The 39 Clues: Maze of Bones

Written by Rick Riordan (2008)

This book is about a brother and sister in search of something that is said to make them the most powerful people in the world and need to find 39 clues before their distant family members either kill them or get to the clues first. I enjoy mystery books, so the premise of the book is one that definitely would have interested me as a child. I found myself pushing through the reading to find out what the next clue was going to be, but because it is a series only two of the clues have been found. I do not think I will continue to read the other books in the series, however I understand why this book is so popular amongst students.

I think this book would be a good silent reading book or a book that is read when students are finished early. It is a good book to get students reading and could be a good book for those students that do not find reading to be of interests. This is the first book I have read that I would not consider reading as a whole class, because I do not find the writing to be complex. However,  I do think it is good for students to be able to choose which books they are going to read, as well as the ones assigned. Series are always fun and like I said before this book could be a great book to spark an interests in reading for some students.

The Giver

Written by Lois Lowry (1993)

This book is about a boy living in an alternative community of sameness and he has been chosen for the communities most important job. As part of his training he has to receive all memories (good or bad) and because of this, his trainer and he decide their need to be changes made. As a result the boy runs away from home with a baby that would have been released (killed) other wise. I was not really a huge fan of this book, but it does create the opportunity for a lot of discussion. The ending is really what killed the book for me, I would have preferred the ending to of been more defined and left up to less interpretation.

Although I am not a fan of the book, I do think it would be a good book to use in the classroom. Due to the what seemed like a community of complete sameness I think it could lead to a great discussion about whether or not sameness is a good thing. I have a feeling most students would feel as I do, which is that sameness is not good, so I would surely have to play devils advocate. This is one of the concepts in this book that really struck me and I think would be useful. Also, the activity we took part in discussing the different literary elements would definitely be something I would use for this book. I would be interested in seeing how the students depicted the setting, characters and mood. 

The Misfits

Written by James Howe (2001)

I really enjoyed this book, I found the story to be entertaining and heartwarming. It is about a group of friends that start a political party (the no name party) for their school student council that is based around the idea of not calling each other names and along they way you get to know each character. Along the way we learn one is gay and another focused on race and rebellion. Their are controversies of homosexuality, race and rebellion that are at the forefront of this book in my opinion need to be discussed and pondered. So, I personally have no issues with this book whatsoever, and really like that the author provides a view, even though stereotyped, of difference. People need to become accepting of the differences presented in this book and realize these issues are real. Joe's reluctance to come out to Addie reminded of my best friends moms stories. She is gay, but it took her until her son and I were like 14 to finally come completely out. Yes Joe's reluctance was with one person, but the idea is the same for both. I wasn't a kid getting picked on or picking on other kids in school, but I did sit back and watch others get picked on. Looking back I wish I would have been more willing to step in and this book shows that kids need to stop the name calling and really look out for one another.

I would use this book with older students because of the issues of homosexuality, race and rebellion. After setting the ground rules on how we discuss such topics, I believe older students should be able to handle such topics with respect and maturity. In the case of both homosexuality and race I would want to have a class discussion about acceptance. Then in small groups the students should come up with their own definitions of acceptance to share with the class. Also, I believe Addie's rebellious ways are something that I really do not have an issue with. Students should be able to stand up for what they believe in and respectfully defend their position. However, they need to understand that once their position has been stated, it is not the other parties turn to voice their reasoning and they need to understand the teacher has the final say.

Hurricane

Written and Illustrated by David Wiesner (1990)

This book is about a family that experiences a hurricane that ends up knocking down a large elm tree. The two boys in the family then turn the tree into a tool to enhance their imaginative thinking, the two boys express sadness when the  tree is taken away a few days after the storm. I liked this book because the illustrations are amazing and do a good job working with the text. Also, the illustrations are very realistic, as is the story. This creates a strong feeling of believability and realism to the story. I am a fan of both realistic and non realistic stories, as long as there is some personal connection I can make with the story and this book fits what I look for in a good book. Wiesner also does a good job not oversimplifying this book and using words that may not be part of a child's everyday vocabulary, such as indignantly.These are all qualities of good writing.

