Informational Books-Frogs

I really loved and enjoyed reading the informational book, Frogs.  I never thought there were so much information on frogs.  To begin with, the first thing that attracted me to this book was the wonderful and amazing colorific photographs.  It really made me submerge and fully understand the information the author presented.  I was amazed at the way information was presented altogether.

The author did a pretty good job on structuring the book in such a way that was very informational, but at the same time interesting.  It is true that there were some long paragraphs but they weren’t as long or overwhelming as they appeared.  Bishop used a big size font which made it seem like there was a lot to read but as soon as you start reading you realize it is not that bad.  I really loved how he bolded some sentences in a different color within informational paragraphs.  By doing this, I felt like I was taking that particular information with me.  For instance, one of the sentences reads, “Strawberry dart poison frogs are probably the hardest-working parents of all”.  The sentence itself was able to captivate my curiosity and pushed me to find out why this was so.  As I kept reading, I realized that they are the hardest-working parents because they take care of their children for a longer period of time and thus are forced to do more for them.

Focusing on the pictures, I really enjoyed them and I think children will too.  The whole concept of animal-informational books seem to attract boys more often than girls but I think this book as the potential to attract both.  The author does a pretty good job on including pictures that are very detailed and interesting, which is  why I think it can attract both genders.  I am a girl and I was very fascinated by the photographs and interesting facts so I strongly feel that other girls will like it too.

I personally think this is a good book to get children interested in science without letting them know that is the goal.  As a future educator, I think I can use this book and similar books to introduce or even teach science lessons.  I remember being in grammar school and dissecting a frog.  Many of us did not know anything about frogs and our science books weren’t very interesting.  I think that if my teacher would have added this at the beginning of the lesson we would have been more interested and curious to find the particular parts that the book discussed about frogs.

Overall, I really think this is an exceptional book to have in our classrooms and expose children to.  It is a very neat way to get them interested in informational books.  This book in particular, attracts its readers through its vivid photographs and well structured informational paragraphs.  The details presented are also quite fascinating which is why  I think children will be interested in reading it.  I still can’t believe all the information I learned about frogs! I personally do not like frogs nor am I fascinated by them but after reading this book I was so impressed by all of their features.  I can’t get over the fact that they breathe 50% of their oxygen through their skin, their hearts can stop working all-together,  some can leap 6 feet, and that the lovely colorful ones can be poisonous.  I would really recommend this book to anyone or should I say everyone! :)

Historical Fiction

Listening for Lions
By: Gloria Whelan

To be quite honest, there have been very few books that have been able to engage me into them right from the beginning. Listening for Lions is definitely one of those few books that began with an interesting narrative which caught my attention and desire to keep reading.
The story basically begins by introducing the setting and the characters but in a very descriptive and lively way. From the beginning we learn that the story takes place around 1919 when the Great War was finally over. We immediately become introduced to Rachel Sheridan and the type of life she had. Rachel was basically the daughter of two individuals who were sent from England as missionaries to the Masai and Kikuyu. She tells us that she has lived there all of her life and has never visited England. I found it interesting when she mentioned that she had never seen snow falling from the sky but her parents told her about it. She states that it never crossed her mind that she would ever see this. As the daughter of these two missionaries, there are so many things that she sees and goes through.
She describes how living in these areas has helped her make valuable observations. For instance, she has seen the cruelty of her British neighbors on a Kikuyu and this she deeply disapproved of. Rachel also makes good observational descriptions on her surroundings which I very much liked. She describes how the nature around her which I feel brings the reader closer to the story. I really appreciated this because not being from Africa makes it harder to understand the story and so I feel that she greatly helps us by providing these types of descriptions. Another thing I really much liked and enjoyed reading about was the descriptions of those individuals who she really cared and loved. It was unfortunately to find out that this did not last forever or at least for not that long.
Due to the influenza epidemic of 1919 many of the villagers became ill and died including her very own parents. Now alone in this world, Rachel is not very sure what to do and she contemplates the idea of going to the mission board of Mombasa. But she is offered to go to England and take Valerie’s place. Valarie happens to be a member of a British family that lived near Rachel’s family. They tell her that she shall take Valerie’s place back in England by taking care of Valerie’s grandfather. Valerie’s grandfather is very sick and so his desire is to see her. Unfortunately Rachel agrees because she is afraid to end up in an orphanage. Luckily things work out fine when she goes to England. She establishes an good relationship with Valerie’s grandfather and she grows in England. Regardless of the fact that she takes in the English culture, she never forgets her life in Africa and her feelings at the time.
Overall, I would really recommend this book to other people to read. I loved how historical event and facts were weaved into it while at the same time keeping an interesting story line. I loved reading about someone who was clearly different from me because I learned more from other cultures, situations, etc. In addition, I can not emphasize how useful I found the detail description of characters, settings, etc. As you may have already noticed, I really enjoyed reading this book. :)

