lamm

One can tell from the cover that the little girl is not happy because of her facial expression. There is a frog laughing and sticking his tongue out at the girl. This tells the reader right away that there is something going on between those two characters before even reading the book. The end paper is navy blue which does not match the cover, but it makes the dust jacket flap standout. One the flap, there is a helpful summary of the book that explains why the picture book is a fractured version of other fairy tales. The dedication on the dedication page is unique because it is in poem form. If I were to make this into a classroom activity, I would have my students do the same. I think it is a very creative idea to have the dedication be in a poem format. The illustrations in this book are very detailed, but the colors are simple. The layout is very formal-there is a picture and text on each page. What makes the illustrations more interesting to the reader is when there are multiple pictures that break up the text on the same page. The characters in the book are dressed in old fashion clothing and the royal family illustrations revel a lot about their wealth. I think that the younger students could tell a lot about the story through the images. Even though the images are "old fashion" looking because of the clothes, I think it gives the story more of a fairy tale feeling to it.

Benny and Penny: In Just Pretend By Geoffrey Hayes

This book is a great graphic novel for younger readers. I would recommend it for students in first-forth grade. The illustrations on the cover let the reader know right away that the genre is different then the standard picture book. I found the end paper to be an unusual choice because the design was more formal then the book. However, the character in the pattern was also on the cover page to match. The novel is told through multiple "word bubbles." I really enjoyed reading the conversations between the brother and sister through the "word bubbles." I think that the reader has to know how to be logical about order when reading the story. In most cases the bubble on top of each box starts the conversation, so it is clear where to begin reading. The illustrations are done in colored pencil and is outlined in black. What makes the images interesting is their layouts on each page. The images are different sizes and are in box form. The illustrations are full of motion which makes that "boxiness" seem like the story is more fluid then what it actually is. While reading there are some words in bold print that allow for the reader to emphasis their purpose. The illustrator makes a clear distinction, usually for the reader to understand the difference between what the characters are saying, verses thinking. The distinction is made clear by the type of "word bubble." After reading this story to a group of elementary students, I could have each child make a short story that also relates to their siblings or any other similar stories to that of Benny and Penny.

Wait! No Paint! By Bruce Whatley

This book is a spin off of the original Three Little Pigs. The illustrator is very creative is his use of color because he has to make it work with the authors lines. I enjoyed the artistic aspect of the book especially on the cover with the paint brush and paint being the main focus. The book starts out very similar to the original fairy tale, but then the narrator runs out of paint. As an teacher I feel that I could use this idea in my classroom and have my students design their own pigs without the color red, like in the book. I would read the entire book out loud to my class and then have them make up their own ending and have them draw illustrations to go along with the ending. There was great attention focused on the font of the words. There are many words that are italicized in to grab the readers attention. I think that a younger audience will really like parts of this book, for example the part where the narrator split juice on the straw house. I really like that the main idea of the book is based on color and not just retelling the original fairy tale. I think that other books could be remade in a similar manner, making this book a good idea for a mini lesson in a classroom setting. The ending was my favorite, because it goes into another fairy tale (Goldilocks and the Three Bears) which was very unexpected. The last page of the book is also very creative because it ties the entire theme of the book together by having the pigs left uncolored. I think that if a student owned this book, they would want to color in the pictures themselves. Offering coloring books to younger students after they read this book would be a creative activity.

Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson

This Modern Fantasy is based off of the original Cinderella Fairly Tale. What first caught my attention was the cover. There is a picture of a loafer shoe instead of the glass slipper, which is found in the original fairy tale. The brown shoe looks very out of place on the cover decorated daintily with the title in cursive lettering. I really liked this book how it was less focused on the magic (fairy godmother and others) and was more realistic. Cinderella lives next to Cinder Edna who is a down to earth girl who likes to make casserole and make jokes when she is done with her housework. I like on the first page when introducing the two characters the images are split so the viewer can see both girls at once. The illustrator does a good job in keeping up with the images of the two girls so the reader can tell them apart. The book sends a good message that you should be yourself and to not impress anyone. Cinder Edna goes to the ball with the brown loafer shoes and falls in love with one of the princes. I thought that readers can relate because Cinder Edna takes the bus and is not a very fancy girl, unlike the fairy tale Cinderella who gets all dressed up for the ball. I think it sends a good message to readers, and that is to be yourself. I would recommend teachers to have this book as part of their classroom library along with the original fairy tale. I think that students ages 6-10 would enjoy the book.

