poetrees written by douglas florian

Florian, Douglas. Poetrees. New York: Beach Lane Books, 2010. ISBN: 9781416986720

Plot Summary:
     Poetrees is a compilation of eighteen poems related to trees. Each poem is uniquely designed to describe various trees with the inclusion of some tree elements. Not only does this book include a vivid description of tree elements, but the inclusion of a 'glossatree' is provided for a more thorough definition of each tree and element.

Critical Analysis:
     Poetrees follows the criteria of a thematic collection through the usage of a specialized anthology directly attributed to trees and their elements. This thematic collection of poems was written by Douglas Florian who incorporates many elements of poetry including: sound patterns, structure, and meaning. Florian introduces this collection with the usage of concrete poetry, as seen in the poem, The Seed; a simple twenty-five word poem in the shape of an infinity sign. This poem describes the life cycle of a seed but is written in a manner symbolizing that the life cycle of a seed is infinite. Not only is the life cycle of the seed depicted through the context, but it is also depicted visually. Within the poetic element of structure, Florian incorporates the usage of stanzas and form. Most poems within this collection consist of one stanza; however, Weeping Willow consists of four stanzas that are comprised of couplets utilizing an 'abab' rhyme scheme. The overall context of Florian's collection consists of vivid imagery and adjectives used to convey a detailed depiction of the trees described with the utilization of descriptive poetry.
     Within this thematic collection, Douglas Florian encompasses the theme with the usage of brown paper bags as his canvas. With the usage of watercolor paints and oil pastels on top of this unconventional canvas, Florian incorporated vibrant and symbolic illustrations to convey each poem. Specifically conveyed through the poem of Weeping Willow, Florian incorporates personification through the illustration of human eyes paired with tears that are depicted as leaves; thus, correlating the concept of weeping with a weeping willow tree. Not only does Douglas Florian provide his readers with entertaining and vivid imagery through his poems, but he also pairs this imagery with imaginative and detailed illustrations.

Awards Won:
National Parenting Publication's Gold Medal (1994), Lee Bennett Hopkins Award for Poetry (1995)

Review Excerpts:

"Starting with the book’s title and ending with a final “glossatree,” the wordplay in Florian’s latest poetry collection provides plenty of fun...The final fascinating notes on each tree, and on leaves, stems, and roots, spell out the call for conservation that is part of the poetry and pictures." - Booklist

"Trees recieve a witty and informative rhyming appreciation...the poems live up to his usual high standard...Readers and listeners will learn and laugh." - Kirkus Reviews

“Florian’s richly watercolored collages, accompanied by verse, evoke a whole forest of trees. Sometimes it takes just a handful of words. “From the acorn grows the tree - slowly, slowly,” he writes, as an oak fills a two-page spread, stained onto paper.” - New York Times Book Review

" Florian uses deftly crafted, refreshingly unforced rhymes to celebrate a dozen trees and their components. The roles of seeds, roots, bark, and tree rings are all given poetic attention, while the trees included range from coconut palm and baobab to weeping willow and yews. Play with words and with their arrangement on the pages abounds, as does wry humor. The book opens from top to bottom to allow the trees to grow vertically across the gutters. The mixed media illustrations are delightfully innocent, suggesting perhaps the directness of children..." - Children's Literature

" In this unusual collection, Florian focuses on several types of and parts of a tree, with poems about seeds, roots, bark, leaves, and tree rings. Solid in their meter and rhymes, the poems are idiosyncratic rather than comprehensive, creating a hybrid of information, wordplay, and artistic invention. Appropriately enough, Florian's sophisticated collages are created on primed paper bags allowing him to combine interesting textures, chalk, colored pencils, stamps, and oil pastels. In addition to familiar oaks and birches, Florian (Dinothesaurus) explores more unusual trees, including the dragon tree, monkey puzzle tree, and baobab. The book is designed to be held and read vertically, allowing Florian to showcase the height of trees like the giant sequoia or banyan from treetop to root bottom. However, some may find this makes for awkward lap reading. Teachers in particular will find Florian's “Glossatree” at the end useful. Filled with facts about the trees described in the poems, it also includes a brief bibliography and author's note describing Florian's lifelong fascination with trees." - Publishers Weekly

