I recently chose to read this book and I am glad I did. It is based on a true story, so I am sure that many kids can relate to something just like thiI recently chose to read this book and I am glad I did. It is based on a true story, so I am sure that many kids can relate to something just like this. _The Stray Dog_ was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book. The wrap around cover shows a dog, a family, and a dogcatcher in the woods and all oblivious of what the other is doing. To me it seems that watercolors along with some charcoal is used in the mixed media of the illustrations. There are plenty of colors used and the style is pretty realistic. This is a sweet story of a stray dog finding a home and family to belong to. It is a very short book and is cute and funny. The illustrations add humor with the little boy trying to hold up his pants with his belt off. I ended up really liking this book. This is definitely not a classic book that I think will stick in my mind forever and I do not think it will be that for the children that read it either, but it is a very relatable story for most children because it is believable and they can imagine this happening to them and their family. I would recommend this be read from toddlers to second graders. This age range would enjoy this the most since it is a very simple book. Also, this can be read to children in class or in the home to teach them that even though someone may not always be from your family, does not mean they cannot be a part of it. Everyone deserves love and a family....more
_The Bat Boy and His Violin_ is a book that I just recently picked up to read. I love sports and I saw that it was a Coretta Scott King Award Recipien_The Bat Boy and His Violin_ is a book that I just recently picked up to read. I love sports and I saw that it was a Coretta Scott King Award Recipient and so I knew I had to read it. The cover is a matte finish with a boy in a baseball uniform playing a violin, while a scene in the background wraps around the cover of men playing baseball. The end pages have nothing on them. On the copyright page it states that the illustrations are rendered in watercolors, which is what my guess was from the cover of the book. The book is set in the late 1940's with Reginald's father managing a Negro National baseball team. Because of the depth of the conversations in the book and the wordiness of the text, I would recommend this book for second through fourth graders. Some younger children might like this book read to them, but it might be harder for them to follow along. The book is sweet and shares a relationship between a father and son despite differences they might have. The illustrations are beautiful and the pictures are very realistic. The children will appreciate the pictures to follow along with the story, even though the story is really the most powerful part. Teachers can use this in class when talking about this certain time period. The book does touch on racism when the players are turned away from a hotel, but the author instead decides to focus on the father son relationship. I loved this book and will read it many more times. ...more
I have seen this book in Barnes and Noble and in many libraries for a few years now, but have never gotten around to reading it. The cover looks interI have seen this book in Barnes and Noble and in many libraries for a few years now, but have never gotten around to reading it. The cover looks interesting enough with the title _OLIVIA_ in a sepia tone with a pig dressed in a red dress underneath it. In 2001, this book was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book. On the back cover, there is an illustration of the pig, Olivia, looking up and presumably reading all of the rave reviews about this book. On the inside the reader will have fun doing with her. The front end pages are all white with bright red clothing items in a line across the bottom of the pages. On the next page before the title page, we see that Olivia is either getting dressed finally or getting undressed. On the copyright page, it is noted that the illustrations are rendered in charcoal and gouache on paper. The charcoal makes beautiful shadows of Olivia on each page. All the pages are very plain except for the red pops of color in certain objects that Olivia uses. However, when she gets sunburnt at the beach her skin is pink to show the burn. The author also provides two inserts of museum paintings in the book. They appear in their actual color and are also noted on the copyright pages. Olivia inspires the whimsical and free spirited child inside us all. I loved the charcoal that is used in this book. It sets a tone throughout that can hardly be explained. The red against that charcoal just stands out in the perfect amount of color. All children are going to love this book. The illustrations are funny and will make all kids laugh. I believe this book is geared for toddlers through second or third grades. All children are a little overwhelming to their mothers or parents at some points and I believe it is refreshing and relatable for the children to see this funny pig who does some of the exact same things they do. I would recommend teachers using this book in class to talk about interests the children have and things they like to do or even things they may get in trouble for doing. This might help them express issues they are having or the teacher can just reassure them that parents know best. It also helps that Olivia wants to read five books at bedtime! This is a good time for the teacher to ask how many books her children in class read or what their bedtime rituals might be. ...more
