Module 15: The hate U give

Book cover image:

Taken from Goodreads.com(Goodreads, Inc., n.d.)   

Genre:

The book The hate U give by Angie Thomas was read for the module over censorship due to the book being pulled from libraries for “drug use” and inappropriate language”, which I will address a little later.  (I wish there was a sarcasm font, but there isn’t, so just know that I do not think it should have been pulled).  Aside from this, the book is a young adult contemporary/ realistic fiction novel.

Book Summary:

Angie Thomas tells the story of Starr Carter, a young girl growing up in the Garden Heights, an economically disadvantaged urban neighborhood that is predominantly a black community. At 10-years-old Starr and her best friend Natasha are playing in the water from an opened valve on a fire hydrant when Natasha is gunned down by a drive-by shooter and Starr watches her friend die. Fast forward 6 years to Starr going to school at a private predominantly white school 45 minutes away because her mom is determined to do everything she can to protect her and her siblings from the dangers in their neighborhood.  Starr has two personalities and voices because of this situation; one for her Garden Heights life and one for Williamson Prep, her private school community. During a spring break party, Starr runs into her childhood best friend, Kahlil in Garden Heights and they spend some time reconnecting only to be interrupted by a shooting at the party.  They escape in Kahlil’s car and are almost immediately pulled over by a white officer who claims they have a broken taillight.  Starr has had ‘the talk’ about how to behave if ever approached by an officer, but none of that helps Kahlil and he is shot three times.  For the second time in her life she has to hold a friend as their life slips away.  Starr must find her true voice and help get justice for Kahlil and all those who have been affected by the situation.

APA Reference of Book: 

Thomas, A. (2017). The hate U give. New York: Balzar + Bray.

Impressions:

This wonderful gem of a book is a MUST READ! The hate U give by Angie Thomas is an award-winning debut novel that found its way into the #8 slot of the ALA most challenged books of 2017 reportedly for drug use, profanity, and offensive language.  All these reasons are absolutely ridiculous and are simply being used as an excuse/ reason to justify removing the book from the collection.  I have read more YA books than I can count, and Thomas handles the language, drug use, and sexual content in such a delicate way.  There are many YA books happily living on the shelves that contain much more “inappropriate” content including all those being used against The hate U give and it is not handle in nearly as respectful way.  Additionally, although the Black Lives Matter movement inspired the story, it in no way overpowers the message.  This book is inspired by a highly politicized issue facing our country today, but it is not handled in a political way in the book.  Angie tells the story through the experiences of a 16-year-old girl who has to find her own voice to speak up for justice.  Along with that the story explores family dynamics, life in high school and figuring out who your true friends are, and even first loves.  This book is SO MUCH more than a realistic look at the Black Lives Matter movement through the eyes of a teenager.  Additionally, as a white female who has always lived in a rural West Texas community, I needed to read this story to know what it is like for those who grow up in a completely different world than me.  The only talk my parents had to have with me was the birds and bees.  Starr’s parents had to have the talk with their kids that teaches them how to act if they are ever approached by a police officer.  This is a real thing for black children who live in inner city communities and I needed to hear this.  Angie Thomas clearly addresses the fact that all inner-city blacks are not bad, just as all police officers are not good.  I hope this book makes the reader slightly uncomfortable, because it did me, but it was an uncomfortable that made me open my mind and explore all sides of this issue.  As good citizens we cannot only look at what is immediately around us – we have to look at EVERYTHING and books like The hate U give do just that. My only note on any of the challenges, one of which was for a middle school, is that the book is about a 16-year-old girl and is probably more appropriate for a high school and adult audience or mature middle school readers. That being said, read the book and form your own opinions –

Here are some articles about the challenges against the book:

Support community advocacy torevers ban on The hate U give 

Take action: 8 ways to support The hate U give 

The hate U give bannedby Katy, Texas school district

  

Missouri school pulls The hate U give for review 

Why a Texas school districtsdecision to ban The hate U give is so dangerous

Professional Review:

Starred Review on January 1, 2017 by Mahnaz Dar for School Library Journal. Posted online on Book Verdict 

