The Bookworm : February 2013

Monday, February 25, 2013

#20- The Copycat Fish

Title: The Copycat Fish

Author: Gail Donovan

Illustrator: David Austin Clar Studio

Publishing Company: Night Sky Books

# of Pages: 23

Genre/Category: Fantasy

I chose this book because it is another story about Rainbow Fish, and I loved Rainbow Fish when I was younger. In this story, Rainbow Fish goes to school, and a younger fish, Tug, copies everything he does. Rainbow Fish gets really annoyed at Tug, but the teacher partners Tug and Rainbow Fish together to plant a garden. The two fish learn to work together, and they end up liking each other in the end.

I think the background illustrations in this book were created with watercolors, but I think the other parts were created with colored pencils. The illustrator uses jagged lines throughout the book, and I feel like this helps add to Rainbow Fish’s frustration at being copied. The fish are all outlined in a shadowy blue or black line. I feel like it helps give the fish depth. I really like the way the ocean is portrayed. The illustrator uses blues, greens, and purples all mixed together to give the reader an underwater experience.

I would recommend this book for children ages 2-5. The book has beautiful illustrations, simple words, and a clear moral. Teachers could use this book to teach children about working together and getting along. The fish in the book had to sort things by size, so younger children could have to sort things from smallest to largest or largest to smallest. Since I would recommend this book for younger children, I think teachers could also use this book when teaching colors. The illustrations are so colorful, and the students could work with Rainbow Fish’s scales. This book could also be used as an introduction to teaching children about fish.

#19- April and Esme: Tooth Fairies

Title: April and Esme: Tooth Fairies

Author: Bob Graham

Illustrator: Bob Graham

Publishing Company: Candlewick Press

# of Pages: 28

Genre/Category: Fantasy

I chose this book because the cover looked cute. It is about two young fairies, April and Esme, who think they are ready to collect their first tooth. The girls convince their mom and dad that they can do it, and then they fly off in the night to find Daniel Dangerfield’s house. When they get there, Daniel has put his tooth in a glass of water beside his bed, since his grandmother always puts her dentures in a glass of water at night. The girls dive for the tooth, but they wake Daniel up. Daniel goes back to sleep, and he thinks he only dreamed about the two fairy girls. In the end, the girls make it safely home to their proud parents.

The illustrations were done in ink and watercolor. They each seem to have a wistful, magical quality to them. Bob Graham lets some of the pictures tell the story instead of words, and there are multiple pictures on some pages. The pictures are all set vertically, and they are very detailed. I even noticed that the fairy mother had a hidden tattoo on her arm. I also liked that the illustrator used mostly cool colors to depict how calm the night was when the girls were flying.

I think this book would be appropriate for children ages 4-7. I personally did not really care for this book, but since it is about tooth fairies, many children can relate to it. I think teachers could use this book to discuss prologues and epilogues. This book actually has both, but I did not realize it at first. Since this book is about tooth fairies and losing teeth, I think this book could be used to teach about why children loose teeth or dental hygiene. Older students could even write about how they felt the first time they lost a tooth. Teachers could even discuss geography and how populations grow and take over land since this book deals with a highway being built near the girls’ house.

#18- Dragons Love Tacos

Title: Dragons Love Tacos

Author: Adam Rubin

Illustrator: Daniel Salmieri

Publishing Company: Penguin Books

# of Pages: 29

Genre/Category: Fantasy

I chose this book because the title sounded interesting, and I liked the way the cover looked. This book tells the reader how to host a taco party for dragons. There is a boy that the book seems to be “talking” to as he plans the taco party. The most important thing that the boy needs to know is to not give the dragons anything spicy. The boy follows all of the directions, but he accidentally gives the dragons mild salsa with spicy jalapenos. The dragons start blowing fire and burn the boy’s house down, but they also agree to help fix it in exchange for taco breaks.

