The Cat in the Hat

Exploring the Work of  Dr. Seuss

Childhood according to Dr. Seuss, there is a "perpetual zig-zag between good sense and nonsense, between the anarchy of The Cat in the Hat and the selfless stoicism of Horton (who hatched and egg)."
A. Is there a contemporary book that has this tension presented in The Cat in the Hat?
Undoubtedly, the popular book No, David contains a similar tension.  This book too, is a simple book, but is intriquing in much the same way as The Cat in the Hat.  In No, David, rebellion is explored, but ultimately finds a bittersweet ending. 
B. Does this book still appeal to children and why?
A tendency toward anarchy or rebellion runs deep in all of us and much of civilization's struggle is in  restraining this natural impulse.  There will always be a conflict between order and goodness, and chaos and evil.  Children's books often are amazing at highlighting this truth. This is one reason why books such as these mentioned above resonate with most children and even adults.  There is no denying that acting in a nonsensical way can be fun for the moment, but the cost is often too high of price for the short moment of liberty. Just ask any child that throws their toys all over their bedroom and then has to begrudgingly pick them up later. Consequences are part of life and there is no escaping that reality, but exploring the possibility as Dr. Seuss does, makes his books unsettling and exciting all at the same time.   So, yes, this book absolutely appeals to children because the idea of complete freedom is intriquing at its core.  Also the fact that it contains a moral dilemma and rhyming text further makes this book interesting to all readers alike.

Dr. Seuss considered The Lorax, published in 1971, as his best book.  It did not go over well at the time and is still controversial. 

A. What makes The Lorax didactic?
The Lorax is very openly didactic because it moralizes throughout the last half of the book.  Dr. Seuss is using a clever story to teach the moral of ecology and conservation.  When the Lorax speaks for the trees, he is becoming the advocate of the voiceless, which is nature. The story has a double meaning.  On its face it is an entertaining story.  On the other hand it is much like a parable within a sermon.  This being said, I enjoyed the book quite a lot.   
B. Are there any didactic children's books today?  If not, why not?
Harry Potter contains some didactic elements in that good wins over evil.

Dark Emperor and other Poems of the Night

    Dark Emperor is a unique book with a collection of poems of the night.  The book received a 2011 Newbery Honor Award.  This unusual book contains a set of poems about animal life at night, known as nocturnal life.  Every few pages or so, there is information about different nocturnal animals that are fact oriented and designed to instruct the reader.  The poem "Welcome to the Night" opens the 12 poem book.  The author features nine different animals and even mushrooms that thrive at nightime.  The poems are eloquent and beautiful and at times philosophical.  Not only does the book contain beautiful poetry, but artwork that is majestic, dark, and bold. The interesting combination of nightime and poetry invites the reader to slow down, relax, and celebrate the wonder of the night, something that few poeple do in our fast paced world.  I believe that the combination of non-fiction elements with the artistic element of poetry gives makes this book more widely appealing. This book would be an excellent book to read to teach about nocturnal animals in science or poetry in language arts.  Judging poetry is very subjective, but I must say that it appeals to me and I think it would to most people, even children.  I can see why this book was a Newbery Honor Book. 

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

     Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! is a collection of 22 short monologues which was first written to be performed as short plays.  The book was written by librarian and playwright, Laura Amy Schlitz.  This book won a Newbery Award in 2008.  Originally written as a way for students at Mrs. Schlitz's school to have an individual role in a school play, these monologues were compiled into a book.  The monologues are written in an 'old world' style since the setting of the book is a manor in Midieval England in the year 1255.  The short plays contains elements of humor, struggle and sorrow as much of Midieval life was about survival.  Many of the characters in this book are wretched, depraved, or are losing hope, but many characters are determined, resolute, and courageous. Each page reveals more and more of manor life and the helps the reader learn about the social hierarchy at that time.  Needless to say, Mideival living was never dull or boring, since fighting and struggling to live another day is never a dull task.  Life in this age was not fair to the majority of the populus.  Poverty was the norm.  Feudal Lords were the ones that had the wealth.  In this since, history shows us that greed, war, and survival is interesting. It is this revelation that the author hopes to convey, and she succeeds in my view.  I would recommend this book for a gifted class or middle school aged students, since the language will be a considerable barrier to most children.  

