The Wishing of Biddy Malone

Written by Joy Cowley

Illustrated by Chirstopher Denise

Pengiun Group 2004

Fiction

     I chose this book because I have a intense fascination of  places far away and of mythical beings, which this story has an abundance of. This story is about a little girl who lives in Ireland and who can not sing or dance. She visits a farie village and is granted her three wishes, to sing, to dance, and to no longer have a temper. At the end of the story she finds her happily ever after.

     The illustrations are lovely. They are done in watercolor and are very delicate looking. The colors are cool and calm and dream-like. The illustrations are on one page and the text is on the other.

     This story could be used for pure entertainment purposes in the classroom because the pictures are so beautiful. This story has a lot of character development issues that could be discussed. Biddy wasn't happy with her self because she couldn't do the things that the other girls in her village could do. You could talk with students about what it is to be an individual and why it is important to love yourself even if grat things don't happen for you all the time. This book has recieved no awards.

Zoomer

Written and Illustrated by Ned Young

Scholastic Ind., 2010

32 pages

Fiction

     When Mom is away, the pup will play! I chose this book, once again,because it has a cute little puppy in the story! Everyone, including his dad who is overwhelmed, is trying to get Zoomer to get ready for school. He insists that he can't get ready for school...he has to much to do! Zoomer seems to accomplish a crazy amount of things while the other puppies are brushing their teeth and combing their tails! At the end of the story, he lets his dad and brothers in on the reason he is not concerned about getting ready for school...it is Saturday!

     The illustrations seem to be computer generated. They have very bright saturated colors along with some more subdued areas. There is a lot going on in every picture and they are really fun to look at! This story would not be the same without these pictures of all the shenanigans he is getting in to!

     This could lead to a creative narrative writing session where the students come up with imaginary reasons why they can't come to school. Younger student could also benefit by identifying the sequence of the events in the story, and picking out the time order words. This book has received no awards.

     

Knuffle Bunny Too

Written and Illustrated by Mo Willems

Scholastic Inc.,2007

38 pages

     The reason I chose this book is because of the illustrations. I thought they were so intriguing! And I too had a favorite stuffed animal. His name is "Puffy" and he now lives in a shadow box. Trixie takes her bunny to school. She was under the impression that she was the only one who had a bunny like that. Her and her friend Sonja have the same bunny! It didn't take long for them to both get in trouble and the teacher takes the bunnies away. Later that night, as Trixie is snuggling with her bunny, she realizes that she has the wrong one!

     As I said, the illustrations are what hooked me into reading this story. They were done by ink sketches on actual photographs and the effect is so cool! It was fun to look at the pictures and see what was an actual photograph and what was computer generated. The illustrations were also super hilarious. I loved the bunnies expressions!

     You could use this book in any K-5 or first grade classroom just for the enjoyment of the students. The students would be as fascinated as me looking at the pictures, once they realize that they are actual photos taken in a real place. This could also give the teacher the opportunity to introduce the students to the concept of different cities in America. What would it be like to live in a big city like Trixie does? This book received the Caldecott Medal in 2008.

Perfectly Martha

Written and Illustrated by Susan Meddaugh

HMH Publishing, 2004

34 pages

Animal Stories: Fiction

     I am a huge fan of dogs. I am also a fan of giving dogs human names. I also really like Alphabet Soup. (Read the story!) Martha is a talking dog and she plays detective in the story by ratting out a corrupt dog trainer and saving the day for her fellow canines and the poor mislead humans!

     The illustrations were done in pen and watercolors and they are really cute! These illustrations really add so much to the story, word bubbles and all! The text weaves in and out of the pictures that they depict. The colors are very bright and saturated, on a white background.

     I would recommend this book to an older classroom. Fourth grade and up should understand the clever wit in the story. They could research the history of dog training, and the differences between the human brain and that of a dog's brain. They could also make up several different scenario's of how the story could have gone. This books has received no awards.

     

Beverly Billingsly Borrows a Book

Written and Illustrated by Alexander Stadler

Voyager Books, 2002

28 pages

     I borrowed this book from my friend. She thought it would be great for my blog and she was right! In this story, Miss Beverly Billingsly goes through an important rite of passage-recieving her first library card! She checks out her first book from the Piedmont Library-a book about dinosaurs! She becomes so engrossed in the book that it becomes overdue. Beverly worries herself into a tisey, and finally her mother and her take it back to the library. When she returns it, another dinosaur fanatic is wating to check the book out...and so begins the Piedmont Dinosaur Club!

     I am not a fan of the illustrations. I looks to me as if they were computer-generated. I know it is probably meant to look childish, but I think art adds so much to books so it is something that I can't really overlook. The text is in a traditional style, under the illustration.

     I would recommend this book to a very young classroom. It would be a great way to break the ice about going to the library. The students would see that they have some of the same fears, excitement and wonders about the library as Beverly does in the story. This book has not received any awards.