When I first looked at the illustrations, I thought they were done with a type of paper collage. I found out that the illustrations were made using watercolors, gouache, and colored pencils. The illustrator also uses jagged lines during the story to express the way the dragons destroy the house. The illustrations do not have white space. Instead, the illustrator uses different light colored, speckled designs. Most of the colors in the book are lighter shades, and the text is set in an informal setting.

Dragons Love Tacos is a New York Times Bestseller, and I think this book would be appropriate for children ages 4-9. Children will most likely find this book humorous, but I would not recommend it for older children due to the book’s simplicity. This book uses some good descriptive sentences that could be used to teach adjectives or how to write detailed sentences. Teachers could also use this book to teach alliteration. The author uses simple alliterations throughout the story. I also think this book could be used to teach synonyms and antonyms. The author describes the tacos as both big and gigantic, so teachers could discuss how these words have the same meaning. There are also antonyms used such as smooth and chunky. Teachers could ask students to point out every synonym and antonym that they see in the story. I am actually using this book with my practicum class later this week. We are going to make “story tacos” after we read the book. The taco is a paper plate folded in half. Then, I have cut out pieces of construction paper in red, green, and brown. The children will write elements of the story on each piece. I plan on labeling the pieces as beginning, middle, and end since the students have really been working on sequencing.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

#17 Jack and the Beanstalk

#17- Jack and the Beanstalk

Title: Jack and the Beanstalk

Author: Albert Lorenze

Illustrator: Albert Lorenze

Publishing Company: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

# of Pages: 28

Genre/Category: Traditional Literature

I chose this book because the cover looked interesting. It retells the classic story about a boy named Jack who sells the family cow for some magic beans. The beans grow into a tall bean stalk that takes Jack to the house of two giants. Jack steals from the giants, and they chase him down the bean stalk. He cuts the bean stalk down before they can make it to the bottom, and they fall into the ocean.

The illustrations in this book are done with pen and ink, watercolor, and colored pencils. There is hardly any blank space on the page, and I personally think the pages are too busy. It seems to take away from the story. I do like the way the illustrator uses perspective though. The giants are made to look extremely huge, and some of the pages make it seem like the reader is looking up at the large scale pictures. The illustrations change from horizontal to vertical throughout the book. The illustrator also used crosshatching and borders in every illustration. Some pages have a note to try to find Jack, and the reader is challenged to look through the busy pictures to find him.

This book would be appropriate for children ages 7-9. The illustrations are a little scary, and the story is pretty long. This book has motifs in it, so teachers could use this book to teach about motifs. One example is the use of skulls. Teachers could also choose one page and do a quick write. The teacher could ask the students to look at the page and write about everything they see on that page. The pages are so full, that each child could have something different. Teachers could also ask children what they would do if they were put into Jack’s place to teach children how to empathize with characters. This would also be a good book to use to introduce traditional literature to children.

#16 Unwitting Wisdom: An Anthology of Aesop's Fables

#16- Unwitting Wisdom: An Anthology of Aesop’s Fables

Title: Unwitting Wisdom: An Anthology of Aesop’s Fables

Author: Helen Ward

Illustrator: Helen Ward

Publishing Company: Chronicle Books

# of Pages: 53

Genre/Category: Traditional Literature

I chose this book because I found it on sale at Books-a-Million, and I decided that every elementary school teacher should have a copy of Aesop’s Fables for the classroom. This book houses fables that have been passed down through time. It includes 12 of Aesop’s Fables which include well known fables such as The Lion and the Mouse and The Tortoise and the Hare. Each story has a one or two page title page, and each story has two to three pages dedicated to the story. The author also includes morals that are written out at the bottom of the page.

Helen Ward uses ink line and watercolor on cotton-rag watercolor paper to remake these classic fables. I also noticed that she uses a type of crosshatching to feel in blank space, shadows, or fur. The crosshatching is mostly a light grey color. The illustrator also uses vignettes to help add to the fable. There is also a lot of blank space used throughout the book.

