Biographical info: Zuzu's Wishing Cake
Author: Linda Micheline.
Illustrator: D.B. Johnson
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Genre: Picture book.
Plot: Zuzu is a happy, go lucky girl who loves to smile at everything from cardboard boxes to her neighbor, a young boy, about her age. Unfortunately, when Zuzu uses her telescope to smile at the boy, he does not return the friendly gesture. Zuzu thinks it is because he does not have a telescope. With that in mind, she constructs a homemade telescope for the boy across the street. Sadly, the boy does not use the telescope, and Zuzu cannot see him smile. She predicts that the sun was too bright and therefore the little boy needs sun glasses. Therefore Zuzu constructs sunglasses out of the negatives from photos. She gives it to the boy's mother to give to him. However, the mother speaks in a foreign tounge to Zuzu, and she does not understand. Not giving up, Zuzu thinks up of something else so the boy can smile. Finally she makes a wishing cake, which is a stack of bread, each spread with jelly, and piled on top of each other. When she gave the sandwich cake to the boy, he smiled and smiled!
Theme: Sometimes it takes a little bit of work to make someone smile. Doing a kind deed for a person/friend is not always easy.
Illustrations: As soon as I saw these pictures, I immediately thought they closely resembled the animations I watch in movies or in cartoons. Zuzu's eyes are squared. Most of the pages have several pictures on it. Some of the book is also in cartoon form. My favorite illustration is of the boy's mother. One cannot quite see her face. She is wearing chapals (sandals) two bold bangles on her arm, and a traditional sari. The outside edges of her sari are embroidered in an orange and white design. On another page, there is a black cat covered in pink polka dots. One can tell that Zuzu loves patterns and designs because the hat she wears has patterns and designs on it.
Reflection: This is a very touching book about making the effort to make a little boy smile. It also teaches the important lesson that making a friend is not always easy. I think the boy was a lot like me when I was little. I was very shy and rarely talked to others. I think the boy did not come outside to talk to Zuzu was because he could not speak any English. I remember when I was in pre-school, I could hardly speak a word of English. All I knew was my native language. It was very difficult for me to communicate when I could not even converse with anyone. In general, this book is a wonderful read to a diverse type of class, or even to a child at home. It teaches children to make the effort to do something nice for others.
Extension Activity: What is something nice you did for someone else? How did it make them feel, and how did it make you feel? Write a few sentences about it, or if you wish, share with a parent or teacher, or class.
Bibliographical information:
Title:The Clown God
Author and Illustrator: Tomie dePaola.
Publisher: Harcourt Brace Joanovich. 1978.
Genre: folktale/picture book
Plot summary: This retelling is based on a very old famous French legend. In this retelling, lives a young orphaned boy named Giovanni. Giovanni dressed in rags, begged and slept in other people's doorway. Despite his difficult life, he was content with it. He was happy with it because he possessed a wonderful talent. He could juggle. Everyday, he would go to the Signor Baptisata's fruit and vegetable stand and juggle. His juggling bought many customers to the stands, and in exchange for customers, Giovanni received a bowl of soup from Signor Baptisata's stand. One day, a group of traveling players visits the town. Giovanni, interested by this group of entertainers, convinces them to let him join. After convincing the Maestro of the traveling players to let him join, Giovanni juggles and juggles, and entertains many people. Giovanni continues to juggle, until people soon became tired of him. They looked at him as the "Old clown who juggles things" One unfortunate day, poor Giovanni is juggling the Sun in Heavens and drops the sun. Because of this, he is ridiculed, and decides to give up juggling forever. With the help of the Lady and her child, Giovanni ends up juggling till his death. This story takes a close look at Giovanni's life from his life as a young juggler till his death.
Theme: Never give up on something, your talent will always be needed.
Illustrations: I have read numerous Tomie dePaola's books, and on my, this is one of my favorites! Many are familiar with his art work. His work is standard among all his books. I took quick notice, that the characters in this particular book have their eyes partially closed. Pupils are not shown, and Giovanni's eyes are merely black slits. In most pictures he is shown wearing a clown mask with his cheeks rose red. I also like the use of color in the pictures. It is a marvelous accommodation to this famous French Legend.
