The Lion, Witch, & the Wardrobe

C.S. Lewis really shines in this famous work.  The first of a series, the Lion, Witch, & the Wardrobe features four siblings who enter into a magical world.  Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy were sent to the countryside from London with thousands of other children to escape the Blitz during World War II.  While exploring their new surroundings, the four stumble into the land of Narnia only to discover that they are prophesied to be the kings and queens of Narnia.  They embark on an exciting adventure in which they befriend the god-like figure (Aslan) and defeat the evil white witch.  Along the way, they build friendships, grow closer to each other, and mature as individuals. 

            This book provides a number of teaching points across a variety of reading levels.  Leveled as a 6.1 text, Lion, Witch, & the Wardrobe contains some complex language, unfamiliar vocabulary, and an engaging plot.  I have used this book with a student in a one-on-one setting.  This student struggles with demonstrating comprehension when not engaged due to shyness and a distaste for writing.  From the very first chapter, she was invested in the story and making test-self connections.

            The story is unusual enough to be appropriate for superficial comprehension checks (plot, setting, character names, etc.).  It also provides plenty of opportunities for higher-level thinking (justice interpretation, good v. evil discussion, religious metaphors, etc.), making it appropriate for older students as well

Dear America...

The Dear America series was a favorite of mine while growing up and exploring the world of historical fiction.  Each book is written in the style of a young woman’s diary during a significant period in American history.  Written by Ellen Emerson White and published in 1998, the Voyage on the Great Titanic chronicles the story of the RMS Titanic in 1912.  Margaret Ann Brady is an orphan who is hired as a companion to an American, Mrs. Carstairs.  She hopes to remain in Mrs. Carstairs’ service until she can earn enough money to rejoin her older brother in America.  As luck would have it, her employer is headed there, herself, on the newest and most luxurious ocean liner ever to be seen.

As one who has always been fascinated by the story of Titanic (the movie came out when I was 10 years old, after all), I appreciated the depth of detail of the event itself.  That being said, White does not make this story special for Margaret.  She keeps the plot and minor events simple and unvaried.  Also, Margaret has the vocabulary and diction of a princess.  I’m surprised to find that a poor orphan from London who boasts of a cockney accent can speak so eloquently.

The end of the book contains a variety of pictures, a few maps, and a timeline of events.  This is a good introduction of primary sources as well as practice in using geography skills.  Overall, I enjoyed this book when I read it at age 10 and I continue to appreciate this elegantly written historical novel.

Sounder

Sounder is the story of a boy and his dog that doesn’t follow what most would consider the traditional storyline.  We don’t know any of the characters’ names.  All of the people are named in their connection to Sounder (ex. Sounder’s master, the master’s son, etc.).  Sounder belongs to a sharecropper who is struggling to support his family.  The eldest son is sometimes allowed to go hunting with his father and Sounder while the other siblings stay at home with the mother.  One day after a hearty meal, the father is arrested for theft, having stolen meat for his family.  Sounder tries to follow but is shot by the policeman and isn’t seen for weeks.  The boy looks for him everyday and tells his father that he’s hopeful that Sounder is alive when he visits him at Christmas.  That visit was an unpleasant one and he was told that it should not be attempted again, which would make for a gloomy Christmas if Sounder hadn’t been waiting for him when he got home.  Dog and boy are reunited again.  The father is placed on a chain gang in another county and the boy goes in search of him.  He finds a man willing to teach him to read for labor in return and the boy is excited.  The father stumbles into the yard one day, heavily injured.  He later dies while hunting, and Sounder is so distraught that he crawls under the porch without the will to live anymore.  All of these tragic events have a sense of peace surrounding them and the boy has achieved his dream of being able to read.

William H. Armstrong won the Newberry medal for this book.  It pulls at the heart strings and serves as an opportunity to discuss loss or absent parents with students.  Students can also relate to the desire to learn and how knowledge is something that cannot be lost.  I enjoyed this book but I know that I would have been extremely sad about the ending if I had read it when I was 10 years old.  Students can discuss themes like loss of innocence, loneliness, and identity with this book.  Teachers should be mindful of students’ backgrounds when choosing this book unless one of them has recently lost a parent or pet or friend.  This book can be appropriate when used with sensitive discussion questions.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear is a collection of 14 poems about teddy bears written by Christopher Award-winning author, Alice Schertle.  Schertle’s warm and inviting style invites any reader to explore the imagination or recall memories of past teddy bears.  Each page contains its own poem while the opposite page boasts of Linda Griffith’s teddy bear artwork.  In the poems, teddy bears play dress up, take naps, take baths, play with the other stuffed animals, eat snacks, and ride the bus.  The collection ends with a sleepy teddy, tucked in tightly and dreaming of far-off adventures.

