"Just A Dream" By: Chris Van Allsburg

Chris Van Allsburg's books sometimes send very important messages, and other times are written simply to entertain. The book "Just a Dream" is one of his books that has a very strong message to it. In this book a young boy Walter has no cares for the world around him. He throws his trash on the ground, chooses not to sort the garbage, and hopes for a future filled with robots and machines that make life easy. That night when he goes to sleep he travels to the future. In this future his neighborhood has become a dumpster for massive amounts of trash. His bed then travels to a tree, but two men begin to cut the tree down to make toothpicks out of it. He also goes to the Grand Canyon and Mt Everst. The Grand Canyon is filled with smog from factories so it is difficult to see the enormous canyon, and a hotel has been placed on Mt Everst. He travels to other places in this future, but from what he sees he doesn't like the way things have turned out. After his dream Walter realizes that planes and robots aren't all that important, but what is important is the environment around him. He sorts the trash, and picks up his litter from the day before. And that night he has a dream about a very different future than the one from the previous night, and he seems to realize that the world around him is important.
This book sends a great message. It shows the importance of taking care of the environment. It also gives the reader a peek into a future where the people didn't care about their environment. And that future wasn't one that appealed to Walter, and probably not to the reader. This book shows us that we need to take care of the environment, and appreciate nature and its natural beauty. I that the culture we live in today doesn't value the world around us enough, and hopefully this book will help kids and adults reading it realize that we need to take care and enjoy the earth before it's too late.
I think this is a great book with a powerful message. It would be neat to incorporate this book into a science lesson where we are planting something or learning about the envrionment. I can also see reading it to my calss on Earth Day, and then having a discussion about it. This book will definitely be a part of my future classroom library.

"Ben's Dream" By: Chris Van Allsburg

Ben's Dream is a cute little book. It's starts with Ben and Margaret biking home. They were supposed to play baseball with their friends, but it's about to rain so they decide to go home and study for their geography test instead. Ben falls asleep while reading his geography book. In his dream his house is floating on water. For the next 23 pages Ben's house floats past major landmarks, which are half submerged under water. Those pages contain pictures, but no text. When he passes the Sphinx he waves to someone. Then at the end of the story Ben is woken up by his friend Margaret knocking on the window telling him to go play baseball. As they ride their bikes we learn that Ben and Margaret had the same dream, and that Margaret was the person Ben waved to.
It's a cute story that takes something as simple as a dream, and puts a little mystery into it. What if the people you see in your dreams are also seeing you too? Because they saw each other does that mean that they were actually floating past landmarks instead of dreaming? I think that Chris Van Allsburg's books do a great job at getting readers thinking. I know that I thought about this book for a little after reading it. The story is simple, and so is the book's design. The book is green, and the cover is printed with the title written in gold. The dust jacket is simple too. The front is a framed picture of one of the landmarks Ben passes by, and below it is the title. On the back is another framed picture of Ben's house in the water. I think the simplicity of this book leaves the reader room for imagination, and to fill in the blanks. I enjoyed this book, and I think that kids from kindergarten to third grade would enjoy this story too.

Glogster

"The Stranger" By: Chris Van Allsburg

After reading some of Chris Van Allsburg's books I've realized that his stories are intriguing because they mix the real world with fantasy. He also adds some sort of twist that leaves the reader thinking after the book is finished. I thought this book, in particular, was really interesting. It's about a farmer, Mr. Bailey, who accidentally hits a man with his car. After knocking this stranger over he takes him back to his house. The man doesn't speak. This worries Mr. Bailey so he calls a doctor over to inspect the man, and the doctor claims the stranger has lost his memory. Although the stranger doesn't speak he stays with the family until the beginning of autumn. By this point the stranger has become a part of the family. The stranger is fascinated by nature, and seems to have a special connection with it. He can approach rabbits without them running away, and when he notices the leaves on the Bailey's farm haven't changed he blows on a leaf until it turns from green to orange.
I thought this book was interesting becuase as a reader I wanted to peg who this stranger was. I was curious if he an ordinary man, if he had magic powers, or if he was symbolic of mother nature. The book doesn't explain all the details about the stranger, those pieces are left for the reader to fill in. This is what I love about Chris Van Allsburg's books. He gives the reader something to think about. As much as I want to know all the answers at the end of this book it was up to my imagination to fill in the rest.
Like his other books Van Allsburg's illustrations are beautiful. These pictures are filled with color, and depict the changing seasons beautifully. The end pages are a burnt orange, which is interesting because the stranger changes the leaf from green to orange near the end of the book. There is also a die stamp of leaves on the front of the book. The stamp is a gold orange. The book incorporates the autumn leaves in many different ways.
This book puts a fun new twist to the changing seasons, and it would be a fun one to read as the seasons change from summer to autumn.

