Multicultural Children’s Literature is an essential form of children’s books. It is important for children who are members of minority ethnic groups be represented in literature. In the classroom it is encouraging and confirming for those students to read about someone like themselves and see their teacher get excited about a book about someone like them. The Russel text discusses how the biggest multicultural groups represented are African Americans and Native Americans. According to the text for my Reading class, the most underrepresented group if Hispanic girls. The Russel text discusses the importance of Multicultural children’s books being written by members of that multicultural group. This necessity should be more strongly proclaimed so that change can occur.

Chrysanthemum is a happy little girl who loves her name. She likes to say it over and over again “Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum.” Kevin Henkes’ use of repetition and imagery is amazing and fits perfectly into this delightful book! When She goes to school, everyone makes fun on Chrysanthemum’s name and she decides she no longer loves her name. Some of the children threaten to “pluck her” or “smell her” and the narrator tells us that poor Chrysanthemum, “wilted”. When she discovers that the beloved teacher, Mrs. Twinkle’s name is Delphinium, she blossoms! And all the other children love her name too. This story is fun and great for younger kids. The repetition and flowery imagery make it a joy for anyone to read.

Illustrations in Children's Literature

I am amazed by the way in which Children’s book authors/illustrators use the illustrations to tell a great part of the story. Many beloved books, such as Where the Wild Things Are, would not be the beloved classics they are today without their complex illustrations. Sendak’s pictures make his story and are representative of the text and themes within the story. I love how the illustrations in beginning have a large white border, which gradually becomes smaller as Max leaves civilization and enters “where the wild things are”. And the theme continues as he returns to the civilized world of white borders and text. The last page is amazing with its picture-less, white background and text. The symbolism within children’s picture books is phenomenal!

I first discovered Charlie and Lola books when I read “I am not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed” to the little girl I babysat. The heroine, Lola is about five and an independent little girl who is very sure of herself. The website http://www.charlieandlola.com/ is delightful! The site has a few clips and videos from the new tv series “Charlie and Lola” that is on the Disney Channel. There is a section on the author and illustrator of the books, Lauren Child. According to the site she won “the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal” for I will not ever NEVER eat a tomato. I assume this is an award given in the UK since that is where Child resides. It even has a section with information about how to recycle and help the planet.

There are a number of Children’s classics that have been transformed into other forms of art. Dr. Seuss’ “Horton Hears a Who” was transformed into the musical “Seussical”, which I actually got to take part, as it was our senior musical at my high school. More recently the story became an animated movie, which is currently in theaters. Some see the transformation of books into movies and plays as positive, while others see it negatively. The argument against it is that people would only see the movie and never the book, but if that is the case, they probably would never have read the book anyway. The nice thing about the transformation of books into movies and plays is that they also inspire the movie goers to read the book. This was true for me in the case of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I had never wanted to read the books until seeing the first movie, and was inspired and ended up loving Tolkien’s books. In other cases the transformed version of the book is better than the originally. Arguably, this is the case with “Wicked”, the book written by Gregory Maguire and made into a musical in 2003. The concept created by Maguire is fascinating and enjoyable, but in execution, the musical surpasses the novel.

Book 10: Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity

Mo Willems has a fascinating skill with the English language. His children’s books are clever, funny and smart. Knuffle bunny Too is an adorable book that I found especially relatable. Just as the main character, Trixie, I too always carried my stuffed animal with me whenever I could, so her story was especially fun for me. Willems’ book is easy for any child to enjoy and laugh with. His books have characteristic speech bubbles for his characters along with the text on the bottom, which I think adds another layer to the book, but doesn’t the text down in any way. The artwork in this book is unique and adds a lot to the overall story. Willems takes black and white photos of the setting and adds the cartoonish characters with pen and ink. The result is fantastic.

Beatrix Potter’s books are far more complex than I ever realized as a child. That is what makes children’s books so amazing though. The author’s must have the ability to make their stories relevant to the audience and enjoyable enough to keep them still and enthralled. My brothers and I grew up reading Potter’s books and my mom and her siblings grew up reading them. The entire set of Beatrix Potter books is so fun and enjoyable. I thought it was interesting that she insisted her books be small for little hands. It makes perfect sense and also makes the books more accessible!

The famous artist and children’s book illustrator Quentin Blake is most well known for his work on Roald Dahl’s books. Blake illustrated eighteen of Dahl’s tales and rhymes, according to his website, http://www.quentinblake.com/. Blake is still drawing and clearly keeping busy. His website shows his current, past and future exhibitions. I was quiet interested to discover he was recently chosen to “curate an exhibition that will delight children of all ages” in The Petit Palais in the Champs Elysees. The website showed a few pictures of the walls of museum and they do look amazing. He also recently created art for a hospital ward, and continued by creating more drawings than he originally planned. Prints of the drawings are available and I wish I had the money to buy one because they are lovely! Currently, an exhibition called, "Snozzcumbers and Frobscottle: the Wonderful World of Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake", is going on. The website described it as a showcase of some of Dahl and Blake’s well known characters and that visitors will “be given the chance to get up close to their favourite characters and discover them in new, splendiferous ways.” I wish I could go, but it’s on 30 Lime Street, Newcastle upon Tyne.