The book and illustrations work well together to create a seemingly plausible situation and I think students of all ages need to read books that they can connect with. After reading this book I would have the students write about times when they used something like a tree to create extravagant imaginative experiences, like David and George did. Also, this book has a number of metaphors such as a green blizzard to describe the weather conditions outside their home during the storm.I think this book would be a good precursor to a unit of metaphors and would could use this book as a springboard into a brainstorming session about common metaphors. Hurricane could be used during a weather unit as well and with older students I would have them research natural disasters and come up with the main characteristics in groups.

Willy the Wizard

Written and Illustrated Anthony Browne (1995)

This is the last book about Willy that I needed to read in order to complete the series. Now that I have finished them all I find myself hoping Browne continues to come out with more books about this entertaining chimp. This book is about Willy being shunned by the gorillas when it comes to playing soccer. Willy meets a ghost like chimp that is very good at soccer and gives Willy his soccer shoes and Willy thinks that his new shoes will make him an a good player. The next time Willy plays soccer he is very good and makes the team, continuing to practice very hard. Willy is running late for his first soccer game and forgets his shoes (oh no!), but he still ends up playing awesome, scoring the game winning goal. This book really resonates with me because my mom was always stressing confidence and practice being keys to success. Willy is a prime example of these principles being put to work and leading to success.

I would use this book with all ages because every student needs to learn that having confidence and a good work ethic can help lead you to the results you are looking for. These are important values and students need to know they CAN do whatever they truly set their minds to. Browne uses enlarged text as well to emphasize important things that happen in the books, which makes this book a helpful tool in teaching younger students the importance of paying attention to the text. Also, I would use this book as a springboard into goal setting and have the students write about how they are going to go about achieving these goals. Again, I really enjoyed the Willy series and hope there are more to come!

Willy and Hugh

Written and Illustrated by Anthony Browne (1991)

I wanted to finish all of the stories about Willy because I really enjoyed Browne's other books written about Willy. This book is about Willy and a gorilla named Hugh, and they become good friends that look for each other. As in all of Browne's books the gorillas are very well drawn and express emotion extremely well. I liked the story of this book because it is always nice to see people stick up for the "little guy" and then the "little guy" being able to use his strengths to help out the "big guy". I think its important to teach students to use their strengths to help each other out, which will help maintain the community feel the classroom aims to achieve.

I think I would use this book with younger children, especially to drive home the aforementioned principle. Also, Browne uses italicized letters or phrases to help guide the reader in their emphasis on voice inflection. This is something I know a lot of young readers struggle to do, so having this book clearly stress how the book should be read is a good starting place for young readers. As with a lot of Browne's books the illustrations work hand in hand with the text to help tell the story. Another activity I would use would entail having the students write about a time when someone helped them and a time when they helped someone else, including the emotions they felt in both situations.

The Loathsome Dragon

Written and Illustrated by David Wiesner (2005)

This book is a fairy tale about a beautiful princess transformed into an angry dragon by her evil stepmother and the only way for her to be saved is for her handsome prince brother to come home from his voyage and kiss her three times. I was a huge fairy tale fan growing up, so it was nice to read one that I have not read before. The drawings in this book are also very realistic, which like I have said many times really draws me into a book. The illustrations do a great job of working hand in hand with the text to tell a fulfilling and entertaining story. This book has a lot of text, but I didn't really mind the book had a good flow to it and was an easy read.
I would used this book as a read aloud book and silent reading book, because of the large amounts of text in it. I felt as though the book had a rhythmic feel to it, which is a quality of good writing in children's books. This book is a fairy tale, so it would be a good book to use during a fairy tale unit. I would have the students write their own fairy tales involving dragons, stepmothers and princesses. This book would be great for talking as a class about the characteristics of fairy tales as well because it contains characteristics such as magic, a castle, antagonists and protagonists. This book could also be used in the middle grades for working on multiplication. Some quotes include, "three and thirty of his men took the oath with him" and "nine times nine she passed her arms before herself, and three times three she chanted her evil spell." This is just an all around good children's book.

