Module 11: An Egg is Quiet

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Book Summary:

This is a non-fiction book about the mysteries of eggs. The books presents brief information regarding the different types of eggs, the kids of animals that lay them, where they are layed, how they grow, etc. This book takes the reader not only through the life stage of an egg, but also offers the reader further knowledge on the kinds of animals, reptiles, amphibians, etc. that are connected to them. 

APA Reference of Book:

Aston, D. (2006). An egg is quiet. San Fransisco, CA: Chronicle Books, LLC.

Impressions:

My major impression of this book is that the illustrations are extraordinary. They are incredibly beautiful and are the true focus of the book. Most of the text serve as captions to the illustrations. The text at times can be very scientific in nature, labeling names of creatures, kinds of eggs, measurements, etc. Where the text is longer it is typically still pretty brief and "blurb-like", offering quick facts and notes about what is displayed in the illustrations of that page. The illustrations truly carry the text. The book would feel incredibly incomplete without them.

This text seems fitting for very young learners who are interested in the world of animals and how they are born. This is a topic that young children would find interesting and could find sufficient answers within this book. Older learners would need much more than what this text could offer, despite the vivid illustrations. 

While the text is informational and at times scientific in nature, it is appropriate for the age with which this book is geared. It would even prove helpful to that audience to use this type of terminology to assist them in knowing what things are actually called. They probably wouldn't walk away with an understanding of all of the terms, but they would definitely walk away with more than they knew before and it would be accurate wordage instead of something dumbed down. 

Professional Review:

PreS-Gr. 2. This beautifully illustrated introduction to eggs resembles pages drawn from a naturalist's diary. The text, scrolled out in elegant brown ink, works on two levels. Larger print makes simple observations that, read together, sound almost like poetry: "An egg is quiet. . . . An egg is colorful. An egg is shapely."On each spread, words in smaller print match up with illustrations to offer more facts about bird and fish eggs across the animal spectrum. The illustrations are too detailed for read-alouds, but there's a great deal here to engage children up close. The succinct text will draw young fact hounds, particularly fans of Steve Jenkins'Biggest, Strongest, Fastest (1995) and his similar titles. Long's illustrations are elegant and simple, and the gallery of eggs, as brilliantly colored and polished as gems, will inspire kids to marvel at animals'variety and beauty. A spread showing X-ray views of young embryos growing into animal young makes this a good choice for reinforcing concepts about life cycles.

Reference: 

Book review of An Egg is Quiet, by D. Aston. (2006). Booklist, 102(16). Retrieved from www.titlewave.com 

Library Uses:

This text could be used as a part of a library lesson about captions and labels on illustrations as a part of non-fiction texts. The librarian would be able to direct students to pay close attention to the captions and labels and discuss with them how they accompany the illustrations. 

Module 9: Horton Halfpot

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Book Summary:

This is the story of a young boy who serves in the kitchen of the Smugwick Manor. He is disdained for his constant screw ups and is thought of as something of a nuisance. This young boy becomes key in the mystery that takes place within the manor, even a hero in the eyes of some. The story starts from the very beginning with the strangest tipping point: a corset, and journeys through the mystery of the stolen lump. Each part of the journey to find the thief is stange and quirky and leads the reader in a way that seems furthest from the answer. In the end, young Horton assists in the great save of the lump and the redemption of the manor itself. 

APA Reference of Book:

Angleberger, T. (2011). Horton Halfpott or the fiendish mystery of Smugwick Manor or the loosening of m'lady Luggertuck's corset. New York, NY: Abrams.

Impressions:

My major impression of this book is that premise is hysterical. The language used is interesting and fresh in its weirdness. Nothing is described in the usual sense and titles/names are absolutely strange. From the very beginning of the story, the reader is sure that this won't be the average tale. However, the character development is powerful as we see young Horton change and grow into something to be respected instead of belittled. The plot is thoughtful and engaging and accounts for the imagination of those who turn the pages. This text is one that will keep students guessing and wondering who it could have been and how it will all turn out: the true sign of a good mystery. This is an excellent resource for intermediate readers looking for a good mystery. 

Professional Review:

Grades 3-6. Horton Halfpott, the lowly (but likable) scullery boy at Smugwick Manor, falls in love with Celia Sylvan-Smythe, the young heiress, who has attracted the unwanted attention of his employers’ high-born (but despicable) son Luther Luggertuck. The plot thickens when the Luggertuck Lump (“possibly the world’s largest diamond and certainly the ugliest”) is stolen and a suspicious band of shipless pirates turns up in the area. Billed as a “Victorian spoof,” the amusing story is related by a narrator who occasionally stops the action and addresses readers directly (“Reader, do not panic”). Each chapter opens with an amusing drawing of one or more characters along with a heading, such as “In Which Miss Neversly Is Disobeyed and Dawdling Occurs . . . ,” and each unfolds with droll humor as well as action. From the author of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (2010), here’s an amusing romp of a mystery that balances skulduggery with just rewards.

Reference: 

Book review of Horton Halfpott or the Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor or the Loosening of M'lady Luggertuck's Corset, by T. Angleberger. (2011). Booklist, 107(17). Retrieved from www.titlewave.com 

Library Uses:

This text could be used during a mystery month. The librarian could adopt a sort of "murder" (thief) mystery to coordinate with the reading of the text. This would allow students to engage in the details provided by the story and play a part in solving it. 

