Module 3 - One Crazy Summer

Book Cover

Book Summary
Three sisters go to Oakland to spend time with their mother, who none of them remember except the oldest.  They arrive to discover that their mother does not want them there and is determined that they will disturb her as little as possible.  They end up spending all of their days at a summer day camp run by the Black Panthers.  They girls make a few friends and learn a lot about the Panthers and their ideals.  Along the way they learn about each other and their mother.

APA Reference of Book
Williams-Garcia, R. (2010). One crazy summer. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Impressions
It took me a while to really enjoy this book.  The beginning is very tense and strained because of Cecile's attitude towards the girls.  She even refuses to call the youngest by her name, instead referring to her as "Little Girl".  As the focus shifts a bit to be more about the girls and their time at the center, I began to enjoy the book more and could better focus on the story.  The book is very well written and a good view into both the world and Oakland during this time and the differences between the attitudes of African-Americans in different parts of the country and of different generations.  Ultimately, the book is about family and understanding each other.

Professional Review
"It is 1968, and three black sisters from Brooklyn have been put on a California-bound plane by their father to spend a month with their mother, a poet who ran off years before and is living in Oakland. It's the summer after Black Panther founder Huey Newton was jailed and member Bobby Hutton was gunned down trying to surrender to the Oakland police, and there are men in berets shouting "Black Power" on the news. Delphine, 11, remembers her mother, but after years of separation she's more apt to believe what her grandmother has said about her, that Cecile is a selfish, crazy woman who sleeps on the street. At least Cecile lives in a real house, but she reacts to her daughters' arrival without warmth or even curiosity. Instead, she sends the girls to eat breakfast at a center run by the Black Panther Party and tells them to stay out as long as they can so that she can work on her poetry. Over the course of the next four weeks, Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, spend a lot of time learning about revolution and staying out of their mother's way. Emotionally challenging and beautifully written, this book immerses readers in a time and place and raises difficult questions of cultural and ethnic identity and personal responsibility. With memorable characters (all three girls have engaging, strong voices) and a powerful story, this is a book well worth reading and rereading."

Markson, T. (2010). [Review of One crazy summer by Rita Williams-Garcia]. School Library Journal, 56(3), 170.  Available from: http://www.slj.com/

Library Uses
This book would work well as part of a study of the civil rights movement.  Units on the civil right's struggles in the 1960's tend to focus on Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks and desegregating schools.  This book would be a good addition because of the difference in focus.  It shows a very different side of the struggle for equality.

Module 2 - The Day the Crayons Quit

Book Cover

Book Summary
In this book, Duncan opens his desk to use his crayons one day only to discover a large stack of letters from his crayons.  Each crayon has a complaint ranging from being overused to being underused to an argument over who is the real color of the sun.  Duncan proceeds to draw a picture that solves everyone's problems and earns him an A+ for creativity.

APA Reference of Book
Dewalt, D. (2013). The day the crayons quit. New York, NY: Philomel Books.

Impressions
This is a cute book.  I like the personification of the crayons and the way that they air their grievances.  Everyone has something to discuss, but everyone is polite, even orange and yellow who are not speaking to each other.  I also like that Duncan takes their problems seriously and tries to draw a picture that will make everyone happy.  The real star of the book for me is the illustrations.  The simple faces and limbs on the crayons somehow make them seem like real characters and manages to show their emotions.


Professional Review
"Duncan's crayons are on strike.  One morning he opens his desk looking for them and, in their place, finds a pack of letters detailing their grievances, one crayon at a time.  Red is tired.  Beige is bored.  Peach is naked!  The conceit is an enticing one, and although the crayons' complaints are not entirely unique (a preponderance centers around some variation of overuse), the artist's indelible characterization contributes significant charm.  Indeed, Jeffers' ability to communicate emotion in simple gestures, even on skinny cylinder of wax, elevates the crayon drawing to remarkable heights.  First-class bookmaking, with a clean design, ample trim size, and substantial page stock, adds to the quality feel.  A final spread sees all things right, as Duncan fills a page with bright, delightful imagery, addressing each of the crayons' issues and forcing them into colorful cooperation.  Kids who already attribute feelings to their playthings will never look at crayons the same way again."

Barthelmess, T. (2013). [Review of The day the crayons quit by Drew Dewalt]. Booklist, 109(21), 77-78. Available from: http://www.booklistonline.com/

Library Uses
 This book would be a good fit for a library program on friendship or how to deal with conflict.  Both are topics that need to be addressed occasionally in lower elementary school as children make new friends and begin to experience some of the problems that often arise in a larger group of varied friends.

Module 2 - Kitten's First Full Moon

Book Cover

Book Summary
Kitten sees what she thinks is a little bowl of milk in the sky.  She tries everything she can think of to get the bowl of milk, but she never makes it.  Kitten sadly goes home, only to find a real bowl of milk waiting for her one the porch.

APA Reference of Book
Henkes, K. (2004). Kitten's first full moon. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Impressions
This book is beautifully illustrated.  The black and white pictures offer the perfect amount of contrast to keep the focus on the white cat and the white moon.  The kitten in the book shows great determination in her quest to get the bowl of milk in the sky.  She tries so many different ways and doesn't give up.  But she also knows when to back up and regroup when nothing works.  I think this is a good lesson for kids.  Young children especially need to be shown that things will not always work out on the first try.  They also need to know that sometimes it is best to take a step back and reconsider the problem and the possible solutions.