Reflection: This folktale will make one sad and sorry for what Giovanni had to go through. It is always painful having a talent that no one will pay attention to once they are tired of it. Giovanni got discouraged from juggling because of dropping an orange, and the ridicule he received from others. This story taught me something important. It taught me that I should never let anyone or anything put me down or discourage me from doing things I hold dear to heart. I believe this is one of the morals of the story.
Extension Activity:
Idea 1:In a large room, or somewhere with space, learn how to juggle with scarves, tennis balls, and other light and round objects.
Idea 2: Write a letter to Giovanni convincing him not to give up juggling.
Bibliographical information: Title: Many Moons
Author: James Thurber
Illustrator: Louis Slobodkin.
Publisher: Harcourt Brace & Company. Year: 1943
Genre: picture book
Plot: This wonderful tale is about Princess Lenore, ten years old, who falls ill one day. The King, Lenore's father, tells his daughter that he will fetch whatever her heart desires. The princess tells her father that she wants the moon. Luckily for the King, he has many wise men that always get everything he asks for. Because he can attain whatever he asks for, he believes that fetching the moon for his beloved sick child will not be a problem. Unfortunately, when he goes to each royal servant, he discovers that none of them can bring him the moon. The Lord High Chamberlain explains that the moon would not fit in the bedroom, and that it is many miles away. The Royal Wizard, despite all his magic tricks, could not summon the moon to Lenore. The Royal Wizard explained that the moon was even bigger, made out of cheese, and even further away compared to what the Lord High Chamberlain said, Saddened and discouraged by his attempts to bring her daughter the moon to make her feel better, the Court Jester surprisingly offers a solution. He goes to Lenore, and tells her the moon is made of gold, and it is a small circle. The jester gets a piece of gold, thinking it is the moon, and gives it to her on a necklace. Overall, this story is about how a loving father and his royal servants try to give Princess Leone the moon.
Theme: Children are sometimes wiser than their elders.
Illustration: Many of the pictures are distinctive by a black outline around the objects and characters. There is not much color, and the scenes in the book are surrounded by a white background. The drawings are simple, yet artistic. The illustrator made a lot of his drawings effortless. One picture is of the stairs leading to Princess's Lenore's room. It looks so easy to draw but I know that a lot of care and effort is taken in these drawings. In that same picture, the court jester is running up the stairs. He is shaded light blue, the same color as the stairs. There is also a lot of use of blending in these pictures. In one picture, the castle has different bright colors exploding from the top. The castle is shooting out blends of almost every color, from black to pink and green. The facial features are not distinguished, but it leaves a lot of room to the imagination.
Reflection: I enjoyed this book very much because of the ending. Although all the King's servants tried to get the moon for the Princess, the Court Jester was able to give her the moon. When the Jester and others found out that the moon was still shining, and the girl was still wearing her necklace, thinking it was the moon, she gave a very clever response. A new moon grows in its place. This story made me realize how easy things little children can make things seem. Adults have a knack of making things much too complicated than they already are.
Extension activity: Draw your own picture of the moon. Think about what you have heard and imagined about the moon, and draw an illustration based on that. Parents or teacher should pick out the needed materials they think is suitable for this project.
Biographical info: Title: How Are You Peeling - Foods with Moods.
Author/Illustrator: Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers
Publisher: Scholastic Press.
Year: 1999
Genre: Picture book
Summary: "How Are You Peeling" takes a close look at all the human feelings such as anger, frustration, sadness, shyness, and more. Each page displays a few emotions. These feelings are creatively shown by sculptured vegetables. Tomatoes, bell peppers, oranges, lemons, cantaloupe, and other fruits and vegetables show off their smiles, frowns, sad faces, angry faces, among many other faces. Something else to notice about this book is when read aloud, it has a wonderful rhythm to it.
Theme: Facial expressions can tell you a lot about how someone is feeling. Facial expressions provide great clues to what a person is thinking.