Wayside School Is Falling Down-Louis Sachar

This is a must have book and series of books to have in a third grade classroom. The cover illustration was creativity designed to look as if the building is falling down. It is a theme that the school building is tilted sideways, and is going to fall. The inside flap of the cover has a synopsis that sets the tone of the book. The first sentence on the flap reads, “Miss Zarves teaches on the nineteenth floor. There is no nineteenth floor. There is no Miss Zarves, and you will meet her in this book.” Right away one can tell that this book is going to confuse its audience and has a sarcastic humor. The author uses humor to engage his readers into wanting to read onto the next chapter. I like how the book is formatted into short chapters. Each chapter on average is only 5 pages long which is the perfect length for younger readers who read chapter books. My second grade reading buddy has a short attention span when reading. I find this book to have chapters that are the perfect length for students to read. Because the chapters are short, students can read the book more frequently. As a teacher I expect there to be time throughout the day when students can take out a book and read to themselves for ten minutes. A book like Wayside School is Falling Down is of perfect length for students to finish a chapter during this period of time. The chapters are unique to each other and are separated by subject, making it easy to follow along. Each chapter has one picture that illustrates the character who is highlighted in the specific chapter. I found the imagery to be helpful and students would find the pictures entertaining. Because the book focuses on a school, I believe students would find this book enjoyable and could relate to some of the stories.

Cinderella’s Dress- Nancy Willard

Cinderella sliding down a staircase is not your typical Cinderella story. The cursive font and the light girly colors are the typical elements that one is used to seeing in a fairy tale book. This story is a Modern Fantasy spin-off of the original Cinderella fairy tale. The bright yellow sleeve gives the reader a feeling of happiness and hope for a happily ever after ending. The dedication page was creative because it dedicated the book to a lady “who knows a good dress when she sees one.” Reading that page started me off thinking about how this book was going to be based on dresses. The illustrations in this book were filled with a great amount of detail. Word for word what was listed in the story was found in the illustrations. If I were reading this to a class, I would have them pay attention to the images and see if they could find what the author talked about. Especially on the first page when the two magpies are sitting in their birds nest. Because this version of Cinderella has a lot of focus on dress-making I would have my students create a costume of their own. There are lessons that can be taught about reading through designing an outfit of a costume. If I were to have a unit on fairy tales, I would have my class write their own version in scrip form and then make costumes to perform for the class. By doing this, the class would have a better understanding on what the Modern Fantasy genre is.

Swimming Lessons- Betsy Jay

The cover shows a girl standing outside of the water. Most children get excited for summer because they can go to the pool and swim. Right away one can tell from the cover page that this main character does not want to swim because of the illustration. The first page of the book is colored blue and has many objects painted throughout. This sets the scene for the reader to know that this book is about swimming and pools. The illustrations are playful and filled with color, which I would recommend for grades second thru forth. On the dedication page the main character is shown holding her hand with an adult, making the reader turn the page to find out what is going to happen. The typography in the book is very different from other picture books because it is wave-like for certain words. I found this creative because it looks as it the words are being looked at in water because they have a wave characteristic. The book tells a story, but I also found the illustrations to tell another story in itself. Just from looking at the pictures the reader can tell what the little girl is thinking about. I found this to be a good idea for a class project. As a teacher, I would have my students think about a story but just draw it out instead of writing. I feel that students would really like that and could understand the importance of illustrations because they play a large role in this picture book.