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick

Written and Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg (1984)

This book is a collection of pictures that have been given titles and extremely brief descriptions. The introduction of this book explains that these drawings are the work of Harris Burdick and they were given to Pete Wenders, a man that worked for a children's book publishing company, Burdick was never seen again. I really liked this book, it almost read like a wordless picture book. As a reader you are able to make up your own story for each individual illustrations or you can create a story that combines all of the illustrations. The illustrations in this book are really good as well, which I am realizing is a big draw for me as a reader.

The book is illustrated in black and white, which for provided a feeling of eeriness with every picture in the book. So, this book is a great book to use when talking about how illustrators use illustrations to create mood. I think this book could be used with students of all ages, having them either write stories for the individual illustrations or for the older students, creating the added difficulty of creating one huge story combining each picture. Even though this book is not a wordless picture book, it could be treated as one and a discussion could follow about how pictures can guide interpretation. The creativity involved in reading a book like this is something that should be included in the classroom and would be a useful tool for teachers.

Dinosaurs!

Written and Illustrated by Gail Gibbons (2008)

I enjoy books about dinosaurs, so this book was one of interests to me. It was very informational and taught me several things about different dinosaur groups that I was unaware of. Also, I like that it provided how to pronunciate the different dinosaur names and groups. The drawings are not as detailed as I would like, but they are good enough to able to distinguish between the different dinosaurs. The book is about everything dinosaurs, doing an excellent job of describing the characteristics of the different dinosaur groups.

I would use this book with younger students, because of the quality of illustrations and the basic nature in which the book is written. This would be a great book for teaching students how to sound words out and show that even adults need help sounding words out. Also, obviously it could be used as a dinosaur unit all by itself, teaching the students about the history of dinosaurs and the characteristics these different dinosaur species needed in order to survive. Another activity that I would do is have the students choose their favorite dinosaur from the book and describe why it is their favorite, then have them draw their dinosaur creating a cross curricular use for the book. 

Old Bear

Written and Illustrated by Kevin Henkes (2008)

This is a cute book about a bear that is in hibernation dreaming about the different seasons and waking up in the spring time. I like that this book is full of colorful illustrations that do a fantastic job of displaying the seasons. The use of color brings the seasons to life and makes the reader feel as if they are in that season with the bear. The illustrations are kid friendly and not overly detailed. Also, I like that the text changes color with each season, it provides added emphasis on the season trying to be portrayed by Henkes.

This book would be a good for talking about the different seasons. I would ask questions such as how do you know what season it is and what needs to be done to prepare for the different season? Another activity the students could participate in would be creating murals for the different seasons, which requires them to determine the things that are associated with the different seasons and working with each other. This book does a great job of using the illustrations to reinforce the text and creating mood. The use of color in this book perfectly corresponds to the seasons. This book could also be used to talk about habitats, having the students point out the other habitats that occur within story would be another activity possibility.

Two Bad Ants

Written and Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg (1988)

This book is about two ants that decided living in a bowl of crystals (sugar) would be better than going back to their natural home with the other ants. The two ants are then faced with a number of obstacles and lashings that lead to deciding it was time to go back home with the other ants as they brought sugar back to their queen. The story is a good one that is entertaining and suspenseful, I was continuously wondering what was going to happen to the two ants. There is not a lot of color in this book, but I didn't really mind because I think it helped create a feeling suspense.

The lesson behind this story I think is an important one for children of all ages to learn. I believe this book is conveying the message that the grass is not always greener on the other side and it is important to be appreciative of what you have. Also, this book could be used as a writing prompt for the students, they would write about a time when they were either faced with a choice that could result in an undesired result, then explain which choice they made and why. The illustrations do a good job of expressing mood even without extreme color changes by the way Van Allsburg uses depth and perception. So, this book can be used to teach students how to use different aspects of drawing to convey different messages or feeling in their own illustrations.

Zoo

Written and Illustrated by Gail Gibbons (1987)

Zoo is a children's book about the inner workings of the zoo, all the jobs that go into running and maintaining the zoo, things for visitors to do and some of the habitat adaptations that have been made. The illustrations in this book are not especially appealing to me, but are simplistic and easy to identify. I like that this book is informational and provides a different view of the zoo than what I normally would think about. I would have enjoyed detailed pictures and descriptions of different animals, but those are my own personal expectations and interests when it pertains to the zoo.

