Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan by Ashley Bryan

This captures African culture and universal human desires juxtaposed with slavery. I'm living in South Africa. Last weekend we went to Soweto to see Nelson Mandela's house. A young man wanting money walked us across the street pounding on his chest creating a drumbeat and singing a Soweto welcome song trying to earn some money. The song was fun, joyful, and uplifting. Music is an integral part of this culture. Students break into spontaneous song and dance and any student-centered event includes open mic. A day later I read in this book, "Drums were forbidden./Owners feared that messages could be carried by drum./We used our bodies /to beat out rhythms/Clapping hands, slapping sides/stamping feet." Through free verse Ashley Bryan describes how slaves used talents such as music to ease burdens and help with survival.

Bryan is now 93 and still cranking out books and artwork. This tale captures an indefatigable spirit and vibrant culture in an oppressive time as it shows 11 slaves being sold on the Fairfield estate. His illustrations show the face of each slave and the money they are being sold for at an auction. Each slave has unique skills that give them pride and they find freedom in performing each day. The first page explains their skills and situation while the following page has the slave's dreams that contain their given name from Africa and his or her desire for a better future. Slavery was meant to strip blacks of their dignity and demoralize them. The section of each slave's dreams shows their humanity and universal desires that all people have regardless of race.

The free verse repeats the words, freedom, dreams, and memorable phrases such as "My knowledge makes me/ hunger for more" and "Learning how to work/ with measurements and tools/ gives me an inner strength." This would be good for class discussions grades 3-5. You could just read part of it if the students get twitchy. The illustrations remind me of woodcuts and some are very detailed while others are not. I read this as an ebook and the format was fine. I can see why it has won three awards.

5 Smileys

Bright Sky, Starry City by Uma Krishnaswami, Aimée Sicuro (Illustrations)

So often I read a book and it makes me think of a certain student and what they like to read. This one brings to mind a grade 2 student that loves, loves, loves any book about the planets and solar system. While it is a nonfiction book, I know this student will like the nonfiction facts in the back, particularly the part about light pollution. The story about a girl that's disappointment is turned into a blizzard of happiness when she is able to see the stars at night is memorable with its beautiful mixed media illustrations.

Phoebe draws the solar system on the sidewalk outside her family's store. Her father has the telescope ready because Mars and Saturn are going to appear in the sky. Phoebe can't wait. She loves to find the constellations in the sky and look for the planets. But tonight, she is having a hard time seeing the sky because all the city lights make the stars look gray and dull. Will she be able to see the planets or will the city lights make it impossible?

The story is not very clear at the start that this is a planetary conjunction which means certain planets are lined up between the Earth and the Sun. It is a temporary event that doesn't happen every night. The nonfiction text at the end explains it, but I think the story would have been clearer if it had been mentioned in the beginning. The descriptive writing is beautiful with some strong metaphors, "Phoebe peered through the window at her sidewalk solar system dissolving into chalky streams." Phoebe's character goes from disappointment to spending a special moment with her dad where they both share the same interests.

The illustrations use mixed media such as pastels, watercolors, acrylic, pencil, and collage to create a dreamy night sky. My favorite page is the one with the storm that reminded me of Dorothy's house being picked up in the tornado and blown to the land of Oz. Here the storm picture reflects Phoebe's disappointment and stormy feelings toward the uncooperative weather. I can't wait to pass this on to the students. Make sure to add it to your library.

The Best-Loved Doll by Rebecca Caudill, Elliott Gilbert (Illustrator)

Dolls, figurines, and stuffed animals are integral to childhood play. I was just telling a class of students my attempt to design a parachute using my Barbie doll as a kid, testing the contraption by tossing it out a second story window. My brother later joined me strapping helium balloons to his G.I. Joe doll. I discovered I needed a much bigger parachute while my brother discovered one balloon wasn't enough to hold up Joe. When we tired of running up and down the stair to retrieve our dolls, we sat down and made-up pretend stories. Having imaginary friends, giving life and voices to inanimate objects, creating worlds and fantasies was crucial to our playtime. "The Best-Loved Doll" captures the power of pretend play as a way to explore the world and gain new knowledge. It not only shows the bond between a child and doll, but that winning a prize is not as important as following your heart. Betsy is not only loyal to the doll she loves the most, she doesn't care about its outward appearance. Thank goodness the author does not deliver this message in an overly sentimental way. Her simple language and focus on character actions makes for a powerful understatement. I highly recommend it.