Illustration: The illustration in this book were sculptured vegetables and fruit. According to the back page of the book, markets all over New York metropolitan area "were plumbed for expressive produce..." The expressions were carved on the foods with an Exacto knife. Black eyed peas were used as eyes for the fruits and vegetables. Beet-juice coloring was used for the formations of the mouths. The foods were photographed against plain colored background to convey the moods. My favorite picture is of the turtle and friend. The turtle has a cantaloupe shell, and a bell pepper head.
My two cents: I always looked as vegetables and fruits as just that... vegetables and fruits. Yes, foods do have moods! Children will have fun creating these moods on their veggies. This is one of the most creative and original book I have come across. This book is a wonderful way to teach children how to look at feelings through facial expressions.
Literature Extension Activities:
Idea 1: Each child will get a vegetable and with black eyed peas and strips of flexible paper (preferably material like Styrofoam. The children will make a face showing how they feel on the vegetable. A wonderful activity to do with your child at home.
Idea 2: Divide your kids into groups of 2. Have them sit Indian style, face to face. One partner will make a face (they can pick, either angry, sad, silly, scared, etc.) and the other partner will guess what the other partner is feeling.
Bibliographical information: In Daddy's Arms I am Tall. Author: Various authors Illustrator: Javaka Steptoe. Publisher: Lee & Low Books. Genre: Poetry/picture.
Plot: "In Daddy's Arms I am Tall." is a book compiled of poems about various father figures. The book specifically revolves around African families. Many of the poems are about physical features, such as strong hands, or gentle eyes, that make someone a father figure. . This anthology has many poems, including an Ashanti proverb: "When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him." There are also other poems about farmers, uncles, sons, and other father father type figures. The poems vary in subject and purpose, but all of them focus on one theme: Fathers. Authors in this book include Folami Abiade, Davida Adedjouma, David A. Anderson, Michael Burgess, Dakari Hru, Angele Johnson, Dinah Johnson, E. Ethlebert Miller, Lenard D. Moore, Sonia Sanches, and Carole Boston Weatherford. Theme: Fathers are very important, and they can play various roles in our community.
Illustrations: The pictures that Javaka Steptoe drew are simply exquisite. They varying, bright, and contrasting colors add to the authenticity of this book. According to Steptoe, "The images in this book were created with a variety of materials and techniques..." He also uses torn paper, cut paper with pastel, and applique. Some of the pictures have collages and paintings in them. These collages and paintings consist many found objects, like scraps from a tin ceiling, floorboards salvaged from a building renovation in Brooklyn. One picture actually has a design with real fish dipped in paint. One picture, on the cover, was drawn by the illustrator's younger sister. Overall, the pictures in this book are visually appealing to the eye, and children will just love looking at the creative patterns and drawings this book has to offer.
Reflection: What attracted me to this book were the magnificent illustrations. It was the very first thing that caught my attention. When I read the poems in the book, I was very impressed by what was written. My favorite poem is "In Daddy's Arms" because it is such an inspiring poem about a wonderful relationship of a father and a son. The son feels strong, powerful and tall when he is in his daddy's arms. I had an opportunity to read this book two years ago to a third grade class during clinical of my third college year. Afterward, we had a long and interesting discussion about the their fathers, and what they thought made them a "father"
Extension Ideas: Class discussion: As a class, or with a parent at home, discuss who you see as an important father figure in your life, explain why. Share for about ten minutes. Father's day: This is a great activity to do on Father's day. Check this book out, and read it with your father, or someone you see as a father. Then, when you are alone, write a poem about your father. For illustrations, be creative, and use paints, patterns, and scraps you can find around the house. Have a grown up help.
Bibliographical information: "Ella's Big Change"
Author and illustrator: Shirley Hughes
Publisher: The Bodley Head, published in Great Britain. 2003.
Genre: Picture book/ fairy tale.