In this classroom this book would be great for teaching younger children about the different jobs involved in running and maintaining a zoo. The book does a great job of focusing on pre-zoo opening jobs, while the zoo is opened jobs, and after the zoo is closed jobs. The text and pictures in this book do a great job of reinforcing text, an important concept for children to understand. I think I would use this book as part of a unit on jobs because it introduces the reader to so many different jobs and would be a good resource for teaching children about the many jobs that are out there. I am sure most young students especially will not think about those setting up the snack stands or the security guard as people involved in running a zoo. I like that the book seems to almost exhaustively cover the many jobs in running a zoo.

Fly Away Home

Written by Eve Bunting and Illustrated by Ronald Himler

This is a sad book and forced me too look in the mirror, really being thankful for the things I've got. The controversy surrounding this book could be attributed to a couple components, the main characters are homeless and they live in an airport. The book speaks to a father and son's experience living in an airport and the people they encounter on a daily basis. Some may feel students should not be exposed to the idea of homelessness and living in an airport is illegal, so it could be construed that the book is supporting an illegal act. I think the message is bigger than homelessness and living in an airport.

I would use this book in my classroom with any age students because the message of life being a struggle, but maintaining hope through it all is important. All students should understand maintaining hope and staying positive can lead to a positive result as it did with the bird. Also, although controversial I think students need to understand that there are homeless people and there is an everyday struggle they have to work through. So, this book provides a place for discussion of lifestyles and the different things individuals have to deal with, that they may not have considered. This is a book I would probably read aloud as well, so that it would be addressed as a whole.

And Tango Makes Three

Written by Justin Richardson and Pete Parnett and Illustrated by Henry Cole (2005)

I really enjoyed this book and found the illustrations to be well done. This book has the potential to be viewed as controversial by some because two gay penguins are in love and they end up being able to hatch and raise a female penguin. I personally have no problems with the book because my best friends mom is gay, so the natural feeling that is displayed throughout the book is something I identify and agree with. But, for some the homosexuality displayed in this book, along with its natural feeling given off would be something they strongly disagree with, therefore creating the controversy. I thought it was a cute book and I like that it is based off a true story.

If I were to use this book in the classroom it would be in order to demonstrate the different types of family units that exist, such as, divorce, grandparents as parents, etc. Other than that, I would have the book on hand so that if the topic were ever brought up there would be something to reference and would  provide a real life example with penguins. I would struggle with discussing the topic of homosexuality because I do not find any issues with it and would want to display how I agree with the book. So, as far as using as a spring board into a discussion about sexual orientation I would not feel comfortable doing so. The main thing would be to have it as a demonstration of family units. Also, penguins have been found to be homosexual than other animals and could be used as something to talk about animal biology. 

The Circuit

Written by Francisco Jimenez (1997)

This book surprised me with it's ability to grasp my attention and force me to realize the hardships others are going through. The Circuit is the story of a Mexican boy, named Panchito, and his family, they have migrated to the United States, take on back breaking jobs, live in terrible conditions and are faced with constant disappointment. Throughout this book it seems as if this family cannot catch a break and the boys willingness to move forward and continue is inspiring. I had never had a student like Panchito in any of my classes, at least it I didn't know about it, so reading this book was eye opening and should be read by anyone living in America. I feel as though a lot of people do not understand how fortunate they are and reading a book like this can be life changing for some.  I know it was for me, seeing a boy not even 10 years old wanting to go out and pick cotton for his family  is amazing and something that I know at his age I would not have been in a hurry to take part it.

In this classroom I would use this book with the upper grades because I think they would be able to understand the cultural significance to a greater extent. So, using this book to understand the hardships of other cultures would be one important educational use for this novel. Panchito and his family face a ton of negative events, I would have the students write a response to one of the negative events explaining how they think they would have responded and compare it to how Panchito responded. Panchito seems to have such a positive outlook, at least compared to how I think I would have responded and I want the children to really look at what this boy has been through and understand the perseverance he has demonstrated.

