Down, Down, Down

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/down-down-down-steve-jenkins/1100303638

Jenkins, Steve. 2009. Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0-618-96636-6.


Summary

This book takes the reader on a journey from the ocean's surface to the sea floor encountering unusual creatures along the way.

Critical Analysis

Steve Jenkins, award-winning author of numerous children's nonfiction titles, has created another quality informational book with Down, Down, Down. The bibliography included in the back of the book, along with further descriptions of the animals found on each page, both assure the accuracy of the information and allow readers to find more reading material on the same subject. Jenkins avoids theory and only states the fact in his text, which is correctly represented by his illustrations.

Down, Down, Down has a clear sequence and a logical layout that readers will easily follow. His book follows a pattern of top to bottom as information is presented from the ocean's surface to the sea floor. There is a bar running down the right hand side of each double page spread that indicates the depth of the sea at each stage. In the back of the book, the creatures on each page are given a number with corresponding information about each one, and diagrams show the size of each these creatures compared to an adult human body or hand. Another interesting chart at the back of the book shows the reader what person, equipment, or vessel could reach each level of the sea.

The design of Jenkins' book invites the reader to explore the levels of the sea in his attractive and readable book. The collage artwork fits the depictions of the sea creatures well, and create an interesting and appropriate complement to the text. The illustrations on the page are well placed and the pages feel spacious and uncluttered like their ocean subject, while each page has a darker and darker background clearly and effectively explaining the amount of light at each sea level.

The use of bright colors on dark backgrounds in the collage artwork of Down, Down, Down create a interesting and visual lively informational book that will be appeal to children. Jenkins provides just enough information on each page, and sticks to language appropriate to the reading levels of the book's target age group. Jenkins has a talent for highlighting the information children will find most fascinating, such as bioluminescence and fierce battles of sperm whales and giant squid. Additional information provided about each creature encourages more reading and critical thinking from readers.

Reviews

Booklist, April 01, 2009,  states, "In this plunge into the deep, Jenkins displays his usual keen awareness of what is fascinating about biology and imparts it without sensationalism the facts speak for themselves. Light becomes an impossibility only a tiny fraction of the way down into the ocean, and the deeper this book goes, the darker the palette and the scarier and stranger the beast encountered."

The April 01, 2009 review in School Library Journal describes the design of Down, Down, Down : "Depicted in Jenkins's signature handsome collages, the denizens of each level swim against ever-darkening backgrounds ranging from sunny blue to deepest black. Each double-page segment begins with a paragraph or two explaining the growing degree of darkness, cold, and pressure, and how all of these affect the lives of the resident creatures."

Awards

Down, Down, Down was a Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee in 2010-2011 and won the American Library Association Notable Books for Children in 2010.

Connections


Although designed for a higher reading level, Down, Down, Down could be used in a pre-school story time for an introduction to informational books. A theme of sea life storybooks could be read, such as I'm the Biggest Thing in This Ocean by Kevin Sherry or The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Ken Geist, then the librarian could share the colorful pictures of Down, Down, Down while sharing some of the information about the ocean with the children.

References

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed October 29, 2013

What to Do About Alice?

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/what-do-about-alice

Kerley, Barbara. 2008. What to Do About Alice? : How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!  Ill. by Edwin Fotheringham. Broadway,NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439922313

Summary

What to Do About Alice? is a picture book biography of Alice Roosevelt, President Theodore Roosevelt's high spirited daughter. Despite the death of her mother at a young age and having to wear leg braces as a child, young Alice lived voraciously, sometimes driving her father to exasperation. Young Alice rode a bicycle, joined an all-boys club, and read through her father's library for her education. As the president's daughter, she served as a goodwill ambassador to foreign lands and captured the hearts of many people. Alice grew up and married Nicholas Longworth and became a congressman's wife, but she continued to be heavily involved in politics becoming a valued advisor of her father. Alice, throughout her life, continued to defy the conventions expected of women in her time. 