Anything But Normal

Going back on my childhood years, I can’t really recall reading much about children with disabilities and well never had a classmates with any type of disability. I guess that might’ve been the reason why our teachers never really encouraged literature on disabilities. To begin with, I really liked that the author wrote the book in first person because we as the audience can go into this journey through the eyes of a person with a disability. In this story, Anything but Typical, the story is about Jason and what he has to go through. Jason is a boy who has autism but who’s creativity is not affected by it. It is in fact true that his interaction with other individuals is affected due to his autism. I found it very interesting when he makes friends with that girl online using the Storyboard. I mean he basically used technology to community effectively with someone and this was probably something many people didn’t think was possible. As the story progressed I felt like I was part of Jason. That is to say, I was as excited as he was to have made a real friend which is hardly anyone thought he would be able to do at any point of his life. I really felt like crying out of the excitement I felt about this because I felt it was a big accomplishment in his life. As their friendship grew, so did my attachment to him and such relationship. As a result, I became as anxious and felt bad for him when he learned that he might have to meet her. Although I am not autistic, his whole relationship with the girl, emailing her, and having to meet with her was something I could relate to. I think that being able to relate to him made me more attached to him and reinforced the bond that was created as I read the story.
I really liked how he started the book because I feel like he clarified many things. First of all, he address how most people think of him and the misconceptions. In addition, I liked how he said that when he wrote he felt that he could really be heard. I mean a lot of students feel that way even though they might not have a disability. I honestly would have to say that it was the art of writing which helped him overcome obstacles because he really believed he had a voice and made great use of it. Another favorite statement that I really liked was when he said he would write this book in first person and in our language. I think this just proved how capable he was regardless of the low expectations that people had about him. I could honestly say that Jason really inspired me because he proved how one can overcome “barriers” if they believe they can regardless of whatever others think. I personally think this is a very good book to have in our classroom shelves because not only does it expose students to a disability but it also proves to be quite inspirational for them. Here we have a story of Jason a child with autism who regardless of the low expectations he is able go above and beyond what people thought he could. I really liked this book and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

