Maya Running By Anjali Banerjee (Diversity)

This book is good for any young person trying to figure out who he or she is. It's about a middle school girl named Maya Mukherjee, who doesn't fit in, nevertheless, she does have friends, dreams of being a writer and even captures the attentions of local bad boy Jamie. Maya is torn between the white world and her Indian family and traditions. The story is set in the small town of Manitoba, Canada in the 1970's. Maya also wants to run on the tundra beneath the Northern Lights, make igloos or snow-angels, see John Travolta, and ride elephants through the Bengal jungle the way her great-grandfather did.

When her cousin Pinky arrives, everyone is amazed by her, including Jamie. Maya pleads to a statue of the Indian God, Ganesh, who helps her by diving her into a world where she becomes the beauty and the center of every one's affections.

Maya journeys to India where readers become introduced to the very different sights, sounds and smells of trains, homes and bazaars.

In the end, Maya realizes her self-centeredness and, as Ganesh predicts, she sees the truth of her life. She can learn to embrace the uniqueness of her background and carve out her own path to be an aspiring writer.

This story has everything to keep a middle schooler's interest: a love story, humor, and wonderful characters.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle (Book and Movie)

I have mentioned how much I love animals, so of course, this book is a childhood favorite. Beverly Cleary is also one of my favorite children's authors. The Mouse and the Motorcycle is the story about a mouse named Ralph who lives in a knothole of a hotel. His big dream is to have a motorcycle. Many families come and go at the hotel, but one family comes that changes Ralph's life.


When a boy named Keith and his parents check in to the hotel, Ralph gets his first chance to check out a toy motorcycle. He has always dreamed about venturing beyond his home on the second floor, and maybe even outside. Curiosity overcomes him, and Ralph must have a go at Keith's toy motorcycle.


Soon, the headstrong mouse finds himself in a mess, when he almost gets sucked up in the maids vacuum, when all he wanted was to ride a motorcycle.


Lucky for him, the boy understands how it is. When Keith discovers Ralph in trouble and rescues him, he generously encourages the rodent to ride. He even teaches him the simple trick of starting the motorcycle: "You have to make a noise... pb-pb-b-b-b." Several sticky situations Ralph gets into require quick thinking and grownup-sized courage. Through it all he and Keith develop a wonderful friendship.


This is a heartwarming story of friendship and loyalty.

It has been quite a while since I have watched this movie. As old as it is, I'm sure the animation does not live up to today's standards. But, I can remember being so excited when I watched it. I just dreamed of having a mouse like Ralph living in my home.
It really brings back memories of watching the "ABC Weekend Specials."
This movie was followed by two other movies, Runaway Ralph and Ralph S. Mouse.
Maybe this would be a great movie to remake, just think of the animation!

He's Got The Whole World in His Hands By Kadir Nelson (Diversity)

When I was a child and even now, I have always loved this wonderful song! God does have the whole world in his hands, not just certain types of people. Children are so innocent, and this book captures the beauty and vastness of our earth through the eyes of a child. The artwork of Nelson is amazing. I love the gorgeous landscapes and the celebration of families of color.
You just can't help to sing the song as you read the story, and kids will want to read it again and again!

The Lorax By Dr. Seuss

Very few children's fiction writers have successfully melded politics and good storytelling. Dr. Seuss succeeds by explaining simply and clearly the process of building an industry at the expense of an ecosystem, mainly trees. The book is an excellent teaching tool, but despite its humor it isn't the most enjoyable of Dr. Seuss' works. Of course, environmental devastation isn't a cheerful topic.
The story consists of an argument between two creatures, the tree-loving Lorax and the money-loving Once-ler who makes Thneeds from truffula trees. The Lorax was actually banned in some schools and libraries in regions with timber economies for its anti-forest industry content.
But, despite the political agenda of Dr. Suess, the book still contains the delightful characters and is written all in the form of a quick, rhyming story. Dr. Seuss is the only author for creating such a combination as this.
I believe that Dr. Seuss ultimately wants to teach kids love and respect, whether it be for trees, the earth, or others.
With the world being in the shape it is, and everyone being offended about something, I believe didactic stories aren't very common anymore. Society has turned into a free-for-all, that focuses on doing whatever feels good, even at the expense of others. Children need more stories that teach respect and love for others. We need more authors like Seuss.