GR 8 UP — After Starr and her childhood friend Khalil, both black, leave a party together,

they are pulled over by a white police officer, who kills Khalil. The sole witness to the homicide, Starr must testify before a grand jury that will decide whether to indict the cop, and she's terrified, especially as emotions run high. By turns frightened, discouraged, enraged, and impassioned, Starr is authentically adolescent in her reactions. Inhabiting two vastly different spheres—her poor, predominantly black neighborhood, Garden Heights, where gangs are a fact of life, and her rich, mostly white private school—causes strain, and Thomas perceptively illustrates how the personal is political: Starr is disturbed by the racism of her white friend Hailey, who writes Khalil off as a drug dealer, and Starr's father is torn between his desire to support Garden Heights and his need to move his family to a safer environment. The first-person, present-tense narrative is immediate and intense, and the pacing is strong, with Thomas balancing dramatic scenes of violence and protest with moments of reflection. The characterization is slightly uneven; at times, Starr's friends at school feel thinly fleshed out. However, Starr, her family, and the individuals in their neighborhood are achingly real and lovingly crafted. VERDICT Pair this powerful debut with Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely's All-American Boys to start a conversation on racism, police brutality, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

APA Reference of Professional Review:

Media Source Book Verdict. (2017, January 1). The hate U give. Retrieved April 28, 2018, from Book Verdict: http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product2017-01-01-1102495.xml

Library Uses:

Click on the hyperlinks to the ALA Advocacy page for banned books and intellectual freedom.  As a librarian, I think we have a huge responsibility to promote the freedom to read! I strongly encourage all librarians and library advocates to bring about awareness to banned and challenged books and to encourage readers and parents to READ THE BOOK FIRST before forming opinions based on media and press surrounding a title that is being questioned for content.  I think it would be awesome to form a "Banned Book Book Club" where books from the challenged and banned books are read and discussed in a safe environment.  This would be a great way to open up the discussion and present the foundations and principles of intellectual freedom to the public.  Education is key and we have a responsibility to our communities to provide them  Education is key, and we have a responsibility to our communities to provide them “books and other library resources for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation." (Principle #1 of the Library Bill of Rights)

Readalikes:

I want to include all types of novels that are relevant to the story Angie Thomas shared through Starr, but I also want to challenge everyone to not let someone else’s thoughts or opinions distract from what you read.  That being said, my challenge to you is to read as many challenged or banned books as you can and formulate your own opinion. Do not rely on other’s opinions of a challenged or banned book without reading the material in its entirety. 

Here is a link to a handy list of banned challenged books from American Library Association and 100 most frequently challenged books by decade.

Some of my favorites from the list are:

Little house of the prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  It was banned from South Dakota classrooms because of comments made about Native Americans.

Beloved by Toni Morrison.  This has been challenged and pulled from various libraries because of violent content, language, sexual material, and inappropriate topics of racism.  A note on the ALA website also states that one parent that challenged the book only read excerpts of the book on the internet. 

Picture books are challenged and banned also, and one that I think is fantastic is The librarian of Basra: A true story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter.  The story has been challenged for by parents because they say it promotes another religion and the Koran. After reading it, the story is actually incredibly interesting and inspiring.

Also, if you are interested in purchasing Banned Book material for your library or personally check out the ALA Store and Out of Print Banned Book Collection.

Checkout my Goodreads list of children and youth literature I read during the Spring 2018 Semester at UNT. 

Module 14: Witness

Book cover image:

 

Taken from Goodreads.com (Goodreads, Inc., n.d.)   

Genre:

This book is from the poetry module but can also be classified a couple of other ways.  First, this novel is written in free verse which is quickly becoming its own genre/ format that could create an entirely new collection in libraries. Second, this book is a work of realistic historical fiction as it takes place in 1920s Vermont during a time when the Ku Klux Klan was infiltrating communities across the country.

Book Summary:

Witness by Newbery Award winning author Karen Hesse tells the story of a cast of characters from a small town in Vermont who are impacted by the influx of the Ku Klux Klan.  As the story unfolds in verse the reader finds out who the heroes are and who the evil ones are.  Everyone in the town is impacted by the KKK in some way. 

APA Reference of Book: 

Hesse, K. (2001). Witness. New York: Scholastic Press.