Becoming Naomi Leon

BECOMING NAOMI LEON
By: Pam Munoz Ryan

    First of all, I was extremely excited to know that we would be reading a book by Pam Munoz Ryan.  I had read one of her books before, Experanza Rising, and I loved it with all of my heart.  My fourth grade teacher introduced it to us and created an entire lesson plan filled with fun activities which I enjoyed quite a lot.  I loved the idea of being able to relate to the character and the author’s writing style was very pleasant.  Having said this, I was very excited to read another one of her books.  It is nice to say that my expectations and excitement were not let down by this book.
    Like I mentioned earlier, I just loved the idea of being able to relate to the character or the book in any way as possible and I was able to do so through this book.  I mean the main character of this book was Naomi who was essentially half Mexican and well I come from a Mexican background.  I am quite proud of being part Mexican and so I hold very highly my heritage which is why I like seeing it be reflected and exposed to others as much as possible.  I remember that when I was back in elementary school, I often looked for books like Experanza Rising, Casas de Carton, The House in Mango Street, and such because I felt the need to relate to the book.  I mean I loved reading books like Tuck Everlasting, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, A Christmas Carol, and other books but I could never build a strong of connection with them because they simply did not address my background, needs, desires, hope and what not. 
    On top of this, I feel like this book is not only good for individuals with a Mexican background but to those who are not as well.  I mean people who are not of Mexican heritage can actually learn about other people’s experiences, hardships, family structures, beliefs, among other aspects.  They can learn that there are people like Naomi who are not fully Mexican and do have other heritages within them/  They can also learn that some people, regardless of their heritage are often not brought about within a traditional family.  I mean Naomi and sibling were raised by her grandmother which is not something extremely typical.  I mean even I coming from a Mexican heritage, was surprised by this small detail.  Unlike Naomi, I was raised by both of my parents who got married before I was born, have been together ever since, and never have I seen a fight among them.  Having said this, it was shocking to find out that some of my friends were not raised in a traditional family setting.  I mean as awkward as this may sound, I discovered such detail when I was in high school.  I mean in elementary school my best friends were both raised within a traditional family and so I was never so much exposed to nontraditional families.  It wasn’t till high school that I discovered that some people do not live a similar life to mine even though we come from the same heritage background.  I mean even now that I am older, I am still shocked at some of the stories I hear about.  I mean I was even shocked to know my boyfriend’s story.  He like Naomi was not raised by is mom directly, instead he was raised by his grandmother.  Without going much into details, I think he could really relate to Naomi and the book in such a way that it might even overcome some of the negative aspects of his experience. 
    Adding on, I loved Naomi’s wordlist tracking system and I could strongly relate to this as well.  When I was little I used to do the same thing and in both idioms.  Being the first child was kind of tough because I had to learn both the Spanish and English language very well.  Having been born here, I had the responsibility and pressure to learn English as best as possible but I also had to learn the Spanish language to perfection because I came from a Hispanic heritage.  I would have to admit this was quite a task but I managed to succeed with the aid of my mother.  I remember she bought me a dictionary/thesaurus that was both in English and in Spanish which I had to use to find the meaning of a word and translate it to the other language.  My task was to read books both in English and in Spanish and then translate it to the other language so this became a part of my reading process.  I guess that’s why I understood and was able to connect to Naomi.  Interestingly, I found that this method that I used when young could actually help my 3rd graders at Booker T. Washington.  One day the teacher was just talking things they could to do get good with their English and so I decided to step in and give them my technique.  The teacher was surprised when she heard about it because of the way I spoke about it.  I began by telling them that just like them I also faced the issue of having to learn both languages and that it was not an easy task but I succeed with the aid of my mother and a book.  I told them that my ally was a dictionary/thesaurus that was book in English and Spanish and narrated how I went about it.  They were just to attentive and surprised at my story and to be quite honest I got the feeling they felt they could actually do it too.
    All in all, I think that Becoming Naomi Leon was an outstanding book just like other books I’ve read by Pam Munoz Ryan.  Pam writes in such a way that people could actually understand other spectrums and even be able to relate to them in one way or another.  Loved how I could related to Naomi but at the same time learn and become surprised by new ideas that I personally have not been exposed to.  For instance, Naomi being raised by her great-grandmother was something that I could not relate to coming from a traditional family structure.  It was helpful to see that my spectrum of life is not the only one there exists and that there are other types of family out there.  It is sad to say but in this book I realized that not all mothers are good.  I think I could believe this due to the fact that my boyfriend’s mom is said to have been an example of one.  From what he tells me, she abandoned him when he was three years of age.  He was initially going to be left with a family that his mother knew but that family thought it was best for him to be left with his dad’s family which is exactly what happened at the end.  Due to this, he now lives with his grandmother who he recognizes as his mother since his mother literally abandoned him and his father went on with his life and created a family of his own.  Having said this, his life has not been easy but it comes to show me how other individuals are not raised within a traditional family structure and they overcome such hardship.  Both him and Naomi are great examples of this and I am proud of them both.  I am proud to see that he was come a long way and has kept a good nature spirit.  And well, I am glad to have seen Naomi escape her mother’s abuse and having had the chance to see her father.  I really liked the ending because it comfort the idea that everything was going to be fine after having suffered so much throughout the entire book.  I would really recommend this book not only to individuals with Mexican heritage but to other individuals who may not be.  In fact, I can’t wait to tell my boyfriend all about it and advice him to read it.  Even at his age, I strongly believe this book could be of great help! :)

THE INCORRIGIBLE CHILDREN OF ASHTON PLACE: The Mysterious Howling (book 1)