The Cat in the Hat By Dr. Seuss

Oh, how we all love Dr. Seuss! His wonderfully worded and rhythmic stories delight any child. The Cat in the Hat is a classic story of how children deal with the good vs. bad battle going on inside them. Should they do what they want to do or what they ought to do?
Dr. Seuss loved to create interesting characters, new words, rhyming passages, and instill didactic techniques in his storytelling.
Dr. Suess, although not a real doctor, was extremely intelligent. He used this book to help children learn to read. With his simple and often single-vowel vocabulary. He also finds a way to include a message that is really important such as taking care of the environment. The reader is having so much fun in the story, that the learning going on isn't always evident.
I believe a series that has the same tension as presented in the Cat in the Hat, is The Lemony Snicket series. It has that same tension of good vs bad. Both can be a bit controversial.
I don't really agree with teaching kids to do wrong to make things right. Sometimes we have to suffer for the sake of doing whats right.

Child of the Owl By Laurence Yep

This book is about a twelve-year old Chinese girl, Casey, whose father has a major gambling problem. She ends up having to live with her grandmother, Paw-Paw, in Chinatown. The story tells about her adjustments to living there, which are made more difficult by the fact that she doesn't even speak Chinese.
Her grandmother is a very nice person who tells Casey about a Chinese legend of an Owl that became a human. Although, matters become quite complicated when she and her grandmother come home one day and find a burglar in their apartment. The grandmother is injured, and Casey and some others set out to find out who the burglar was and get back an owl charm that was stolen.
They eventually find the burglar, but it turns out to be someone Casey knows.
The story is written very well and remains interesting throughout. I also like the way the story spends a lot of its time on Casey's emotions; how she handles living in Chinatown, how she handles have a father addicted to gambling, and how she relates to others. Many kids can associate with these types of problems.
The thing that I enjoyed most about this book is the way that Casey and her grandmother interact and learn from each other. In my opinion, an opportunity to know a grandparent is a blessing that many people take for granted. In many cases, grandparents are a valuable key to our own personal histories and the source of much wisdom and strength. Like Casey, I have learned a lot about myself just by listening to stories that my grandparents have told and, through their stories, have a better understanding of where I come from. This understanding of my past and ancestors helps to give me more confidence in the direction I should go in the future. I think that Casey experiences these same feelings in Child of the Owl.
Laurence Yep is the author of many other books for young readers including Dragon wings, Dragon's Gate, Cockroach Cooties, Hiroshima, and The Magic Paintbrush. Yep has also written non-fiction works such as The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Yep also writes American Girl books about the character Mia.

Charlotte's Web By E.B. White

Charlotte's Web is a classic tale of friendship and love. I think as kids, we all wish animals could talk. This book and movie does a great job giving these animals personality. We fall in love with each one!
This movie has been released several times as a cartoon. Each movie closely follows the book and does not lose any of its bittersweet joy. No matter which release of the movie someone wishes to watch, the music is good in all of them.
Anyone who has read this book will love the movie as well. It follows the general message of the story and does a great job bringing the characters to life.

So You Want To Be President? By J. St. George (Caldecott Medal)

Although this book is outdated, since it does have the last two presidents elected, it is a great source to use in the study of History. The cartoon illustrations appeal to kids and keep their interest while they learn some great facts.
The book is so kid friendly and easy to understand. Kids will have so much fun reading it, they won't realize they are learning something.
I am not much of a history buff, and I like the humorous way the book taught some facts about history.
I definitely beats the boring old Social Studies book any day!

Bud, Not Buddy By Christopher Paul Curtis (Coretta Scott King Award)

This is a story set in the historical era known as the great depression. The character is an African American boy named Bud, who is an orphan in search of a man he thinks is his father. Bud was orphaned when his mother passed away unexpectedly from an illness. Bud knew he did not want to be at the orphanage, so he gos in search of his "father". During his search, he meets many interesting characters and has many new experiences. Some of them good and some of them bad.
I like how the entire novel was written in Bud's perspective. He had a unique way of looking at things. He carried around an old suitcase full of things that remind him of his wonderful life before his mom died. His suitcase also helped him determine his relationship with the man he thinks is his father.
When Bud finally catches up to the man he thinks is his father, he finds out that it is actually his grandfather. He takes Bud in and gives him a place to stay.
In our unstable world today, I think many children can relate to this story. So many kids come from bad circumstances, and I think Bud can be an example for them. He is resilient, sad, and tough. He knows what he wants and goes after it. It conveys the message to keep on trying!

Because of Winn Dixie (Movie vs Book)

Adapting a movie from a book is not an easy task. It is difficult because a writer can write for as long as they need to finish the story. A movie must fit into a certain time frame. Because I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, I was anxious about seeing the movie. Of course, anytime you read a book, you realize how much they leave out in the movie. But, this movie had an awesome cast that did a great job bringing the story to life.
This was a movie that entertains adults, as well as, children. My kids enjoyed the antics that Winn Dixie got into. I enjoyed the music. It had a great mix of gospel, folk, and pop.
I believe it was the first movie for actress Annasophia Robb, who played the part of Opal. She was so precise, spunky, funny, and had a believable on screen relationship with the dog who played Winn Dixie.
Jeff Daniels did a great job portraying the preacher. He was really good about expressing what his character was going through. He showed the anguish of trying to be a preacher of a church and also a single parent. Not to mention the stress of having a wife walk out on you. They could not have found a greater actress than Cicely Tyson to play the character Gloria Dump. She was so colorful and energetic. She taught Opal to love what you have while you have it. We can all learn a little from Gloria!
I think all the actors did a great job showing the emotional journeys of all the characters.
It is a great movie for adults and kids of all ages!