A Jar of Dreams

    The book A Jar of Dreams, by Yoshiko Uchida is an intriquing multicultural book that takes place in the hard times of the depression in California.  With Rinko's Papa struggling to make a living as a barber, this was a difficult time to be alive because work was hard to find.  However, being a second generation Japanese immigrant at this time did not make anything easier on eleven-year-old Rinko. Rinko's brother Cal wants to go to school to become an engineer, but he is unsure if he can do it because he is unsure someone will hire a Japanese boy.  Rinko wants badly to be a school teacher, but her mother is pessimistic about someone hiring a Japanese girl. Through the racial slurs of Rinko's classmates and the ridicule that she experiences primarily from the laundromat owner, Rinko begins to feel shame for her heritage. Later on Aunt Waka visited from Japan, and this was a turning point for the  family because it lifted Rinko and her familiy's mood. To make times harder, Rinko's mother who was running an at-home laundry mat, became wrapped up in violence that almost damaged the laundry operation.  All of this turmoil was made better by Aunt Waka who helped the family realize their talents and strong points.  Aunt Waka also goes on to help Rinko find out something about herself that she did not realize.  Before Aunt Waka left to go back home, Rinko realizes just how helpful her aunt has been to the family. Rinko's father finally stands up to the laundromat owner After this visit, Rinko's family is forever changed and has the hope of a bright future.  The heart of this story is how Aunt Waka helped the family reach for their dreams and begin to be proud of their unique heritage.  This warm, loving, story is a great read if you enjoy reading about family relationships or historical struggles.  I enjoy reading about both, so it goes without saying that I liked this book.  I recommend it as a read-aloud as I plan to read it to my class by the end of the year.

Other Books by Yoshiko Uchida

• Birthday Visitor
• The Bracelet
• Desert Exile
• Forever Christmas Tree
• Full Circle
• Journey Home

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Movie/Book Comparison)

   

   This classic book by Dr. Seuss is perhaps one of the greatest books of all time in my view. The complex nature of the Grinch makes it appealing.  Evil is presented, but good ultimately prevails in the end when the Grinch has a change of heart. This change is what makes this book so intriquing, because it recognizes that inside all of us is bad, but there still lies the potential for good as well. The movie follows along with the book in the major points of the plot, but Jim Carrey lets his natural humor and personality enrich the movie and make it more humorous.  The story is dark, but Carrey masterfully uses facial expressions, body contortion and great vocal delivery to lighten up the movie.  To me, Carrey is the perfect match for the Grinch.  He aptly uses and expands on Seuss' humor. The movie also develops the Grinch's personality quite a lot. More than this, in the movie the town mayor and the Who's have more of a detailed role. The movie adds many more scenes than the book, but I do not believe it harms the plot. When all of this is taken into account, I believe this movie will become a classic in the years to come.



Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Book/Movie Comparison)

     This book, by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett has been recently made into a movie.  In the book, the story is about a grandfather that tells his grandchildren about the town of Chewandswallow after a flying pancake incident one day.  In this far away town that is like most other small towns, various foods rain down from the sky and it provides the town with food.  The food rained down three times a day, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Residents would even watch the weather to see what the next day's meals they could expect.  Because of this, no grocery stores are needed.  This all was fine until there are dangerous floods of inedible foods and tornadoes which forced the townspeople to leave the town of floating bread.  In their new location they find that they have to learn how to live in a place where it does not rain food.  

    In the movie, the plot follows the same basic plot as the book, but there are some significant exceptions.  For example, in the movie there is the main character, Flint Lockwood, who thinks he is a genius. Flint tries to save his town from a food shortage when he creates a machine that will turn water into food. When his invention goes wrong it puts food into the atmosphere.  Next, it started to rain food and all kinds of problems started to happen. These are but a few of the differences between the movie and the book. The reality is that this movie is loosely based on the book and that the director major artistic license in changing the plot.  I did not particulary care for the movie, but the humor in the movie is desinged to appeal to children.  Overall, I believe the book to be quality literature, but the movie becomes a different story altogether.