Author:Maryrose Wood 

Illustrator:Jon Klassen

          The story presented in this chapter book is just out of the ordinary! To begin with, the story is about three children who have been raised in the wild and so they therefore have no sense of manners and such. The names of these three children are Alexander, Cassiopeia, and Beowulf. Alexander is the oldest one and tries to keep them in line for the most part but we can tell she needs help. Then Miss Penelope comes into the picture to help out. Penelope is a fifteen year old graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. She graduated a year ahead on top of her class which makes us believe she is extremely smart. Having graduated, Miss Penelope has to find a job and she goes to Ashton Place for a job interview and ends up staying. Her job is to be the governess of these three innocent creatures and right of the bat this is not an essay task. Knowing it would not be easy, she still takes the challenge and commits to it. Soon she realize that in order to teach them complex material, she first has to eliminate their canine tendencies and this is extremely hard. It is extremely hard because these children had been living under these circumstances for so long that it now seems normal and it’s harder to change their perspectives on certain things. It is nice to see how Miss Penelope has many plans and has hope she would be able to transform the children before the Christmas dinner. In addition, it’s nice to know that the outcome was one that pleased me quite much because it left me suspenseful.
           Having said this, I really loved this chapter book and enjoyed it quite much. I mean I have never really liked fiction but I think that the story is structured in such a way that children and adults can relate to and become part of it. I feel like it is a great chapter book to read whenever and with who ever. I mean it can be a read aloud, independent reading, and such. The book itself has many qualities to offer not only to children but also to adults. After reading this book, I feel like adults can use Miss Penelope attitude, techniques, perspectives, optimism towards children. I mean for instance as an educator we can become inspired in the sense that if Miss Penelope was so enthusiastic about helping these children change, maybe we should as well. On the other hand, I feel like children can be exposed to the other side of the story. That is to say, they can see how teachers struggle in educating and how much they care. I feel that many, if not some, students just lack to see how much teachers care and what they go through as a result.
           Going along those lines, there are several themes that I found throughout this chapter book story. I mean many of them revolved around important themes such as society, culture, relationships and obviously family. I guess not all of us as readers catch every single theme but we do catch those that relate to us and that is absolutely fine with me. I feel that a child or any reader should extract those themes that apply to them and which help them in some way or another. For instance, I know many friends who simply gave up on their education because they simply didn’t think there was someone out there who cared and supported them. I feel that if they had really this book or something as close to this particular story, they would’ve kept hope which would’ve given them the strength to keep striving higher and higher. I guess I can see the story can actually have the potential to motivate children in many aspects. Like I mentioned earlier, I think this is an outstanding book and even more so because it leaves the children in suspense at the end which makes them want to keep reading. I guess if I were to recommend this book I would definitely do so with no hesitation. J