Module 8: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

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Book Summary:

This is the story of a porcelain rabbit and his journey to experience and give love. Edward Tulane is the rabbit of a young girl who loves him dearly. She takes the best care of him and provides him with all he could ever want. However, he feels no love in return and simply finds himself annoyed by her attempts to hold him close. The story takes him on a journey from her care to finding his way back to her. He experiences many humbling events and returns a different rabbit to love on not only the now grown girl, but her daughter as well. This is a story of the power of love.

APA Reference of Book:

DiCamillo, K. (2006). The miraculous journey of Edward Tulane. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Impressions:

My major impression of this book is that the theme is profound. It doesn't seem to forced, yet it is constantly there alongside the reader as they make their way through Edward's journey. The language is elevated for a children's book, however it is no so far above their heads that the story line is not simply captivating. While the beginning is a bit slow (purposefully so), once the journey begins the reader is left questioning how Edward, a character which seems so narcissistic and detached, will find his way through all that he comes into. The plot moves at an appropriate pace and the ending brings it all together. The illustrations are meaningful and help to put a picture of the emotion happening within the book. All in all, this is an excellent resource for both younger and advancing readers due to its content and language. 

Professional Review:

Gr. 2-4. As she did in her Newbery Medal Book, The Tale of Despereaux (2004), DiCamillo tucks important messages into this story and once more plumbs the mystery of the heart--or, in this case, the heartless. Edward Tulane is a china rabbit with an extensive wardrobe. He belongs to 10-year-old Abilene, who thinks almost as highly of Edward as Edward does of himself. Even young children will soon realize that Edward is riding for a fall. And fall he does, into the sea, after mean boys rip him from Abilene's hands during an ocean voyage. Thus begins Edward's journey from watery grave to the gentle embrace of a fisherman's wife, to the care of a hobo and his dog, and into the hands of a dying girl. Then, pure meanness breaks Edward apart, and love and sacrifice put him back together--until just the right child finds him. With every person who taouches him, Edward's heart grows a little bit softer and a little bit bigger. Bruised and battered, Edward is at his most beautiful, and beautifulis a fine word to describe the artwork. Ibatoulline outdoes himself; his precisely rendered sepia-tone drawings and color plates of high artistic merit are an integral part of this handsomely designed package. Yet even standing alone, the story soars because of DiCamillo's lyrical use of language and her understanding of universal yearnings. This will be a pleasure to read aloud.

Reference: 

Book review of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by K. DiCamillo. (2006). Booklist, 102(9). Retrieved from www.titlewave.com 

Library Uses:

This text could be used as a read aloud for a character study where students have to listen and discuss how Edward's character changes and what we can learn through his experiences. 

Module 10: Pink and Say

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Book Summary:

This is the story of two young boys fighting in the American Civil War. They are both teenagers seperated from the Union troops when they find each other. Though they are from dramatically different upbringings, they band together and become fast friends (really family). Due to an injury they end up at Pink's home where his mom can tend to Say's leg wound. During their stay tragedy strikes and not only is Pink's mom killed by marauders, but the two young soldiers are taken captive and seperated. In the end, Say is freed from the Confederate camp to live to tell the story of brave Pink who was not so lucky.

APA Reference of Book:

Polacco, P. (1994). Pink and Say. New York, NY: Philomel Books.

Impressions:

My major impression of this book is that it could be incredibly impactful to older students. The story is not only captivating and telling of the times, but also is true based on retellings through generations. The illustrations are detailed and provide students with the tone and feel of the Civil War era. They also get a feel for what it was like for not only soldiers, but for African American citizens at the time. The lack of clean lines allows the reader to already connect with the messiness of the surroundings and story. 

The writing style is most certainly for older readers. I can't imagine a younger reader understanding the terminology used or the complexities of the events that take place of the story. Emotion plays an enormous part in building both the characters and the plot. The reader is attached to the characters from the moment they meet them and this is only furthered as the plot gets trickier. In the moment when the two boys are seperated the reader is left to wonder what is to come, which is an incredible moment in the story. The idea that this story is told by someone in the family of Say only adds to the connection the reader gains through the text. 

This text is incredibly important for libraries to acquire, especially those where the Civil War is a part of their curriculum. 

Professional Review:

Ages 5-9. Hands and gestures have always been important in Polacco's work. Here they are at the center of a picture book based on a true incident in the author's own family history. It's a story of interracial friendship during the Civil War between two 15-year-old Union soldiers. Say, who is white and poor, tells how he is rescued by Pinkus (Pink), who carries the wounded Say back to the Georgia home where Pink's black family were slaves. In a kind of idyllic interlude, Pink and his mother nurse Say back to health, and Pink teaches his friend to read; but before they can leave, marauders kill Pink's mother and drag the boys to Andersonville prison. Pink is hanged, but Say survives to tell the story and pass it on across generations. The figure of Pink's mother borders on the sentimental, but the boys' relationship is beautifully drawn. Throughout the story there are heartbreaking images of people torn from a loving embrace. Pictures on the title and copyright pages show the parallel partings as each boy leaves his family to go to war. At the end, when the friends are wrenched apart in prison, the widening space between their outstretched hands expresses all the sorrow of the war. Then, in a powerful double-page spread, they are able to clasp hands for a moment, and their union is like a rope. Say once shook Lincoln's hand, just as Say held Pink's hand, and Say tells his children, who tell theirs, that they have touched the hand that touched the hand . . .

Reference: 

Book review of Pink and Say, by P. Polacco. (1994). Booklist, 91(1). Retrieved from www.titlewave.com 

Library Uses:

This text could be used as a part of a historical fiction display in the library. History and English teachers could encourage students to select texts from this genre for their outside reading for the month/six weeks/unit.