Little Beauty

Written and Illustrated by Anthony Browne (2008)

This book is about a lonely gorilla that is able to use sign language, he signs to his zoo keepers that he wants a friend. The zoo keepers provide the gorilla with a cat named Beauty. The enormous gorilla and small cat become best of friends doing everything together, even going to the bathroom. After watching a movie the gorilla becomes angry, smashing the television and the zoo keepers threaten to take Beauty away. As a result Beauty takes the blame for the gorilla and the two live happily ever after. The story is loosely based off a gorilla that looked after a cat in the San Diego zoo. The illustrations as in all of Browne's books are well done, the eyes of the gorilla really bring the illustrations to life. This story could almost be told without any text, which I am noticing is a trademark of Browne books.

This book could be used with any age group, because of the unique story and excellent artistry. Little Beauty's illustrations contain mood and reinforcement of text, are important concepts for all ages to understand. When Browne tells the reader the two animals do everything together the word everything has larger font and they are both going to the bathroom. The text and illustrations are truly working hand in hand to express everything. Younger children would really enjoy the story, falling in love with adorable cat and loving gorilla. Have the children read this book in partners and trying to think of other stories where unlikely friends become best of friends. The willingness of Beauty to take the blame for his friend can be used to express the bond true friends have and the lengths they will go to in order to stay friends. I think its important to teach kids about the importance of strong friendships and their give and take nature.

Melvin might?

 Written by Jon Scieszka and Illustrated by David Shannon, Loren Long, and David Gordon (2008)

This is one book in a series of book that are part of what Jon Scieszka calls Trucktown. This particular book is about Melvin the cement mixer who is constantly worrying about everything. Melvin and his friends are working on fixing a bridge and to get to the other side of the busted bridge the vehicles must fly down a huge hill and soar over to the other side. At first Melvin is apprehensive about trying to fly over the bridge, but his friend Rita gets stuck which results in Melvin getting enough courage to go and save Rita. This book reminded me a lot of The Little Engine That Could, so it brought back memories of that story. I liked this book because it contained a couple of components that the books I've read thus far do not have.

At one part of the story you when Melvin is driving down the hill to fly over the bridge to read the story you have to turn the book upwards and it looks as if Melvin really is driving down hill. Also, When Melvin is soaring over the broken bridge the books pages open up and it looks like scene clips side by side. This is a book that would useful for younger children, the illustrations are childlike and would be most appealing to a younger audience. The added features in this  book create the opportunity to show the students how they have to pay attention to text location and illustrations. The story would also be useful in teaching students about self-esteem and motivation. When Melvin gained self-esteem and motivation he was able to do things he never thought he could do.

Robot Zot!

Written by Jon Scieszka and Illustrated by David Shannon (2009)

This book is about a robot that has landed on earth with the goal of destroying enemies on earth, which are mostly kitchen appliances. As he is blasting away his enemies, he sees the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, a telephone, and turns into a hero trying to save the princess. This book has a child like feel to it, due to the cartoonlike illustrations. The Robot Zot through out the book uses the rhyming battle cry "Robot Zot-never fall. Robot Zot-conquer all!" Which is catchy and something that would be easy to get your students to say with you as you read the book.

 This is a book I would use with younger children. The dialogue in the book is written in such a way that it sounds robotic and would make the book more fun for the students to listen to. It could be pointed out as to why a robotic tone would be taken on by the reader. The illustrations in this book do a good job of reinforcing the text and extending the plot, if it weren't for the illustrations the reader would have no clue that Robot Zot was battling kitchen appliances. Another use for this book would be having some of the students come up with their own robot adventures.

Tentacles

Written by Roland Smith (2009)
Nominated for the Cybils Award and the Iowa Children's Choice Award

This novel is about some very intelligent people looking to capture a giant squid, maintain hold of two dinosaurs and stop one of the main character children from being taken from her grandfather. The crew succeeds in capturing the giant squid, but fails in completing the other two objectives. When I first started the book I was not sure what to expect, but quickly became pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the book. The books is full of non-stop action and Smith does a great job of keeping the reader guessing. This book is the sequel to the first book, but there is really no need to have read the first book to understand what is going on. I am usually not a huge reader, but after reading thing book the first book in the series has been added to my intend to read list.