Poetry/A Family of Poems

POETRY/ A FAMILY OF POEMS

There are just so many things that can be said about poetry! To begin with, I used to love poetry when I was younger. Not any kind of poetry, but reflective and thoughtful poetry. I loved poetry that made ponder for hours and hours until I reached a deeper meaning. For the most part I use to read poetry in Spanish because I found it more interesting and with such passionate wording. I used to read poems by Jose Garcia Velazquez Daniel Allaria Oriol, Antonio de Benito, Antonio Machado, Gabriela Mistral, Alicia Herreros, and Juan Guinea among others. Most of these authors wrote poems especially for children to inspire them and even guide them on certain aspects of life. I just loved sitting down and reading them out loud to myself again and again and again. Every time I re read them I seemed to gain a deeper well-founded meaning out of them and this I enjoyed very much. I loved “El Angel Guardian” because it talked about something that my parents mentioned to me ever since I can remember. It said that there indeed existed a guardian angel and it described it in a very exciting way. The author, Gabriela Mistral, incorporated analogies between his features to candy, which I guess at the time, caught my attention. I remember also reading “La Madre Triste/The Sad Mother”, “Con Desconocidos No/With Strangers No”, “Compartir/Sharing” and others which I really enjoyed. I remember my mom telling me to go to sleep at night and I begging her to let me read one more and then one more. I guess reading these types of books kind of foreshadowed the type of literature I like in the future. I mean these poems where all about concepts in real life and this is the path I have taken ever since. Even today, it is safe to say that I enjoy inspirational/reflective types of poems. Having said this, I would also like to say that I learned to love and enjoy English literature. I have been exposed to many poets here and there but my favorite of all times has to be without a doubt Edgar Allan Poe. He is the best poet I have ever read. Poe’s description and narration in his poems is so well rounded that is impossible to put his poetry down or at least in my case.
Having shared this, I really enjoyed A Family of Poems. I loved them because their narration was complex and with a deeper meaning to be searched for, just like I like them. I have to accept that the poems were not all that straight forward with their meaning and so re reading them helped a lot but I don’t think they are appropriate very young children. Interestingly, over the summer I read literary pieces by Emily Dickinson and found her style a bit high leveled. By this I mean that it is not extremely hard to follow but not the easiest as well. A Family of Poems had one by her that just didn’t click right away for me and so I wondered if it was something a child would grasp to which later on I convinced myself that it is not. I am not saying that she is not appropriate at all, I guess what I’m saying is that we have to tell the child that it is a literary piece that must be read to eliminate initial confusions. I guess taking this in consideration; I would most definitely like to have this book in my classroom because it challenges kids to search for the deeper meaning and therefore become enlightened. This decision makes perfect sense considering I liked and enjoyed this type of poetry when young and still do. A Family of Poems might not be a poetry book that should be shared with kids are they first poetry book but later on as challenge to them. I am a strong supporter of challenging kids as much as possible so they reach their highest potential and I think this book would do the job to a large extent. I guess it’s needless to say that I loved and enjoyed A Family of Poems very much and am excited to make use of it in my classroom in the future. =]

The Goat-Faced Girl

Title: The Goat-Faced Girl
Retold by: Leah Marinksy Sharpe
Illustrated by: Jane Marinsky
Type: A Classic Italian Folktale

 

 

 

This wonderful story is about a young girl whose name is Isabella and who was unfortunately left in the forest.  Thankfully she was taken in and raised by a sorceress who made her feel like part of her family even though she was a lazy young girl.  Like any other mother, the sorceress was worried about her laziness because she knew this wouldn’t bring much good to her.  Then one day, some as lazy as Isabella came along and that was Prince Rubert.  Such visit lead to further connections because he feel in love with Isabella due to the similarities they shared.  But this was not the end of it, he decided to marry her.  To this her mother became even more worried and decided to use magic to help her daughter out.  The magic begins when Isabella is going to meet Prince Rubert.  When coming off the carriage, she scares him because he face has transformed into a goat.  He was so scared that he sends her to a cottage away from the palace and that in order for her to come back she must change and do a bit of things.  She eventually does them and becomes a very responsible person who is no longer lazy.  Having notice this, her mother tells her what she had done and restores her face.  Sadly, in the story we find out that the prince never cared about her character and thus similarities but rather her beauty.  Although this was sad, the good things is that she decides not to marry him and they turn Prince Rubert into a bird.

The book was just….AMAZING! I state it being an amazing book because of the valuable lesson that was weaved in it. 
I enjoyed the fact that a children’s book being able to show children that looks are not always everything but is one’s character that really matters.  The author shows this by creating a character with a character problem such as laziness who doesn’t bother her future husband one bit but is later really bothered by the change in her appearance.  I mean it shows that if someone really loves you they will pay attention to details such as laziness like her mom did and not to your appearance.  It is her mom who pays attention to her laziness problem and who is still there even though Isabella’s appearance is not very pleasant.  Even if we pay close attention at the laziness problem, we can say that the author made it very clear to children that laziness is by no means right, acceptable, or beneficial.  The concept of laziness can really talk to the children of America at this particular time because they can relate to it.  We are in a country where people are become lazier and lazier as our economy and technology increases.   If Isabella had been a stealer, than the audience would decrease because not many would be able to relate to it.  I think laziness is such a common feature in many individual’s character that more readers can relate to it.

I personally did not like the fact that her mom had to intervene to help her.  I mean I’m not saying mother’s interventions are bad but not using magic.  In addition, I disliked the fact that Isabella was only doing the tasks because she was getting a reward at the end which was getting married.  I guess we can argue that she did it for love ultimately but we can also argue that she might’ve done it because she realized that at the end she would just be sitting in the palace doing nothing.  And well, I expected her to help her mom due to the fact that she took her in even when she knew she had no responsibility in doing so.  I know if I had been in that case, I would have felt so in debt that I would have helped her as much as I could.  Ultimately, I think that Isabella was more self-centered than anything else and so she got what she deserved to a certain extent. 