Rosa

   Rosa, is a 2006 Caldecott Award winner as well as a Coretta Scott King Award winner and rightfully so.  As I read this book the other day, I was struck by how easy the book was to read considering it was a non-fiction book based on history.  The writing style was natural and in a logical order. The author did a great job at recreating the scene and I felt as if I was there during the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955.  The book briefly covers the highlights of Rosa Parks courageous stand for civil rights.  During this tumultuous time, Rosa was growing weary of segregation.  The recent Brown versus Board ruling gave her hope and strength to endure, but she did not stand on her own. Other women, men, and Dr. Martin Luther King became leaders in the movement, organizing the bus boycott in an effort of nonviolent resistance.  Rosa refused to give up her seat in the neutral section of the bus. Rosa’s stubborn resilience sparked the small movement that later went to the Supreme Court.  Over a year later, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of equal protection under the law.

     This book is similar to Martin’s Big Words in many ways, but I liked this book considerably more.  I enjoyed the back story of Rosa’s family life and career.  The pictures showed Rosa’s grace, resilience, and personality.  The tension of the bus standoff could also be felt in certain pictures. This is a great read for any student, but is most appropriate for students aged 7 – 11. 

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

   This 2003 Caldecott Honor Book is hillarious!  Written and illustrated by Mo Williams, this simple book makes me laugh every time I read it.  I do not know just why I like it so much, but this book should be read by every child just for its humor alone.  Basically, at the beginning of the book, there is a message from the bus driver that says, "Don't let the pigeon drive the bus!"  After this statement, we are introduced to the pigeon, which tries to persuade the reader in every possible way to let it drive the bus.  The plot is so simple, but I just love the interplay between the reader and the pigeon.  After all, how often do readers get assigned a task very early on by a character in the book and then get to interact with another character in the book?  I have not read this to my class yet, but I bet they will laugh as much as I did.  The funniest thing in the book is how the pigeon tries being nice, demanding, cajoling, argumentative, tricky.  The pigeon plays on the reader's emotions, much like a kid wanting a toy from his/her parent.  I highly recommend this book and it is now one of my favorites.  As for the artwork, the expressions and body language of the pigeon adds a great deal to the humor of the book. Without the clever illustrations, this book would not be quite as entertaining. The artwork is not so much beautiful as it is silly and quirky. The next time I teach persuasion in writing I plan to use this book.

Caldecott Versus Newbery Award: What are they?

The Caldecott Award was designed and established in 1937. Rene Paul Chambelan designed the medal made of bronze.  Each year, the winning author's name is engraved on the back of the medal. The A.M.A. (American Library Association) gives this award each year to the author with the most distinquished book in the preceding year.  For years the Newbery Medal was awarded, but there developed a push to award picture books and the artists that illustrated them.  The medal is given in honor of English illustrator Randolph J. Caldecott, for his outstanding work in the nineteenth-century. Any books that are runner-ups are given the title 'honor book'

     The Caldecott Award was designed and established in 1937. Rene Paul Chambelan designed the medal made of bronze.  Each year, the winning illustrator's name is engraved on the back of the medal. The A.M.A. (American Library Association) gives this award each year to the author with the most distinquished book in the preceding year. The criteria is based on the quality of artwork and how well the artwork helps tell the story in a satisfying way.  Since pictures are worth a thousand words, the illustrator has a daunting challenge, and an important one at that.  For years the Newbery Medal was awarded, but there developed a push to award picture books and the artists that illustrated them.  The medal is given in honor of English illustrator Randolph J. Caldecott, for his outstanding work in the nineteenth-century. Any books that are runner-ups are given the title 'honor book'
     The Newbery Award was named after John Newberry, the eighteenth-century British juvenile bookseller.  Each year the award is given by the A.L.A. to the author of the most distinquished contribution to American literature for children.  This award was first given in 1922 and continues to today.  The award was the first like it in the world. The award like the Caldecott, was also designed by Rene Paul Chamebellan. Like the Caldecott, runner-ups also are given 'honor book' awards.
     Both awards are considered to be the most prestigious book awards in the U.S.  Each January the award is announced and presented.  When this happens, bookstores usually sell out of these books quickly.