Impressions:

I really wanted to love Witness as much as I did Out of the dust but the story never gripped me in the same way and I finished the book feeling a little cheated.  There was so much potential in this book and so much of the story that still needed to be told and wasn’t.  There was an amazing and diverse cast of characters and the author included pictures and short bios at the beginning, but even as an adult I kept having to flip back to see who was talking and what their position was in the town. As much as I have developed a new-found love of novels in verse, I feel like this one deserved more character development and background story in the form of a novel.  One thing that I did like about this story was that the author takes a different look at the KKK than we are used to reading and that is that the KKK did not just discriminate and attack blacks; they also targeted Jews, Catholics, and any person who did not agree with them or helped those who they felt were immoral.  It was a part of history that our young people need to learn about and she did present that well. 

Professional Review:

Reviewed on November 1, 2001 in The Horn Book and published online on Book Verdict

Karen Hesse's latest free-verse novel employs eleven different voices to record the Ku Klux Klan's effects on a Vermont town in 1924, with dubious success. The fictional cast, comprising two children and nine adults, is introduced with sepia-toned photographs to boost their verisimilitude and help sort out who's who. Yet many still feel more like types than complex individuals. There is the hypocritical preacher, who calls Harlem the "den of the devil" while failing to see anything wrong in his own racist and lecherous behavior. There is the eighteen-year-old Klansman-in-the-making, who ultimately reforms after witnessing a courageous act by a black girl. The girl, Leanora, in turn, learns that not all whites are alike from a wise old Civil War veteran, who performs the unbelievable and leadenly symbolic feat of chasing demonstrating Klan members away from the courthouse with his cane. At times, the text offers fresh and resonant images, such as when Leanora's father calls her "a wild brown island" after she wonders aloud "why can't folks just leave [her] alone." Eschewing capital letters (why?), the free-verse format works fairly well for the preacher and the town newspaper editor's sections, since it accentuates their professional rhetoric. But with other characters, the entries sound heavy and too obviously staged: "damn klan. / to think of what they could drive from my life / with their filthy / little / minds." Curiously, the uniquely affected speech patterns of one narrator, a little Jewish girl, resemble that of another reportedly precocious six-year-old—Opal Whiteley (The Story of Opal). Young Esther's cumbersome speech grows tedious to read, making one wish Hesse had found another way to convey her innocence in the face of insidious evil. Overall, Witness has a compelling story to tell, but one that is too complex to work effectively in this format.

APA Reference of Professional Review:

Media Source Book Verdict. (2001, November 1). Witness. Retrieved April 28, 2018, from Book Verdict: http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product-69409633.xml

Library Uses:

For this type of story, I feel the best way to use this book in a library or classroom would be a book club style discussion.  The discussion could easily focus on different aspects of the story from the writing style, the history, and the individual aspect of each character’s life. 

Sample questions:

1. Why do you think the author choose to tell the story through the voices of so many different characters?
2.  How would the story have been different if it had only been told from the point of view of one of the characters?
3. Do you think it was effective to tell the story in free verse form instead of in standard novel format? 
4. How is this story similar or different from other stories you have read about the Ku Klux Klan? 
5. Discuss the different characters and the way they reacted to the increase of Klan activity in their community. 

Readalikes:

There are a couple of different ways to approach readalikes and that is to look at other books that discuss the Ku Klux Klan and prejudice or to look at other novels written as free verse.  Additionally, there are readalikes written as free verse that are historical fiction, similar to this title.  I will take a varied approach at this and present a little of each to give readers the opportunity to explore some different material.

The first readalike is a novel in verse that has won a Newbery Honor Medal, National Book Award, New York Times Bestseller and numerous other state awards. Inside out & back again by Thanhha Lai is a historical fiction that is set during the Vietnam War and tells the story of 10-year-old Ha who is forced to flee the only home she has ever know when Saigon falls.  She finds her self in Alabama, a foreign land to her, where she must make this new land her home.

Roll of thunder hear me cry by Mildred D Taylor won the 1977 Newbery Award Medal along with dozens of other awards and is a classic well-loved children’s book.  Land has a special meaning to the Logan family especially during the Jim Crow era when blacks still didn’t have the freedom the laws has promised them.  The Logan family is strong and full of pride and love and endure horrible acts of discrimination because of the color of their skin.  The story is told from young Cassie Logan’s point of view and goes through an entire year of her life

The last readalike for this module is also a novel in verse that is also historical fiction that explores racism and prejudice. Unbound by Ann E. Burg tells the story of young Grace who is called up to the big house from her home in the slave cabins.  Despite warnings from all her family to keep her thoughts to herself, she finally voices her opinions about the injustice around her and her and her family escape.  In their quest for freedom they encounter many dangers that leave them wondering if they will ever find true freedom.