_The Hello, Goodbye Window_ by Norton Juster and illustrated by Chris Raschka, won the Caldecott Medal in 2006. The thing that first drew me to this b_The Hello, Goodbye Window_ by Norton Juster and illustrated by Chris Raschka, won the Caldecott Medal in 2006. The thing that first drew me to this book was the cover and the title. This "window" that the title refers to just really interested me and then the illustration on the front cover shows a small child waving at two people in the window who are older than her. The pastel colors used look like water colors. As soon as I started reading the book, all I could look at was the illustrations. They took over the whole page. They went through the gutters and honestly just looked like huge bright blobs of different colors that I believe were trying to make a picture. The closer I looked, I could make out some more details in the midst of all the swirls and scribbles of the colors. I recognize this art style being used as impressionist. Also, as I get farther along in the book, it looks as though a mixed media is being used. These illustrations will speak volumes in a creative child's imagination. It may even be a good idea to ask children why they believe this style and media were chosen for this book. This book ended up being such a sweet surprise. Who knew the author could take an object as simple as a window and create such a special book with it. This book also shows the reader through illustrations that the little girl is biracial. This book would be great for toddlers through third graders. It touches on race, family, love, imagination, and much more. This would be a great book to get a discussion going in the classroom about families. A teacher could have the class create their own "windows" even. I loved this book and cannot wait to read it to my daughter. This book reminds me not to take these special "small" moments for granted....more
My daughter received this book for Christmas one year from her aunt and I had never heard of it before. We have enjoyed reading this, but it is not onMy daughter received this book for Christmas one year from her aunt and I had never heard of it before. We have enjoyed reading this, but it is not one of mine or my daughter's favorites. This won the Caldecott Medal in 2001. The front cover is interesting enough with three cows, a chicken, and a duck gathered around a typewriter. The colors used in the illustrations are appealing. The colors are soft and it looks like watercolors have been used. There are no real definitive lines or sharp edges in any of the illustrations so the watercolors seemed to have been brushed on. All of the illustrations on the pages go through the gutters. This seems to be because most of them have a large scene to show the reader. I think one reason that this book is not my favorite is because I find it a little wordy. On the first few pages, I think that it will have a rhythm to it where it is almost in verse, however, there are quite a few words and I just do not find all of them necessary. Each of the letters or notes that are written on the typewriter are in a different font from the rest of the text which helps the reader easily decipher which is which. The illustrations are beautiful and the cartoon art with some impressionist values is spot on. The colors are shaded and turn dark in the nighttime scenes and brighten up in the mornings and daytime scenes. I do think most children love this book because of the pure silliness of animals using a typewriter to demand things from their farmer. I think most kids toddler aged to second and third graders will really enjoy this the most. Teachers could use this in the classroom to discuss compromise and how each animal had a want and how they shared that want to the farmer and other animals. Even though this is not my favorite, I recommend younger children to read this book....more
This book is a multi-award winner, with two of the most notable being the Caldecott Winner in 2013 and the Kate Greenaway winner in 2014. The front anThis book is a multi-award winner, with two of the most notable being the Caldecott Winner in 2013 and the Kate Greenaway winner in 2014. The front and back covers of this book are all black with a fish swimming on the front with a hat on and a hat that has sunk to the bottom of the ocean on the back. From reading one of the first informational pages of the book, I learned that the illustrations were created digitally and in Chinese ink. This book is quite humorous. Both end pages in this book are big tall ocean plants, which is where the reader finds out that the small fish wants to go. By just reading the title, I would not have guessed that the hat was stolen, maybe just that it had been found or switched. The story is very cute and is geared for toddlers through maybe second grade. The text is very large and there are not many words in this book. The pictures are simple and are