"The Sweetest Fig" By: Chris Van Allsburg

The story The Sweetest Fig screams the lesson 'what goes around comes around'. It is about a dentist, Bibot, who is greedy, selfish, and mean to those around him. He is especially mean to his dog, Marcel. He takes an old lady's tooth out, but finds out that she cannot pay him. Instead of paying the dentist with money she gives him two figs, and promises that if he eats these figs they will make his dreams come true. Bibot takes the figs, but refuses to give the old lady pain medicine because she didn't pay money. That night he eats one of the figs, and sure enough the next day his dream has come true. Realizing the power of the figs, Bibot saves the last fig for a dream that he has created, which is to be the richest man. Unfortunately for Bibot his dream takes an interesting turn.
I love the message this book sends because it just goes to show you should treat others the way you want to be treated. Bibot treated the old lady and his dog Marcel like they were scum. By the end of the book the tables have turned, and Bibot recieves the same poor treatment that he had shown everyone else.
In addition to a great message the book's pictures again fit the story perfectly. The pictures had the same textured background they did in the book The Widow's Broom, but this time they're in color. When the setting was inside Bibot's house the colors were bright to show the extremely tidy house he kept.
Chris Van Allsburg has a wonderful imagination, and I think that his stories are ones that get readers hooked. They also spark the imagination, and I think that this book in addition to some of his other books would be great resources, not only for reading but to inspire writing.

"The Wretched Stone" By: Chris Van Allsburg

The Wretched Stone was an interesting book, and I never expected it to take the turn that it did. The story is told through the captain's daily logs. The crew is enjoying the journey by entertaining each other with stories, jokes, and music. Eventually they spot an island, and although it isn't in the captain's charts they go explore the island because they are in need of food and water. The island is a strange place, and the only thing the crew finds is a large glowing rock. They bring the rock onto the boat, and it has a strange effect on the members of the crew.
The message in this book is subtle, but still very important. It wasn't until I really thought about the story that I understood the author's message. The glowing rock the crew finds symbolizes television. The crew becomes absorbed by the rock, and over time is turned into brainless apes who only stare at the rock. After a terrible ship wreck the stone loses its light. The captain decides to read to the crew and play violin. Over time the sailors return to their normal selves. It is only when we turn off the TV, and focus on other activities, such as reading and music, that we act like humans instead of lifeless TV watchers.
Unlike the other Chris Van Allsburg book I read this one has colorful illustrations. The pictures span across the pages, and only the left page contains a small box with text. Although the book doesn't say what the illustrations are made with they seem to be a mix of color pencil and pastel. I thought this book was interesting, and I can see adding it to my classroom library.

"The Widow's Broom" by: Chris Van Allsburg

The book The Widow's Broom is an eerie and interesting book. I was completely absorbed by this story until the very end. Its constant mystery and suspense made this a quick read. It's about a witch's broom that falls out of the sky because it lost its power of flight. Unlike most brooms that are set aside to rest this old broom finds a new home with a widow. The broom still contains some magic because it sweeps and does other chores all by itself, but the real problem is when the neighbors find out about it.
The book's illustrations only add to the creepy tone of this story. The pictures are sepia tone with a textured background. The images paired with the text give the perfect details to let the reader's imagination run wild. I think this was a very interesting book, and kids who love mysteries will enjoy this book.

Reflection for Reading and Responding to Children's Literature

Reading and Responding to Children's Literature is a great course, and it has helped me explore various types of literature. Without this course my knowledge of the variety of books and uses for these books would be very limited. I never knew the impact that children's literature has on writing. In my reading and language arts methods I have learned that books can be used to get students writing, and can help prompt a writing piece. The more students read the better they become at writing. Reading various types of books exposes students to the various types of writing. In reading and responding to children's literature we explored the various genres. I had never thought that children's literature could be incorporated into the other subjects in school, but after the genre study I can't see myself limiting literature to a single subject. For example, using children's literature, whether in book form or on an interactive computer game, can help make a social studies lesson more interesting. It helps the students get involved with the material. I also never thought that literature wasn't just in a book, but can be found on the web. Until this course I hadn't thought much about incorporating technology as a media for students to read and interact with. This course has helped me explore the various opportunities that children's literature offers.
I think that one of the discussions that changed my view of children's literature was the one where we defined what a child was. In this discussion the class defined children as carefree, innocent, energetic, sponges, curious, fun, sweet, and the list goes on. After creating this list we realized that we had put children in a box. But in actuality children are like adults. There are various types of kids who have different interests. While some children might like fairy tales others might like thrilling mysteries. As a teacher we have to know and understand the various types of books out there to help spark each individual student's interest in reading. This class helped me explore various types of books, and understand the importance of continuing to explore children's literature in the future.
Another thing I found interesting was the discussion about controversial books. I thought the class discussion about controversial books was particularly interesting because there was a variety of opinions about which books could be read in the classroom. I think that some books were understandably controversial because their content didn't have an important meaning or a use in the classroom. While other books, although considered controversial, contain content that help spark important class discussions.
Overall I think this is a wonderful class, and it has helped expand my knowledge of children's literature.