Caldecott vs Newbery

The Caldecott Medal is a bronze colored medal that is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children, published in the United States during that preceding year. It is given to an artist for their outstanding illustrations in literature. It is only based on the pictures in a book. Usually is for colorful, creative artwork.

The Newbery Medal is awarded each year "to the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published the United States during that preceding year. It is given to the author of a story that makes a superb contribution to children's literature.

Both medals are equally important and are often compared to an Emmy or Oscar. They both carry the same value, but for different contributions made to children's literature. Both awards are chosen by the Association For Library Service To Children.

One thing I learned that I did not know, was that a Caldecott/Newbery Honor is different from a Caldecott/Newbery Award. The honor is given to the runner-ups for that year.

The Three Pigs (Caldecott Award)

There have been several variations written on the Three Little Pigs, and I will add this as one of my favorites! My daughter and I read this book together (which she used as an AR book), and we thought it was such a clever idea for a story.
This story begins as a typical Three Little Pigs fairy tale, but quickly surprises the reader by turning into a funny, quirky, adaptation of the story. The wolf blows the pigs right out of their story and into other fairy tale stories, where the pigs hep others who are in trouble.
The illustrator drew the pigs and other animals as if they were really "jumping" out of the story. Which added so much illusion and complemented what the story was trying say. My daughter thought the funny expressions the pigs had on their faces was hilarious, especially when they were flying on the paper airplane.
Another detail I liked was how the illustrator used so much white space, because I feel this depicted the idea of the pigs coming out of the story and going into the huge imaginary world of fairy tales.
Another detail I liked about the story was that the pigs rescued other animals from their fairy tales and they all lived happily ever after.
My daughter enjoyed the dialogue boxes, she thought it was fun to read them.
I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Because of Winn Dixie By Kate Dicamillo (Newbery Medal)

I am a huge animal lover, so I am partial to stories about animals. Winn Dixie is a delightful story about a lonely little girl named Opal. Opal's mother had run away and Opal moved to a little town in Florida with her father, who was a preacher. One day when Opal was running an errand to the local Winn Dixie grocery store, she finds a dog with whom she immediately becomes attached to. Together they will have many adventures and learn a lot about life.
One thing I liked about this story was it's readability. It is a story that is so full of humor and great characters, that you can't put it down.

A touching part of this story was how Opal wanted to learn ten things about her mother, so that she would recognize her if she ever came back. Opal was afraid to ask her Dad, but she found the confidence with Winn Dixie by her side. Opals Dad tells her the ten things, which helped Opal come to terms with the fact her Mom was never coming back.

Luckily, for Opal, there are so many great people in the town, who teach Opal lessons on love, loss and friendship.

A part in the story that stands out to me was when Opal helped Gloria Dump, a blind black lady, plan a birthday party. Many people thought Gloria was the town witch, and feared her. But, with Opal's help, the whole town came for Gloria's birthday and found out what a nice lady she was.

There are so many wonderful life lessons that can be pulled from this story. I think many children who come from all types of backgrounds can really relate with Opal and the emotions she feels. It conveys the message that life isn't perfect. As you learn in the book, all the characters have dark pasts, but they make the best of life and enjoy it along the way.

Sam and the Tigers (By Julius Lester)

In this book, Julius Lester retells the story of Helen Bannerman's book Little Black Sambo. I was not familiar with this story, so I found the book at the libary and read it and compared the two stories. I really like how Julius Lester brought the story to life by using wit and humor to bring out the charm of the old south.
Jerry Pickney's ilustrations were very colorful and expressive. I also really likes the detail in his artwork. This made the story seem to come to life.
On a negative note, I thought the story line was hard to follow. I think it could be confusing for children. The moral was not really evident, but I believe kids could pull several different morals from the story.
Sam and The Tigers is about a boy who outsmarts a group of tigers and brings home some butter to put on the pancakes they are having for supper. In Little Black Sambo, I could see many racist undertones. But, I like how Lester rewrote the story using Sam as the character, and did a great job of retelling the classic, but without the racist tones.
The part of the story I liked best was the confidence that Sam had. He was not afraid to express himself, which was expressed in the brightly colored clothing her chose to wear. His character was definately not afraid to be himself. I think this is a great example for kids.
The author, Julius Lester, is know for keeping african-american folktales and History alive through his stories. Many know him for his tales if uncle remus, and also for his stories about brer rabbit.
In the story, How Many Spots Does A Leopard and Other Tales, Lester retells African-American and Jewish folk tales.
In addition to African American stories, Lester was also know for writing about stories from the Bible, and spirituality. He wrote a story called The Autobiography of God in 2004, which dealt with why bad things happen when God is supposed to be in control.