Critical Analysis


Barbara Kerley is no amateur when it comes to writing award winning picture book biographies; her bibliography includes The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins and Walt Whitman: Words for America. What to Do about Alice?, in addition to providing the reader with accurate and documented information, is both an entertaining and delightful read. Kerley provides an author's note page in the back of the book, which explains in further detail parts of Alice's life, such as the death of her mother, her father's concern and admiration for her, and her involvement in Washington's politics. A citation informs the reader of the sources for the quotes used throughout the book, and a special thanks made to Carol Felsenthal, author of Princess Alice: The Life and Times of Alice Roosevelt Longworth, assures the reader that the facts in the text and illustrations were checked by a knowledgeable writer.

What to Do about Alice? is organized in a picture book format meant to be read from start to finish. With the exception of the additional information in the author's notes included after the story, the book does not include, nor require, reference aids to access the informational content. The book follows a logical layout and clear sequence, beginning Alice's story in early childhood and continuing through adolescence and adulthood. Kerley hooks the reader from the start by stating, "Theodore Roosevelt had a small problem," followed by an impressive list of accomplishments that does not include keeping his daughter from "running riot."

The design of What to Do about Alice? is attractive and readable. The illustrations invite the reader into Alice's world. Fotheringham's illustrations appropriately represent the time period with the clothes and furniture being of the 1900's; the illustrations also complement the writing by adding a touch of humor to Kerley's straight forward text. Bold type in the text adds emphasis to certain quotes and information, and helps to communicate the subject matter clear and effectively. The layout of the illustrations and the text keep the story moving at a pace as fast as its subject Alice, while keeping readers enticed to turn the page and find out what will happen next.

Kerley has given What to Do about Alice? a lively and unique style that captures the exuberance of the subject. Dotted 'speed' lines show Alice's movement from place to place; my favorite page is Alice in her father's library with five different frames and numerous dotted lines showing her pulling books from the shelf. Children will be able to identify with Alice's desire for adventure, which the author reveals with passion and enthusiasm. The language in Kerley's text is appropriate for the targeted age group, while using adjectives and phrases that will hold the interest of readers. She provides enough information that the reader gets a solid sense of the person Alice Roosevelt was, but will still encourage the curious reader to seek out more information.

Reviews

Publishers Weekly, March 31, 2008, praised What to Do About Alice?  stating, "It's hard to imagine a picture book biography that could better suit its subject than this high-energy volume serves young Alice Roosevelt. Kerley (The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins) knows just how to introduce her to contemporary readers…Debut illustrator Fotheringham creates the perfect mood from the start: his stylish digital art sets a fast pace, making use of speed lines (rendered in dots, these earn their names) and multiple vignettes to evoke characters in perpetual motion."

The January 01, 2008 starred review in Booklist says, "Kerley's text has the same rambunctious spirit as its subject, grabbing readers from the first line…The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for spectacular art, which includes use of digital media."

Awards

What to Do About Alice? was nominated for a Robert F. Sibert Award in 2009 and won the American Library Association Notable Books for Children Award in 2009. 

Connections


What to Do about Alice?  could be recommended in combination with Leslie Kimmelman's Mind Your Manners, Alice Roosevelt!  Children could use both books to create a timeline of Alice Roosevelt Longworth's life.

The book would also be an excellent jumping off point for conversation of the cultural expectations of women in the past. Children could compare and contrast women's lives today to the roles of women in the early 1900's.

References

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed October 25, 2013

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/balloons-over-broadway-melissa-sweet/1100042896

Sweet, Melissa. 2011. Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780547199450

Summary

Tony Sarg from a young age loved figuring out how to make things move. This book tells the story of how Sarg went from making marionettes, to working for Macy's making mechanical marionette window displays, and then becoming the puppeteer responsible for creating the balloon puppets in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  

Critical Analysis

Melissa Sweet's Balloons Over Broadway delights and informs the reader with this accurate, yet whimsical fusion of information and illustration. Many elements of the book allow the reader to trust the accuracy of Sweet's information. An artist and toy enthusiast herself, Sweet consulted numerous people and institutions to research Tong Sarg. Some of her sources include John Bell and Bart Roccoberton of the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, the Nantucket Historical Association, and Macy's senior counsel. She recognizes their contribution in a thank you section on her citation page. Sweet includes a thorough bibliography list that cites her sources and, also, includes a quote source list that cites the origin of the quotes used throughout the book. Sweet designed the illustrations with Sarg's creations in mind and based her some of her artwork on toys in Tony Sarg's collection. 