Checkout my Goodreads list of children and youth literature I read during the Spring 2018 Semester at UNT. 

Module 13: The case of the Monster Fire

Book cover image:

 

Taken from Goodreads.com (Goodreads, Inc., n.d.)   

Genre:

For the purpose of this class, The case of the monster fire: Hank theCowdog #71  by John Erickson was listed as a series book.  A deeper look at the book, the genre could be further narrowed to contemporary realistic fiction and loosely classified as a mystery.  The story covers the devastating wildfires that impacted the panhandle in March of 2017, so as time passes, the book could be reclassified as historical fiction.

Book Summary:

This is the seventy-first book in the Hank the Cowdog series that started back in 1980 with The original adventures of Hank the Cowdog.  The story follows the favorite head of security, Hank, who is on high alert because of the extremely dry and windy conditions around Slim’s ranch.  Slim, the forever bachelor cowboy, decides it is time for him and Viola to start planning for a future together and accepts a loan, with much resistance, from Viola’s father to buy 10 heifers for the ranch.  Hank has always been able to defend the ranch from anything, but the monster fire that ravages the panhandle is unlike anything the have ever seen before.  Without giving away the entire story, Hank and Slim come together during a difficult time and readers go on an adventure that will reveal the true meaning of community.

APA Reference of Book: 

Erickson, J. R. (2018). The case of the Monster Fire. Perryton, TX: Maverick Books, Inc.

Impressions:

I am an avid lover of the Hank the Cowdog series  and the author John Erickson who lives in Perryton, TX, not far from my hometown.  I remember being introduced to the Hank series when I was in kindergarten in 1984 and have continued to read them and share them with my boys who are now in their teens.  I had the chance to meet John Erickson in 2013 during the annual conference of the Texas Library Association, and now make it a point to visit him every year.  That being said, in March of 2017 John Erickson and his wife lost everything in the wildfires that burned over 300,000 acres of the Texas Panhandle and the entire community of Hank the Cowdog lovers grieved with them.  Despite the loss, Erickson did something very special and shared his story and thanks to his community in the newest book of the Hank series.  This book made me laugh, made me cry, and restored my faith in humanity.  In the book the community, both near and far, comes together to help Slim and the other ranchers who lost everything, insuring that everyone has clothes to wear, a bed to sleep, and that all the livestock have hay and feed immediately after the fires. This part of the story is completely true and retells Erickson’s experience when people across the country immediately went into action to insure his family and all the ranchers were able to survive after the fires.  Trucks and trailers came in from across the country to feed all the surviving livestock after the fire burned up all the pastures.  After reading this book and visiting with Mr. Erickson in April, this story was his way of saying thank you to everyone and to heal after one of the most devastating experiences in his life.  This book gets 5 stars from me!  

Professional Review:

This book was just released March 28, 2018, so there are not currently any formal professional reviews, but I have found plenty of news articles from Texas that provide a review of sorts of John Erickson’s most recent book.  I will share one that is particularly well written from Texas Public Radio and will add links to the others I think are worth sharing.

The article “In 'The Case of The Monster Fire,' Hank the Cowdog Makes It Through A True Panhandle Tragedy” was written by Written by Christopher De Los Santos and published Michael Marks April 2, 2018 for Texas Public Radio.

One of the staples of elementary school library shelves across Texas is Hank the Cowdog – the dog who fancies himself the “head of ranch security” at the M-Cross Ranch in the Panhandle. Since 1983, Hank has solved mysteries, fended off coyotes, and pined for the affection of the ranch’s collie, Beulah.

It’s fiction, of course, but in his most recent adventure “The Case of the Monster Fire,” Hank faces a challenge that’s very real for his creator, John R. Erickson. That’s because Erickson’s ranch went up in flames during the massive Panhandle fires that burned over 300,000 acres last year.

