Glogster

Thank You, Mr. Falker, by Patricia Polacco

Oh! I exclaim in delight! This is one of the most touching books I have ever read. People must read this book - ESPECIALLY TEACHERS - it will provide an even greater sense of purpose.

It is refreshing to see that there are children out there who grow up to be adults (like Polacco) that recognize the good teachers out there and how they helped make a REAL difference. This is why we teach, so that we may try to reach out and offer guidance, undivided caring and interest in our students, and the undying vow to educate and therefore enlighten every child. Sounds reminiscent of a utopian vision, but I swear: if every educator lived what they preach we wouldn't have stagnate dead-beat teachers out there who go through year after year after year after year teaching the same stale curriculum to bored, unenlightened students. Each new year should be a new academic adventure for students, we as teachers need to make that happen. I can only hope that someday a child can look back on their experience in my classroom and think, "Wow, now that's a teacher who really made a difference for me," or "She really helped me out during some difficult times." What a gratifying thought for a future educator.

I felt close to Trisha (Patricia Polacco) the young girl in the book who was struggling with academics, especially reading and math, and who often found refuge in her artistic abilities. Trisha thought she was "dumb" and the other kids teased her to the point of self-isolation and withdrawal. The book showed how lonely she felt, being the subject of ridicule and harboring a very dangerous secret: she had never learned to read. . . Until finally after a move to California and a new fifth grade teacher, her learning disability was recognized, dyslexia. Mr. Falker ended the ridicule in his classroom and pointed out the artistic giftedness of Trisha, which did not go unnoticed by her peers.

To think that there was only ONE teacher out there that was able (and willing) to invest enough of themselves to see through Trisha's shy exterior and withdrawn behavior in school to detect a REAL ISSUE saddens me, but gives me hope at the same time. I will be that teacher, and I can only hope that every other teacher in the world can say the same.

We should all be Mr. Falkers!

Thunder Cake, by Patricia Polacco

Mmmm. I'm hungry now. Thunder cake looks amazing.

Why are we so afraid of thunder as children? It's loud noises in general - it just disturbs the senses, confuses, disorients... Polacco writes a brief prologue explaining her motivation for this story.

Polacco uses this book as a means to explain how her Babushka (grandmother) helped her to overcome her own childhood fears of the noisy and terrifying midwestern thunder storms. It is a story that portrays a strong bond between the young girl and her grandmother. The warmth of the story is felt by the reader, and a smile slowly grows on your face as the story progresses. We learn that sometimes distraction and companionship can diminish our fears. It's even better when we get yummy cake during all of it.

Polacco uses wonderful pencil drawings with watercolors in earthy tones paired with details of traditional Russian influence to recreate the farm in Michigan where her grandparents lived. The illustrations show the storm getting closer and closer, and throughout the text the sounds of thunder get louder and longer. Kabooom, boooooom ba-babooooooooom, crackle crackle boooooom ka-boooooom... Ha! That would be fun to read aloud to a room full of kindergartners!

The pair of characters travel all around the farm to collect all of the ingredients for the cake, all the time the reader feels the strength and comfort that is provided by Babushka. And, by the time the cake is finished baking the fear of the thunder has lifted, there was nothing to be afraid of anyway!

At the end we even get Babushka's recipe for thunder cake, yummy, what a tasty treat during a thunder storm!

Pink and Say, by Patricia Polacco

What a book! Polacco knows how to take a story that has been told to her and put it into beautifully composed words and illustrations. After having read this book, I was filled with a newly acquired sense of understanding of the events that occurred in our country between the confederate and union states during the Civil War. I cried. How could there have been a time when people were bought and sold? A time when people were publicly beaten and hanged because of their skin color? It seems completely foreign, but it is literally VERY close to home. AND the fact-of-the-matter is, there is still racist behavior and prejudices of all kinds in this country.

We as teachers MUST work harder than anyone else to combat these evil forces if we want to create a future that continues to foster ideals of kindness, compassion, and sensitivity toward others.

The story of Pink and Say is a true story about two young Union soldiers from different outfits. Sheldon (Say), a 15 year old white boy was badly wounded when Pinkus (Pink) a black boy about the same age as Say finds him suffering in the tall grass and carries him to the safety of his family's home where Pink's mother cares for Say until he is healthy again. The book is dramatic, portraying feelings of sadness, loss, and inadequacy.

I wish I could say the ending is a happy one, but like most stories of war - the book ends in tragedy also. Polacco did not set out to glorify the war in this book. She instead set out to create an accurate portrayal of the hardships faced before the abolition of slavery in America. This would be a great piece of fiction to use in the classroom; I wonder if students would be as touched as I was?!?!