"Florian focuses on trees (seeds, bark, leaves, roots, and tree rings) and introduces readers to 13 species from around the world. An oversize, double-page illustration accompanies each poem. Some are read lengthwise, which enables the artist to highlight the awesome height and size of trees. The selections are accessible and concise, with child-friendly wordplay and artful design: of the "spreading," "treading," "always-outward-heading" banyan tree, Florian concludes: "It's not a tree—/It's a forest!" The primitive illustrations—crafted on "primed paper bags" using mixed media including gouache watercolor paints, colored pencils, rubber stamps, oil pastels, and collage—range in nuance from whimsy to mystery and reverence..." - School Library Journal

Connections:
Customers who purchased this title also bought the following titles, also written by Douglas Florian: Poem Runs: Baseball Poems, Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings, and beast feast.

Interactivity:

• Ask children what their favorite tree is and have them use adjectives to describe it.
• Point out the trees in the book and ask children if they've ever seen it and where.
• Ask children the benefits of trees i.e. oxygen, paper, homes for animals.

jazz written by walter dean myers and illustrated by christopher myers

Myers, Walter Dean. Jazz, Illustrated by Christopher Myers. New York: Holiday House Publishing, 2006. ISBN: 9780823415458

Plot Summary:
     Jazz is a compilation of fifteen poems that celebrate and explore the unique elements of this musical genre. Throughout this compilation, Walter Dean Myers describes the elements and history of jazz depicted through the usage of poetry. Each poem encompasses the unique elements of jazz while recounting an essential period of time during African American History; the Harlem Renaissance.

Critical Analysis:
     Jazz is attributed as an individual poet compilation comprised of fifteen poems written by Walter Dean Myers. Every poem included in this compilation is based around the history and progression of the Harlem Renaissance. From the inclusion of Louie Armstrong, an influential figure in jazz, to the inclusion of specific elements directly related to this genre of music, the author conceptualizes this era through the usage of vivid poetic language and illustrations. There's an abundant amount of onomatopoeia used throughout the poems that bring life and rhythm to these poems, such as Be-Bop, Twenty-Finger Jack, and It's Jazz, which play in the role of demonstrating the sound and feel of jazz. Not only does Myers utilize onomatopoeia, but he also utilizes sound patterns such as an end rhyme within the poems Stride and Three Voices. The usage of the end rhyme directly contributes to the positive rhythm found within these writings.
     Not only does Walter Dean Myers incorporate vivid language within this compilation, but he collaborated with his son, Christopher Myers, to illustrate and visually bring life to his poetry. Christopher Myers incorporates a color pallet attributed to the Harlem Renaissance including: purple, green, black, brown, yellow, and red. Not only is each color utilized within the illustrations, but Myers also uses each color as the main background that corresponds with the tone of the individual poem. Also, the father and son collaboration adequately pairs the illustrations with the era depicted with Christopher's illustrations of the clothing worn during this period of time. For example, in the illustration for Twenty-Finger Jack, the choice of dress attire consists of a black and red pin-striped suit that was considered trendy during this era. Christopher and Walter Dean Myers do a great job conceptualizing this period of time through their collaboration for the book Jazz.

