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!