When Lightning Comes in a Jar, by Patricia Polacco

When Lightning Comes in a Jar was inspired by Polacco's love for storytelling and her dedication to passing on her memories of family.

The story is about a family reunion and a special event that took place. Every family reunion was so predictable for the young girl (Polacco) in the story, she thought she knew exactly what would occur because it was the same year after year. First the cousins would come, then the Jell-O molds and meatloafs would be brought to the table, then the annual baseball game, the bag races, watermelon seed spitting contest, then the storytelling . . . But this summer, Gramma told her that something else would happen, as she suggested: "And we might catch lightning in jars."

Of course, what child wouldn't be intrigued by such a comment, LIGHTNING IN JARS!!! What in the world does that mean. The entire day of the reunion adds to the suspense surrounding this activity that was soon to take place, catching lightning in jars. The family gather for the storytelling and the children are all extremely anxious to discover what this may mean. Finally, after dark, the jars come out and the "magic" begins.

The story ends with Polacco sharing how the tradition of catching lightning in jars is carried on today by her family. The final words and images of the book leave the reader longing to carry on their own family traditions, allowing the imprints of the past to become an essential part of building the future.

The Keeping Quilt, by Patricia Polacco

Yet another rich picture book by Polacco filled with themes of family tradition and strong cultural influence. The story evokes the emotions in a reader that create a strong reaction and the feelings make one contemplate the memories of their own family tree. The "Keeping Quilt" reminds me of the patchwork teddy bears that my grandma made out of my grandpa's old shirts after he died. She made one for me and all of my cousins. Perhaps someday, someone will use my old clothing to make something that can be shared with the family I will never know. Memories need to be passed on, quilts and stuffed animals can hold be way to keep the memories alive.

The text flows beautifully from page-to-page. It tells the story of a quilt made of the clothing of relatives past, which has been passed through the generations and is currently in the care of Polacco's own children. The story speaks of the possession of the quilt, how it was made by the elders of Great-Gramma Anna's generation when their family had just moved to America. Then, how it was used, as a tablecloth before the Sabbath, as a huppa at the weddings of the girls of four generations, as a cape or a tent when children played, as a picnic blanket, to wrap a new baby in . . . When each young girl became old and then died the family mourned, but the quilt was still passed onto the next generation.

The color in The Keeping Quilt is again (like Emma Kate by Polacco), focused on contrast. The pencil drawing illustrations are all black and white, except the QUILT which appears on every page in all of it's colorful glory. The characters on the pages reflect the emotions of the story, weeping over the death of a loved one, or rejoicing with the happiness of welcoming a newborn into the world. It is really neat that Polacco chose to depict her own family in the book, it gives more than a glimpse into the life of an amazing author and woman.

January's Sparrow, by Patricia Polacco

This book, written using a modified dialect from Unchained Memories: Readings form the Slave Narratives, tells the dramatic and heart-wrenching story of the Crosswhites - A family who flees a Kentucky plantation after a young man, January, is brutally beat and left for dead in the streets. January had whittled a wooden sparrow for Sadie, the main character of the story. Although they weren't really related as family, Sadie and January were as close as brother and sister. When the family leaves the plantation, Sadie forgets the priceless wooden sparrow from her "eldest brother" January for whom a grave was dug by Sadie's father before they ran. Sadie continues to think about the message the little bird stood for: "".

The reader becomes attached to the family and hopes for their safe escape. They find refuge in Marshall Michigan after traveling for some time on the Underground Railroad. Finally the little wooden sparrow resurfaces with a note of warning from the slaveholders: "I found you." The family once again fears for their lives. The entire community of Marshall, both black and white, fight for the rights of the Crosswhites, "people ain't nobody's property!"

The reader is surprised by a pleasant ending and an unlikely reunion at the end of the book. Polacco really knows how to reach out with the emotions of creativity in text and illustrations, to grab your interest and really make you think about how it may have been for this family in the 1840's.

The illustrations are large, colorful, and descriptive. Accurately depicting the emotions on the faces of the people in the story. There are some pages that may be considered violent or graphic, but I feel that this is only necessary to create such strong feelings and reactions from a reading audience.

January's Sparrow is a long picture book - 94 pages (was in the fiction section of the curriculum lab). I think that this would be a wonderful book to read aloud in a classroom to introduce ideas of racial discrimination, prejudice, and civil rights movements, or to just get kids thinking! Thinking about the history of this country, and what we can do as people of the future to continue to expand the growing ideals of acceptance and compassion.