Schertle’s work can be found in most public libraries as she has published more than 40 works.  I think she can be an inspiration to young and old to engage in poetry, for as she says, "there are things a poem can say that cannot be expressed as effectively in any other way. I love to find a poem that shows me something, creates an image, perhaps, that is so startling, so original, so unique only one particular poet could have thought of it. But at the same time, the image, the idea, is so true, so right, that I find myself saying, 'Yes! I knew that!'"

My personal favorite poem is entitled “Barely Bear,” in which the bear has lost his hat, hair, voice, clothes, and most of his nose.  All of these losses result from too much hugging, kissing, and traveling.  The final line reads, “Wrinkles, lumps, patches, creases – Barely Bear’s been loved to pieces.”  I know that I had one or two stuffed animals that resembled Barely Bear.  The associated artwork shows a little girl asleep with Barely Bear, who has many patches and bare spots.

Griffith’s attention to detail can be seen on every page.  Each piece of art appropriately represents its corresponding poem, thus helping young readers find context clues.  Although published in 2003, the artwork shows no ethnic diversity.  All of the children included in the art are white and live in a suburban setting.  With this recent of a publication, I expect more diversity in children’s literature.

Classic Fairy Tales

Classic Fairy Tales is gloriously illustrated by Scott Gustafson.  He has collected 10 of the most traditional fairy tales and brought them to life.  His passion for art and for his favorite children’s stories is clear as I start my own journey back into memories of bedtime stories, children’s rhymes, and Disney movies.

A mix of princess and adventure stories, the ten classic fairy tales chosen by Gustafson are Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Puss in Boots, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Tom Thumb, Hansel and Gretel, The Frog Prince, Rumplestiltskin, Cinderella, and the Three Little Pigs.  Though many of these stories have found their way into Disney’s vault, Gustafson has elected to retain the unabridged versions (i.e., the frog in the frog prince was thrown at the wall). 

Over four years, Gustafson created 75 images that make this book simply glow.  Ten of the largest illustrations were originally intended for collector’s plates and limited edition prints.  The other 65 paintings are of comparable quality, making this a fluid storybook of beautiful and heartfelt art.

Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet Potato Pie by Kathleen D. Lindsey tells the story of Sadie’s family’s struggle to save the family farm.  With a theme of family strength, teamwork, and creative problem solving, this story makes the reader invest in the tale with assistance from illustrator Charlotte Riley-Webb.

Written in African American Vernacular English, the story follows Sadie and her family as they try to save the family farm.  The only viable crop is their sweet potatoes after a long drought.  The bank is about to repossess the farm and only Mama’s special sweet potato pies can save them.  The whole family comes together to produce and promote the pies at the harvest celebration in town.  Sadie’s creative problem solving is crucial in jumping the last hurdle before the finish line.  The author generously included the recipes for the sweet potato pie and the flaky piecrust in the back of the book. With such mouthwatering descriptions, the reader is definitely grateful for the opportunity to make Mama’s sweet potato pies too. 

The illustrations are colorful and flowing.  Colors weave like fabric and capture the true essence of the story.  Riley-Webb is free with her brush and color palette as she continues the energy of the story into the art.

Lon Po Po

Lon Po Po is a red-riding hood story from China, translated and illustrated by Ed Young.  This story lends a new cultural perspective on an old favorite with re-enforcing illustrations. 

Three girls are left at home while their mother visits their grandmother on the occasion of her birthday.  They are told to lock the door and stay safe.  A wolf tricks them into thinking that he is their grandmother or Po Po, who has misinterpreted the birthday plans.  The eldest daughter quickly discerns the deception and saves her sisters.  The story turns a little gruesome when the sisters succeed in killing the wolf by lifting him into a tree via a basket and dropping him to his death.  Having read the end, I now understand the dedication, “To all the wolves of the world for lending their good name as a tangible symbol for our darkness.”  The ending consists of the mother coming home and being told of the events and its manner is very abrupt. 

The illustrations are breath taking.  The watercolors are separated into panels like much of Asian art.  The sizes of the illustrations of the characters fluctuate based on who is strongest in that scene.  Illustrations give a great deal of context and the colors reflect the tide of the story.

Overall, the lesson of this story is that teamwork can pull you through the most dire of circumstances.  It also teaches children to be wary of strangers or those posing to be friends.  Safety is important for young children to learn, especially in this day of increasing technology.