Strega Nona: Her Story-By: Tomie dePaola

This book was really fun to read. I read it after I read the first and original Strega Nona book. It gave the story through her eyes and her perspective but it was still took in third person. I think it would have been cool if it was written in first person since it was her story. The story was based in Italy again. Tomie says that he does a lot of research about the places his stories are set in so he has some background knowledge but his illustrations don't really reflect his research. I like his style of drawing because you can always easily identify his work but I feel that the pictures in this story didn't do Italy or the setting any justice. I feel that wasn't enough detail in the pictures to really distinguish that is it was in a different country.
I also feel that the story covered so much of her life. I feel like this book should have been the first Strega Nona and the original one should have been a part of the series because it was just a snip it of her life. When I think of something typed "Her Story" I think that there was some misconception or misunderstanding in the first story that she as a character wanted to connect but Tomie really didn't write it that way. It covered everything previous to the first book and how she got started and what she did to become superb.
There are so many Strega Nona books. I think it would be fun to read them to a class of younger students and compare the stories to each other. I think there is a lot of little lessons in the writing that can be picked up on and there are so many different adventures happening in the series.
Overall, very good, fun books to read. I definitely encourage checking out Tomie dePaola's work. After checking out the books and doing my research, I realized that he writes some chapter books for children so I think I might check one out to see his writing in a more complex, lengthy piece.

Adelita-By: Tomie dePaola

I really liked this story. It reminded me exactly of how the United States version on Cinderella but I can never pass up a cute fairy tale love story. Instead of a fairy godmother in the book though,there was a maid named Esperanza, that had lived with Adelita and her father since her mother passed away when she was just a baby. I liked that there was made instead of a fairy godmother because the book seemed more realistic and there was someone really on Adelita side to support and stand up for her. Esperanza gets sent away by the evil step mother but then the Prince comes and finds her after the ball and they get married and Espranza comes back to live with them happily ever after. The book had a lot of Spanish phrases in it, with the English translations right after it with made it really fun to read and very interactive. There was also a Spanish translator in the back of the book, if you didn't understand the translation on the page. The illustrations were very colorful and the reader could tell that it was taking place in Mexico by the color choice that Tomie used. The pages were filled with color and there was no white space. It kept your eyes very busy and there was a lot of detail within the pictures. A male author writing a feminine fairy tale would be challenging but I think Tomie did a great job. I think every culture should have a Cinderella story to capture the heart of every little girl.

Bill and Pete-By: Tomie dePaola

This book was different from the other books that I read by Tomie. It was about a crocodile and a bird. At the beginning his mother tells him that they have to go to the grocery store to get a toothbrush. When I think of a toothbrush I think of a plastic stick with little bristles at the end but the crocodile toothbrushes are little birds that talk. They became best friends and they were there for each other through all their troubles. It was a story of friendship and how they do anything for each other. I also think it was a book about diversity because you don't always have to be friends with people that are the same as you but rather the best friends you can make are the most different from you. I think that would be something important that I would talk to my class about and ask their feed back because I think there are a lot of interpretations. The story had a beginning, middle and end and there was an antagonist and protagonists. I think that the middle-end of the book was a little unrelated to the beginning and I wish there would have been a smoother transition from the beginning to the end. This book had a mother figure and no one else for Bill to turn to so I think it would be a good book for single parent families and how there is other people/things out there to turn to to make relationships but the parent is always there to turn to and make proud. There is also other Bill and Pete books that Tomie has written, which I would like to read for comparison.

Tom-By: Tom dePaola

This was another true story about Tomie and his grandma and grandpa. Yet again his name in the book is spelled Tommy, but his grandpa’s name is Tom. Supposedly they were named after each other, the reader finds out in the beginning of the book. After researching Tomie he talks a lot about relating things to his life, especially to his childhood with his grandparents. Now One Foot, Now the Other is another story that Tomie wrote about his Grandpa and a stroke that he suffered and Tommy took care of him. I saw a lot of similarities between the two stories. Tomie has such great memories with his grandparents but the reader never hears about his other family memories like his mother or father or cousins, etc. I think a lot of little kids can relate to this story because at a young age grandparents are one of the few most important people. They spoil their grandchildren and just make everything fun. The children can never get in trouble by their grandparents as Tommy knows, when he plays tricks on his teacher and best friend. Again the story can be told through the pictures for children that can’t read all the words yet, so I think it could also be used for wordless activities. There was a little more diversity in this book. The students in the class were different races but they were all girls. Another thing that I really like about Tomie’s art is that the characters facial expressions and actions are so dramatic which shows a lot of emotion that the characters are feeling.