Me and My Dragon

Written and Illustrated by David Biedrzycki

Charlesbridge, 2011

40 pages

General Fiction

     This little dragon's eyes' did me in! What a darling dragon! Once again the cover art hooked me (Here's a hint-this is a common occurrence). This sweet little story is about a little boy who wants a pet...a pet dragon! The second illustration had me cracking up! The little dragon was behind the glass with some pups cowering in the corner! Anyway, this is an informative story (he he) on how to care for a medium size, fire breathing dragon, just in case you ever want one. The boy in the story tells us exactly what to do, and exactly what not to do for your dragon ( No Broccoli!). He also lets us know the advantages to having a dragon as pet. (No bullies! Yay!)

     The illustrations are done in Adobe Photoshop, and they are so super cute! They consist of vibrant, saturated primary colors. Each one is a whole page, and in some cases is the whole spread. The text is in the negative space of the illustration.

     This would make an excellent writing prompt for a personal narrative. The students could think of an imaginary pet that they would like to have and tell the reader why that certain pet is a good one to have. It would also be a great opportunity to talk about responsibility. This book has received no awards.

     

Room on the Broom

Written by: Julia Donaldson

Illustrated by: Axel Scheffler

Penguin Group, 2001

26 pages

General Fiction

     I have been obsessed with Halloween-witches, ghosts, and all things eerie since I was a little girl, so naturally, I love this book...and this particular one came from my personal collection. This is one of my most favorite books to read aloud. The words bounce and dance along! Room on the Broom is about a jolly witch riding her broom through the countryside with her cat. Every witch has a cat, right?! Well, this witch has trouble holding on to her belongings as they glide through the air. Every time she drops something, her and the cat meet a new friend, who she gladly invites on the broom! The last creature she meets is not her friend, but luckily her furry, feathery, and slimy friends come to her rescue!

     The illustrations are lovely. Bright and cheery colors are set on a grayed out background making them pop! The pictures are drawn with what I believe to be pastels, and they are beautifully saturated. Full page pictures, long with mini inset pictures, span the whole page for the most part. The text appears mostly opposite the illustration. 

     Students of all ages would enjoy this book! Uses in the classroom could include a lesson on rhyming words. This would also be an excellent writing prompt to get the students imaginations flowing. You would definitely want to read this around Halloween and incorporate some cute seasonal crafts to go with the story.

This book did not receive any awards.

     

     

The Little White Owl

     Written by: Tracey Corderoy

Illustrated by: Jane Chapman

Magi Publications, 2010

23 pages

General Fiction

     I chose this book because I adore owls! Come on, how could this cover art not catch your eye? The Little White Owl  is a charming story about a baby owl who is lonely, but possesses a brilliant imagination and a gift for coming up with wonderful stories in his mind.. He notices that the sky goes on forever, so he decides to go see the world! On his adventures he meets owls just like him...only they have beautiful colors on their feathers, just like he does in his heart! The colorful owls, who thought he was plain, told him to go away. Still with joy in his heart, and along with all his stories, he shares some of his stories with the colorful owls...and they love them! The little owl gained a whole group of friends because of the joy, and the stories in his heart!

     I love the illustrations in this book! They are gorgeous! The medium is by paint, oil paint, and it is dreamy!

The colors are very calm and cool. The colorful owls are very saturated in their coloring, but the background accurately depicts the still snowy environment. The illustrations span the entire page, and sometimes the whole spread. The text is in the negative portion of the illustration.

     I think that all ages would love this book! (I love it!) Kindergarten would love the big, bright pictures and the simplistic wording. Older children would love to investigate the pictures more closely. As far as incorporating this precious story into the classroom, you could do several things. For kindergarten, you could practice counting the little white owls new colorful friends on each page. For older grades, this could lead to connections to real life lessons on the Snowy Owl, and other types of owls and the different environments they live in. Reading this story could also lead to discussions about the importance of an active imagination, and making friends. This book has no awards, but I don't know why not!

Three Hens and a Peacock

Author: Lestor L. Laminack

Illustrator: Henry Cole

PEACHTREE Publications, 2012
30 Pages

Genre: Fiction

     I chose this book because of the beautiful cover art. It is very eye catching, but more on that later. The Tucker's farm was nice and quiet until...a peacock falls out of a truck putting by down a peaceful country road. The peacock is a little stunned and doesn't really know what to do, so he walks down to the road near the "Fresh Produce" sign. The peacocks pretty plumes get the attention of the passengers traveling down the road. People would stop to get a closer look and for days this went on. As people stopped to see this pretty bird, they would buy tomatoes and eggs, and this made Farmer Tucker very happy. However, there were some that weren't happy at all about this newcomer. The three chickens who provided Farmer Tucker with his eggs didn't understand what all the fuss was about. In the hen house, they fussed and fussed about the peacock and his flashy feathers-and the peacock heard everything. They had said that he wasn't contributing to the farm like they were. This made him very sad. They decided that they would switch jobs! This ends in disastrous and very humorous results!
     
     The illustrations in this book are so pretty! They are done in watercolor, ink, and colored pencil. I think the mixed mediums makes for very interesting art on each page. The colors are very saturated and mostly primary colors. They are also very warm, consisting reds and oranges. It perfectly depits a sleepy country farm. The pages vary from spanning across the 2 page spread and containing the illustration on the same page of text it goes with.

     There are many possibilties for this book being used in the classroom. This could be used to prompt a narrative writting lesson on visiting a farm. Discussing the book could also lead to a conversation about how everyone is important and  contributes to the "team" of a household, a classroom, or a farm.