Betsy has received an invitation to a birthday party that will give prizes to the oldest, best-dressed, and most talented dolls. Betsy has four dolls and three fit all those categories but she chooses to bring the fourth doll, Jennifer, with taped cheeks, a cracked nose, and tattered dress. She knows she won't win any prizes but takes her anyway because she loves her the most out of her dolls. She never says this out loud, but cleans the doll up and brings her with to the party. She watches three girls win a prizeand unemotionally thinks about her dolls at home that would have won the prize. Her reactions of kissing Jennifer and looking at Jennifer's "smile" show a child that is content with her choice. Betsy reveals she is not a show-off and her actions toward her doll show character traits of loyalty and friendship, something she can transfer in social situations as she grows older and develops her sense of self.

The mother hosting the party recognizes Betsy's well-loved doll and makes a medal that she pins to its dress. The other girls start to talk about their dolls at home that look like Jennifer, but that they obviously didn't bring. Betsy responds by kissing her doll. The black and white illustrations have a splash of pink on pages that give it a timeless feel. They remind me a little of the Madeline illustrations by Ludwig Bemelmans. The book was first published in 1962 and is 64 pages. It is a quick read. Good for ages 5-8.

5 Smileys

The Firekeeper's Son by Linda Sue Park

Sang-hee lives in a quiet village where not much seems to happen. Every night his father scans the sea for enemy ships and if the coast is clear he lights a fire on the mountain. Another person on a nearby mountain does the same thing and the pattern continues until roughly 8 bonfires are lit and they reach the King's palace letting him know that the land is safe from enemies. One night it looks like the fire is not going to be lit. Sang-hee's mom knows the coast is free of enemies and thinks something has happened to Sang-hee's father. She sends him up the mountain where he finds his dad with a broken ankle. It is up to Sang-hee to light the fire. Except Sang-hee secretly wants to see the palace soldiers and knows if he doesn't light the fire they will come to fight the enemy. Sang-hee must decide whether to be responsible or not. Will he light the fire or not?

This is based on the bonfire signal communications used in Korea during the 1800s. The writing is descriptive and suspenseful. Older, as well as younger, students will like this book. Themes about being responsible and contributing to a community can be discussed. There is a clear story line with a climax that can be used to teach story mountains. The character struggles internally with his decision to light the fire or not. A good mentor text.

Reading Level 3.0
4 out of 5 smileys

Just Behave, Pablo Picasso! by Jonah Winter

Another great read aloud with grade 5 students studying biographies. Jonah Winter's work is fantastic as mentor texts and I went and bought all of them for our library after reading this one. He captures a character and sprinkles facts throughout the story that allow students to delve deeper into the character or topic (such as the garbage barge story). Picasso is larger than life in this story, as he is today. Picasso plowed through the art world like a matador devouring different styles and moving on to new ones until he created Modern art. It was his own style. It was unique. It was risky.

 As an artistic youngster, I heard more criticism than support for my creativity and when I took a risk and failed it was very hurtful. I even abandoned my craft at one point. This book struck a cord with me. You really, need thick skin to pursue a craft much less break new ground and create a new art style. It takes a special person. It takes a person who can grow 100 feet. It takes a person who paints for himself or herself versus others. This is a lesson that extends beyond art and is worthy of discussion.

Reading Level 4.2

5 out of 5 Smileys

Jazz Age Josephine by Jonah Winter; illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

Boh-doh-doh-dee-oh! Boh-doh-doh-dee-oh!

Okay, now sing those words.

And while you are at it make them sound like some musical instrument. This is called scat-singing made popular in the Jazz Age and a form that Jonah Winter doodles across the pages of his terrific picture book biography, Jazz Age Josephine. I made the mistake - or maybe not a mistake - of not reading this book beforehand and when I tried to sputter through the zee-buh-dop-zows and boh-doh-doh-dee-oh it did NOT sound like any musical instrument you'd find in any band. The kindergartners laughed so hard three grabbed their knees and rolled backwards like roly-poly eggs. And things got really interesting when we tried to do the Charleston dance. Let me tell you, I am NO Josephine. Josephine Baker to be exact.