Strega Nona-By: Tomie dePaola

We did an author study on Tomie dePaola in second grade I remember reading this story. Everyone absolutely loved it. We would read it during silent reading time and any other chance we got. Our teacher ended up checking about a whole collection of the Strega Nona series. I like even though she is a "witch" that she doesn't have a negative place in the community in the book, she helps people and is kind to them rather then hinder or hurt them. This book is a Caldecott winner and that is no surprise to me. I think it is written really well. It has good morals and lessons in it, the characters all have very distinct characteristics and personalities and it was really easy to follow. I think the illustrations reflect the story well. I think it is easy for kids that don't know how to read the words to tell the story through the pictures and the pictures are drawn to reflect a long time ago (as when the story takes place), the colors are a little faded and the people's outfits are much different then we wear today, dresses and cloaks and big, fancy hats. I also really liked that it took place in another country and it was easy to identify that it was in another place. When he writes books to take place in another country or time period, he does a lot of research before he writes and illustrates the story. Although there wasn't a lot of huge Italian clues, there were many in the illustrations that could be noticed easily. While reading through the book and looking at the pictures, there wasn't a lot of diversity, everyone was white and looked the same, which is definitely not accurate in any part of the world, so I think that is one thing that could be edited, but back in 1975, I guess some of those things weren't as big of an issue as they are now.

The Art Lesson-By: Tomie dePaola

This book was about one of Tomie's life experiences in kindergarten and how he was kind of held back from his creativity and full potential in his art class. It was easy to pick up that this book was about his life after reading up and researching his life and also reading other books by himself. I thought it was funny though that the character Tommy in the book is spelled differently than his real spelling of his name. I don't know why he would do that and I couldn't find any explanation on it, I just thought that was kind of weird. His writing is so entertaining and comical at times. It just makes me feel good inside because all of his books end so well. He has so much talent. I think it is awesome. I like when books have the same author and illustrator because it really is their own book and they got to put on paper how they imagined the work to be. His pictures are very cute and very recognizable, all of his characters have very interesting characteristics and are like that through all of his illustrations in all of his books. This book reminded me a lot of my Art Methods class in how you shouldn't restrict a child's creativity because you never know what your students potential could be if you challenge them and let them do their own work. A lot of students can be really excited about some part of school and if the lesson doesn't meet their dreams and expectations, their excitement can be shattered and really turned around.

Reflection on Reading and Responding...

I am really enjoying Reading and Responding so far. It’s so fun going to the library to check out children’s books. It’s a nice break from long textbooks and articles. It has been helpful reading books and getting a feeling for what a good children’s book is, from what isn’t. I’ve really gotten good at analyzing books from the weekly blogs over books. Although it’s fun going to the library to check out books, it is always overwhelming at times. There are so many books to choose from and I feel like I don’t know what to pick. We have a lot of freedom to pick what we want and I think that’s what makes it so hard for me. I’m not used to having no guidance or guidelines. We have a lot of assigned children’s novels to read but I wish we had more assigned children’s books because I think I have picked a lot of books but they are more recent and I want to know what other people suggest or even teacher recommendations. There are just so much out there that it would be nice to have it narrowed down a little bit perhaps. I want to be an early elementary teacher so I will be doing a lot of read a loud and have to have a lot of picture books in my classroom of all sorts. I think there are a lot of classic picture books out there that I am forgetting about since I have been in elementary school. I also wish we had more of a chance to talk about what pictures books we read that week and what we liked and didn’t like. I feel that the class has a lot to say and a good help for advising on what to read.
I love doing the blogs. I think it is an awesome way to make reflecting about the books fun and interesting, rather than the basic summary and what we could do with the book.
All in all, I really like the class and have learned a lot and had a lot of fun reading, relaxing and reflecting!