Get Set! Swim! –Jeannine Atkins

On the title page there is a swim cap, goggles, and two lizard earrings. Immediately I asked myself why there were earrings with the swimming gear. The book is written for more advanced readers and includes information on different races and different income amounts. I am currently taking a human relations class and this book mentioned a great deal about the difficulties that minorities face. The illustrations are formal and include people from all racial backgrounds. I feel that the message the book sends to its audience is very important and as a teacher that is what I would focus my lesson on. Jessenia attends a school of lower income and competes in a swimming race against a school with more money. It is thought that the school with more money would win and Jessenia would lose, but that was not the case. I like how the author had characters of all races and that the illustrator drew them as such. This book sends a positive message to students that diversity is a good quality and to accept people. The lizard earrings served as a good luck charm for Jessenia. If I wanted to make a creative lesson out of this book, I would have my students make a good luck charm like Jessenia’s.

Doody Doody Moo- Doreen Cronin

Farm animals are popular characters found in many children’s books. This picture book has lower case lettering on the cover with a yellow spotlight and microphone which sets the scene for the book. Right away the reader knows that this book is going to contain talented farm animals with humanistic characteristics. The main character is the duck who’s picture can be found on the inside of the cover sleeve and on almost every page. This book has a variety of fonts and font sizes. They each serve and important purpose. If I were to read this book out loud to my class I would have the students repeat the phrases that the animals say in their sleep. The illustrations are very general and do not have a lot of detail which focuses more attention on the story. I feel that this book shows students how animals can have personalities and outsmart humans. I would recommend this book to younger students who have imaginations and believe that animals can sing and dance, similar to the ones in the book. To incorporate this book into my classroom I would read the book and have the students put on a talent show of their own.

La Rue for Mayor- Mark Teague

This book is a good way to introduce campaign trailing to students. It focuses on a dog named Ike who has aspirations to become mayor. The first thing I noticed was the red, white, and blue coloring on the cover that is designed to look like a campaign poster. This book shows children how a campaign works because there are individual letters on each page that tell the story. Ike writes letters which take up part of the page and then the rest consists of his imagination. The pictures demonstrating his imagination are images that dogs dream of in black and white coloring. I like how the illustrator kept the images that he wishes will happen if he becomes mayor in black and white, while the actual images are in color. The fonts of the words are creative because it looks as if the signs were printed by hand, making the posters look realistic. I like that there are newspaper clippings on almost every other pages that are also typed to look like it is a real article. There are many ways I could incorporate this book into my classroom. I could have mock elections in my classroom and have each student make their own election posters. I could also have each student write as if they were writing to a mayor or the president. I think that students will like how each page has an article and then a colored image that demonstrates what each article is talking about. I would recommend teachers to have this book in their classroom for young students specifically interested in elections.

Green Eggs and Ham- Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss has written a great deal of children’s book, but there is one title that stands out among all of them, Green Eggs and Ham. This book is based off of something as silly as breakfast food dyed the color green, but is made into an entire story. The rhyming is catchy and makes reading the book out loud very memorable. Because the pages were colored mainly in primary colors, the green colored ham and eggs stand out. The story is based on Sam trying to convince his friend to try a bite of the ham and eggs, but he refuses. Sam lists off multiple options of where and how he can have the food, but he refuses. Dr. Seuss takes the reader through a journey of many different environments. I think that young children with wild imaginations would really enjoy hearing about all the crazy places Sam wants his friend to eat green eggs and ham. Finally in the end, Sam’s friend tastes the food and enjoys it. This sends a positive message to readers that it is okay to try new things and to not judge something by the way that it looks. The repetition of the words is a good thing to have beginning level readers read. The rhythm and poem format could be used by teachers to expand off the idea of the book into other projects in the classroom. I like when books can be used as a theme and children can be interactive by making their own creative stories. This book and other Dr. Seuss books are a helpful tool to have in the classroom because it introduces children to poems.

The Snowy Day

This book won the Caldecott Medal and that is what first received my attention. I was happy to see an African American boy as the main character. I feel that it is important to have diversity among characters in illustrations, not just animals or people of white color. The illustrations are simple, but play a large role in the plot of the story because it is helpful for the beginning reader. I especially liked the page “crunch, crunch” because the sounds created imagery of the boy walking in the snow as the illustration included a picture of footprints in the snow. The child seemed lonely to me during the book because he was all alone. This was especially obvious when he could not participate in the snowball fight. I was happy to see in the end that he had a friend to play with. I liked how there was also a messaged tied into the story that snow melts. The boy had a snowball in his pocket and he later noticed that it disappeared. Teachable lessons seem to be a trend in books that win awards. I think that this book taught a lesson and reminded me on how excited children get when it snows.