Sweet presents Tony Sarg's career, and the events leading up to his career, in a clear and logical manner. Readers are introduced to Tony Sarg with a photograph, the dates of his life, and his quote on the meaning of movement, which provides a frame and context for the subject of the book. Arranged chronologically, Sweet begins with Sarg's early childhood and his invention of a pulley system that allowed him to both complete his chores and sleep in later. Sweet, also, shows how Sarg, while working for Macy's progressively developed his ideas for the marionettes and then balloons that would make the Thanksgiving Day Parade bigger and better. The books details the evolution of Sarg's creation of the balloon design and construction from air-filled rubber to the lighter, floating helium-filled rubberized silk.

Melissa Sweet uses gouache, collage, and mixed media to create the illustration of Balloons Over Broadway. Her mixed media collages creates textured illustrations that draws the reader into her pages. Sweet made actual toys herself to bring Sarg's world to life, and she captures the excitement of the times, the parade route, and the parade itself with beautifully softly washed paintings. Sweets lively and detailed illustrations make Sarg's creations more tangible to the reader. For example, she uses collage, drawing, print and photograph to illustrate and label a design for a puppet window for Macy's department store.

Sweet has created a lively book that details an interesting person and time in American history. From her newspaper cutout lettering to the colorful spools of thread and buttons, Sweet's illustrations capture the joyfulness of the time and the parade. She includes just enough detail that the reader is not overwhelmed with information, but instead finishes the book with an appreciation for Tony Sarg's passion and inventiveness,  which began an American holiday tradition.

Reviews

A Booklist, September 15, 2011, starred review calls Sweet's book, "A joyous piece of nonfiction that informs and delights in equal parts."

School Library Journal, September 01, 2011, describes Balloons Over Broadway as "a stand-out, capturing the charm of the period and the awe-inspiring balloons. This one should float off the shelves."

Awards

 In 2012, Balloons Over Broadway won both the Robert F. Siebert Informational Book Award and the Orbis Pictus Award. 

Connections

The Houghton Mifflin Books for Children website offers a Balloons Over Broadway Activity kit that could be used as a storytime craft to accompany the book. With the kit, children could make "Paddle Puppets" by gluing cutout animals to paddle sticks to be used as masks or pretend parade balloons. Children could also draw and design their own parade balloons with construction paper and crayons. The website has an elephant balloon design, which librarians are free to photocopy and distribute, and children could construct the design into a hat to pretend they are balloons in the parade. 

"Balloons Over Broadway Activity Kit." Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Accessed October 24, 2013. http://www.hmhbooks.com/kids/resources/BalloonsOverBroadway_ActivityKit.pdf

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed October 23, 2013

Inside Out & Back Again

http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/books/Inside-Out-Back-Again-Thanhha-Lai/

Lai, Thanhha. 2011. Inside Out & Back Again. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 9780061962783

Summary

Hà and her family are forced to flee war torn Saigon during the Vietnam War. They board a navy ship leaving behind the city that Hà loves- its markets and her beloved papaya tree. The journey's conditions are dangerous and grim, but it brings her family to safety and the opportunity of America. Hà settles in Alabama, where she and her family are met with both prejudice and kindness as they adjust to their new life. 

Critical Analysis

Inside Out & Back Again is a first-person, present tense narrative novel in verse, which tells the story of Hà's immigration to the United States. The story begins in 1975 at the start of Tết, or Vietnamese New Year, through the New Year of the family's new homeland in 1976. The book is organized into four parts: Saigon, At Sea, Alabama, and From Now On, which gives context to the changes for Hà and her family. The poetry, arranged chronologically,  reads as if an intimate journal or diary. Lai's poetry lines consist of short lines in short stanzas creating a fast-paced rhythm that flows the story along. The free verse poetry is broken by line breaks and white space on the page, which gives emphasis to meaning in Lai's stanzas. The language of the verse is simple and straight forward, and the story is accessible for young readers. However, the complexity of story and the poignancy of topics guarantee that the book will be appreciated by readers of all ages. 

Lai uses sensory words that create a visually vivid mental picture; her words allow the reader to experience Hà's favorite fruit, the papaya. The phrases are arrange for maximum impact on the reader; one can almost taste the fruit themselves. "/orange-yellow delights/smelling of summer/Middle sweet/.../Soft as a yam/gliding down/." The precise poems have an emotional impact on the reader, who feels what Hà is feeling in the moment. The themes of outsiderness, school bullies, and family values appeal on a universal level, and the free verse form and poignant themes make Inside Out & Back Again a beautiful read. 