The Misfits-By: James Howe

I thought The Misfits was a decent book. I wasn't in love with it, but I didn't hate it either. The first nine chapter made the book really hard to get into because they moved kind of slow but then everything started to come together and start happening. I liked all the different characters. They were all so different from one another that it made the book really interesting. I think it made it easier to like and dislike characters because they had such strong personalities. For example, Addie was a very powerful character and did what she wanted and said what she felt which I both liked and disliked a lot because in high school those kind of kids annoyed me a lot but I liked her because she didn't back down from what she believed and she never gave up. I wish I could be like her a little more often.
I liked the format of the book and how it was narrated and written in first person but then at their meetings it was written like the script, so you didn't get any one's feels or emotions, but rather could form your own thoughts and opinions because they talked about some pretty intense stuff.
As far as the controversial issue of the book, I didn't see a problem with it. I think the people reading the book and the issues that happen in the book and words that are said in the book come up all the time at that age, so everyone knows what they are. The author being a homosexual man also helps the book because it is coming first hand and not a made up experience. He knows what it is like. I would much rather read about a character that has true, factual feelings then a character whose feelings are made up and the author really didn't know how to write the character. I also think it is a prime time for kids to experience different feelings and try to figure them out, so if they have something to relate to or a way to learn more about their feelings than I totally support that. I think parents also need to understand that and be supportive of their child whatever they may believe.

And Tango Makes Three-By: Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell; Illustrated By: Henry Cole

When I went to the library and asked the librarian for the controversial books that she knew, she looked for this book. She couldn't find it for quite a while and then she thought of the banned book selection at the front of the library. Supposedly it was banned books week and they had a set up at the front of the library. This book was front and center. I didn't think this book was as bad as they said. I thought this book took the whole homosexual and child issue to a very unique level. I thought it was unique how the authors used penguins to present the idea. I know it's a non-fiction story but I feel that it gives kids a different perspective of the issue and I think it makes it a little less controversial by using something other then humans to send the same message. I liked how it talked about the penguins and the different families and then mentioned the gay penguins but never explicitly say they are gay or homosexual. I liked how the author compared them to the other penguin families and showed that those penguins could take care of an offspring just as well as the other heterosexual families. Everyone watching the penguins at the zoo cheered for them and didn't see a problem with it, so I think the parents and people who have a problem with this story really need to reevaluate what they are thinking because I think the author in this book portrays the characters very innocently. After doing research and discussing the book with other people, the males take care of the egg, which could also controversial in our society.The author's note was also very informational and told the background story that wasn't included in the book.

It's So Amazing: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families-By

This book was like the encyclopedia about everything related to sex and growing up. It had chapters about reproduction, gender, growing up, female parts, male parts, the egg, the sperm, sex, love, pregnancy, growing up/staying healthy, the fetus, multiples, birth, DNA, birth/adoption, keeping safe, HIV/AIDS, and babies. As you can see it discusses everything. The book is kind of set up like a graphic novel, which I thought was a good way to set it up since it's directed at kids. It made it more understandable, easy to follow, and fun to read. There are two characters that guide you through it, a parrot, who wants to find out all the answers and a bumblebee that is kind of dreading the subject. The narrates ask questions about the certain topics throughout the whole book and they make it fun and interesting. The pictures are drawn but are very detailed and leaves nothing out. One page that really stood out to me was the drawings of actual size fetuses as certain stages. They were smaller then I thought. Some of the pictures would probably make kids uncomfortable or embarrassed because of all the detail. This book is very accurate. I plan to teach in a younger classroom, so I don't know if I would just have this book laying on the shelf but I think that if students had certain questions, I would definitely recommend it to them or their parents to help education them on their curious questions. I learned about sex and the body in 4th grade and I think that we were barely mature enough to handle the topic but it's when boys and girls started having crushes and getting curious, so I think it was an opportune time but I don't think you can teach it any earlier then that. I think if children come to school with a question like that you need to speak to the parents and let them know what their child is wondering. Kids are always curious no matter what age but I think it's how detailed you get with them in your answer, is the appropriate way to go about it. I think parents should explain stuff that they want their children to know anytime before 4th grade, when their teacher is probably not going to have a class discussion on sex, but let them know that those questions are going to be expected from their children and it is not weird or unusual.