African American Josephine Baker was singing the blues in St. Louis during the 1920s. She lived in a house with no heat, little food, and rats a-nibblin' at her feet. As a teenager she snuck into the dance tent and made people laugh with her funny faces and terrific dancing where she made some money entertaining people. One night in St. Louis, some white people burned down the homes of many black people and Josephine decided it was time to leave. She went to New York City where she got a job on the stage. She was in the chorus and played the Minstrel. While audiences loved her, she was disgusted with the degradation of her race in the Minstrel role. She left for France where she found different stage roles and became famous.

The writing style combines riffs and rhythms to reflect jazz songs. If you are wondering what is a riff, like I was, it is a sentence that is repeated usually at the same part and in the same pitch.  The first part of the book trumpets rhyming couplets and riffs, People, listen to my story, 'bout a girl named Josephine. / People, listen to this story, 'bout a poor girl name of Josephine. / She was the saddest little sweetheart this side of New Orleans, while the second part of the book shimmy and shakes the riffs with scat-sentences such as, Boodle-am Boodle-am Boodle-am SHAKE! Boodle-am Boodle-am Boodle-am SHAKE! When Josephine goes to Paris, not only does the tone of writing change as it picks up a new beat to reflect the excitement of the stage, but the illustrator signals a change in the story direction by forcing the reader to tip the page up and down and illustrating Josephine at the Eiffel Tower. The setting now only shows Josephine in or besides the Paris theater house.

Can you tell the students favorite part of the book? That's right... the last page where Josephine is sticking out her tongue. Josephine is funny. Not only does she stick out her tongue, she crosses her eyes and bugs them out making audiences laugh. The author's note on the last page says that Josephine was so good at clowning in the show that she got a job on the New York stage at the age of 15.  Kindergartners are not going to understand the complexity of this story but they do get the humor and enjoy the repetitive language patterns. Although  one boy clearly understood when the black folks homes were being destroyed by white people because he shouted "meanies!"  The kids also liked it when we danced the Charleston and they liked singing, Boodle-am Boodle-am Boodle-am SHAKE! 

Priceman's use of ink pen and gouache illustrations move Josephine across the pages like a gymnast on a springboard. Josephine is energetic, fun, and flexible with the flapper costumes and hairstyles so reflective of the roaring 1920s. Priceman adds some tidbits to the story such as the illustration of Josephine in her most famous banana peel skirt costume. The colorful Josephine also had a cheetah as a pet and would bring it on stage. If you want students to hear some Jazz music, listen to Louis Armstrong's Heebee Jeebies (the third audio clip) which made scat-singing famous. Make sure you read this book out loud or sing it.

Good luck!
Duh-duhnt-duhnt!

Reading Level 2.4
5 out of 5 Smileys

Soccer Hour by Carol Nevius

I've been reading this to first graders and they go nuts with the pictures. The composition is such that the ball or kid looks like they jumping right out of the book. Students like that the illustrations shoot diagonally across the pages or have an aerial view. The details and shadows were commented on as well, especially the page that shows the boy doing a chest trap. They particularly liked his hand and hair. We also discussed his expression. Is he in pain? Is he preparing for the trap? The one illustration that is painful for me to look at is the girl doing the throw-in. She's a really flexible kid. She reminds me of my friend who was double-jointed and could put her arms into unnatural positions.

 Students love the color of the soccer balls which stand out against the sepia tones. They also like to guess what country the ball color represents in soccer. Not to mention the students eager love for the game soccer and their running commentary while I read it. A teacher could use this book for a writing unit with small moments. Students love sports. I'm not crazy about the rhyming sentences but we talked so much on each page that it was fine.

Reading Level 1.9

4 out of 5 Smileys

Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake by Michael B. Kaplan; illustrated by Stephane Jorisch

 How can you not love Betty Bunny? She’s such a bundle of energy she explodes off the pages of this picture book like a whirlwind sweeping up everything in its path. Betty Bunny doesn’t want to try chocolate cake becauce it is “yucky!” When mom makes her eat a piece she declares, “I am going to marry chocolate cake!” Her older brother, Bill, responds (like a typical older brother), “Whatever… but you’re going to have really weird-looking kids.” Betty Bunny loves cake so much that it is all she can think of at school. She even eats mud because it looks like chocolate cake. At dinner, Betty Bunny no longer wants healthy food but just chocolate cake. When her siblings tease her she gets so mad that she throws her dinner in their faces. Sent to her room she has a temper-tantrum before her mom talks to her about being patient. Mom says she’ll leave a piece of cake in the refrigerator just for Betty Bunny after dinner. Except Betty Bunny thinks the cake will get lonely and she puts it in her pocket and brings it to school, which sets off another string of events (and laughs).