If I was going to use this book it would be with the older grades, there's some violence and killing. The researchers in the book are after cryptids, which are creatures or plants that have been suggested, but not recognized by scientific consensus. This creates an excellent opportunity for a research project, in which the students would look up different cryptids and provide brief descriptions behind their existence. Also, this book does a great job of providing places for students to do some foreshadowing and would be a great tool for providing students with practice. The book mentions a place where poetic justice occurs and I think we should talk about what poetic justice is. Then, they would have to come up with their own scenarios that would exemplify poetic justice and accompany them with illustrations. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the first book in the series.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!

 Written by Jon Scieszka and Illustrated by Lane Smith (1989)

This story is the Big Bad Wolf's attempt to clear his name and tell the "real" story about the three little pigs. The story is being narrated by the Wolf and he makes the claim that all he wanted was some sugar to bake his grandmother a cake. The first two pigs he claims were stupid and because he had a cold their houses were accidently blown down due to his cold. I was a fan of fairy tales as a child, so being able to read a different version of the original is fresh and exciting. I like that the author has given the reader a chance to forgive the Wolf, but I still find myself not liking the Wolf for some reason.

This book would be great for using with all ages of students, because the lesson of their being two sides to every story and is an important one for children to learn. This book could easily be incorporated into a safety unit or violence unit. It is every important for students to understand that a simple bump in the hall way was likely not on purpose and they should try to view the situation from the other persons point of view. This book provides an opportunity to have the students write stories from other villains point of view and attempt to create stories that paint the villains in a more positive light. Like i said before, there are two sides to every story.

Willy the Wimp

Written and Illustrated by Anthony Browne (1984)

This book is about a chimpanzee, named Willy, living in a gorilla's world. Willy is much smaller that the gorillas and he is always getting picked on and apologizing for things that are not his fault. Willy decides he wants to get bigger and stronger so that the other primates won't pick on him anymore and is able to accomplish his goals. But, in the end when Willy is feeling high and mighty, his personality resurfaces when he apologizes to the pole he runs into. I really liked the story, even though the illustrations are not as extravagant as in some of Browne's other books. I think its important for people to stay true to themselves and never get to high or low.

I think it is important to teach students about self-esteem and this book could very easily show students that there is nothing wrong with being yourself and arrogance can come back to bite you. Also, this book shows how text can be used to accentuate what the author is trying to get across. As Willy become bigger, so do the words around him. The illustrations and the text are working in unison and students should develop an understanding of this concept.

Willy the Dreamer

 Written and Illustrated by Anthony Browne (1997)

This book according to Browne contains, "everything I wanted to paint, all at once." The book is full of a number of seemingly random things that one could find themselves daydreaming about. Willy the main character dreams about being a movie star, a singer, a writer, a scuba diver, being a giant and the future, just to name a few. As with a lot of Browne books I feel the star of the show is his illustrations. The gorillas he portrays are very realistic looking and its very easy to tell what each drawing is. When Willy is dreaming about being a writer he is sitting a table surrounded by the characters from Alice In Wonderland, something simple like this really catches my eye and makes me appreciate the book a little more.

This book would be great for having students create their own short stories about dreams they have had and creating illustrations for each of those dreams. On the second to last page, Willy is dreaming about the future and I would like the students to write a narrative explaining how they see their future, which could be useful in helping students develop goals for themselves. This book is also a great example of how illustrations can truly reinforce the text. For example, when Willy is dreaming about being a singer Browne chose to portray the chimp as Elvis. A singer could be anyone, but Browne gives the singer a face, personality and a voice. These are important considerations and are things that can teach students of importance of detail. The Willy series by Browne has left me wanting more and hoping there are more Willy books to come.

Willy's Pictures

Written and  Illustrated by Anthony Browne (2000)

This book is full of a chimpanzee's recreation of a number of famous paintings and under each painting is an extremely brief explanation of how Willy, the chimp, views his paintings. The author does an excellent job of recreating each painting and as in most of the books I have read by Browne, instead of the paintings containing humans as in the originals, these contain gorillas and Willy. The paintings in this book are awesome and outside of the obvious changes made by Browne, mirror the original very well. Each time I read one of Browne's books I'm amazed by his work and I am not even a fan of art.