Finally, I found this story quite interesting because I could relate to it.  I personally was the first child in my home and never really contradicted my parents.  I was basically trained to clean after myself, do as I was told, listen to my elders and things like that which I did not rebel against because I loved my parents and knew they were doing it for my own good.  Unfortunately I could not relate to Isabella from my experience but I did from my sister’s experience.  She always had a hard time not being lazy and so I saw how my parent struggle with her.  They always had to tell her several times to clean her room, to do her chores, and even to do her homework.  Luckily, she got through school and right now is attending a small medical assistant program because she is too lazy to go to a four-year college.  Even though she did not end up attend a four-year college, she is indeed finishing a career and currently works weekends.  I guess my parent’s persevering spirit in removing her laziness, worked to an extent because she is now responsible, cleans the house, goes to school and even works.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that parents play a key role in helping children become more responsible and less lazy.  Also, like I mentioned earlier, it proves that looks are not always what is valuable but rather the character of the individual.

THE STORM IN THE BARN

Title: The Storm in the Barn
Author: Matt Phelan

The Storm in the Barn was an amazing book which touched on important events of the time even though it was just a children's book.  The main character of this book is a little boy by the name of Jack who was originally from from Kansas.  Jack lived with his parents and two sisters during the hard times of the Dust Bowl era in the United States.  Being the only boy in the house, Jack is constantly trying to be looked at as grown up.  At the end, Jack fights a rain man monster which culminates in his defeat to fears he had due to the fact he was not fully grown.  Even though the book is aimed for children, it dives the reader into how life was like around the Dust Bowl in the United States.  Jack and his family simply show some of the things many Americans went through during this period.  I loved how they incorporated true facts with fantasy because it exposes us to more than just a story.  I personally never really enjoyed fictional books but I loved historical fiction.  I did not find interest in reading books about things that were not real to me and so I had to have books that had facts.  I was glad to have read this book because I somehow related to Jack.  His desire to be looked at as a grown up made me remember that I also wanted to be looked at the same way.  I know how strong how that feeling can be and so I am able to understand his actions. In addition, I could really understand or wrap my mind around some of his thoughts and ideas.  For instance, he seemed to think that dead snakes brought rain and well I have a similar superstition.  I believe that if you see a dead cat something bad is going to happen and this has become reinforced through some experiences.  I guess in my case I obtained such superstitions from family members who passed it on to me but he got it or should I say created it off the Dust Bowl period which he lived in.  I guess it was very hard for him to go through it and so he had to find something to lift his spirit and have hope on.  I also felt very connected to him when he had his conversation with his mom (page 115-116).  I personally remember sitting with my mom and discussing things that were affecting my growing up process.  For instance, I remember how my sister receiving more attention was affecting me.  Until this was addressed I felt relieved and was finally able to continue growing up, which I feel was the same for Jack.  In addition, I can not emphasize how critical and helpful his illustrations were.  The illustrator trasmitted a lot of emotion, reactions, and feeling through his depiction of facial expressions, the clothing portrayal, movement, and what not.  There might have not been a lot of text in this story but there was no need because the illustrations spoke louder than words.  I have always been a visual learner and this book really made me feel and understand exactly what the characters were experiencing.  For instance, where he is fighting the rain man monster I could feel his fear and it almost seemed like I am in there with him.  Without even noticing it, I felt like I was part of what was going on in the story.  The illustrator really knew how to trigger certain reactions through the picmentations he used.  Dull colors were for not very pleasant moments such as the Dust Bowl and brighter color for those wonderful memories before this period of time.  Overall, I felt truly connected to little Jack in many ways even though we are quite different.  I feel like we both overcame many things and had similar desires.  When I saw Jack succeed in making rain fall once again I felt happy for him because this meant not only an end for the Dust Bowl era but as proof of his development to his family.  He had finally succeeded on something that would make a big difference in many lives and show his family how capable as well as grown up he was.  I really can not emphasize how delighted I was to have read this book.