Aesop’s Fables are appropriate for all ages, but I would recommend this version of his fables for children ages 6-10. The words are slightly difficult, and the morals are in sayings that all children may not understand. I think this would be a great book to use when teaching what a moral is. Teachers could talk about how some books actually state their morals, and how some books do not. This book would also be a wonderful way to introduce children to fables. Everyone knows such stories as the Turtle and the Hare, and it is important for children to realize how old these stories truly are. Teachers could also use different fables from this book to teach children valuable lessons. Teachers could read the chapter about The Tortoise and the Hare and talk about not rushing through school work.

#15- Beauty and the Beast

15- Beauty & the Beast

Title: Beauty & the Beast

Author: Robert Sabuda

Illustrator: Robert Sabuda

Publishing Company: Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

# of Pages: 10

Genre/Category: Traditional Literature

I chose this book because I was amazed by it. Robert Sabuda used paper engineering to create fabulous pop ups, and I really wanted to take a closer look at it. This book is a version of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast. A man wanders into the Beast’s castle during a blizzard, and he is given food and shelter. When the man leaves, he takes a rose to give to his youngest daughter, Beauty. The Beast is enraged and tells him he must either stay or one of his children must take his place. Beauty takes her father’s place, and eventually falls in love with Beast. When Beauty admits that she loves him, Beast transforms into a handsome prince.

This book was made using paper engineering. The illustrations have a stained glass look to them, and they are absolutely beautiful. One of my favorite illustrations is a full two-page spread of the Beast’s head. The details are amazing, and the use of jagged lines adds to the Beast’s ferocity. Robert Sabuda also uses types of spot art pop ups to help tell the story.

The words in this book are not basic, and the story is actually kind of long. I would recommend this book for children ages 6-11. Younger children would definitely enjoy this book, but it would have to be presented to them in a read aloud format possibly over a couple of days. I think this book would be a great way to introduce fairy tales or traditional literature to the class. Children need to know what traditional literature is and why it is important. Teachers could also talk about selfishness since Beauty’s other sisters were so selfish in the book and ended up unhappy. There are also several tier 2 words in this book, so teachers could use this book purely for a vocabulary study. Words such as ravenous, ablaze, and lush are scattered throughout the story.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

#14 A Gold Star for Zog

Title: A Gold Star for Zog

Author: Julia Donaldson

Illustrator: Axel Scheffler

Publishing Company: Scholastic

# of Pages: 30

Genre/Category: Poetry

I chose this book because I thought the cover looked cute. It is about a dragon named Zog who cannot quite figure out where he fits in at dragon school. Every year, he tries to do his best to earn a gold star, but he seems to always get hurt when he tries. Every year, a girl comes and fixes up his injuries. One day, Zog is practicing capturing a princess, but he does not have any luck. The girl tells him she is a princess, and she tells him he can capture her. Zog gets a gold star for capturing the princess, and the princess is happy to spend her days doctoring the dragons. One day, a knight comes to save her, but she tells him she would rather be a nurse than a princess. The knight agrees with her, and they ride off on Zog to find patients in need of help.

I would guess that the illustrations in A Gold Star for Zog were done using acrylic paints and colored pencils. The illustrations do not have a transparent, water color look to them, and they do not look like any type of cut paper or collage. The illustrations are very detailed and brightly colored. The text throughout the book is done in a formal and informal format, and the illustrations are in a horizontal format. I really liked the way the illustrator depicted the setting in all of the illustrations. The setting is very detailed with scenes of forests, castles, and sky.

This book would probably be appropriate for children ages 4-7. I think it was a cute book, and the ending would probably surprise children. Teachers could use this book to discuss elements of fairytales. This book is written using rhymes, so teachers could also teach students about rhymes while using this book. I think it would also be fun to ask students to write about a time that they were not good at something, or about what they would like to be when they grow up since the princess really wanted to be a nurse.

#13- Llama Llama Time to Share

Title: Llama Llama Time to Share

Author: Anna Dewdney

Illustrator: Anna Dewdney

Publishing Company: Pearson

# of Pages: 31

Genre/Category: Poetry

I chose this book because I have been hearing about the Llama Llama books, but I had not read one. In Llama Llama Time to Share, the new girl from down the street, Gnu, comes to visit. Llama thinks he can share his toys with Gnu, until she wants to play with Fuzzy Llama. Llama gets very upset, and the children end up ripping Fuzzy Llama’s arm off. Fuzzy Llama gets fixed, and Llama and Gnu learn to share with each other in the end.