This book would be great to use with any age group because of the versatility that art provides. In the back of the book the originals have been included and they each carry an explanation about that painting. So, It would be easy to introduce students to these famous paintings and their artist. I might choose to have students choose a piece of artwork and have them come up with their own story behind the piece of art they choose. Another possibility is having the students choose a piece of art and try to duplicate it like as Browne did by adding their own personal twists. This book creates the opportunity to explain to students that clearly artwork is about perspective, the way Browne changed the paintings to fit his own personal perspective on things is an example of this. I think it is important for students to understand art is in the eye of the beholder. With older students I might choose to have them research a particular painting or artists that they are interested in, creating a writing assignment. There are endless possibilities created by this imaginative book.

Gorilla

Written and Illustrated by Anthony Browne (1983)

The beginning of the book is pretty sad and feelings of empathy took over for me, but as the story progressed it turned into a cute story about a girl in love with gorillas.The gorilla illustrations in this book are amazing. The story is about a Hannah, that has been asking her father to take her to the zoo, but he always seems to busy with work to pay any attention to her. For her birthday the little girl asked her father for a gorilla, he gets her a stuffed gorilla that comes to life in the middle of the night and the two spend the night together doing the things Hannah wanted to do with her father. The next day her father asks Hannah if she would like to go to the zoo and they go. The gorilla wears her fathers clothes while the two are out on their adventure and when Hannah's father greets her on her birthday he has a banana in his back pocket. I know Browne is known for putting banana's subtly in his books, but I am wondering if there is some hidden point behind him doing so in this book? Was her midnight escapade a dream or did it really happen?

The illustrations in this book are so well done, that I think even if the text was removed the reader would come up with a similar story based of the drawings. As a teacher, I would use this book with the text covered and have the students come up with their own stories based off illustrations. This could lead to a discussion on the importance of illustrations to the understanding of stories. Browne does such a great job showing emotion in the faces of the gorillas. I would use this book with students to point out things to look for when evaluating how someone else might be feeling based solely on how they look.  Being able to read others emotions is a valuable tool and children's books are a great way to introduce this concept.

Into the Forest

Written and Illustrated by Anthony Browne (2004)

This book really stuck out to me because it cleverly incorporates multiple fairy tales within a fairy tale. I really enjoyed the fact that the hidden artifacts do not come out and hit you in the face, there is some searching that has to happen. The book is similar to the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but the main character is male. He never encounters a wolf, but does come across other characters that take a stab at getting him to give up the cake for his grandmother.Without looking at the pictures the characters are random, but by looking at the illustrations those characters are given depth and value. I am curious about why those specific fairy tales were chosen?


 The story of Little Red Riding Hood carries its own significance and I think Into the Forest can provide its own significance. This provides the opportunity for students to be able to critically think about the book and its illustrations so that they can come up with possible reasons behind the author's choices. I think its important to have your students look for deeper meanings in things and this book offers that opportunity. Also, I think this book has value in showing the importance of paying strict attention to illustrations. If the illustrations in this book are not being payed any attention the additional fairy tale characters will be lost. This book also can used to show how mood can be expressed in illustrations. When the boy is walking through the forest he's in color, but the forest and other characters within the forest are black and white. Along with the way the trees were drawn the color change adds an eerie feeling to the book, even though there is nothing in the text that would really provide the reader with that feeling.

Me and You

Written and Illustrated by Anthony Browne (2009)

I thought this book was a clever way to retell the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Every version of the story I have read was written from the point of view of Goldilocks and Browne flips the script on us by telling the story from the point of view the bears. The part of Goldilocks is told in a wordless graphic novel style, which allowed me to make up my own feelings and emotions for Goldilocks. Up to this point I had never considered viewing the story from the bears point-of-view, it was a nice way to reinvigorate the story for me once again.

I would feel comfortable reading this book to/ with any age group of students, as long an original version was read with it. It is important for students to be able to view things from multiple perspectives regardless of age. Using both versions provides the opportunity to compare and contrasts versions. It is interesting to see the subtle nuances provided in books telling the same story. Also, the graphic novel portion of the book provides the opportunity for students to understand the importance of illustrations and that they can tell a story just as well as words.