 Which Award is Better to Receive?

    As to whether one award is better than another is up for debate.  I consider the Newbery Award to be the most prestigious just due to the fact that the criteria is based on quality of writing versus the quality of illustration.  After all, good writing including the plot dynamics is what makes a quality book.  The illustrations can play a powerful role in making a book higher quality, but it is usually the quality of plot and writing style that determines if a book is great or not.  This is just my opinion though.

The Polar Express (Book and Movie Comparison)

    This book by Chris Van Allsburg was a 1986 Caldecott Award winner.  Both the book and the movie share the same basic plot.  However, the movie contained more details, dialogue, characters, and character development.  The movie added the role of the homeless man atop the train, the conductor and his crew, and the role of the elves. Plus, the movie developed the role of the conductor quite substantially.  I believe this was a wise move, since the viewer might feel uneasy about going on a train ride to an unknown place without a friendly adult close at hand. Since the book is a picture book, it makes sense that some elaboration in the movie was necessary.  I do not feel that the added material detracted from the book in any way.  In fact, I believe it added just the right amount of complexity and interest that movie goers demand.  I particulary enjoyed the annoying child on the train.  Personally, the illustration in the book are my favorite of any children's book.  I like the cool, soft, glow that accompanies the train scenes.  My favorite scene is the wolf scene in the forest. The illustrations give the story a timeless quality.  The setting of the boy's home is not highly specific, but generic, so that the reader can feel that the boy might just live around the block.  Overall, this Christmas story is already a classic in my view and deserves the recognition it has received.

The Hello, Goodbye Window

    The book The Hello, Goodbye Window, written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Chris Raschka was the 2006 Caldecott Award winner.  This story delights in the innocent relationship between child and grandparent as well as the wonder and discovery of being a young child. The discoveries of the little girl are so simple to us, but undoubtedly magical to her. Whether it is playing peekaboo by the window or gazing at the stars with grandma, the kitchen window plays a central role in this playful tale.
    After reading this book, I agree that it is wonderfully illustrated.  Raschka uses vibrant primary colors to infuse light and a playful mood into each scene.  Without the charming illustrations, the book would not be what it is.  Whether it is worthy of a Caldecott Award is debatable, but the book has value, particularly to grandparents.  The simplistic language makes it easy for emergent readers, but I believe the book will be loved more by grandparents than by children.  I would recommend this book for grandparents when they have grandchildren over their house.  This book would be a great choice to read at bedtime.  Overall, I find this book hard to relate to, since my childhood visits to my grandparent's house did not go this way, but with a baby on the way, I am sure my mother and father will be much like the grandparents in this book.

Flotsam

    This 2007 Caldecott Award Winner, is written and illustrated by David Wiesner.  It is a wordless book, which relies only on Wiesner's pictures.  The book starts by showing a boy with a camera at the beach.  He then gets the pictures developed and sees amazing underwater inventions and cities.  One picture is of a girl that is holding a picture of another kid, which is holding a picture of another kid, which is holding a picture of another kid for a long line of children.  After this, the boy takes a picture of himself with the picture and throws the camera back into the ocean where he found it.  The camera will wash up on another shore someday to be found hopefully by another child.
   After viewing this book, it is clear that David Wiesner is deseving of the Caldecott Award.  Each page helps to tell the story in a clear and concise manner.  I  am going to project this book on my Smartboard and see how my students respond to a book without words. 

The Lion and the Mouse

   The picture book The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney was the 2010 Caldecott Medal Award Winner.  The amazing thing about this book is that it is wordless, with the exception of a few sounds made from animals.  The plot is followed by looking at each page's artwork.  The expressions of the two main characters make it easy to follow the plot making this book a great read for even those that cannot read yet.  In this book, Pinkney shows his exceptional talent for book illustration.  The book is based on Aesop's Fable, The Lion and the Mouse.  Although Pinkney takes some artistic freedoms with the illustrations, the plot is still much the same as the Aesop classic.  In the book, the mouse, despite its size and lack of strength, finds out to be quite helpful in freeing the powerful king of the jungle.  Early on in the book, the mouse was found in the ever so precarious position of the lion's paw, but the lion generously let the mouse free.  Kindess between the two animals is exchanged and teaches all of us that no act of kindess is ever wasted.  The book's pictures are set in the African Seregeti and each picture does well at communicating the plot to the reader. 
     By reading/viewing this book, I learned that children's literature is often heavily dependent on quality pictures and of illustrator's talent.  It is easy to see that the style and personality of the artist sets the tone and mood of the book. I highly recommend this book, both for its interesting plot and beautiful artwork.