Awards Won:
Coretta Scott King Award for Authors (1997), ALA Notable Books for Children (2007), Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award (2007), Golden Kite Award (2007), Odyssey Awards Winner for Excellence in Audiobook Production (2008)

Review Excerpts:

"The father-and-son team behind blues journey creates a scintillating paean to jazz. Walter Dean Myers infuses his lines with so much savvy syncopation that readers can't help but be swept up in the rhythms…Visually, the page's typography evokes long white and short black piano keys. Christopher Myers lays black-inked acetate over brilliant, saturated acrylics. The resulting chiaroscuro conjures the deep shadows and lurid reflections of low-lit after-dark jazz clubs. The artist dynamically enlarges key compositional elements: a massive bass, a long ago drummer's muscular back, and fingers-poised over keys, plucking strings, splayed along a flute. Design sings here, too: Louis Armstrong's spread upends, befitting that jazz giant. A cogent introduction, selective glossary and chronology round out this mesmerizing verbal and visual riff on a uniquely American art form."- Publishers Weekly

 "Fifteen poems give a unique spin to music history in this title. The highly acclaimed author opens with a title poem that speaks of the African origins of jazz and "[d]rumming in tongues along the Nile," then swings to an exuberant tribute to Louie Armstrong in which that legendary trumpet player spanks a bad tune "like a naughty boy." The rhythm and word-play of poems such as "Be-Bop" and "Three Voices" will have kids bouncing and repeating lines like "[a] bippety-bop snake can't bite my style" and "[t]hum, thum, thum, and thumming/I feel the ocean rhythm coming." The illustrator brings the intensity of fluid lines and saturated color to his portraits of the jazz world. Fittingly, this creative father-son team dedicates their book, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, to "the children of New Orleans," birthplace of jazz. A wonderful book to celebrate Kwanzaa's principle of creativity." - Children's Literature

 "Expanding on Blues Journey (Holiday House, 2003), this talented father and son have produced new poetry and paintings to explore a wider repertoire of jazz forms. An introduction provides historical and technical background, briefly touching on influences, improvisation, rhythm, and race. Spreads then pulsate with the bold, acrylic-and-ink figures and distorted perspectives that interpret the multiple moods and styles set forth in the text. The poems begin "Along the Nile" with a drumbeat and conclude with the heat of a Bourbon Street band. The Myerses experiment aurally and visually with the forms themselves; thus, "Stride" alternates long, fast-paced lines in a white font with two-word percussive phrases in black, calling to mind a period piano score. "Be-bop" unleashes a relentlessly rhyming patter in black, punctuated by a blue cursive font that "screams." The 15 selections also celebrate vocals, various instrumental combinations, a funeral procession, and Louis Armstrong; New Orleans as spirit and place is woven throughout. The expressionistic figures are surrounded by high-contrast colors in which the visible brushstrokes curve around their subjects, creating an aura that almost suggests sound waves. Wynton Marsalis's Jazz A B Z (Candlewick, 2005) offers an interesting comparison and complement: varied poetic forms and stylized, posterlike visuals present the lives of jazz musicians. Interaction with each inspired title informs the other and awakens interest in listening." -School Library Journal

" A cycle of 15 poems and vivid, expressive paintings celebrate that most American genre of music: jazz. Myers pŠre presents readers with poems that sing like their subject, the drumming of African rhythms leading into a celebration of Louis Armstrong, an evocation of stride piano, a recreation of a New Orleans jazz funeral and a three-part improvisation among bass, piano and horn. A script-like display type appears sparingly, guiding readers to the sound of jazz embedded in the poems' syncopated rhythms. Myers fils uses bold colors and lines straight from the muralists of the '30s to create his illustrations, dramatic foreshortening and exaggerated angles a visual complement to the pulsing sounds being celebrated. It's a very different look and treatment from that given to their earlier blues journey (2003), although equally successful at giving readers a visceral sense of its musical subject. A lengthy introduction, glossary and timeline give background to the whole. This offering stands as a welcome addition to the literature of jazz: In a genre all too often done poorly for children, it stands out as one of the few excellent treatments." -Kirkus Reviews

Connections:
Customers who purchased this book also purchased the following titles also written by Walter Dean Myers: Blues Journey, Harlem: A Poem, and Brown Angels: An Album of Pictures and Verse.