Erickson says that when the fire started, the National Weather Service had been predicting it for days. “I walked out the door and I saw the smoke,” he says. He and his wife Kris needed to leave quickly. The next morning, his son got as close to the ranch as he could. “The ranch was still burning, and he called us and said, ‘I have terrible news.’ The house was gone,” Erickson says. “We also lost a nice little guest house, and I lost my writing office and my library. We lost every book we owned, every stitch of clothes. Kris lost ten quilts that she had made. So, we were as homeless as snowbirds in winter.”

After the fire, Erickson tried to keep his usual writing schedule. He kept a journal of his activities recovering from the fire. “In May, it was time to write a Hank book,” he says. “[The fire] was the thing that was on my mind. It had become kind of an obsession. I wasn’t sure that I could write a funny, lighthearted book about the kind of fire we went through, but I gave it a try and I think it turned out quite well.” He says it typically takes him six weeks to write a Hank book, but this one took only three weeks. The book isn’t just about the tragedy of the fire – it’s also about the hope and generosity that came after.

“Ranchers up here had lost 318,000 acres of pasture land, and on our ranch, our cattle had nothing to eat,” he says. “But people in other parts of the state and as far as places like Michigan and Ohio started sending hay. And I was getting calls from people I didn’t know and had no idea how they got my phone number, and they were saying, ‘Where do you want this hay?’ There were two guys from Floresville, Texas, which is south of San Antonio, they had to go over 600 miles. Drove all night and brought me 32 bales of hay.” Erickson says he thanked them and they went on their way. He still doesn’t know who they were. Another call was from a farmer in Louisiana. “His son was a Hank fan,” Erickson says, “and he heard about the fire and he said, ‘Daddy I want to take Hank some hay.’”

Helped by fellow ranchers, his faith community, and Hank readers from across Texas and even around the country, Erickson is recovering from the fire and turning his loss into an adventure for his characters and his fans.

Additional new stories on John Erickson and the ‘Monster Fire’ can be found at:

“A year later: John Erickson writes about the Perryton fire through the eyes of Hank the Cowdog”

“‘Hank The Cowdog’ AuthorWrites Book Depicting Perryton Wildfire” 

“The case of the Texas fire: An unexpected turn of events in the life of Hank the Cowdog author John R.Erickson” 

“For 'Hank the Cowdog' authorthe fury of a Panhandle prairie fire was almost beyond imagining”

APA Reference of Professional Review:

De Los Santos, C., & Marks, M. (2018, April 2). In 'The case of the Monster Fire,' Hank the Cowdog makes it through a true Panhandle tragedy. Retrieved April 24, 2018, from Texas Public Radio: http://tpr.org/post/case-monster-fire-hank-cowdog-makes-it-through-true-panhandle-tragedy 

Library Uses:

Drought and wildfires have continued to affect numerous regions of our country in recent years including Texas, Oklahoma, California, Montana, and many more, which means numerous children and families have experienced a loss similar to that of Slim and Hank in The case of the Monster Fire.  Libraries in these areas can use this book to help these young people deal with some of the feelings they may be experiencing.  By reading this story they can start talking about their feelings and working through some of the emotions they are feeling.  I would encourage parents, teachers, and/or counselors to read this book with those children and talk about their experiences.  The grief experienced after loosing everything to fire is very real and this story can open up the line of communication.

Additionally, parents, librarians, and teachers can visit the official Hank the Cowdog website and go to the FanZone for games, activities, printouts, and more!

Readalikes:

The first readalike I want to share is written by S.J. Dahlstrom who has been mentored by John Erickson throughout his journey as an author.  Dahlstrom writes the The adventures of Wilder Good  series which currently includes four books, with book five coming out this year.  The first book in the series, The elk hunt, introduces 12-year-old Wilder Good and his family who live in a small town in southern Colorado.  Wilder is on the cusp of becoming a teenager and is really trying to figure out what it means to enter the grown-up world.  Fortunately, he has a wonderful role model in an elder from his family’s church who takes him hunting for Elk and helps him come to grips with the world around him. 

The next series readalike is the Faithgirlz/ Princess in Camo series written by two women from Duck Dynasty, Missy and Mia Robertson.  The first book in the series, Running from reality tells the story of Allie Carroway who is done with reality TV.  Allie and her cousins are tired of having everything about their life broadcast for the world to see on TV so Papaw Ray sends them on a trip to escape reality. Their adventures lead them to explore nature, family, faith, and love with no pictures or cameras aloud!