Martin's Big Words

     The book Martin's Big Words, by Doreen Rappaport was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award and a Caldecott Honor Award. The book very briefly covers the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from his boyhood to his death. The author shows how King's convictions were shaped early on by his reading of the Bible, his father's preaching, and his observation of how Ghandi modeled how nonviolent resistance can win against oppression.  From his childhood, King wanted to use 'big words' like his father.  Little did he know at the time, that his words would shape American history. The author craftily uses quotes from King's life to share with the reader pivotal events like the Montgomery bus boycott, protests, bombings, threats, speeches, his winning of a Nobel Peace Prize, and ultimately his shooting and death.  Through each event and struggle, the reader sees the character, integrity, intelligence, and perseverance of King. 
     I must say that my prior knowledge of Dr. King highly influenced my thoughts on this book. While in college I read a lot about Dr. King's life because I did a research paper over his life. During this time in my life, I came to revere and appreciate King's character, discipline, and struggle.  I remember thinking about how he was just the right man at the right time in history.  Though not a perfect man, as none of us are, he showed how the wisdom of the Bible, if applied with humility, can be a powerful force in this world. He proved to the world that love is the only thing that can drive out hate and that nonviolence can throw off the shackles of oppression. So, after this experience, I looked forward to reading this book.  I must say that I was not pleased with the oversimplification of King's life, even though I do recognize that simplification is necessary to a great extent due to the nature of children's book writing.  However, I wish the book was a bit longer so that it could do more justice to Dr. King's life.  This being said, I do believe this to be a great introductory book for young children.  I recommend this book to be used in social studies on Dr. King's birthday.  It is simple enough to teach children about his life, but contains just enough key historical information that students can begin to understand King's role in the civil rights movement.

The Magic Paintbrush

     In this book, acclaimed author Laurence Yep wove an interesting tale of fantasy.  In the story, an orphan named steve is failing in art class because of an old worn paintbrush. Although his grandfather cannot affort a new one, he presents Steve with a magic paintbrush that can make whatever he paints real.  It is not before long that the boy paints his way into his grandfather's Chinatown homeland.  In Chinatown, Steve learns about the heritage of his grandfather.  Along the way, his grandfather has many things to teach him.  Not long thereafter, their hateful landlord finds the secret of the paintbrush, but finds out that magic can be dangerous.  Although this tale is infused with abandonment and sorrow, good does win over bad. 
    After reading this book, I was struck by the complexity of the relationships in the book.  Over time, the characters show themselves to be much more multifacetd and interesting.  This was refreshing to me, since children's book authors often portray characters in such simple, one-dimensional ways.  I enjoyed reading a book with round characters.  I can relate to the grandfather in the book, since he reminds me of my father.  I believe that this makes the book more endearing to me.  Although, I was not abandoned as a child, I do believe that many of my students will be able to relate to this character.  I was pleased to find that the plot of this book took so many twists and turns.  It is simple yet complex all the while.

Other Picture Books by Laurence Yep

1. The Dragon Prince: A Chinese Beauty and the Beast Tale
2. The Butterfly Boy
3. The Shell Woman and the King: a Chinese folktale
4. The Khan's Daughter: a Mongolian folktale
5. When the Circus Came to Town
6. The Ghost Fox
7. The Boy Who Swallowed Snakes
8. The Man who Tricked a Ghost

Other Books by Laurence Yep

1. Tongues of Jade
2. The Rainbow People
3. Sweetwater
4. The Star Fisher
5. Hiroshima: A Novella
6. The Earth Dragon Awakes: the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906
7. The Imp that Ate My Homework
8. Kind Hearts and Gentle Monsters
9. The Mark Twain Murders
10. The Tom Sawyer Fires
11. Shadow Lord (a Star Trek novel)





