Book Review WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE?

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kerley, Barbara. 2008. WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE? HOW ALICE ROOSEVELT BROKE THE RULES, CHARMED THE WORD, AND DROVE HER FATHER TEDDY CRAZY! Ill. Edwin Fotheringham. New York: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 0439922313

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Theodore Roosevelt has a little problem; the problem’s name was Alice. Alice Lee Roosevelt loved to slide down her stair case, hang out with the boys, meet new people, and go places. She called this “eating up the world,” but her father called it “running riot.” As she grew older, she still could not conform to society’s standards of women. She drove fast, bet on horses, played poker with the boys, and even created the Night Riders, who galloped through the night until invited in for snacks. In this biography, we learn how Alice Lee Roosevelt grew up in the White House and why everyone fell in love with “Princess Alice.”

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In What to Do About Alice?, Kerley does an amazing job in bring Alice Roosevelt’s character to life. With this short well-organized biographical picture book, readers get an instant portrait of Alice’s personality. Young readers learn that Theodore Roosevelt’s wife died two days after Alice was born in 1884, and Alice was Theodore’s only child with his first wife. But Alice did not want to grow up hearing “The poor little thing!” all her life. With this statement, readers get a better understanding behind Alice’s unconventional behaviors.

The author includes a few quotes throughout the story, and their sources are cited at the end of the book.

Debuting illustrator, Fotheringham creates his artwork with digital media. His beautifully detailed illustrations enhance and add humor to this story. We get to see Theodore Roosevelt giving Alice a piggyback ride, Alice hanging upside down from a tree with a monkey, Alice chasing a bully with her leg braces, and little boys dressed as girls.

Young readers will love this biographical picture book!

4. AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
American Library Association Notable Books for Children

NEW YORK TIMES: “Kerley reveals the essence of Alice in an upbeat account of her life, dramatizing Alice's love of "eating up the world," as she put it. Kerley's text plays straight man to the punch line of Edwin Fotheringham's mischievous artwork.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Kerley brings another historical figure to life.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*What to Do About Alice? can be incorporated into a 1st through 3rd grade social studies lesson. After reading this book, the teacher can lead a discussion asking students how/why Alice Roosevelt did not conform to behavior deemed acceptable of women of her time.

Image Credit: readkiddoread.com

Book Review ACTUAL SIZE

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jenkins, Steve. 2004. ACTUAL SIZE. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0618375945

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In Actual Size, we learn just how big tigers, crocodiles, and the world’s largest spiders are. Sometimes fact, figures, and dimensions, don’t mean much—especially to children. In this book, Steve Jenkin illustrates animals and insects, or parts of their body, both big and small at their actual size.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Young children think concretely, so telling them that a giant squid is 59 feet long may not mean much to them. On the other hand, if an illustration shows a giant squid’s eyeball which measures about 12 inches across, children will be able to imagine just how large this creature is.

Jenkins physically shows kids animal's dimensions in Actual Size. Eighteen animals are described and illustrated. Each animal has its dimensions and memorable facts about them. The illustrations, which are collages of cut and torn paper, are sure to entice young children to picking up this book.

4. AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
Beehive Children’s Informational Book Award
Flicker Tale Children’s Book Award
Garden State Children’s Book Awards

BOOKLIST: “Jenkins' artwork is gorgeous (a gatefold of a frog in midleap is particularly memorable), and, at the end of the book, thumbnail images of the featured animals paired with information about habitat and behavior put the piquant visuals into a broader context. An unusual, unusually effective tool for connecting children to nature's astonishing variety.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Mixing deceptive simplicity with absolute clarity, this beautiful book is an enticing way to introduce children to the glorious diversity of our natural world, or to illustrate to budding scientists the importance of comparison, measurement, observation, and record keeping. A thoroughly engaging read-aloud and a must-have for any collection.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Elementary school teachers can easily incorporate Actual Size into a science lesson on animals, or a math lesson on measurements.