Silly Billy

This book surprised me. It was unlike most other children’s books in the beginning because it focused on a sad and depressed personality of a child named Billy. Most children’s books are bright and colorful, but this book started off in black and white and the main character was not happy or outgoing. The illustrations were in black and white colors and turned into color when he found comfort from his parents. Grandma comes to the rescue when she gives Billy worry dolls to take his worries away. It is strange to think about children with so much fear that they cannot sleep, but it is not that uncommon. I enjoyed how Billy felt bad for his worry dolls and made them their own worry dolls so the dolls would have their worries taken away. I liked how in the illustrations Billy labeled all his worry dolls with names, this shows how much meaning these dolls had to him. I enjoyed the last page which explains how worry dolls originated in Guatemala after a legend told there. I think that overall this book had a good message and was unlike other children’s books that tend to be happy and full of color.

Dear Deer

This has to be one of the most creative book ideas that demonstrate Homophones to children. The book is set up like a letter written by an ant to a deer. The book has watercolor-like illustrations that have animated characteristics to them, which I believe are effective. The book is written for a younger audience, but I think that it teaches a lesson for all. Reading this book as an adult made me think about Homophones and how many there are. I think that the author and illustrator did a good job making sure that the reader knows the meaning of the words. I enjoy the page where there is a picture of a horse singing. The sentence states, “That’s HIM, the HORSE who is HOARSE from humming a HYMS” and a younger reader could understand that a “hym” is a song because the illustration is of a horse and birds singing. I like how the Homophones were also in bold print so that they were clear and easy to recognize. The book is well tied together with the deer receiving the letter written from the ant. I found this book very enjoyable and would recommend it for children who like animals and learning about words.

Judie B. Jones and A Little Monkey Business

Realistic frustration between adults and children seems to be the theme in the Judie B. Jones Series. I really enjoy how the author starts her series by saying, “My name is Judie B. Jones. The B stands for Beatrice. Except I don’t like Beatrice. I just like B and that’s all.” These three sentences set the attitude that Judie B. has and prepares the reader for the rest of the book. The focus of the book is on Judie B. and her frustration over believing that her baby brother is a monkey. Judie B. Jones’s grandmother had her believe she had a monkey as a brother by saying, “Your new brother is the cutest little monkey I’ve ever seen!” This goes to show that young children take things very literally. Because this book is part of a series, the friends are the same and have identical personalities including her classmate Jimmy. Judie B. is always at odds with another person and conflicts occur. I feel that techniques used by the author to keep the audiences attention works really well. The short sentences and chapters make the book a short and an enjoyable read. Judie B. Jones is very observant, a realistic characteristic of someone is her age, she said that the principles suit is dark black in color, with “big hands, and heavy shoes.” I liked how Judie B. Jones was taught a lesson with help from her classmate’s examples with assistance from the principle. The ending was also a happy ending. Despite all the jealously and confusion over her new baby brother she still likes him. Once again, I really liked this book and the series has continuously made me laugh.

My Best Friend Moved Away

Situational books are a helpful way for young children to help manage their feelings. Because I recently moved, I felt that this book was supportive of those children who have had a friend move. I enjoyed the memories of the friend’s activities: summer camp, movies, swinging in the park, building sand castles, snowman making, and many more. I think that any girl who has had a best friend move would this book. I feel it would help in the recovery process because it comforts the reader knowing someone else has had to deal with the results of a best friend moving. I took note to the details the artist put into her work. The pictures have bubbles around them because it is a memory. I like the worries and the wonder that the girl has because it is normal for someone to feel sad about their friend moving. The author taught a good lesson with the example of the best friends fighting but then apologizing. Unfortunately everyone does not get so lucky like the character in the book. In the end she had a new family move in with a girl her age. This character was not focused on herself who formed a good moral she hopes she will make new friends too. I liked the ending because it shows the girl eventually adjusting to the new neighbors.