Professional Review
"Henkes takes a break from his signature mice — and from illustrating in color — to tell this sweet story about a kitten who thinks the full moon is a bowl of milk. The black-and-white forms, with subtle gradations of gray, are larger and more solid-looking than Henkes's usual work, with less interior line. Nevertheless, the kitten, whose white fur glows against the charcoal-gray sky like the moon she desires, is sprightly and expressive as she fails repeatedly ("Poor Kitten!") to get at that milk. Small children, for whom the rhythmic, action-oriented text is just right, will appreciate the gentle slapstick of the kitten getting a firefly on her tongue when she tries to lick the moon and getting drenched in the pond when she tries to drink the moon's reflection. Anyone who has ever watched a cat spasmodically pounce and chase for no apparent reason will enjoy the imaginative, unpretentiously poetic method Henkes reads into this madness."

 Heppermann, C. M. (2004). [Review of the book Kitten's first full moon, by Kevin Henkes]. Horn Book Magazine, 80(3), 314-315. Available from: http://www.hbook.com/

Library Uses
This book is perfect for a Toddler Story Time about cats or the moon.  The text and illustration are both perfect for very young children.  The repetitive use of circles in the illustrations also allow for a lesson on the shape.

Module 1 - Open This LIttle Book by Jesse Klausmeier

Book Cover

                                                                                                                                                            Book Summary
Animals in this book are each reading a book about the next.  The book begins by asking the reader to open a book (the next page).  From there, each animal opens a book of a different color about a new animal who opens a new book.  This continues until each animal closes their book in turn.

APA Reference of Book
Klausmeier, J. (2013). Open this little book. San Fransico, CA: Chronicle Books LLC.

Impressions
This is a really ingenious book. Each book read by an animal is slightly smaller and a different color than the one before.  The books get smaller and smaller until the giant can't open her book because her hands are too small.  The novelty of having several books inside a bigger book is executed well and the tiny pictures are so detailed that they invited repeated examining.

Professional Review

"In this series of opening story lines, the rolling text gently instructs readers. "Open this… Little Red Book and read about Ladybug, who opens a… Little Green Book and reads about Frog, who opens a… Little Orange Book and reads about Rabbit, who opens a…." The plot quickly turns when a giant lacks the agility to open her tiny rainbow book featuring each of the previous characters, so the story's companions read the giant's tale instead. With the final turn of the page, the group decides to read another story in a cozy final spread. The format reflects changes in size and scope; pages become smaller and smaller until the giant's story and then the illustrations grow accordingly. The book requires careful manipulation as the story expands and shrinks to reflect the characters' experiences. Individual book covers provide a visual clue to the delightful details within as each book becomes physically smaller and smaller on the page; the little red cover features prominent polka dots for the ladybug, and the yellow book highlights honeycombs on its cover. Nimble lines highlight quiet participation as the characters star in their own stories. Pencil and watercolor spreads allow the colors to extend beyond the featured designs. Digitally manipulated scenes reflect the interactive qualities within this gentle narrative. This charming format creates a thoughtful package of interwoven beginnings and connected endings."

 Smith, M. (2013). [Review of Open this little book by Jesse Klauseier]. School Library Journal, 59(4), 134. Available from: http://www.slj.com/

Library Uses
This book would work well in any library program about books or books about books.  A good companion to this book would be But Excuse Me That is My Book by Lauren Child or The Midnight Library by Kazuno Kohara.

Module 1 - Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Book Cover

                                                                                                                                                                     Book Summary
In this book, Big and Little Nutbrown Hare are attempting to describe how much they love each other.  For each measurement Little Nutbrown Hare comes up with, Big Nutbrown Hare is just that much bigger or stronger.  The book ends with Little Nutbrown Hare falling asleep thinking he has won their contest only to be outdone once again as Big Nutbrown Hare whispers goodnight.

APA Reference of Book
McBratney, S. (1994). Guess how much I love you. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Impressions
I really like this book.  The play between father and son shows very clearly the loving, fun relationship they have.  Little Nutbrown Hare is like many other children in that he tries to be just as big and strong as his father.  Big Nutbrown Hare plays along and copies the things that Little Nutbrown Hare uses to try to describe his love.  The ending is very sweet without being sappy.  Big Nutbrown Hare tucks his son in seeming to have let Little Nutbrown Hare have the last word, only to whisper his response to his sleeping son.

Professional Review
"In this simple story, a father and son try to outdo one another in expressing their affection.  Little Nutbrown Hare says that he loves his father as high as he can reach.  Big Nutbrown Hare replies that his son as high as he can reach--which is very high.  Father seems to be winning--until the young rabbit tells his dad that he loves him right up to the moon--which his father agrees is very far away.  But as he kisses his son goodnight, he replies, "I love you right up to the moon--and back."  the watercolor illustrations are composed of scratchy lines and large areas of watery washes that are charming, but not too sweet.  Large typeface and repetitive refrains invite beginning readers.  It's refreshing and realistic to see a father and son relationship that is both competitive and loving."

Radtke, K. K. (1995). [Review of Guess how much I love you by Sam McBratney]. School Library Journal, 41(5), 86. Available from: http://www.slj.com/

Library Uses
This book would be a good choice for a bedtime or sleepover themed library program such as a teddy bear sleepover.  For an event like this, I would read two or three books about bedtime, have a few crafts that children could make, and then have a sign-in/drop-off for their stuffed friends.  After all of the children have left, pictures could be taken of the animals as a souvenir of their fun night.  The next day the children could come pick up their stuffed friends and take home the pictures of the night's activities.