*Students can pick an animal or insect, research its dimensions, and then make their own illustrations. The illustrations, like in the book, can be of the entire animal or if too large a body part can be drawn (using accurate dimensions).

Image Credit: houghtonmifflinbooks.com

Book Review THE WALL

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sís, Peter. 2007. THE WALL: GROWING UP BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN. New York: Frances Foster Books. ISBN 0374347018

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Peter Sís, the narrator of The Wall, tells his account of growing up in Prague, Czechoslovakia during the Cold War era. Sís grew up living on the Red side—the Communist side—of the Iron Wall. The author describes how as a child he was forced to join the Communist youth movement, the Young Pioneers, and believe whatever he was told to believe. Sís did not question what he was being told until he reached adolescence and wanted to paint want he wanted, join a rock group, have long hair, and wear blue jeans like Westerns did.

During a brief time in the spring of 1968, Prague citizens got a taste a freedom; however, this was short-lived. In the end, Sís takes us through his journey and shows us that “sometimes dreams come true.” On November 9, 1989, the Wall fell.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This autobiographical picture book though having only a few sentences tells the life of Peter Sís. The sentences are short and direct: “At first he drew shapes. Then he drew people. After drawing whatever he wanted to at home, he drew what he was told to at school.”

Sís adds more to his story with his detailed panel art mostly in black and white with red being the only other color included. The drawings filled with military tanks, police, food lines, and school children hiding beneath their desks show the lifeless times of the Cold War era in Prague. Then the Prague Spring of 1968 arrives: a time of freedom and joy! A time when “everything seemed possible.” To show the change in atmosphere, Sís dedicates two full pages of psychedelic color-filled illustrations.

Overall, The Wall is a great informational book that gives an accurate and real portrayal of childhood in Czechoslovakia under Soviet rule. Sís’s own journal entries added in the book bring together his memories and history.

4. AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
American Library Association Notable Books for Children
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year
Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “…the author pairs his remarkable artistry with journal entries, historical context and period photography to create a powerful account of his childhood in Cold War-era Prague.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Personal, political, passionate-these are among the qualities that readers have come to appreciate about S's's autobiographical books…”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Older elementary and middle school students learning about the Cold War can read The Wall as an introduction to understand this era. Some students tend to get confused with history because of the many dates and details, but The Wall eliminates the confusion by focusing on the main issues and feelings felt in Communist Czechoslovakia.

Image Credit: eduscapes.com

Book Review WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN’T KNOW

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sones, Sonya. 2001. WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN’T KNOW. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0439455480

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this verse novel, Sones introduces us to Sophie, your average boy-crazy fifteen year old girl. Sophie tells us about her first love and then her second and third love. We learn about her feuding parents, her awesome best friends, and her struggle to find true love while still trying to look cool.

After several disappointing relationships, Sophie thinks she has found Mr. Right but is scared he will make her the laughing-stock at school. In the end, Sophie realizes her happiness and love for her soul mate are more important than popularity.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Sones’ first-person narrative poems use simple teenage language that most young readers will gravitate to. Each poem can stand alone and tells us an episode of Sophie’s life but as a whole tell a story of a young girl’s quest to find love.

In “Distracted in Math Class,” we hear Sophie’s private thoughts as she daydreams “and I can feel his lips, / the way they felt / that very first time. / I can feel the heat of them, / parting just slightly, / brushing across my cheek.” Young and older readers will be able to relate to one’s own memories of their first love.

Sones also make events we all hated going though seem funny. In “Three Hours Before the Dance,” Sophie goes to great lengths to make sure her hair is just right. She uses special shampoos with essential fatty acids, instant reconstructor and detanglers, and revolutionary potions that repair split ends just to name a few. But in the end, her hair “still looks pathetic.”


4. AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
Iowa Teen Award

BOOKLIST: “The poetry is never pretentious or difficult; on the contrary, the very short, sometimes rhythmic lines make each page fly.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “With its separate free verse poems woven into a fluid and coherent narrative with a satisfying ending, Sophie's honest and earthy story feels destined to captivate a young female audience, avid and reluctant readers alike.”
VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES: “The poems are snappy, and each one strikes a chord that fluidly moves the reader on to the next episode.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Middle school writing/English teachers can introduce students to poetry with What My Mother Doesn't Know. It is simple, fun, quirky, and something young adults can definitely relate to.

