The Secret World of Walter Anderson - Picture Book # 18

AUTHOR:   Hester Bass

ILLUSTRATOR:   E. B. Lewis

GENRE:  Nonfiction Biography  

    

SUBGENRE:  Young Adult

AWARD(S):  Orbis Pictus 2011

THEME:  Artists, Mississippi

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS:  Walter Anderson

DATE OF PUBLICATION AND PUBLISHER: 2009, Candlewick Press.

SUMMARY:  In this book we are given a glimpse into the life of Walter Anderson, a very accomplished American artist.  Walter lived on the gulf coast of Mississippi with his wife. He would often get in his canoe and row out to Horn Island where he would paint to his heart’s content, sometimes staying out there for days on end.  Being the private man that he was, Walter kept his studio door locked at all times.  After his death, his wife was amazed to find that he had painted every inch of the walls inside.  Unfortunately Hurricane Katrina destroyed the cottage but thankfully his art works were saved in a museum.  The illustrations in this book are lovely and do transport you to the beach visually.

HOW WOULD I USE THIS BOOK AS A TEACHER:  I would use this book to teach my students about a not so well known artist.

Balloons over Broadway - Picture Book # 17

          TITLE:  Balloons over Broadway

            AUTHOR:  Melissa Sweet

            ILLUSTRATOR:  Melissa Sweet

            GENRE:  Non fiction, Biography

            SUB GENRE:  Juvenile Literature

            AWARD(S):   2012 Robert F. Sibert Medal Winner

THEME:  Puppetry, Thanksgiving, Inventions. 

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS:   Tony Sarg

 DATE OF PUBLICATION AND PUBLISHER:

 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

SUMMARY:  “From the time he was a little boy, Tony Sarg loved to figure out how to make things move. He once said he became a marionette man when he was only six years old.”   This book is all about Tony Sarg, the inventor of the beautiful gigantic balloons that we watch during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade every year.  Tony was fascinated with marionettes at a young age and grew up to design and create such marvelous works of art every year.

HOW I WOULD  USE THIS BOOK AS A TEACHER: I would use this book if my students were learning about biographies, or even for pleasurable reading during the season of Thanksgiving.  They could learn about ingenuity and the value of having big dreams.

The Tiger Rising

          CHAPTER BOOK # 8

          AUTHOR:  Kate di Camillo

          ILLUSTRATOR: Book cover by Chris Sheban

          GENRE: Chapter Book

          SUB GENRE: Realistic Fiction

          THEME: Grief, anger and isolation

          PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS:

          Rob, Sistine, his Dad and Willie Mae the maid.

DATE OF PUBLICATION AND PUBLISHER:  

 2001 by Candlewick Press

SUMMARY:  Rob Horton moved to a new city and school after the death of his mother to cancer.  He’s having trouble fitting in and is the target of 2 bully brothers.  Rob lives in a hotel in Florida with his Dad and life is not that great.  After the death of his mother, Rob started to put his feelings away in an imaginary suitcase, so he wouldn’t get hurt again.  Rob befriends a new girl to town called Sistine as in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.  Sistine comes from a home where her parents have separated and she is still very angry.  Rob discovers a tiger in the woods behind the hotel and he and Sistine conspire to set it free.  To find out what happens next…read the book!

HOW WOULD YOU USE THIS BOOK AS A TEACHER:  This book was very touching and there are students that could relate to this story.  This book could be used to discuss the many metaphors contained in it.  There is also a lot of symbolism.

Franny K. Stein. The Invisible Fran

             
        CHAPTER BOOK #3

          AUTHOR: Jim Benton

          ILLUSTRATOR: Jim Benton

          GENRE: Chapter Book

          SUB GENRE: Science fiction

          THEME:  Science and humor

          PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS: 
          Franny K. Stein, Ms. Shelley and classmates.

DATE OF PUBLICATION AND PUBLISHER: 
          2004 by Scholastic Inc.