John Henry

    This book by Julius Lester was modeled after an old African American folk ballad.  It depicts John Henry as representative of the heroic hard working man with courage and determination.  The story, in its simplist form, is about a boy that grows abnormally and astoundingly fast as a young child who then enters a race between a railroad boss and John Henry a railroad worker.  On one side was the boss, with a seemingly powerful steam drill and on the other was John Henry with his hammer and his muscles.  Each side drilled and carved their way into the mountain until they met one day.  John Henry, however, had carved out much more of the mountain than the fancy steam drill.  It was here that John received applause and recognition for his effort and strength, but fell to his death out of exhaustion.  This folk tale teaches that all will die, but that is not important.  The important thing is how you live your life.  The tale's setting takes place in the American West in the mid 1800's as railroads were being built to forge an easier path to the west.
     My thoughts on this book was that Julius Lester did this powerful folk tale justice.  With his colorful use of language, this tale is made even better than past retellings.  Julius Lester has a unique voice and uses imagery and personification very well, which gives humor and richness to the tale. This book reminded me of other folk tales that involve big men, such as Paul Bunyon and Pecos Bill. I used this book several weeks ago to show an example of a folk tale.  The students seemed to enjoy this gripping tale. Many of my students were curious about whether this story was true or not.  I used this opportunity to teach how folk tales often stretch the truth, but have a powerful lesson that often underlies the story.  This would be a fantastic book to do a week-long unit on the American West or transportation in social studies.

Other Books by Julius Lester

• To be a Slave
• Knee-high Man and Other Tales
• Sam and the Tigers
• The Tales of Uncle Remus
• This Strange New Feeling
• Day of Tears
• The Long Journey Home
• More Tales of Uncle Remus

The Talking Eggs

    This folktale from the American South retold by Robert D. Aan Souci and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney is both a Caldecott Honor Book and a Coretta Scott King Award Book. The story opens with a widow with two daughters named Rose and Blanche.  Rose being mean, proud, and not very smart was the favored daughter, even though Blanche was "sweet and kind and sharp as forty crickets." Even so, Blanche was put to work around the house doing nearly all the work as the widow and Rose spent their time dreaming of the getting rich.  Very early on in the story Blanche meets an old woman in the woods and gives her water to drink.  After returning home, Blanche finds that the widow is upset with her since the water is warm, so Blanche gets scared and runs into the woods where she finds the old woman that she had saw before.  The old woman comforts Blanche and invites her into her house but asks Blanche not to laugh at anything she saw at her house.  Blanche promised an on their way they went.  Arriving at the house Blanch saw odd animals, some with two heads, others with mixed up animal voices, and some with unique colors, but Blanche did not laugh.  Later on Blanche saw dancing rabbits and other very strange sights.  It was there that she ran into the talking eggs and it was here that Blanche will have a test of character.  I will not say what happens, so as to not spoil this fine tale. Let me just say that generosity and kindness wins out in the end while greed is given its due. 
    This is one story that is so wonderfully written that every page excites the reader.  The Old South dialect enriches the story and makes it more humorous.  I wanted to read quickly to find out what was going to happen next.  From the start this tale sounds much like Cinderella, and even ends in much the same way. The similarities are striking. I definitely plan to read this aloud to my class because the story has so much complexity and natural interest.  Everyone likes when cruelty is given its due and kindness wins out. I believe the book would appeal to both children and adults and I am surprised that I have not read this book before or heard about it.  After reading the book, I can see why the story has been passed down for generations.  I highly recommend this book.  This is one of my new favorites. 

About the Illustrator, Jerry Pinkney

     Jerry Pinkney was the illustrator of this book.  He is a two-time Caldecott Honor artist and has illustrated many children's books, including the Patchwork Quilt, The Tales of Uncle Remus, John Henry, The Ugly Duckling, as well as other classics.  He truly has a golden touch because when he illustrates a book, it often receives much recognition.  He often illustrates books by Julius Lester. Pinkney, in my view, is a national hero for his contribution to children's literature.