The final mystery/ adventure readalike series I suggest is the A to ZMysteries by Ron Roy which features 26 books, one for each letter of the alphabet.  The first book in the series is The absent author that is obviously featuring the letter A for author.  Dink writes to his favorite author requesting that he come and visit their town but when the big day comes the author is nowhere to be found.  Dink and his best friends set out to solve the mystery and find the famous author before it is too late.

Checkout my Goodreads list of children and youth literature I read during the Spring 2018 Semester at UNT. 

Module 12: Hank Aaron: Brave in every way

Book cover image:

Taken from Goodreads.com (Goodreads, Inc., n.d.)   

Genre:

The book, Hank Aaron: Brave in every way written by Peter Golenbock and illustrated by Paul Lee is a biography in picture book form.  Biographies fall in the broad genre of nonfiction. This book could also be classified as juvenile sports nonfiction. 

Book Summary: 

This picture book takes the reader through the life of Hank Aaron, a young African American boy, who dreamed of playing baseball in the major leagues before blacks were allowed to do so.  Hank grew up in the time of the Great Depression in Alabama with his parents and played baseball in the open field near his home. Hank daydreamed about baseball, even at school, while his mom had her own dreams of him attending college.  Hank’s father knew his son wanted to play professional baseball but he also knew that there were no colored players in the majors during that time. When Hank turned 13, the major leagues acquired their first black player, Jackie Robinson.  This gave him renewed hope that he could play and he actively pursued those dreams. Hank Aaron became a leading home run hitter and when he neared the record of Babe Ruth he started receiving hate mail.  Fortunately he never gave up and millions of others began cheering him on regardless of the color of his skin. 

APA Reference of Book: 

Golenbock, P., & Lee, P. (2001). Hank Aaron: Brave in every way. San Diego: Gulliver Books Harcourt, Inc.

Impressions:

Baseball season is upon us, and being a mom of three teenage boys and a wife to a sports loving husband, I have no choice but to love baseball.  My family believes opening day should be a national holiday, therefore I was excited to read a biography about one of baseball’s greatest players. This book is very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it to the very end.  I have watched my boys play sports since they were very young and I have watched my fair share of live professional games and I feel that the author fully captured the emotion that comes from watching a player achieve greatness.  When Hank hits his 715^th home run to set a record and rounds home plate with his mom waiting there to hug him I actually caught myself tearing up.  Hank fulfilled his dreams, despite a tremendous amount of adversity and his mom, along with the entire nation, were there to support him.  In addition to the story being well written, Paul Lee did a fantastic job of illustrating the story.  This book is intended for young readers, therefore the illustrations are just as important as the writing to convey the meaning and emotions of the story.  It is one thing to tell the story of an African American boy dreaming of playing baseball in a time were that was unacceptable, but it is another to actually see it.  The illustrations show Hank, a young black boy, coming up to bat with a white catcher, a white umpire, and a few pages later an entire stadium full of white people.  This does not have to be written into the narrative because the picture says it.  This book gets five stars from me!

Professional Review: 

Reviewed on August 1, 2001 by Holly T. Sneeringer, St. Mark School, Baltimore, MD in School Library Journal and posted online on Book Verdict 

Gr 1-3 This richly illustrated biography tells the story of the Hall of Famer by placing him in the proper historical context and attempting to humanize him. Aaron, a southern country boy, followed his dreams under the strict, but loving guidance of his parents. Despite his mother's wish that he attends college, he took a job on a professional team and rose quickly to the top as a home-run hitter. However, with racial tensions at an all-time high in the United States, his journey was not without problems. Hate mail and threats began to chip away at his hopes for success, until Aaron's adoring fans helped keep his dream alive. What Golenbock does well is capture the feel of 1960s' America, swelling with civil-rights tension. He deftly tells the athlete's story and proves that his subject certainly was "brave in every way." At times the narrative is a bit slow and the style is dry. Still, this baseball giant is brought down to earth as readers learn of his humble past and his personal struggles. Lee's strong, full-page acrylic illustrations in rich tones and textures work well and give the story depth and intensity.