SUMMARY:  This is the third book in the series and Franny’s antics do not disappoint!  The book starts off with Ms. Shelley the teacher asking the students to display their talents.  Franny sets out to convince her classmates that being a mad scientist is the best idea!  The two headed robot she creates does not impress her classmates.  But when she creates an invisibility potion, her classmates are bitten with the mad scientist bug!!  Her robot goes crazy and what happens next?? You’ll have to read the book to find out…
 

HOW WOULD YOU USE THIS BOOK AS A TEACHER:  What impressed me about this book is that the main character who love, love, loves science is a girl.  She’s not grossed out by eyeballs and guts and brains.  She finds them all fascinating.  So this series could be used to inspire young girls.  It is suitable for ages 9 – 12.

Buckley and Wilberta

      

         Chapter Book # 6

         AUTHOR:  Hope Slaughter

         ILLUSTRATOR:  Susan Torrence

         GENRE: Chapter Book

         SUB GENRE:  Juvenile Fiction

         THEME:  Friendship

         PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS:

         Buckley the Hedgehog and Wilberta the Rabbit

DATE OF PUBLICATION AND PUBLISHER: 

1996 by Red Hen Press

SUMMARY: I don’t normally use the word cute but this book really is cute!  It made me smile and it was touching.  The friendship between Buckley the Hedgehog and Wilberta the Rabbit is precious.  The book is made up of four chapters which tell four stories of a true friendship and all that it entails. 

HOW WOULD YOU USE THIS BOOK AS A TEACHER: This book is a perfect early reader for the ages of 4 – 7.

Jazmin's Notebook

         Chapter Book #  5

         AUTHOR:  Nikki Grimes

         ILLUSTRATOR:  Eric Velasquez (jacket)

 

         GENRE:  Realistic Juvenile Fiction

         SUB GENRE:  Poetry

         THEME:   Urban Life, Family

         PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS:

         Jazmin and  her sister Cece

AWARDS: 

A Coretta Scott King Honor Book
A Book list Editors' Choice Book
Bank Street College Book of the Year 

DATE OF PUBLICATION AND PUBLISHER:   

1998 by Dial Books

SUMMARY:  Jazmin’s Notebook was most enjoyable.  It can be read by both adults and children.  It is about a 14 year old girl Jazmin who faces much adversity in her young years and chronicles theses experiences in a diary.  Each entry starts with a poem, and they are all touching.  Jazmin lives in Harlem and has faced the death of her father and her mother’s alcoholism.  She and her sister Cece are wise beyond their years.  This book is a “must read” and although it will pull at your heart strings, it will leave you feeling hopeful for them both.

HOW WOULD YOU USE THIS BOOK AS A TEACHER:  Some of the experiences that Jazmin faces will be easy to relate to as adolescents.  We could turn this into a lesson on identifying poetic terms like personification, simile, metaphor, assonance and alliteration.

Snowflake Bentley

          Picture Book # 16

          AUTHOR:  Jacqueline Briggs Martin

          ILLUSTRATOR:  Mary Azarian

          GENRE:  Picture Book

          SUB GENRE: Biography

          THEME:  

          Follow your dreams in spite of adversity.

          PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS:   

          Willie Bentley, Charlie and his mother.

AWARD(S): Caldecott Medal 1999

DATE OF PUBLICATION AND PUBLISHER: 

1998 by Houghton Mifflin.

SUMMARY:  Born in 1865 in Vermont, Wilson Bentley loved snow.  As a young boy he loved to keep a record of the weather and he went onto experiment with raindrops.  One day he decided to study snow crystal under a microscope.  It is here that he discovered that each snowflake has its own shape and design.  His neighbors and friends had fun of him but he persevered.  He introduced the world to the perfection of snow crystals.

HOW WOULD YOU USE THIS BOOK AS A TEACHER:  We could use this book to teach about geometric and symmetrical shapes.  We could also discuss the spirit of kindness and of determination.