The Tree Of Life: Charles Darwin- By: Peter Sis

Well, obviously this book is controversial because it's about Darwin, his life and his belief about evolution. This book was really complex. It was like two to three stories going on at once. There was his public life story, private life story, and secret life story. This was a picture book but it was a very complex picture book. The pictures were very abstract and the story was not written for a little child to follow, but perhaps like a sixth grader, junior high student, or even a high schooler. Within each page there is just so much going on that it is hard to keep everything straight. There is all kinds of diary entries and letters that he has written to other people. This book gives Darwin's side of the story primarily but it also gives a little bit about some people that stood up against his belief. I don't think the author is trying to say that Darwin is right or wrong but just giving a biography of his life. I think I would use this in my classroom if I were talking about evolution in science and just give kids the background of the person who helped develop this idea and that this perspective is neither right or wrong but it's a popular belief among people in our society. I think it's important not to force the idea on anyone but rather just make students aware of it, because they are likely to stubble across the idea somewhere. I would also make sure to send a letter home with the students or at the beginning of the year letting parents know that we will be talking about evolution briefly, just so parents know that you aren't trying to hide anything or teach their children something that they are highly against.

The Planet Hunter: The Story Behind What Happeed to Pluto-By: Elizabth Rusch; Illustrated By: Guy Francis

I went into the library and asked the librarian if she knew of any good controversial books. She looked on the computer and pulled up a couple of different titles. She pulled out The Planet Hunter. I was a little puzzled at first wondering what the controversy could really be. First I figured that some people argued that Pluto was still a planet, which I'm sure is true because not everyone just believe what they hear. However, the librarian said, that the controversy lies within the library's and librarians and how to classify those books. Since Pluto is no longer a planet what do they do about the classification and so forth? So, I learned that not only are books controversial for children and their parents, they also boggle with the librarians brains in more of a educational/logic based way, which I thought was very interesting to see another perspective. I did a bit of research about the books I read. This book was a true story and got a lot of credit for being really accurate and kid friendly for the complex issue that is covered. As I was reading the book, I noticed that as well. The topic took on a story like form and in the corner of each page there was a bubble with a fact in it for more information related to what was discussed on the page but unrelated to the story line. The pictures were cartoons but when the sky was shown it was very realistic looking, the stars and planets were illustrated so well that they looked like real pictures. But I think for it to be credible the pictures of the sky had to be accurate and realistic looking to make it more believable for children. I personally didn't find anything controversial about the book. The author backed everything up so well and if you look it up on the Internet you will find the exact same information and people.

Not In Room 204-By: Sharron Riggs; Illustrated By: Jaime Zollars

This book is aimed for ages 4 to 8 years old. After reading it, it definitely covers the heavy topic of sexual abuse. I don't know if children would understand the book, if sexual abuse isn't explicitly happening to him/her at such a young age, and the book never says straight forward what is happening to the main character Regina Lillian Hadwig, but rather in only a more round about way. I don't necessarily think that the book needs to be more straight forward, but how Regina handles the sexual abuse is different then another person might handle the sexual abuse. I think when discussing sexual abuse everyone handles it differently. It can happen to boys or girls and people don't always handle it in the same way, emotionally or physically. So I think this book only portrays a very small percentage that might be affected by sexual abuse. Also teachers aren't going to be as upfront about the issue as Mrs. Salvador was. Many teachers don't mention it in their classrooms because it's something that may "cross the line" to bring up to their students because many parents don't think it is appropriate at such a young age, when actually this age group is the large majority of people affected. Mrs. Salvador didn't seem like a very warm person a the beginning of the book and makes me as a reader feel a little intimidated because she is always disciplining the class rather then giving positive criticism. I only sense her kind, caring personality half way through the book, when she is talking with Regina personally. She is not someone that I would be comfortable talking to because of how strict she seemed. The note at the beginning of the book was very nice to know what the reader was going to encounter in the book. I feel like it wasn't aimed only at adults but to let children know that it isn't their fault. But yet there were things that adults can do and ways to help. I think I would be comfortable reading this in my class but only with something leading into it. Like a unit on safety or health, but I won't dwell on the sexual abuse topic, but rather let the students know that there are people to turn to. I think if this is happening to a child that they will know what you are talking about and seek out help, if they know that they are safe.