Betty Bunny is funny because she doesn’t really learn how to deal with sweets. She’s instantly addicted to them and just when it looks like she’ll be able to control herself she does something silly. Betty Bunny is the youngest of 4 siblings and the author does a terrific job showing how siblings can tease each other. It isn’t vicious and some comments are helpful while others tease. The humor is for the adult reader as well as the child. Betty Bunny’s mom tells her that she is a handful. Betty Bunny goes to school and announces to the teacher that she is a handful and loves chocolate cake. Later when Betty Bunny is sent to her room for throwing her food at her siblings “she wanted to say something especially nice to her mother. ‘Mommy’ she said, ‘you are a handful.’” The language has strong patterns and repetition that make for a great read aloud and good for young readers acquiring language.

Stephane Jorisch’s illustrations catch the humor of the text. The characters have the heads of animals and bodies shaped like humans. I like how brother Bill looks like a teenager with his hat on backwards, shirt with a rabbit (that has an attitude – it is sticking out its tongue), and insecure-but-trying-to-be-cool body language such as resting his head on his hand with an amused expression on his face while Betty Bunny holds up her piece of chocolate cake gazing at it with an adoring expression. Or later in the kitchen when Bill is wearing a smiley shirt and stands with his shoulders slightly hunched. Mom holds everything together. She’s young, dressed hip, and gives consequences to Betty Bunny’s actions all the while making sure that Betty Bunny knows she loves her. The cartoon-like pictures in gouache watercolor show some interesting shading and add texture and depth. I read this out loud to first graders and they laughed hard at Betty Bunny’s comments using the word “yucky” in different situations and Bill’s continued teasing of Betty Bunny wanting to “marry” her chocolate cake.

This book is a hoot!

Reading Level 3.3
5 out of 5 Smileys

 

Zero by Kathryn Otoshi

 Zero finds her Zorro. Actually Zorro is not a part of this delightful book, I just liked the illiteration.

Zero really finds her zip. Not only does this book make counting fun but it is about how a number doesn’t feel she is worth anything because she adds no value to the other numbers. Zero tries page after page trying to transform into another number or force her presence on the other numbers. The page where she takes a rolling start, leaps into the numbers in order to impress them, only to knock them all down in a pile on the number 9 had the kindergarteners laughing out loud. What did the other numbers think? “All the numbers were bent out of shape.”

Zero discusses her feelings of emptiness and wanting to belong, “to add value” to the other numbers. The concept is a nice metaphor that can be used to discuss what it feels like to not be part of a group. The number 7 advises Zero to be open and “you’ll find a way” to be valued in the world of numbers. Zero “gets an idea” and joins with the numbers to increase their value by 10. The kindergarteners loved counting together and got just as excited as Zero. Students also liked it when I made noises like a balloon deflating when” Zero felt deflated.” When I read the title and the author, one of the Japanese girls in class jumped up and said with a big grin that the author was Japanese and her name sounded similar to hers.

Done in watercolor Zero is alittle blurry around the edges, gray in color, with thin brush strokes showing that she is not quite sure of herself. This is contrasted with the thick, bold brush strokes of the letters one through seven who have bold colors. When Zero discovers she is not empty she changes to a metallic silver acrylic color on a black background. The contrast shows Zero as a new person who is bold and confident. At first I wasn’t sure why the letter one was in gray instead of black but then realized that in order to use a black background none of the colors could be black. It makes it easier to see the number 10 in a mishmash of colors.

The prolific reviewer Elizabeth Bird talks about how it can be difficult to find books that get kids excited about integers in her book review, How Many Jelly Beans? by Andrea Menotti. Make sure you check out How May Jelly Beans? and add Zero to that list.

I take it back. Zorro can be a part of Zero because Zorro was a hero and Zero is the hero in this story.

Ages 3-7
Reading Level 2.2
4 out of 5 Smileys

 

Melissa Parkington's Beautiful, Beautiful Hair by Pat Brisson

On the outside, Melissa Parkington has gorgeous hair. Everyone comments on it. Her dad even sings to her, Good night, my Melissa of the beautiful, beautiful hair.

