Final Blog Reflection

Looking back over all of the posts I have done in this blog throughout the semester, I feel a sense of accomplishment. I feel that I know a lot more about children's literature than I did before I took this class and read all of these books, and I think having to blog about what we read made me read the book differently and think more about how I felt about the book.
Being asked to consider whether or not I would use each book I read in my classroom and to critique each book in a blog entry made me a more careful and critical reader. Even though it was sometimes hard to adequately express why I thought a certain book was amazing (or just mediocre) I think it is valuable to always be thinking about what makes certain literature 'good' for children and what I think readers will be able to take away from a book.
Although I did not put as much effort as I would have liked to into every post I feel I was able to gain a better sense of what kind of teacher I want to be through thinking about and explaining which books I think are important enough for my classroom and why.
Because of this class I have become (re) hooked on children's literature. I am currently reading Karen Hesse's novel Stowaway for fun because I enjoyed Out of the Dust so much. After a few weeks of this semester I began to understand how I was able to read a novel nearly every day in elementary school... children's books are so good! Not only are many of them very easy to get into, they also teach readers a lot about pretty much whatever you want to know about... which in my case is anything as long as it's told in an interesting way.

The Fat Can Sat on the Mat by Nurit Karlin

This is an illustrated poem for younger elementary students. It tells the story of a conflict between a cat and a rat that happens while the master of the house, a witch, is away.
The main purpose of this book is to teach simple rhymes and plays on words through pictures and easy to read words. I think children would enjoy this book because of how it sounds when it is read aloud (all the rhyming words make it almost song-like). I would probably keep this book in the classroom but not bother reading aloud to the whole class because although it is somewhat entertaining I don't think it that's special.

I'll Teach My Dog 100 Words by Michael Frith

The text in this book is a long poem with illustrations. It is about a boy imagining what would happen if he taught his dog 100 words. As the dog learns more and more words his fame grows and so does his owners.

This is a good book for early elementary readers. The dog doing things dogs don't normally like painting or driving would probably delight young children while at the same time helping them learn about different actions and what they look like. The dog learns words about colors, times of day, different occupation, etc. This would be a good book to help broaden young children's vocabularies through a catchy poem.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

This is an amazing book about a young girl, Billie Jo, growing up in America during the Dust Bowl of the 1930's. Billie Jo experiences unbelievable hardship and trauma for any person to go through, let alone of a girl of her age. The main event in the book is probably when her mother dies and she must learn to forgive herself and everyone around her for the way hardship touches peoples lives and changes them. Both Billie Jo and her father eventually learn to live again and not give up.

This book is written through a series of poems Billie Jo writes in her diary about her day to day life. Hesse is a master of conveying a lot of emotion through few words. Billie Jo is characterized so well you feel as though you know her, her personality reflects the way people had to react to the dust storms after having their hopes repeatedly dashed. She is very matter of fact but you can feel her dissapointment when things go horrible wrong again and again.

I would definitely use this book in class to help teach about the Dust Bowl and it's impact on people affected by it.

The Lorax by Doctor Seuss

This, like all the books Doctor Seuss wrote for children, is an illustrated rhyme. This is one of Doctor Seuss's most famous books because how cleverly he incorporates themes of environmental degradation into a seemingly simple children's book. The book tells the story of a beautiful paradise, full of wonderful plants and animals. One day a man called the Onceler shows up and begins harvesting the lands key resource, the Truffala Trees. As a result of this the animals are forced to move away and the paradise is eventually destroyed through pollution caused by the Truffala tree factory that converts the trees into a useless thing called a Sneed.

Doctor Seuss is a master of saying a lot and invoking emotion through simple phrases. This book is packed with lessons about things like conservation, empathy, needs vs. wants, etc. I would definitely use this book in my classroom. This book would be great for introducing young readers to environmental issues because it is a easily understandable microcosm of current issues of things like resource management.

The Shut Eye Train by Eugene Fields

This is one of my favorite illustrated poetry books for children. This is because I grew up listening to my dad read me these poems. Most of the poems in this collection are about dreams. The content of the poems will greatly appeal to most children because they are written for children... the poems are about not just good dreams (sugar plum trees, mermaids, etc.) but also nightmares and overactive night time imaginations.

The book is also illustrated with beautiful, enticing colored pencil drawings. I remember getting the book out many times just to look at the pictures of the sugar plum tree and candy raining down on waiting children. I would recommend this book as a bedside read in order to get children excited about the dreams that await them...it certainly worked for me.

Song and Dance man by Karen Ackerman

This Cadecott Medal winner tells the story of a grandpa who used to be a vaudeville song and dance performer. Now instead of performing onstage he performs for his grandchildren in his attic while they wait for dinner. The story is told through the eyes of the three grandchildren. This story is touching because it conveys the splendor of the grandfather's years as a performer. His passion for performing as well as the delight he still brings his audience. The way the grandfather's performance is written about and drawn makes you feel as though you are actually watching him perform. This is a very well written and illustrated story and I would definitely keep it in my classroom.