Reviews

The March 01, 2011 issue of School Library Journal says, "Told in verse, each passage is given a date so readers can easily follow the progression of time. Sensory language describing the rich smells and tastes of Vietnam draws readers in and contrasts with Ha's perceptions of bland American food, and the immediacy of the narrative will appeal to those who do not usually enjoy historical fiction. Even through her frustration with her new life and the annoyances of her three older brothers, her voice is full of humor and hope."

A review in Booklist, January 01, 2011, has this praise for Inside Out & Back Again, "Based on Lai's personal experience, this first novel captures a child-refugee's struggle with rare honesty. Written in accessible, short free-verse poems, Hà's immediate narrative describes her mistakes both humorous and heartbreaking with grammar, customs, and dress (she wears a flannel nightgown to school, for example); and readers will be moved by Hà's sorrow as they recognize the anguish of being the outcast who spends lunchtime hiding in the bathroom."

Awards

Inside Out & Back Again has won many awards, including the following: 

National Book Awards (2011), Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books (2011), School Library Journal Best Books of the Year (2011), and the American Library Association Notable Books for Children (2012). It was also nominated for a Newbery Medal (2012). 

Connections

Since Hà is from Saigon, the capital city of war torn South Vietnam, the book lends itself  to the discussion of the country, its location on a map, the fall of Saigon, and the effects of the Vietnam War on Vietnamese refugees. Children could also share if they have ever moved to a new place or a new school and compare their own experiences with Hà's experience in Alabama; the librarian could highlight the difficulties and challenges of not speaking the language of a new place. 

Tết, the Vietnamese New Year, plays a big role in the book. Children could be introduce to the customs and tradition of Tết, and they could view a slideshow of pictures from a Tết festival in the United States. 

References

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed October 07, 2013

Please Bury Me in the Library

http://openlibrary.org/works/OL15039486W/Please_bury_me_in_the_library

Lewis, J Patrick. 2005. Please Bury Me in the Library. Ill. by Kyle M. Stone. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 0152163875

Summary

J. Patrick Lewis' sixteen poem collection celebrates a love of words, books, and libraries.  Lewis weaves together a variety of poetry forms, from haiku and acrostic to couplet and quatrain, in this clever and humorous homage to reading.

Critical Analysis

Please Bury Me in the Library is an individual poet, topical collection with themes of books and reading in a poem picture book. The book's first poem "What if Books Had Different Names" clues the reader to the tone of the book. The poem, which sillily parodies book titles, is meant to tickle those familiar with the original titles and hints to the reader that more poems of literary fun will follow. This collection showcases many poetic conventions. In the poem, "Ab-so-lu-tas-ti-cal", the rhyming lines make it a delight to read aloud. While alliteration, such as the line "/Paint me a picture book, Parrot/", adds a dramatic element to the poem. The poem's use of figurative language with literary genres and the imaginative imagery of animals who create the wonder of reading combine for a fantastic play of words with surprising and unexpected visual images. The short, simplicity of the language in "A Classic" emotionally captures the joy found in a child sharing a great book with an elder; the poems defines a classic book as one that inspires a child of six to "/...read it to another kid/Who just turned sixty-three/".

Stone's illustrations compliment the poems without imposing on the imagination of the reader to create their own mental picture for the poem. The illustrations will provide younger readers a context for the more complicated poems. Stone's lively paintings are appropriate for creating the mood of Lewis' spirited poems, and the use of vivid colors will grow reader interest in the the poems.

The strength of the collection lies in its language and imagery. This can be seen in the poem "Are You a Book Person?" which compares a book to good friend who "/...has a spine /A heart, a soul/ And a goal-/." The balance or organization of the poems in  Please Bury Me in the Library may be the book's only weakness. It is difficult to assign an appropriate reading level to the book, because the poems have vastly different levels of structure and complexity. However, this book exposes children to a variety of poetry forms, and while they may not all be a favorite, there is certain to be one that appeals to every reader.