Babushka Baba Yaga, by Patricia Polacco

OOOOoooo! What an exciting and magical book. I found myself REALLY enjoying the story of the old ones (Babushkas - grandmothers) and the Baba Yaga (creature of the forest, the last of her kind) who longed to be part of the community of elders. The characters are so unique, which has been the case with Polacco's books. The author came from a family of storytellers with rich family heritage, and has taken a Russian folktale which was told to her, and adapted it in this picture book.

The Baba Yaga in this book is an enchanted creature who is constantly surrounded by little fairies and forest animals. She has pointed ears, deeply creased skin, a scrunchy face, and is covered by earth. The Baba Yaga sneaks into one of the Babushka's gardens and "borrows" some of the clothing hanging on the clothes line. She disguises herself as a Babushka and introduces herself to the villagers and becomes "Babushka" herself. She begins caring for a little red-haired, freckly boy - Victor. The illustrations use bright, vibrant palette of watercolors to illustrate the magic of the forest and warmth and feelings of community and security in the village.

The Babushkas (and Baba Yaga) are all gathered together one afternoon telling stories and legends, when the tale of the Baba Yaga comes up. The Babushkas speak of the horrible witch-like creature who lurks in the forests and at night comes into the villages and steals children from their beds. The Babushkas say that the Baba Yaga gobbles up babies. The Babushkas threated the children:

"And if you don't behave, she'll come and get you!"

How horrifying! Victor was deeply troubled at the thought of a creature who eats children, and the Baba Yaga feared that she would be discovered and therefore destroy the bond she had created with the boy. "She left, never to return." Finally the Baba Yaga is able to prove herself as a loving being who has been greatly misunderstood, and the people of the village open their hearts to the Baba Yaga.

An important message is learned:
"Those who judge one another on what they hear or see, and not what they know of them in their hearts, are fools indeed!"

What a delightful story! Good for all ages!

Emma Kate, by Patricia Polacco

This is a short (I think it's one of Polacco's shortest), sweet book about two best friends who do everything together. One friend is a little girl, and the other is a big, grey, wrinkly elephant. The reader wonders the entire time, "Which friend is Emma Kate?" at the very end of the story, Polacco reveals who's who.

This a book that almost every child can relate to - imaginative play and friendship are close to the hearts of children. Polacco has based this story on an imaginary elephant friend from her own childhood.

Polacco has a vivid imagination herself and this imaginative quality is reflected in both the stories and illustrations of her children books. The illustrations in this book are very lovely. She uses a realistic style and close attention to detail to create intricate pencil drawings. The detail is so neat! The weight of the elephant becomes apparent when the reader sees that the sofa is crushed like an accordion when the elephant sits down, and the bike tires are flattened out from the enormous size of the elephant when the two friends ride double.

Polacco's use of color in this book is very interesting. She chose to use watercolor selectively in the illustrations to create contrast between the characters, objects, and interactions between them. The little girl's dress for instance, is painted in a vibrant red with a blue flowery pattern - the pattern of the dress is part of every illustration - it is the only constant color carried from page to page, otherwise the majority of the illustrations are done in black and white.

REFLECTION

I can honestly say that I have grown and developed as a reader of children's literature throughout the course of the semester. Looking back on my blogs from the beginning of the semester are a testimony to this growth!

Through the ideas presented in this class I have come to view children's literature through a more holistic lens, and I have learned that children's literature is not only for children but has a lot to offer adults too. In fact, everybody SHOULD read more children's literature - it is (often times) intelligent, enlightening, and imaginative. It allows us to step outside of the tangible world, and view real world issues and problems through the varying interpretive viewpoints of the authors and illustrators of children’s literature.

Not only has reading and responding to children’s books this semester opened my eyes to the depth and breadth of enlightenment that exists in children’s literature, but it has also given me an idea about what kinds of books I may (OR MAY NOT) want to include in my future classroom library. So-called “controversial” books will be an essential tool in teaching my future students. This class has taught me not to be afraid of controversy in children’s books, for these books can act as a springboard for important discussions and can provide opportunities for children to really think about issues that are pertinent to student's lives and the world they live in. I have learned that offering exposure and guidance through a multitude of genres (not excluding controversial books) can be enlightening and beneficial for students and teachers alike.

Having the opportunity to really take my time and dig deep into the realm of children’s literature has broadened my knowledge of the importance of children’s literature and it’s many applications. I know that my growing abilities to dissect, analyze, and interpret children’s literature will lend itself as an aid in my future reading endeavors and in my future classroom – making the reading experience for my future students a rich one.