Interactivity:  

• Have children describe an instrument with a sound.
• Ask children to demonstrate how to play the instrument included in the poems. 
• Give a small lesson on the Harlem Renaissance. 

hideous love: the story of the girl who wrote frankenstein written by stephanie hemphill

Hemphill, Stephanie. Hideous Love: The Story of the Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2013. ISBN: 9780061853319

Plot Summary:
     Mary Godwin is a teenaged girl who shares her life through diary form by recounting her interactions, feelings, and experiences. At a young age, Mary defies her father to chase the love of an older man and to explore Europe. Not only is this older man Percy Shelley, but he is a renowned Romantic poetic who is also married. Throughout this novel, Mary recounts her experiences of travesty, scandal, love, death, and even the creation of the story of Frankenstein.

Critical Analysis:
     Hideous Love is a verse novel that is a narrative compilation of poetry. The author is able to tell a story through her usage of elaborate language that depicts the world and experiences surrounding the story of Mary Godwin. Structure, form, and meaning are some included elements of poetry that Stephanie Hemphill incorporates in this novel. The structure of this novel can be clearly identified as stanzas as the author groups her texts in paragraph-like form. Not only does the author utilize a narrative and descriptive form, but also due to her not following any distinct usage of meters or rhyme schemes, her writing style can be attributed as free verse. Because of Hemphill's predominant usage of free verse, she has fully encompassed the notion and concept of narrative and descriptive poems that depicts the life of Mary Godwin as a verse novel.

Awards Won:
Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Excellence in Poetry (2006 & 2008), Printz Honor (2008)

Review Excerpts:

"Hemphill’s fictional autobiography-in-verse of Mary Shelley focuses on her domestic life, which makes for a gripping story while diminishing its subject. Mary’s awe for her famous philosopher father sets the stage for her hero-worship of her husband, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Mary girlishly finds his interest in her flattering, and he leaves his wife to run away with her, scandalizing Mary’s family. Shelley tells Mary she has “great things to write./ It is your lovely fate,” and treats her as an intellectual equal; Hemphill (Wicked Girls) portrays writing and motherhood as Mary’s greatest joys. However, Mary also idealizes Percy despite his clear failings: financial mismanagement, jealous hypochondria during her pregnancies, and a selfish interest in free love, including a likely lengthy affair with her stepsister as they “travel as a threesome/ once again like/ some tiresome, rickety wheelbarrow.” Painting Mary’s feelings about Percy as simplistic devotion, despite his repeatedly appalling behavior, makes her a frustrating character as time goes on. Hemphill’s verse can be elegant, but also jerky and staccato, limiting the story’s complexity and, ironically, Mary’s ability to express herself."  - Publishers Weekly

"An ideal companion piece for teens studying the original classic…Hemphill, author of the Printz Honor Book Your Own, Sylvia (2007), manages to plumb from it her own vein of riches." - Booklist

"Hemphill's ability to plumb the depths of an author's pain and despair is evident in this examination of the life of Mary Shelley, best known as the author of Frankenstein and wife of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. This present-tense novel in verse provides an intimate glimpse into Mary's life. In addition to pondering questions of life and death, Hemphill explores morality, fidelity, creation, and pain. Mary's personal life reads like a soap opera. At age 16, she meets Percy and months later they elope, abandoning his pregnant wife, Harriet. The couple lives throughout Europe and, following Harriet's suicide, eventually marry. Mary's life is filled with emotionally scarring events, including the deaths of her mother, sister, and children, which she feels "like a thousand knives/have been thrust upon me." She also struggles with Percy's flirtations with her stepsister and with her complicated relationship with Lord Byron. Her tempestuous life becomes a catalyst for her writing. "My protagonist, Victor Frankenstein,/builds his creature of graveyard parts/before he sets out to animate it/through science. I construct/my characters beginning with people/I know and then add/or rearrange other aspects of personality/to fit my plot." Readers will identify the parallels between the creation of a monster and the creation of her famous book." - School Library Journal