At first she feels special, but she realizes her appearance isn't important. She really wants to be known for something special she does on the inside; something she is really good at doing. She makes a list and tries basketball. A neighbor, younger than her, comes over and she teaches him how to play the game. They play after school and he improves but she doesn't. She realizes that she'll never be special in basketball so she looks at the second item on her list which is to paint something good enough to be in a museum. While painting a tree in her backyard, a younger girl  comes over and asks her to paint pictures for her of all different kinds of animals. Melissa realizes that she won't be good at painting either. A Mom comes over and thanks Melissa for being so kind to her children teaching her boy to play basketball and painting pictures for her daughter.

Melissa has a brainstorm and decides she will be a kind person! She shows kindness to her classmates, her family, and when she is walking home with her mother she passes a beauty parlor that has a sign asking people to donate hair for wigs to be made for children with no hair. Melissa decides to get her hair cut off. Her father wisely sings to her the night after her brave act, Good night my Melissa of the beautiful, beautiful heart.

Reading Level 3.4

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) 5 Smileys

Art & Max

The brilliant book, Art & Max by David Wiesner,  has two distinct characters. Max is high energy and loveable in an annoying way. He flies across a double-page spread running over two assistants and knocking Art's paint brush out of his hand. Max is so excited to see Art paint he's a bit reckless in his enthusiasm. Art is the expert who has three assistants and is a bit of a snob. Art is annoyed with Max in the beginning but changes at the end when Max opens his eyes to new possibilities in creating a work of art.

Art lets Max paint with him but tells him to stay out of the way. Max doesn't know what to paint and asks Art. Art replies by telling him to paint him. Max takes Art literally and paints him. The acrylic paint hardens and cracks on Art before exploding off the page to reveal pastels beneath Art. Max is fascinated by what the medium is doing while Art is furious with Max. Excited, Max rushes off the page with one finger in the air indicating he has an idea and that Art should just wait there for him. He comes back with a fan and blows the pastels off of Art who is feeling dry-mouthed from inhaling pastel dust. He asks for a drink of water and the medium turns into watercolors. Art drinks the glass of water and the watercolor washes off him completely leaving only his outline. Completely fed up with Max, Art stomps off the page while Max says "wait a minute" and grabs a hold of Art’s outline. Art completely unravels so that he disappears from the page. Max holds the tangled outline in his hands and with a baffled look says, "Arthur?"

Max then sets to work with determination, his long lizard-like tongue hanging out of his mouth, as he concentrates on putting Art back together. His first attempt is quite comical and the students laugh the hardest at this page no matter what age group I read it to. Next, Max puts art back together and the students "ooh" and "aah" as the simple lines become more complex and Art becomes recognizable. Once he is back together Max holds his finger up because he has another idea. ("Uh-oh," the students groan, along with Art's three reptillian assistants who are shaking their heads.) Max comes in with a vacuum cleaner and blasts Art with paint. Art looks completely different covered in dots to represent Pointillism.

Reading Level 0.7

The Bake Shop Ghost

Cora Lee Merriweather runs the best bake shop in town, but no one notices her, just her delicious cakes. When she dies others try to buy the shop but she gets angry and scares them away. When Annie Washington buys the shop she confronts the ghost trying to figure out why she is haunting the place. Annie tries to bake a cake that will please Cora Lee but none of her recipes seem to be good enough for her. When Annie runs out of recipes she comes up with a surprising solution to the problem. See how Annie’s act of kindness transforms Cora Lee from a unhappy ghost with a “lemon-pucker” mouth to a ghost with a big smile. Sometimes it is the small things that make the biggest difference.

The book incorporates smells, sounds, and colorful descriptions. While reading the book aloud, I changed my voice with the different characters who bought Ms. Merriweather’s shop. Annie changes in the story as she learns to respect the ghost’s opinion. The two slowly become friends which allows Annie to figure out how to help the ghost.

The author, Jacqueline Ogburn, said she came up with the story after listening to Charlie Daniels song, The Devil Went Down to Georgia, and that she used a common folktale motif of a ghost or spirit dueling with a mortal.

Marjorie Priceman’s illustrations in watercolor are detailed and reminiscent of Ludwig Bemelmens pictures in his Madeline series. The setting is somewhere in Europe and the buildings reminded me of France. She captures the energy of the grumpy ghost driving people out of her shop.

Other books like this are: Fergus and the Night-Demon : an Irish Ghost Story, by Jim Murphy ; illustrated by John Manders and The Perfect Pumpkin Pie, by Denys Cazet.

Reading Level 3.6