Reviews

The February 15, 2005 issue of Booklist says, "This homage to reading salutes all the essential elements: letters, words, books. Lewis' poetry is continually clever, whether pithily summing up children's classics (a book that is excitedly read by a kid of 6 to another kid of 63) or capturing the thrill of reading in the dark."

Publishers Weekly, March 14, 2005, was not as impressed with Please Bury Me in the Library, stating, "Despite its clever title, Lewis (Arithme-Tickle) and Stone's combination of sentimental rhymes and at times ghoulish whimsy creates a volume of poetry about reading that may leave bookworms with a bit of indigestion."

Connections

Lewis' book could be used in a storytime that celebrates poetry and books. Poems from his book could be read with other selections from Lee Bennett Hopkins' book Wonderful Words: Poems About Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening.

Children could participate in an activity that allows them to create their own poetry using book related language. Slips of paper printed with words related to literature and books could be chosen randomly from a box. The words could then be arranged to create a poem that the children could glue on construction paper and take home. The children could then decorate their poem using stickers, glitter, or Japanese washi tape.

References

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed October 02, 2013

The One and Only Ivan

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-and-only-ivan-katherine-applegate/1102905158?ean=9780061992254

Applegate, Katherine. 2012. The One and Only Ivan. Ill. by Patricia Castelao. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 9780061992254

Summary

Ivan is a gorilla living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Game Arcade where people come to watch him through the glass walls of his domain. Ivan does not remember much of his life before the mall, and he spends most of his time in the companionship of Stella, an aging elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. Ivan likes to create art, a passion that he shares with his human friend Julia, and he tries to capture the world around him with color and line. When, Ruby, a baby elephant arrives at the mall, Ivan's world begins to change. Ivan makes a promise to Stella that he will protect the young elephant. Ruby opens his eyes to their condition, and he begins to remember what it means to be a gorilla. Ivan realizes he must take action to change their lives for the better. 

Critical Analysis

Author Katherine Applegate's character Ivan, the gorilla narrator of the story, speaks to the reader with spare and concise language. The One and Only Ivan is a novel in verse, and Applegate tells her story in free-verse poetry. The sentences and paragraphs are short and extra line breaks space the pages. The book chapters are short, as well, with chapter titles that tell the reader the central theme of poem. Some of the chapters are in narrative free verse with short stanzas, and other poems use one word lines to create a vivid visual image for the reader. For example, Ivan describes his first experience being outside after a lifetime of indoor captivity, "/Sky/Grass/Tree/Ant/Stick/.../Mine/Mine/Mine/"  in the poem "outside at last".

Although Ivan's sentences are terse, the emotional impact of what he has to say makes The One and Only Ivan a beautiful and moving story. The variety of themes of the story, such as empathy, friendship, responsibility, and animal rights, have a classic appeal to an audience. Castelao's illustrations highlight the story, but are distributed sparingly enough throughout the novel that they do not overpower the narrative. 

The One and Only Ivan will appeal to a wide range of readers. The simple language will make this book an easy read for young and reluctant readers, but the compelling story will engross adult readers as well. 

Awards

The One and Only Ivan won many awards. A few of those include the Newbery Medal in 2013, ALA Notable Books for Children in 2013, and School Library Journal Best Books of the Year in 2012.

Reviews

Booklist, February 15, 2012, says this of the prose, "The text, written in first person from Ivan's point of view, does a good job of vividly conveying his personality, emotions, and intelligence as well as creating a sense of otherness in his point of view."

While, the November 04, 2011 issue of Publishers Weekly has this description of Applegate's text, "The brief chapters read like free-verse poetry, the extra line breaks between paragraphs driving home the contrast between Ivan and humans, who in his opinion, "waste words. They toss them like banana peels and leave them to rot." As is to be expected, there's significant anthropomorphism, but Applegate is largely successful in creating a protagonist who can understand humans yet feels like a gorilla. Although Ivan's role in the events leading to their rescue reads as too human, readers will be left rethinking our relationship to animals."

Connections

The One and Only Ivan would make an excellent selection for a public library's child and parent book club. The group could discuss their thoughts about wild animals living in captivity. The librarian could research and share information about how many elephants and gorillas still live in the wild and talk about their natural habitats. Children could also locate the Democratic Republic of the Congo on a globe and see how far it is from the United States. 

References

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed September 30, 2013