Reflection #2

My classroom library has been on my mind lately. I have thought about what books are staples, favorites from my childhood, as well as those that are of interest to children now. I have learned to take a very critical look at books and what they have to offer to those who read them. Do they request that reader thinks in a challenging way? Do they provoke questions? I have begun buying through book orders and looking at what I have at home for my future classroom and I feel that since taking this class, I want to have all of the books ever written in my room. Letting children decide for themselves what "good books" are is truly the most important thing. Reading, in any way is beneficial to the intellectual and emotional growth of children. I am so glad that I was able to blog about the books that I have read and to think about them and talk about them in my own words. Books keeps us thinking, they force us to ask questions and to wonder. I want all of my students to be able to do this. To question the world and not take everything at face value.

This class has offered so much in the way of literature as well as exciting class discussions. I have had such a great time thinking about what children's literature means to me and how I can create a text set for kids in my class. It was exciting to have my own opinion about books (considering I am by no means an "expert") and to share that and have it respected. I felt that the classroom environment that our section set up was one in which I felt comfortable and safe to share my thoughts. The projects force me to go out of my comfort zone - Glogster and the Blogging especially!- and to use new technology. Blogging especially has made me excited about using the Internet to my benefit as a teacher and I know that when I have my own classroom, I will want to set up a Wiki or a blog for my students to use. I will miss Tuesday night with Jen! I will continue to use what I have learned about evaluating and thinking critically about books when I begin building my own library in my classroom.

Come to the Great World

Selected by: Wendy Cooling

Poems from all cultures around the world, this collection gives insight to daily life in places that many children will never see. The poems are written in free verse and use traditional words from many of the cultures with in the poems. Poetry can be an amazing way to express feeling and thought and this book gives great examples of this. Some of the poems do rhyme, and others change shape. This is a great book for a classroom during a poetry unit and can help children to understand that poetry does not have to fit a mold, but can instead be many different things.

Ages: 4-8

Sol A Sol

by: Lori Marie Carlson

Bilingual poems that are written side by side in English and Spanish come together in a great collection. The poems are mostly about family and are composed in free verse form. This would be great to use in an ESL classroom and might inspire kids to write their own side by side poems. The illustrations in this book are especially vital to helping the reader figure out what some of the words in English or Spanish are - this would be a fun activity for a class that is not ESL - give them the Spanish side and see if they can figure out from the picture clues what the poem might be saying. I think that this would be fabulous for a poetry unit for young children because the poems are not complex and they can help children see how to write poetry that relates them personally.

Ages: 4-7

The Wall

by: Eve Bunting

How do we approach war with young children? Do we ignore it, especially now in the situation that our nation is in. The Wall tells the story of a son and his father that go to Washington D.C. to find the name of Grandpa, who died in the Vietnam War. It is a touching story that talks about the consequences that war has and how those who are left behind deal with a loss. It is important to not brush over subjects like war, but to instead deal with them in a way that pertains to young children and is appropriate for their age. Although it can be an uncomfortable subject, it should not be left out for that reason alone. Talking with children about current issues makes them aware of the world outside of their little bubble. For children who may have lost a parent in the war, this may be a wonderful book for them to see how others deal with a loss.

Ages: 4-8

The Unwedding

By: Babette Cole

This book discusses children who have parents that do not get along - in a humorous way. Although this is no situation to make fun of, keeping the tone light for a subject like this is important for children to not feel out of place or ashamed. It is unfortunate that we feel these type of "family matters" are private and should not be spoken about outside of the home. Who are these children to talk to? Part of my childhood was similar to the way the children explain their life in this book and thinking that I was abnormal for feeling the way the children do in this book was something I could have related to. I think that talking about these situations is essential in a world where divorce is much more common and where being able to express how you feel (especially as young children) should be encouraged.

Ages:6-12

Mommy, Mama and Me

by: Leslea Newman

Ages: 2-3

Much simpler and a hard bound book, short and to the point, this story is much like "Daddy, Mommy and Me," and once again explains the normalcy of having two moms. The main problem with people who think that teaching about Gay and Lesbian partners who have children is the fact that it does not prepare their children to accept those who are different from them. It makes these families out to be something other than normal, and it is apparent in our society, whether or not you agree with Gay marriage to be accepting of others and above all RESPECTFUL. No one person is better than another and hate does nothing but increase ignorance. Educating children on all kinds of parent is essential.