" A fictionalized verse biography of the tortured genius behind Frankenstein. Hemphill here turns her poetic sights on the young life of 19th-century English prose master Mary Shelley (1797-1851), who famously authored Frankenstein at the tender age of 20. Much as she did with Sylvia Plath (Your Own, Sylvia, 2007), the author explores the particular challenges facing a gifted female artist who allies herself with a renowned male poet. Central to the plot is the parentage of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley, daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, the pioneering feminist philosopher who died days after Mary was born, and William Godwin, a radical political philosopher who espoused free love for all but his daughters. In her father's salon, Mary meets her future husband, budding Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, when she is only 16; he is 21 and married. Though initially finding Percy "fairylike / with the curly blond hair / of a schoolgirl" and "hands frail as silk stockings," Mary soon becomes smitten, especially with the attention Shelley pays her intellect. When her father forbids her to see him, Mary runs off with him, beginning their exile in Europe, which leads to the birth of some of the greatest Romantic literature of the day and a raft of brutal personal tribulations for Mary. A bleak but riveting portrait of the artist as a young woman." - Kirkus Reviews

Connections:
Other titles, written by Stephanie Hemphill, that were purchased by those who bought this title include: Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials, Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait by Sylvia Plath, and Sisters of Glass.

Interactivity:

• Ask readers how they would think the story would have been impacted if Mary never met Percy Shelley.
• Have readers identify stanzas and other poetic elements within this verse novel.
• Question whether or not readers have heard or read the story of Frankenstein. 

the true story of the 3 little pigs! written by jon scieszka & illustrated by lane smith

Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!, Illustrated by Lane Smith. New York: Viking, 1989. ISBN: 0670827592

Plot Summary:
     A. Wolf is a wolf who decides to bake his grandmother a cake for her birthday but runs out of sugar in the process. During this time, A. Wolf comes down with a cold but insists on finishing his grandmother's cake. In order to do so, he proceeds to walk down the street to ask his neighbor if he has some sugar to spare; however, due to Mr. Wolf's cold, a horrible sneezing attack takes place that leaves his neighbor's house and his neighbor in a deathly circumstance. After three instances of the same misfortune, A. Wolf is approached by policemen whose observations of the incidents do not end up in A. Wolf's favor.

Critical Analysis:
     The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs is attributed as a fractured fairy tale where the author, Jon Scieszka, has parodied and altered the well known traditional tale known as The Three Little Pigs. Scieszka alters this story by providing readers with the perspective from the wolf by suggesting that it was the media who defamed the character of the wolf. Within this fractured fairy tale, the author also utilizes the usage of the following refrain: "I huffed. And I snuffed. And I sneezed a great sneeze."By incorporating this refrain within the story, the author indirectly leads readers to an increased sense of engagement. Along with Scieszka's ability to provide readers with a differing perspective of a well known traditional tale, he collaborated with Lane Smith for illustrations.
     Lane Smith encompasses the context of the story through his vivid and humorous illustrations. These illustrations incorporate great detail that convey the emotion of each character within the story. From the inclusion of the hairs on the pigs' 'chinny chin chins' to the inclusion of a detailed newspaper clipping reporting the news of the Big Bad Wolf, the author and the illustrator effectively collaborate to provide users with an entertaining fractured fairy tale as told by A. Wolf.
   
Awards Won:
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Maryland) (1991), Flicker Tale Children’s Book Award (North Dakota) (1991)

Review Excerpts:

"In this gaily newfangled version of a classic tale, Scieszka and Smith ( Flying Jake ) argue in favor of the villain, transforming the story of the three little pigs into a playfully suspicious, rather arch account of innocence beleaguered. Quoth the wolf: ``I don't know how this whole Big Bad Wolf thing got started, but it's all wrong.'' According to his first-person testimony, the wolf went visiting the pigs in search of a neighborly cup of sugar; he implies that had the first two happened to build more durable homes and the third kept a civil tongue in his head, the wolf's helpless sneezes wouldn't have toppled them. As for his casual consumption of the pigs, the wolf defends it breezily (``It seemed like a shame to leave a perfectly good ham dinner lying there in the straw'') and claims cops and reporters ``framed'' him. Smith's highly imaginative watercolors eschew realism, further updating the tale, though some may find their urbane stylization and intentionally static quality mystifying adult. Designed with uncommon flair, this alternative fable is both fetching and glib." - Publishers Weekly