"Rose Blanche" By: Roberto Innocenti

I thought the book Rose Blanche was really interesting. It's about a young girl living in Germany during WWII. She doesn't fully understand what is going on around her, but she notices some changes in her town. She notices all of the soldiers and their tanks. She also notices a boy get thrown back into a truck one day while walking home. Curious, she decides to follow the truck, and she finds a concentration camp just outside her town. The people at the camp ask her for the bread she is holding. She hands it over and notices how skinny the people behind the fence are. Rose continues to return to the camp day after day, and each day she brings as much bread as she can. Time passes, and then one day people are fleeing her town, and she notices that there are other soldiers in town with different uniforms. Unaware of the environment around her Rose goes to the camp, and is accidentally shot.
This is a very sad book. It is loaded with war and death. But the war is seen through a child's eyes, and I think that is a very interesting and important aspect of this book. Because it is told through the eyes of a child the reader only knows as much as the child does about the war, which in Rose's case is limited. I thought this book was very interesting; especially after reading the inside cover. The title of this book is Rose Blanche, which is also the name of the little girl. The author chose this name because Rose Blanche was a group of young German citizens protesting the war. They chose to face the facts rather than ignore what was going on, and because of this they were killed. The little girl's character relates directly to the meaning of her name, which I thought was a really neat way to indirectly incorporate some history into the book. Although I thought this book was really interesting I was also somewhat disappointed with the perspective this book was told from. In my Children's Literature class we discussed how there are very few books that tell the story through the victim's eyes. I think that there are so many books about WWII that are about German people helping the Jews, and unfortunately very few about the Jew's struggle.
I can understand why this book is considered controversial because it deals with some very deep topics. But I also think that if presented in the right way this book can give students some insight into WWII. I wouldn't have this book in the classroom library for students to read whenever they wanted to, but I could see reading it aloud to the class if we were discussing WWII.

"Walter the Farting Dog" By: William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray

I thought this book was hysterical. It's about two kids who bring a dog home from the pound. The dog, Walter, smells horrible so they give him a bath when they get home, but the stench doesn't go away. The family figures out that Walter has a farting problem, and that he smells so bad because he is constantly farting. They try everything to get rid of his farts, but nothing seems to work. The kids don't seem to mind Walter's farting, but the parents get fed up with all his farts and plan to send him to the pound. But something happens that night that makes the parents change their mind about Walter.
I enjoyed this book, and thought that the story was entertaining, sweet, and humorous. I understand that this book is considered controversial because it's about farting, but everyone does it so I have a hard time understanding the controversy. This books also has a sweet message about loving things the way they are. In this case the family learns to love their dog even though he farts all of the time. I definitely think that little kids will love this book. When kids are around the ages of 4-6 they think farting and burping and all other bodily functions are amusing and funny, so they will get a kick out of this book.
In addition to being funny I thought the illustrations for this book were very interesting. They are very colorful, and seem to be done with some sort of computer animation. They're very cool pictures to look at because they seem to be a mix of animation and collage. This is also an entertaining book because on almost every page of the book there is a little spider, and it's fun to try and find the spider. I could see adding this book to my classroom library because reading should be enjoyable, and I think that students will have a great time reading this book.