Gloria Goes to Gay Pride

A small child, Gloria explains going to the Gay Pride Parade with her moms. The story is incredibly normal, and is told from Gloria's perspective as she talks about the normalcy of her life without explicitly stating that she goes about her life like every other child. The book discusses hate towards Gloria's moms as well as support that the Gay community has for her and her family. Although there might be a huge problem taking this book into a classroom as far as many parents are concerned, I felt that it did nothing other than explain the situation that many children may find themselves in. Reading this to a young classroom would most likely get a positive response from children (I am assuming). We do not give kids enough credit for understanding situations. I would definitely have this in my classroom library, although I am guessing the principal would pull it or fire me after the first parent complaint - unfortunate because I feel that there is great value in exposing this to children at a young age.

The Middle Child Blues

by: Kristyn Crow

Talking about families is a pretty central theme is school - who takes you to school, where do you live, how many siblings do you have? There are some awesome books that talk about families and this is one that should be added to the collection. The Middle-Child Blues is a Malcom in the Middle - type book that talks about how tough it can be to be the middle child in the family. The middle child, Lee finds an outlet in music and playing his guitar that changes everything for him. He has an outlet to express how he feels and he is FINALLY getting some attention! Hilarious pictures and a story that will keep everyone laughing.

Ages: K- Grade 2

Sometimes We Were Brave

By Pat Brisson
"Being brave means doing what you're supposed to do even though you're afraid."
Jerome has a mom who is a Sailor and he explains what it is like when she has to leave for a long period of time to go out to sea. This book is a great way to talk about family situations and how everyone has a different and unique family. Military families are also something that could be talked about more in school - what is it like to not see your dad for a whole year? I really liked this book because it is Jerome's mother who is away a sea (instead of dad), which made this book that much more unique. A great pick for a classroom library.

Ages: 5-7

Fancy Nancy Every Day is Earth Day

The series, I Can Read! has always made me a little leery because I have felt that a specialized program is not best for individual learners who learn to read in different ways. This book is a "Beginning Reading Level 1" book and much like the others has a "theme" - Earth Day. It provides adequate information about the importance of conserving our planet, but other than that, I am not sure that this is the best approach for beginning readers. Fancy Nancy uses "fancyyy" words that she explains as she goes - sort of like a built in dictionary. This is problematic for me because I feel that this takes the whole idea of reading for meaning out of reading. There are plenty of text clues that would allow for a child to figure this out on their own. The pictures are cute, but Nancy is white, and her smart science teacher is Asian, not to mention that there is only one African American child in her classroom. This book does little for me, and would not be a recommendation for children who are learning to read.

Ages:4-8

Hey, Rabbit!

by: Sergio Ruzzier

Learning about sharing with young children can be difficult to teach. This book could prove to be a great aid - Rabbit gets back from a vacation and is sharing everything he brought back with him with all of his friends. Although he ends up with nothing left, his friends are generous enough to share with him what they have. It is an important (and acquired for some children) trait to have - selflessness. It is a hard thing to teach, but Hey, Rabbit is a great start. It would be great to read aloud to a group of students because the book is rather repetitive.
Grade: Kindergarten

Sunday Love

by: Alison Paul

Bruno the burglar has broken out of jail and he is on the hunt for Ice Cream, his one true love. Set up in a Graphic Novel type layout, this book is all in black, white and red and follows Bruno's adventure to find sweet and creamy sundaes through the town he has found after breaking out of jail. There are many similarities to comic books that include newspaper close ups and pleanty of action shot pictures. A really great book for Valentine's day (when he breaks out of jail) and also great for discussing different spellings of words - Sunday vs. Sundae.

Ages 3-8

The Malachite Palace: Author Study Alma Flor Ada

Whimsical pictures keep this fairytale-like story about the freedom of a little princess trailing along. Comparing the little princess's situation to a beautiful singing bird she has would be a great comparison to do with a class. There are significant parallels in the story that discuss how important freedom and choice is in life. The best part about the book are definitely the pictures that look as though light is shown on each one. Great for doing an author study of Alma Flor Ada because it is very different from the majority of books that she writes.

Ages: 4-8

With Love, Little Red Hen: Author Study Alma Flor Ada

The rewriting of fairytales are alway great to share with students and compare to the originals. With Love, Little Red Hen is a collection of Letters that were written to and from members of classic fairytales, including Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It is an adorable tale that will make you laugh and rethink how fairytales can be arranged. The pictures are much like Jan Brett's book, rich and surrounded by beautiful boarders. Definitely a worth-while read and a great resource for a fairytale unit (with a little spice).

Ages: 5-8

Jordi's Star: Author Study Alma Flor Ada

A beautifully illustrated book that shows the gift of what life truly is, Jordi's star explains the importance of growth through nature. Jordi, a hardworking farmer, spends his days planting, and hearding sheep, when he sees a beautiful star in a pool of water after a storm, he is determined to keep the star by planing star shaped flowers. The discovery of beautiful flowers changed his perspective on life and he began to appreciate nature in a new way. A great book to talk about hard work and the beauty that the earth has to offer, Jordi's star would be great for a 1st or 2nd grade class.