"In this humorous story, Alexander T. Wolf tells his own outlandish version of what really happens during his encounter with the three pigs…. Smith's simplistic and wacky illustrations add to the effectiveness of this fractured fairy tale." - Children's Literature

"Older kids (and adults) will find very funny." - School Library Journal

Connections:
Customers who purchased this title also bought The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig; Goldilocks Returns; and The Frog Prince, Continued, also written by Jon Scieszka.

Interactivity:

• Allow children to participate in reciting the refrain, "And I huffed. And I snuffed. And I sneezed a great sneeze."
• Have children make miniature houses out of various material, and then ask them to try to blow them down. 
• Ask children what type of materials they would build a house out of that could withstand a blow.

rumpelstiltskin retold & illustrated by paul o. zelinsky

Zelinsky, Paul O. Rumpelstiltskin. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 1986. ISBN: 0590056999

Plot Summary:
     Rumpelstiltskin is the story of a miller's daughter who is put in the dilemma of having to spin straw into gold. During a visit into town by the king, a miller who craves to impress the king, volunteers that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The miller's daughter is brought into the king's castle and given three chances to spin straw into gold or face the punishment of death. During each chance she is given, she is visited by a little man who bargains and trades his ability to spin straw into gold for three of her possessions. After the last bargain, the miller's daughter is faced with death by the king or to give the little man her first born child unless she can guess the little man's name; however, little does the miller's daughter know, the name of this little man is not a common name whatsoever.
 
Critical Analysis:
     Rumpelstiltskin is a traditional tale that incorporates the characteristics of a trickster tale. Rumpelstiltskin portrays the role as the trickster with his bargains, witty ways, and the proposed name guessing game. This traditional tale was retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky who encompassed the key attribute of what a folktale entails; deriving from the oral tradition. The story of Rumpelstiltskin is a folktale that has been dated back to the 18th century from where a plethora of retold versions have been composed.
     In this particular retold tale, Paul O. Zelinsky uses detailed watercolor illustrations to complement and bring life to the context of the tale. Through these illustrations, Zelinsky has provided readers with specific elements that suggest a medieval time period. The details of the clothing to the details of a the king's castle, within the kingdom, are some of the elements used to convey and to further depict the story of Rumpelstiltskin.
   
Awards Won:
Caldecott Honor Book Award (1998), Redbook Award (1986), Parents' Choice Award (1986 & 2003)

Review Excerpts:

"This new rendition of the Grimm classic comes up short when compared to Paul Zelinsky's Caldecott Honor version. The retelling, in an odd mix of formal and familiar tones, downplays the story's essential magic, mystery and suspense. Spirin's Once There Was a Tree ; The Fool and the Fish artistic interpretation is not quite up to his usual level of excellence here--many of the book's pages feature surprisingly bare scenes of characters standing about talking to one another. Even the climactic scene in which Rumpelstiltskin unwittingly reveals his name is related entirely through Sage's exposition rather than Spirin's art Zelinsky's interpretation of this same scene is an eerie, full-page masterpiece. Rumpelstiltskin himself, as portrayed here, is not a frightening or even odd creature; he is merely a very short, well-dressed man. Though Spirin's paintings of costumes and courtly splendor are, as always, elegant, Rumpelstiltskin is a tale that demands drama and flair." - Publisher's Weekly

"Zelinsky's smooth retelling and glowing pictures cast the story in a new and beautiful light." - School Library Journal