The Caldecott Award

I am so looking forward to this unit on picture books! I am always astounded by the amazing artwork that is present in some picture books. I was looking at some of the recent winners of the Caldecott Award, which is “awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children”, according to the ALA (American Library Association) website, www.ala.org. The 2007 Caldecott went to a book I have already read and reviewed here: The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The website shows honorable mentions of the year also. Those for 2007 included Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad written by Ellen Levine and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Another honor book was Knufflebunny by Mo Willems (author of the “Pigeon” books), which I have seen before but never read. These lists are a great source and they are all books with amazing and unique artwork.

Book 9: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl has been sitting on a bookshelf at my house back home for several years, and I just never got around to reading it. Well, I finally read it and was amazed. I did not expect the incredible story that was in store. This book is definitely for older kids, at least in middle school, but is a book any one could enjoy. If this book was an assignment for a class it would be a great book to inspire students to write papers. The main themes in Stargirl are about not conforming and being oneself. It also provokes thoughts of what is acceptable to society and why. Any student could use this book to talk about personal experiences and ideas and theories. I like how Spinelli’s book doesn’t seem particularly complex or difficult, but deals with such hard topics that relate to everyone.

Kids that love Skippyjon Jones

I was looking on youtube to see if I could find the author of Skippyjon Jones, Judy Schauchner reading her book, but no luck. First I found this play put on by adults of one of Skippy’s adventures and well, it was terrible. However, then I found something that is possibly even better than the author reading! An adorable little boy, with the help of his Dad and younger brother reenact two of Skippyjon Jones’ adventures. These videos are amazing! Skippyjon Jones (real name Jude) is about five or six years old and plays our favorite adventuring Siamese kitty with more energy and excitement than any adult could. The dad acts as narrator and director while the younger brother (Georgie) plays whatever villain Skippyjon Jones meets in his adventures. These videos are so fun, and I’m glad this family has their sons playing recorded. It’s so wonderful that the kids are playing using the characters they read about and not just characters from television. These videos are sure to brighten anyone’s day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ8gurOUJLk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ijN9Ze5NpY

It's always interesting to know of an author and the book(s) they've written and go for a long time only knowing them in relation to their books, and nothing else. Then, one day, you research or read something, and discover another part of them, maybe some of their background that ends up explaining how they came up with the book they wrote or reason behind it. It's always interesting how our understanding of the author deepens. So, with that thought in mind I decided to do a little research on Lois Lowry. A well known and admired children's author who's books I have grown up reading, including our current focus in class- The Giver. It turns out not only does Lowry have a website, but also a blog! The blog was actually really enjoyable to read and get to know more about this beloved author. In her biography on the website she reveals that she has lived all over the country, and the world, is a mother of four and grandmother now also. She also has a passion for art and knitting. The website also lists all of her books and even has a section of typed transcripts of interviews and speeches. In the copy of her Newberry Acceptance Speech (the last one in the section titled Speeches) she spoke about how she came up with her idea for the Giver. The speech is fascinating. This was so interesting and I would definitely suggest checking it out! Also according to her blog there will the a movie of The Giver in a few years!

www.loislowry.com

Bilbo Baggins (and his Tookishness)

Bilbo the hobbit is such an unlikely hero, which is what makes him so likeable. He is childlike in his love of relaxing, eating and playing- which is smoking his pipe and enjoying pipe rings. The entire book of “The Hobbit” is filled with remarks of how hard it is for a hobbit to go without second breakfast, etc. This extreme love of food and the easy life makes Bilbo’s adjustments to the rough life of an adventurer even more extraordinary. In Tolkien’s middle earth he is the most unlikely of heroes, yet he is a hero, even so. His similarities with children by way of his size and characteristics, and how he is viewed by others, make him relatable for kids. When Bilbo triumphs, the child reading triumphs. Bilbo the hobbit is such a marvelous character who encourages kids to be braver and bigger than their size (and the world) dictates!

Book 8: Skippyjon Jones in the Doghouse

Skippyjon Jones is a delightfully hilarious Siamese cat…who thinks he’s a Chihuahua. Skippyjon Jones is always getting into trouble for his mischief and when Mama Junebug Jones catches him he goes into time out, which is where his fun begins. He makes up silly rhymes about being a Chihuahua and “Holy Guacamole!” we join him headfirst into one of his “loco” adventures! This book is so great in how the child can learn a few Spanish phrases in the midst of all the silliness occurring. The illustrations are amazing too and draw you into the story. They also tell bits of the story that the writing leaves out. I learned about the Skippyjon Jones books from a girl I babysat who absolutely adored them. The reason is clear. These books are so well written and they just draw you into the story and make you laugh, whatever your age.

The last time I read “The Hobbit” was in second grade and the only thing I remember from reading it was Bilbo’s trick with Smaug. I also recall disliking the songs and riddles, because I didn’t understand. This time around however, I have really enjoyed the songs and especially the riddles! My favorite riddle from Gollum and Bilbo’s contest was the “egg” one. Tolkein’s songs to me, are reminiscent of those we read in “The Princess and the Goblin”. However in “The Hobbit” songs are not only for the good, but the bad also, like the goblins and wargs, they sing and create songs also. The songs in this book have a different meaning than in “The Princess and the Goblin”. However they still have power for the good characters. When Bilbo saves the dwarves from the spiders he lures them and angers them through teasing songs to work them up so he can outsmart them. Songs clearly play an important role in the book.