The illustrations were created using oil paints, colored pencils, and oil pastels on primed canvas. The illustrator did a very good job of portraying the character’s emotions through the illustrations. Cool colors were used when Llama and Gnu were getting along, but the background changes to warm colors when they begin to argue. One page is completely wordless, but it is clear to see what is going on. The illustrations are outlined within the same color family as the illustrations.

I think this book would be appropriate for children ages 3-6. The moral and the words seem a little too basic for children older than 6. This book would be a good book to use when discussing sharing or working together in a group with children. Teachers could also use this book to teach about poetry. Another way this book could be used in the classroom would be to teach children how to make predictions as they read. There are a few pages that could be used for this. For example, there is a page where Llama is grabbing Fuzzy Llama’s arm from Gnu. The teacher could ask the student’s what they think might happen next.

Friday, February 22, 2013

#12 Where do Balloons Go?

Title: Where Do Balloons Go?

Author: Jamie Lee Curtis

Illustrator: Laura Cornell

Publishing Company: Harper Collins Publishers

# of Pages: 32

Genre/Category: Poetry

I chose this book because someone did a book talk on it, and I really wanted to know how it ended. I was also interested to read this book since Jamie Lee Curtis is the author. It is a very sweet book about a boy who lets go of his balloon. He asks himself where it could have gone since all he can see is a big blue sky. The little boy comes up with silly ideas of what his balloon could be doing, and then he decides he is glad that the balloon is free to do what it pleases.

I could not find the medium, but I would guess the illustrations were made using water colors and ink sketches. The pictures are soft, and the colors are mostly warm. At the end, the colors change to cool as the boy decides he is glad his balloon is free. The illustrator did not use negative space. Most of the illustrations cover a horizontal two-page spread.

I think this book would be appropriate for children ages 5-9. It is easy for children to relate to, and most children have probably already asked themselves where balloons go. Teachers could use this book to introduce poetry. Teachers could also use this book to explain how different types of text, such as the text in the balloons, add to the story. This would also be a fun book to use as a writing prompt. Students could write a narrative about a time they lost something, or they could write about another place a balloon might go. For example, when I lost a balloon when I was a child, my mom told me that I should not be sad because it would float all the way up to heaven and little angel children would be able to enjoy it.

#11 If You're a Monster and You Know it

Title: If you’re a Monster and You Know it

Author: Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley

Illustrator: Rebecca Emberley

Publishing Company: Orchard Books

# of Pages: 31

Genre/Category: Poetry

I chose this book because I thought the name of it was cute. I also liked the way the cover looked. It is a remix of the song “If you’re Happy and You know it.” The poem has the same beat and rhythm as the song that all children already know. It uses monsters and monster body parts instead of human ones to do the actions. Children are asked to do things such as snort and growl, smack their claws, and roar.

The illustrations were made using freehand. It looked to me like construction paper cut out into small pieces and pieced together like a collage though. The illustrations are all done with a black background, and most of the monsters are made using intense warm colors. I really liked that some of the text was very informal. I also noticed that the illustrator did not use any type of outline on her illustrations, and she used jagged lines on many of the monsters. I felt that all of this helped add to the feeling of a scary monster book.

I would say this book would be appropriate for children ages 3-6. It repeats itself, so it would be a good book for beginning readers. Teachers could use this book in the classroom to introduce poetry, rhythm, or rhyme. I think it would also be fun to use this book for a “brain break” book. The children could stand up and do the dance with the book. It would also be a good book to use as writing prompt. Students could use adjectives to write about what they would look like if they were a monster. Younger students could write one sentence using the format, “If you’re a monster and you know it…” This would also be a great interactive way to introduce verbs. Students would “do” the verb, so it would help with their understanding of what a verb is.