APA Reference of Professional Review:

Media Source Book Verdict. (2001, August 1). Hank Aaron: Brave in every way. Retrieved April 15, 2018, from Book Verdict: http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product-9951726.xml

Library Uses:

I personally feel that picture book biographies over great sports figures have a special place in children’s libraries.  I have raised three boys, two of which are very reluctant readers, but they have read every sports book in their school library and our public library.  Sports biographies often feature a player who has had to overcome hardships or adversity and never quit pursuing their dreams.  They had to work hard, practice, and focus on being the best to overcome hardships, outside issues such as war, racism, economic hardships, or injuries which are all great messages for young people.  These could all be used in a classroom for research purposes, but I think simply highlighting the collection through displays is a great way to get the attention of some of the less frequent library users.  At the opening of the season for various sports, create a display that can be seen by all of books about players to show readers that there are books out there that are interesting and that they can relate to.  Do book talks either in person, on the school news announcements, or on YouTube and social media to highlight some of these great books.  Once reluctant readers find books that they can relate to, they are hooked and you can start suggesting other books, both fiction and nonfiction, which they might also enjoy. 

Readalikes:

With baseball season in full swing, the following suggestions are all picture book biographies about baseball.  These are personal favorites for me and my boys and many of the readers that come into our public library.  Baseball is America’s favorite pastime, but it started out as a sport that was played only by white men, therefore it is easy to study American history through the study of baseball. 

You cannot read baseball stories without some mention of Babe Ruth, therefore this first recommendation is one of my favorite picture books about the Great Bambino  Homerun: The story of Babe Ruth is written by Robert Burleigh and magically illustrated by Mike Wimmer.  The illustration on the front cover shows Babe Ruth looking larger than life, which is how most people describe him even today.  This biography is simple and does not contain a large amount of history in Ruth, but it is a great starter for someone interested in one of baseball’s greatest players.  It leaves the reader wanting more which is a good thing when trying to get kids reading.

Girls can play baseball too, as many of us know, especially if we repeatedly watched the movie A league of their own like I did growing up.  Mama played baseball by David A. Adler and illustrated by Chris O’Leary tells the story of Amy’s mom who becomes a baseball player for the first professional women’s baseball league during World War II while her dad is away at war. There is so much history and information packed into this picture book and I personally think it is a must read.  Baseball was America’s sport and during WWII women took over numerous roles previously held by men and that included baseball. 

This last readalike also takes place during World War II, but features a young Japanese boy who dreamed of playing baseball while in a Japanese-American internment camp following the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Again, here is a great example of the amount of history that can be learned reading about baseball. Barbed wire baseball: How oneman brought hope to the Japanese Internment Camps of WWII is written by Marissa Moss and illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. The story tells of a young boy named Kenichi “Zeni” Zenimra who was not only told he was too small, but was also Japanese. Following Pearl Harbor in 1941, America became fearful of all Japanese people and forced them into internment camps to lessen the likelihood of another attack on American soil. Zeni fought adversity and ended up playing baseball with the greats such as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and became known as the father of Japanese-American Baseball.

Checkout my Goodreads list of children and youth literature I read during the Spring 2018 Semester at UNT. 

Module 11: What do you do with a tail like this?

Book cover image:

Taken from Goodreads.com (Goodreads, Inc., n.d.)   

Genre:

The book What do you do with a tail like this? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page is a nonfiction/ informational picture book for children.  A subgenre for this book could either be animals or science.  Additionally, it was a 2004 Caldecott Honor book for the wonderful illustrations in the book.

Book Summary:

The book features cut-paper collage illustrations that takes readers through a discovery of what difference animals do with their noses, ears, tails, eyes, mouths, and feet.  The page that ask the question about each body part features colorful illustrations of that particular part of the body. Each page is a full-spread illustration and simply ask “What do you do with …. like this/ these?”  The page following each question features a colorful full-spread page of the entire animal and a blurb of what each animal does with the particular body part.  For example, the question about ears shows a cricket with the answer, “if you’re a cricket, you hear with ears that are on your knees”.  Seriously, who knew! Even adults can learn something from children’s books. 

APA Reference of Book:  

Jenkins, S., & Page, R. (2003). What do you do with a tail like this? Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing.