I love Saturdays y domingos: Author Study Alma Flor Ada

To be like, "us" is something that teachers must address. We think about perfect familys wiht a father and mother that have some sort of European background and eat dinner at night around the kitchen table. We have to do our best as educators to change this perspective and allow our students to see that differences are what make us so unique and so perfect in our own way. This book talks about a child who has a set of Grandparents who are of European ancestry and the other set are Mexican-American. Abuelita y Abuelito are different from Grandma and Grandpa, but they have their own traditions with thier grandchild and prove that every family is different and has something unique to offer. This is a great book to discuss heritage and background with very young children
Ages: 4-7

Gathering the Sun: Author Study Alma Flor Ada

A wonderful book for a young ESL classroom, or a way to expand the horizons of English speaking students, Gathering the Sun is a beautifully illustrated book that travels through the alphabet in both Spanish and English. The book allows for students to see the hard work that many migrant families went through in a book of ABC poetry. I loved the deep colors that the illustrator painted each page with, rich warm and full of life, understand a journey and travel along with A B and C.
Ages: PreK- Kindergarten

Author Study Alma Flor Ada

Truly an inspiring author, Alma Flor Ada has grown up in Cuba, learned English and has committed her life to combining the two languages through literature that she creates. She is unique, respectable and has true talent for children's literature. In the sequel to her well recognized collection of memories in Cuba, Under the Royal Palms continues her story, explaining early memories of life in Cuba for Alma. Her personal relationships with those who inspire her (a dance teacher) and those relative who are so close to her heart are explained through beautiful chapters that give so much insight to how her life has been shaped. Alma Flor Ada recieved the Bel­pré Author Award for Under the Royal Palms which is a regconized award for Latino authors who are truly exceptional.
Alma's Website


Ages: 3rd grade and up

Year of Impossible Goodbyes

Japanese occupation in Korea can be seen from the perspective of a young girl, Sookan as she describes the sad and painful journey she made with her family to survive WWII. Everyone remembers things in their own way, they have their own story to tell. I think that for students to read Sookan's story, they can understand the different perspectives that people can have about one memory.

I found the story that Sookan told to be as painful and devastating to read as "So Far from the Bamboo Grove." I think that children will be able to read this book and understand some of the more difficult topics as I have. Although they may be difficult to approach (for instance death), teaching kids how to effectively and respectfully discuss these types of topics are essential to their growth as readers and people.

Ages: 5-6th grade

So Far From the Bamboo Grove

I thought that I knew all about WWII until I read this book. I suppose I did not fully understand the conflict that occured between Korea and Japan and based on the majority of literature about WWII, I too focused mostly on the European countries and The United States. I was amazed at the way this story had such persistance, much like the young girl in the story. From her point of view, she tells of her escape south out of Korea during WWII. She endured hardships and witness death. I felt that reading from a child's perspective seems to have a much more emotional impact on the reader. I found my heart aching for this girl and her family as I read her account of the tragedies that she suffered.

I find that it is important to expose children to this type of literature. Partly because this is a part of WWII that does not get as much exposure in the schools and also because understanding suffering is something that everyone will go through in their life. Children can understand things that we do not give them credit for and I believe that books like So Far From the Bamboo Grove can help to accomplish this. Children do understand suffering and from a child's perspective, they can relate this story to aspects of their own lives (much like I did).

Grades: 5-6th

Reflection #1

Getting used to blogging was the biggest challenge for me during the first part of this semester. I was not sure that I could write my opinion as freely as if I was turning in each book reflection for a "grade." I think that I have adjusted really well to being a "blogger," and it has given me a sense of accomplishment to see all that I have written on my own site. It is also really beneficial to be able to read what other people think about the same books I have read. Having our entire class connected makes it easier to share thoughts about different things we are reading and different perspectives that each of us have.

I do not think that I had any idea what "good" books were when I started reading for this class. I love books, but do not get enough time throughout the week to pick one up and read for pleasure. I think that after some of our class discussions, I thought about how I might want my classroom to be set up - for reading to be valued by all of my students and for everyone in my class to want to read. So often, required reading takes over school and students forget how amazing reading can be and how much it can offer.

The selections that we have read so far have really opened my eyes to what I can share with my students. I think that The Misfits was especially eye opening for me because I knew after reading the book, how much I felt like each of the characters at a time in middle school. Sharing these kinds of powerful novels force kids to think about tough topics that can be easily brushed over. I think that choosing books based on what they can offer (instead of purely what "should" be taught by anyone's definition) will give students different perspectives on otherwise taboo subjects. As a future educator, I am grateful that I have had an opportunity that opens my eyes to the rhelm of possibilities that books offer.