*Students can then write their own poems about embarrassing, cool, or emotional events in their lives.

Image Credit: nassaulibrary.org

Book Review THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DOG

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sidman, Joyce. 2003. THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DOG: POEMS AND TEEN VOICES. Photographs by Doug Mindell. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0618174974

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In The World According to Dog, Sidman mixes contemplative and sensory poems with short essays written by teens of their beloved canine friends. The poems express the playful nature of dogs and the peace and sense of calm they bring to their owners’ chaotic lives. Most importantly, the essays share the wonderful memories our canine friends leave behind.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The World According to Dog includes wonderful photographs provided by Doug Mindell. The black and white pictures blurred and earthly evoke memories of one’s own fury friends.

Sidman uses a variety of poetic forms—haiku, free verse, and poems with two voices—and even includes poems from a dog’s point of view. The poems vary from being funny, play-full, heartfelt, to pain-full. In “Dog in Bed,” Sidman accurately expresses the emotion and bond one develops with dogs. She writes “This is how it is with love. / Once invited, / it steps in gently, / circles twice, / and takes up as much space / as you will give it.” The choice of words to describe the relationship between someone and their dog cannot be forced or faked. Readers will appreciate Sidman’s poems because they express real emotional and love for her best friend, Merlin—seven year old Gordon setter.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
BOOKLIST: “Illustrated with striking, blurred, black-and-white photos, this collection muses on canine wisdom and charm--what dogs can teach us; why they are lovable.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Sidman's poetic observations of beloved pets interspersed with short essays by teens are sure to engage dog fanciers.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Other books about pets:
Franco, Betsy. A CURIOUS COLLECTION OF CATS. Ill. by Michael Wertz. ISBN 1582462488
Foster, John L.(Editor). PET POEMS. Ill. by Korky Paul. ISBN 0192761919

Teachers can read these books about pet poetry to grab teens’ interest and inspire them to write their own poetry regarding the people/pets they love.

Image Credit: houghtonmifflinbooks.com

Book Review TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
George, Kristine O’Connell. 2001. TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 061804597X

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Kristine O’Connell George’s Toasting Marshmallows is a compilation of poems on everything that happens before, on, and after a camping trip. The book begins with a family setting up a tent at their camping site and ends with the main character, a young girl, stashing away her dirty flannel shirt filled with “pine smells, campfire, forest moss” keeping it hidden, so no one will “wash away” her memories. Between this, the main character describes her adventure—the places she explored, the animals she encountered, toasting marshmallows with her brother, and admiring the starry nights.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
George’s compilation of thirty poems and Kiesler’s detailed acrylic paintings tell and show readers the sights, smells, and feelings of a family camping trip. The poems are written from the perspective of a young girl enjoying the adventures and wonders of the natural world.

The poems are short, use simple language, and are well-crafted. George also cleverly constructs the text of her poems into shapes representing their title. For example, the first poem titled “Tent” is written to resemble the shape of an actual tent, and another poem titled “Storm” has its text slanted like the rain.

In “Mosquito Song,” the author uses alliteration and onomatopoeia to show a mosquito’s view: “It’s meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! / Mosqueeeeeeeeeeeeto! / Is that you, Dinner? / Greeeeeeeetings!”

4. AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Readers will definitely want S-mores.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “The poems are varied and inventive, replete with marvelous images and universal truths.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*After reading Toasting Marshmallows, students can write their own poems about family camping trips, going to the ranch, vocations, or going to visit family members. Students can illustrate their poems and then present it to the class.

*The library can be transformed into a camping site. During a scheduled library visit, students can bring their favorite book of poetry, and the librarian will have read alouds around the “campfire.”

Image Credit: librarything.com