Criss Cross By Lynne Rae Perkins (Newbery Medal)

I have to be honest and say that I had to force myself to finish this book. I am not much of a daydreamer or a poetry type, so this book really didn't keep my interest. Also, I am a little past the "discovering who you are" stage in my life, but I tried to read the story through the eyes of an adolescent teen.
First of all, the book really didn't have a plot. It was a story about everyday life of a girl named Debbie and her friends, Hector and Lenny. Hector was by far my favorite character in the story, he was funny and witty. He wants to learn to play the guitar and write songs. Debbie loses her locket and it is passed around by different characters in the story. That is the emphasis of the story.
"Criss Cross" is the name of a radio show they all get together and listen too, but it also refers to how the characters in the book make decisions that change how they communicate with each other.
This book did take me back to my teen years, and all the weird, awkward moments that I had. We all had those moments growing up! I remember dreaming about what life would be like when I grew up!
I think kids would either love or hate this book. I believe the author was trying to write about real-life, and that is what she did. There was no big drama, adventure, or suspense in this story. Just a study of all the characters and the decisions they made and how that effected their relationships with the people around them. You can't get any more real-life than that!

Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type (Caldecott Honor) By Doreen Cronin Pictures by Betsy Lewin

I have read this story with both of my children and enjoy it every time. I think you have to have a certain sense of humer to really appreciate this story. The thing I love most about the illustrations are the expressions of the animals, they are priceless! The cows seem so determined to ge those electric blankets! And, it is really amusing when the cows and hens go on strike and quit producing milk and eggs until they get what they want. We can all relate to this a little!The carefree way the illustrator uses color makes the humor really stand out. In the story, the author writes click, clack, moo to look like it is typed. That was really a clever idea. It allows the fact that cows are typing to come across.
Also, The way the farmer gets so frustrated and finally gives the cows and hens what they want, kinda reminds me of me with my own children (sad to say). But, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, to get something accomplished!

The Hello, Goodbye Window By Norton Juster Illustrated by Chris Raschka (Caldecott Medal)

As a parent, we all can relate to this story. It's about a little girl who goes to stay with her grandparents while mommy and daddy go to work. As a parent, we all look for those "little distractions" to help our children cope with a situation. The hello, goodbye window is found at the grandparent's house and the little girl looks in it every time she stays with them. You find all kinds of delightful surprises and can play all kinds of games while looking through this window. Needless to say, it helps the little girl be excited about going to her grandparent's house every time.
The illustrations in this book look like watercolors done by a child. This is a great way to inspire other children to paint and explore watercolor.
Children will like this story because they can easily relate to it. A lot of kids stay with their grandparents while mommy and daddy work, or for other reasons. It also helps children to realize that grandparents can be fun, and we can learn a lot of things from them!

My Friend Rabbit (Caldecott Medal Award)

I reviewed the book My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann, who wrote and illustrated the book. The first thing that grabbed my attention when I read this book was the dark black outline around the drawings. This made the illustrations really "pop out" at the reader. The colors were so bold and vivid. Another thing I really noticed was the details of each character in the story. It added so much to the tone the author was trying to set for the story.

The story was about a rabbit who is friends with a mouse. The rabbit is known for getting himself into "messes". When mouse gets his airplane stuck in a tree, rabbit is there with one of his brilliant ideas to get the plane out of the tree. Rabbit uses some unwilling animals and stacks them up until mouse is able to reach the airplane. Well, you can imagine what happens! All the animals come crashing down and they aren't very happy about it. Just when rabbit thinks he's going to get it, mouse swoops in with his freed airplane to rescue rabbit from the angry animals. Mouse knows that rabbit is his friend and really means well by his attempts to try and help him. Anyway, rabbit is so grateful mouse rescued him, that he gives mouse a big hug that blocks his vision and mouse crashes into another tree. At least rabbit has another great idea to get it out!

I think we all know children who can relate to rabbit. They have such big hearts and try to help, but end up messing everything up. But, what I got from the story was that true friendship is looking over each other's imperfections and loving them anyway. What a great message to teach our kids!

Another thing I really liked about the book, was that each page left you hanging and wondering what would happen next. This would be a great in having the students make predictions about what they thought was going to happen next.

There really wasn't anything I didn't like about the book. It was a delightful story with a great message!