easy to follow along with. While the small fish is talking about the large fish, the large fish is doing everything the smaller fish says he will NOT do. When the big fish is shown, the picture goes through the gutters to show just how large he is. The text is moved to the very top of the pages. The small fish only needs one page for his illustration because of how small he is. The other page that has no illustration is used for his text. The book is not very colorful, and it is at the bottom of the ocean so it is supposed to look dark. I think the younger kids will love these illustrations because it really shows the chase of the large fish to get his hat back from the small fish. The reader gets to see the front end and the back end of the race, which is fun. This artistic style most reminds me of Cartoon because the pictures are simple and straight forward. I really enjoyed this book. I could see a teacher using this book in a kindergarten or first grade classroom when teaching the children about consequences of doing things that are not right. The large fish ended up getting his hat back even though the small fish thought there was no way he would ever know. I believe this would be easily relatable for kids of that age. I really enjoyed this book and am going to put this on the list to read to my three year old. I know she will love it!...more
_Wolf in the Snow_ has won the 2017 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award as well as the 2018 Caldecott Medal. The cover of this book by Matthew Cordell really_Wolf in the Snow_ has won the 2017 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award as well as the 2018 Caldecott Medal. The cover of this book by Matthew Cordell really makes the reader wonder what this book is going to be about. It has a wrap around cover with snow falling down and a little child in a red coat bending down to reach for a small puppy or wolf. On the back of the cover it shows a grown wolf perched on a large stone, howling towards the sky. After getting a few pages into the book, it comes to the reader's attention that this is a wordless book. The reader is really going to have to pay a lot of attention to the illustrations in order to follow along. These illustrations, according to the Copyright page of the book is created with pen and ink with watercolors. The book actually has five end pages with illustrations on them before the copyright and title pages. The first shows a small girl petting her dog in a house with her parents watching on. The second and third shows the girl waving back at the dog and house with the dog barking. The last two have a circle on each page with a picture of the girl walking in one and a picture of wolves on a similar looking hill in the other. If the author felt it necessary to have five end pages before the book even began, then the reader probably needs to pay attention to them as either a foreshadowing of what might happen or as some background information that they may need. After reading, I found out that it is a little of both. What a beautiful story! This book shows what trust is all about. This book is appropriate for toddlers through probably first or second grades. There are no words in the book, except for the sounds from each animal present. This is a must, because trust does not always come from someone you completely understand. Showing these two creatures, the girl and the wolf pup, who only realize that they both need help, cannot otherwise speak to or understand each other. Some of the illustrations go through the gutters, others are in the same circle form that was seen in the end pages. Through the illustrations, the reader can sense the cold and the desperation of the pup and the girl. I could see this book being used in a lesson on helping others or trust or equality. This book is very easy to relate to for younger children. That feeling of being lost and then finding someone to help is an amazing feeling. I would recommend this book for all younger ages to read or be read to....more
_Charlie & Mouse_ is written by Laurel Snyder and illustrated by Emily Hughes. Earlier this year, this book was chosen as the recipient of the Geisel _Charlie & Mouse_ is written by Laurel Snyder and illustrated by Emily Hughes. Earlier this year, this book was chosen as the recipient of the Geisel Award. When first looking at the cover that is a wrap around, it looks like it will be a fun book with an illustration of two friends having what seems to be a good time outside. The end pages are a pale green with a pattern of objects that look like they will play a significant role in the story. On the copyright page, I found that the illustrations were rendered by hand in graphite and with Photoshop. The style looks to be similar to Cartoon Art, with simple faces and expressions of the characters. There is a wide array of colors that are used throughout the book. I would not say that they are very bright colors, but they are pretty realistic in shades. After the copyright page, the reader can see that the book is broken into four sections. The sections are named appropriately and it gives the reader some interest in what they might be about. Each section is it's own little story about the two brothers, but at the end it is wrapped up nicely to finish the