"In thiis enchanting tale, a king asks the daughter of a poor miller to spin straw into gold. Not knowing how to do this impossible task, the saddened girl loses hope until she receives a visit from a strange little man. This tiny imp decides to spin all of the king's straw into gold, but only under one condition--he gets the girl's first-born child when she marries the king and becomes queen. Agreeing to this proposition, the girl soon becomes queen and has a child one year later. When the little man shows up to collect the child, he offers another proposal to the queen. In this new agreement, he asks her to guess his name before the end of three days. Distraught over this predicament, the queen seeks the help of a faithful servant and together they outsmart the crafty Rumpelstiltskin. Zelinsky's exquisitely detailed illustrations perfectly capture the splendid beauty of the late medieval period, as well as the unique qualities of each character." - Children's Literature

"Children...love the story for its mystery, and its familiarity. Adults will find that, like most classic fairy tales, this one rewards periodic rethinking." - New York Times Review

Connections:
Customers who bought this book also purchased Hansel and Gretel and Rapunzel, which were also retold by Paul O. Zelinsky;.Little Red Riding Hood; Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Interactivity:

• Pass out yellow yarn to children symbolizing golden straw. 
• Read the story without stating the title of the folktale so that when it comes time for the miller's daughter to guess the name of Rumpelstiltskin, children can guess his name.
• Play a segment of ABC's Once Upon a Time to show how Rumpelstiltskin is depicted.

the story of lightning & thunder written & illustrated ashley bryan

Bryan, Ashley. The Story of Lightning & Thunder. New York: Atheneum Publishing, 1993. ISBN: 0689318367

Plot Summary:
     Ma Sheep Thunder and her energetic son, Son Ram Lightning, live in a village in Africa and also have a close relationship with their friend, Rain. Together, Ma Sheep Thunder and Son Ram Lightning are able to call on Rain to bring great harvests to their African villages' crop. Throughout the story, Ma Sheep Thunder teaches her son valuable lessons pertaining to methods of conquering obstacles throughout life. Son Ram Lightening retains the advice given by his mother, but interprets the advice literally. Because Son Ram Lightning perceives his mother's advice from a differing perspective, the village King banishes the mother and son duo into the sky; however, every once and a while, Son Ram Lightning pays a visit back to Earth.

Critical Analysis:
     The Story of Lightning & Thunder is a Nigerian folktale that shares the characteristics of beast tales and pour quoi tales. The author, Ashley Bryan, utilizes these subtypes of folktales to "embody a simple truth about life (Vardell. 2013)." Ma Sheep Thunder and Son Ram Lightning are depicted to symbolize characteristics of the weather elements, lightening and thunder. This symbolic approach demonstrates how these weather elements correlate with one another in a manner that provides children with a simple understanding and basis for weather and harvest.
     Not only does Ashley Bryan use a context as if the story was written by a child, but he also incorporates bright and vibrant illustrations that consist of many geometric shapes. The shapes included in these illustrations are shapes and designs that are native to African heritage. Bryan does an amazing job depicting and providing children with a glimpse of African culture through the usage of his version of this folktale and through his vivid illustrations.

Awards Won: 
Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (2009), Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrators (2008 & 2004)

Review Excerpts:

"The Story of Lightning & Thunder is one that any child between the ages of 4 to 8 will enjoy. Ashley Bryan creates loveable characters in this heartwarming story. Lightning manifests itself as a very rambunctious young ram and Thunder, his mother, is characterized as a mother sheep who struggles happily to keep her son in line. Children will enjoy this book because of its fluid writing style, colorful illu-strations, and satisfying conclusion." - Black Issue Book Review

 "Joyful in both word and palette," said PW, "this African story tells why lightning and thunder reside in the sky and not on earth, as they once did." - Publisher's Weekly

" Artist/author Ashley Bryan illustrates and tells this story as Southern Nigerian youngsters have heard it told for generations. Since it comes from an oral tradition, the story works particularly well as a read-aloud and Bryan's pictures filled with energy will also intrigue listeners." - Children's Literature

Connections:
Other titles written by Ashley Bryan that have been recognized for various awards such as the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Coretta Scott King Award include: Can't Scare Me!; Who Built the Stable?; All Night, All Day; and Beautiful Blackbird.