Plot: Shirley Hughes retells the beloved tale of Cinderella with a few alterations. Mr. Cinders owns a small dress shop, and sells beautiful dresses to people from all over the world. Mr. Cinder's wife passes away, leaving him with his daughter, Ella. Eventually, Mr. Cinders marries a snotty woman with two rude, yet beautiful daughters.The mother and her girls mistreat Ella and always take advantage of her. They force her to stitch all the dresses in the shop, and make her sleep in a cramped up basement. The father who is very loving and caring, is unable to speak against the actions of his new wife and stepdaughters. Buttons, a young man, is the only person to take Ella's side. One day, the Duke and his mother come into town. Later, an invitation to a ball was announced. Sadly, the mother does not let Ella attend the ball despite the fact the invitation said that everybody was invited. Broken hearted, Ella tries to forget about it. However, with the help of a Fairy God Mother, her cat, and a little magic, Ella is transformed into a princess. There is one catch to all of this: Ella can go to the ball. At the ball, the Duke falls in love with her, but is unable to win her over for two reasons. 1. She runs away and 2. She falls in love with someone else. Unlike the original version of Cinderella, Ella ends up marrying another man. To find out who Ella married, check out this book at your library!
Themes: Not all fairy tales have to end with the girl marrying a prince.
The type of person you are is all that matters, not your title or status.
Illustrations: According to Hughes, her artwork is done in gouache color with pen line. Her ball scenes are influenced by the dance sequences in the R.K.O. Fred Astaire and Ginger Roger movies. I was impressed to read that the dresses which the father made, were actually the illustrator's design. The dresses were inspired by French couturiers during the 1920's such as Douchet, Poiret and Patou. In addition, Hughes captures the rude and snottish behavior of the mother and the daughter. They are bony, tall and lanky. Their eyebrows are always furrowed like they are angry.
Reflection: I believe that this is the type of book a teacher can read aloud to a class. It would be a bit too hard for them to read on their own. (depending on the age level) I really liked the ending of this fairy tale because Ella does not end up with the prince like in the orginal story. Instead, she falls for a man who always had feelings for her. This is a wonderful book to read to children of all ages. Young children learn that they should accept someone for the type of person they are, and older children learn what true love really means.
Extension Activity: Suppose you want to write your own version of Cinderella, what would you name your characters? How would your story end? Explain why you made these changes. As a fun group activity, or with your child at home, write your own story of Cinderella.
Bibliographical information: The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza
Author: Philemon Struges
Illustrator: Amy Walrod
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books, 1999.
Genre: Picture Book/Traditional Literature (Folktale)
Plot : This is a story about our beloved Little Red Hen. Instead of baking bread, this book tells the tale of how she bakes a scrumptious pizza. Just like the original story of the Little Red Hen, the characters in this story do not want to help the Hen fetch the ingredients she needs to bake the pizza. The hen who has a tolerant attitude towards her lazy friends ends up doing all the shopping. Sadly, the hen ends up running to the store several times. Each time she asks help for making the pizza, the friends respond "Not I!" This leaves the Little Red Hen to do the tasks by herself. After the exhausting chore of making and baking the pizza, it is ready to eat. This time, her friends' responses are different when the Hen asks "Would anybody like some pizza." The animals happily agree. What is surprising is that the lazy friends agree to do the dishes for the Little Red Hen.
Theme: People will surprise you in the end.
Illustrations: The pictures in this story are bright and visually appealing to the eye. On one of the pages, the Red Hen is climbing up a hill with her supplies and utensils in a red wagon. One can easily tell that the Hen is very independent because she is shown clutching onto a book titled "The do it yourself Guide to sink installation and other things. The pictures brilliantly complement this alternate version of The Little Red Hen
My two cents: I enjoyed reading this story. If I were a teacher, I would read the original story first. Then, I would read the alternate version. After reading both stories of the same character, I would initiate a class discussion on which story they liked better and why. They could even compare and contrast both these books. The Little Red Hen was one of my favorite books as a child, and I was happy to be introduced to the little Red Hen in a different type of situation.
Extension activity: This is a journal/writing activity. Was there ever a time you felt like you got stuck with doing most of the work and no one would help you? How did it make you feel. Or, was there ever a time you let somebody else do all your work? How did they act towards you? Write at least a few sentences in a journal.