book. This book was simple and sweet. Although it was a little longer than other picture books I have read, it was mostly dialogue and it was a quick read. This book showed the love between two brothers and the special bond they get to share. The pictures provided cute and funny illustrations detailing what the boys were doing at each stage in the story. I really enjoyed this book. I would say that this book can be read to toddlers through about second or third graders. The kids that will relate to this the most will be the ones with siblings. Maybe this book can be given to children who are having difficulties with their siblings. It can definitely be used in the classroom to show how this book is simple, but has multiple stories in it. It seems like it would be a good transitional book for early readers into chapter books. I would recommend any child with a sibling to read this sweet book....more
I really enjoyed this Caldecott Medal recipient, written and illustrated by Diane Dillon. The title gives the reader a pretty big giveaway about what I really enjoyed this Caldecott Medal recipient, written and illustrated by Diane Dillon. The title gives the reader a pretty big giveaway about what the book is about, but it really is beautifully written. The main character, Zoe, struggles with her inner voice who has something negative to tell her at every turn. Zoe courageously stands up to her inner voice and proclaims that she can be anything if she puts her mind to it. This book is appropriate for all ages, beginning with toddlers, well through middle school. It is geared towards younger children because Zoe is a smaller child with a wide imagination, but it is an inspirational book, that I,even at twenty-nine years old felt inspired by. The cover is a beautiful picture of Zoe imagining herself soaring through the sky, while the back cover is filled with hundreds of words that are all occupations. I really liked this aspect of it because it showed that really anything that you want to be is possible. Dillon uses impressionism and water colors in her illustrations of this book. The colors are soft and without much depth, however the pictures are full of many colors. I looked up examples of impressionism and this is what these illustrations most remind me of. Some of the illustrations go through the gutter and others do not. It is mainly when the subjects are divided up or two occupations are talked about when the pictures do not flow through the gutters. The layout is great in this book. Not only is Zoe shown on every page in real time, but the larger images on the pages in the background are what is going on in her imagination and what she is telling herself she can do. It is important for her to see herself in all of these different situations and it helps the reader be able to imagine themselves doing all these different things. Throughout the book, Zoe's words are in black writing, but her inner voice's words are in a red color and are italicized. This makes the book flow so much better and makes it easy for the reader to know exactly whose words they are reading. With children in the classroom, I believe I would use this book around career day at school. This is a great inspirational book that could be a great addition to a career day or week. They can even do activities about what they may want to be when they grow up. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to all ages....more
_Mother 'Goose' Bruce_ and it is written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins. This book is a New York Times Best Seller and is an Ezra Jack Keats Honor_Mother 'Goose' Bruce_ and it is written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins. This book is a New York Times Best Seller and is an Ezra Jack Keats Honor Book. The cover has a grumpy looking bear with four yellow goslings sitting on top of him that is very colorful and very eye-catching. There is a forest setting of the front end papers. Pine trees covered the pages with the sun shining through them and a moss-covered home with a door to enter. All of the illustrations of this book are absolutely beautiful and are so fun to look at and find all the small details on each page. Some of the illustrations run through the gutters on the pages while others are set into several small boxes or a circle on other pages. This book is lighthearted, but the ducklings and Bruce have a serious dilemma of figuring out the situation they are in. After searching online, I found that the artistic medium in this book is mixed media with digital drawing, water color, and pen and ink. The style is definitely a cartoon art, but with some realistic values. There is so much detail in all of the illustrations and all of the expressions add a lot of humor to the book. Kids will laugh and love this book and the silliness of it. I read this to my three year old and she loves it. Teachers could really have fun with this book in their classrooms. They could talk about problem solving, or adapting to situations when you know nothing about someone. Bruce adapted great and ended up just moving the whole family. This book is cute and funny with amazing artwork throughout. I would recommend this book to toddlers through third graders. ...more
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