Interactivity:

• Have children make the noise of thunder and lightning. (Incorporate the usage of onomatopoeia and depict lightening as *flash*)
• Ask children what sound a sheep makes.
• Show children where Africa is on a map.
• Explain to children the climate in Africa.

knuffle bunny too: a case of mistaken identity written & illustrated by mo willems

Willems, Mo. Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. New York: Disney-Hyperion, 2007. ISBN: 1423102991

Plot Summary:
     Trixie is a kindergarten girl who endures her first day of school with her "one-of-a-kind Knuffle Bunny." Not only was Trixie excited to show her companion to her teacher, but she was excited to show her new classmates as well. During the introduction of her Knuffle Bunny to her classmates, Trixie realizes that her Knuffle Bunny wasn't one-of-a-kind when she meets Sonya, her classmate with a very similar bunny. Trixie proceeds through her first day of kindergarten, but it's at bedtime when she realizes something just isn't right. In the middle of the night, Trixie awakens her parents who in the ending provides resolution and Trixie not only finds the solution to the problem, but also gains a new best friend.

Critical Analysis:
     Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity provides readers with a captivating and entertaining story-line depicted by the illustrator's inclusion of, both, black and white photographs and colored drawn cartoon figures of the characters. Mo Willems' technique of incorporating colored cartoon drawings on top of the black and white photographs results in a contrasting affect that brings attention to the characters. Willems also tells the Case of Mistaken Identity through narration, which is written outside of the photograph and includes character dialog in colored speech balloons alongside of the characters, especially the dialog from Trixie.
     Trixie is a kindergarten girl, between the ages of five to six, who displays characteristics of attachment to her stuffed bunny. Like any other beginning elementary school student, comfort is exuded through her stuffed animal attachment. Trixie is an outspoken, friendly girl who demonstrates the same personality traits that a majority of five year olds display; happiness, excitement, curiosity, and innocence. Mo Willems uses Trixie's character to appeal to children who are transitioning to the life of school-hood. Not only does Willems create a character that children can relate to, but he also continues Trixie's experiences through two other picture storybooks.

Awards Won:
Caldecott Medal (2008), Book Sense Book of the Year Award: Children's Illustrated (2008)

Review Excerpts:

"...Willems revisits his black-and-white Brooklyn, his now-signature cartoon characters superimposed on the photographs. This technique here yields some spectacular results: The middle-of-the-night hostage exchange features a glorious image of the Manhattan skyline, the teeny figures of Trixie and her daddy and Sonja and her daddy approaching from opposite sides of Grand Army Plaza. His mastery of pacing is evident in every panel and page turn, the understated text punctuating the illustrations perfectly, and his use of the conventions of cartooning add to the hilarity. Too often, sequels come off as obviously calculated attempts to cash in on success; this offering, with its technical brilliance and its total and sympathetic understanding of the psychology of the preschooler, stands as magnificent in its own right." - Kirkus Reviews

"Willems has a brilliant knack for exposing early childhood's developmental pivot points, and for lampooning the best efforts of today's hip but hapless parents to do the right thing. In the artist's computer-manipulated graphics, manically wired and warmhearted cartoon characters rendered in color play out their workaday dramas against a backdrop of black-and-white photographs of neighborhood streets and interiors. Beyond the novelty of the special effect lies the stirring truth that the city that never sleeps is a self-regenerating, nonstop theater of becoming, a place where on any given day, amid huge skyscrapers and venerable brownstone blocks, two new friends may decide to draw their own favorite bunnies on the nearest sidewalk for all the world to see." - The New York Times

Connections: 
Customers who bought this book also purchased Mo Willems' Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale and Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale is Mo Willems' first book included within this three book series; whereas, Knuffle Bunny: An Unexpected Diversion concludes the series.

Interactivity:

• Ask children if they have a favorite stuffed animal or object (like a blanket) that provides a sense of comfort. 
• Allow a 'show-and-tell' day where children can bring their favorite stuffed animal to show to the class and have during story-time.
• Ask children how they met their 'first best friend.'