Impressions:

As a librarian, educator, and mom of curious children, I absolutely loved this simple picture book.  It is perfect for younger emergent readers to look at the pictures and have an adult or older sibling read to them what each of the animals do.  The illustrations are full of color and detail and easily capture the attention and curiosity of the reader.  As a librarian and educator, this book is perfect for reading aloud and getting the children to participate in guessing what each animal is and how they use the different parts of their body.  I will throw out plenty more ideas in the ‘library uses’ part of the blog, but there really are so many great things that can be done with this book.  For a picture book for early elementary readers, I think this book provides the perfect amount of facts for each animal and there is a good balance of text and illustrations.  For readers such as myself who always crave more information there is a short glossary at the back of the book that uses pictures for each entry and gives more information on each animal.  Each entry includes information such as where the animal lives, how big they can get, and other interesting facts.  This book really is a great example of a high-quality nonfiction/ informational picture book.

Professional Review:

Reviewed on March 1, 2003 in School Library Journal by Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL and posted online on Book Verdict

K-Gr 4 Jenkins, this time in collaboration with his wife, has created yet another eye-opening book. Children will learn that lizards can completely break off their tail as a defense and that it will grow back. And, they'll find out that crickets' ears are on their knees. Most fish have two eyes, but some have four, the better to see above and below the water at the same time. These are just a few of the fascinating facts of nature dangled out front to draw readers into this beautifully illustrated book. On each spread, five different animals' tails, ears, eyes, or other body parts, done in vibrant cut-paper collage, appear with a simple question ("What do you do with a- like this?"). The next spread shows the five creatures in their entirety and offers a brief explanation. For example, "If you're an elephant, you use your nose to give yourself a bath." The back pages offer more information for older or more curious readers. This is a great book for sharing one-on-one or with a group.

APA Reference of Professional Review:

Media Source Book Verdict. (2003, March 1). What do you do with a tail like this? Retrieved March 8, 2018, from Book Verdict: http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product-9464162.xml

Library Uses: 

There are obviously plenty of ways to use this book to introduce science lessons for elementary age students, but I want to take a fun, artistic approach to the using the book in the library.  Firstly, this book is perfect for a read aloud and gives the children plenty of opportunities to interact with the reader.  As the storyteller reads the question about “what do you do with …”, they can show the picture to the children and have them raise their hands and make guesses. The picture can either be shown on a projector or just by holding it up where everyone can see.  As they ask the children questions, have them guess what type of animal it is and what they do with the that particular body part.  Once plenty have guess have been made, flip the page and read what each animal does.  After the book is complete, have the children go back to their tables were plenty of art supplies are laid out.  Have each student create their own animal (real or imagined).  After animals have been created have the students come up and present their animals, hiding all but one body part just as done in the book and let the class guess what the animal uses the part for. For some added fun, add in some music by the Singing Zoologist, Lucas Miller that is both fun and educational.  Kids and parents of all ages will enjoy this, trust me! 

Readalikes:

The following readalikes can be used to extend the lessons on animals in a fun and colorful way.  Introducing many different stories about animals will build curiosity and allow children to explore their favorite animals and learn about new animals they may never have heard of. 

National Geographic book of animal poetry: 200 poems with photographs that squeak, soar, and roar! compiled by J. Patrick Lewis is a fantastically fun and colorful way to introduce young children to poetry.  With 200 poems and illustrations, children will be captivated and learn a few more facts about these cool animals. 

I try not to use readalikes by the same author, but Steve Jenkins has written so many great animal books, it is hard not to include at least one.  One of my kids’ favorites and one I always enjoy reading at the library is Biggest, strongest, fastest.  I love love love the illustrations in all of Steve Jenkins books, and he always combines the colorful pictures with cool facts about different animals.  Many world records from the animal kingdom can be fond in this book such as the largest, fastest, and even the longest lived. 

A fun title from Scholastic Press will give children a chance to speculate what would happen if you had animal teeth.  What if you had animal teeth? by Sandra Markle takes a humorous approach to nonfiction with a book that teaches the reader about the purpose of different types of animal teeth.    Did you know the narwhal’s left tooth continues to grow until it is nearly teen-feet long and called a tusk?

Checkout my Goodreads list of children and youth literature I read during the Spring 2018 Semester at UNT.