"The Misfits" By: James Howe

I absolutely loved this book! I am truly amazed as to why this book is even controversial. If anything I think The Misfits sends a great message to all of its readers. It is about a boy, Bobby Goodspeed, and his friends in Paintbrush Falls Middle School. Bobby and his friends are the misfits, the kids who get teased, the ones who stand out. When describing his friends Bobby explains how each of them are his friends because they don't seem to be accepted by any of the other students. When student elections come around Bobby's ambitious friend Addie tries to organize a third party that will give the minority students a voice. Unfortunately their first attempt at creating a third party is denied, and all Addie's hopes seem to be crushed. But when Bobby begins to realize who he is and who he wants to be, there is no stopping him. He begins to let his voice be heard, and that is when the No-Name Party is created.
I think this is a great book, and 4th grade students all the way to 7th grade students would like this story. It is relatable so students in middle school can relate to some of the changes and experiences that occur during that age. It also addresses the problem of bullying. This book takes the bullying problem and makes it personal. Everyone at some point in their life has been called a name, and some kids are called names more than others. This book teaches students about the effects that name calling has, and how it can ruin people. The No-Name Party's slogan is "Sitcks and stones may break our bones, but name will break our spirit". I think this slogan sums up the painful effects bullying can have. And this problem so often goes unaddressed or is delt with in the wrong way. I think this would be a great book to either read as a read-aloud or as a class because it has a lot to offer about bullying and accepting people for who they are. I plan to make my classroom a safe environment for my students, and I think reading this book would address how people should be treated in a memorable way rather than creating a boring list of rules.
This book has an interesting cover. It is a picture of a jean jacket with campaign buttons all over it. The jean jacket is a wonderful cover because I could see, Skeezie, one of Bobby's friends wearing a jean jacket with a white t-shirt. I also love how the names are crossed out on campaign pins all over the jacket. I think this cover is simple, but makes enough of a statement about the book to get people interested. I think this is a wonderful book, and everyone should read it because no matter what age you are this book will teach you something about life.

"Way Home" By: Libby Hathorn

The book Way Home is about a boy Shane who finds a cat on his way home. When he first finds this cat it growls and spits at him, but he pets it until it calms down. He puts the cat in his coat to take it home. On Shane's way home he and the cat encounter obstacles such as a mean gang of boys and a fierce dog. Eventually the boy gets the cat to his home, and the reader finds out how much the boy and the cat are alike.
I think this book is put together wonderfully. A tear separates the text from the illustrations. I think this is an interesting theme throughout the book because the tear is part of the cover and the pages, but when the cat and Shane are home there is no tear between the text and illustration. The text is also printed in white on a black background. I think that a black background was a perfect choice because it fits the nighttime setting of this book.
I have a hard time understanding why this book is so controversial. It clearly focuses on a darker side of life, but I think that it finds light in a very dark place. Both the boy and the cat start off alone, but they find each other and become friends. I know that the fact that the boy is homeless may be a difficult thing for some people to grasp because it isn't the sugar coated story. But I think it's important for kids to understand that everyone has different homes, and what one person considers home might not be the same as another person. I definitely wouldn't read this book to young students, but I think that 3rd graders would be able to handle this story. I think that this is an important story for students to read, but it would need to be presented in the right context. I think it would be neat to read this book to my classroom, and then figure out a class community service project. This way students can understand that people live in various situations, but there are many services and organizations that help people in need.

"The Stupids Die" By: Harry Allard

The book, The Stupids Die, is not one of my favorite books. It's about a family with the last name Stupid, and this family does very goofy things. The idea of people doing goofy things reminded me of the Amelia Bedelia series, but unlike the Amelia Bedelia books this one doesn't use a variety of language. It also pokes fun at the character's intelligence. The author chose to not only poke fun at the family name, but to make the family members stupid. Although it points out that the family has fun, I don't think this is an appropriate book for a class. I think that the author could have made this book humorous without making it inappropriate. I think this book only enforces the use of the word stupid, which is ironic because kids are so often told not to use that word. I would relate this book to the brainless trashy movies that we all seem to find hysterical. I think that the only time I could see using this book was if someone in my family wanted to read it. I don't think this book has any place in the classroom, but I know that some kids will enjoy reading it.
The setup of this book is very simple. The cover is a yellow cloth cover with the picture of a kid on it, and below that it says kid. All of the illustrations are done in blue, red, yellow, and green. The illustrations reflect the simplicity of the family they represent. Although I am not a huge fan of this book it is somewhat humorous. Everyone has different tastes, so I know that there will be many kids out there who want to read this book.

"Uncle What-Is-IT is coming to visit!!" By: Michael Willhoite

The picture book Uncle What-Is-It is Coming to Visit is about a brother and sister who find out that their uncle Brett is coming to visit. When talking to their mom they learn that Uncle Brett is gay. The two don't know what gay means, but before they can ask their mom she gets distracted by something burning in the kitchen. They two kids stumble across a pair of air-head teenage boys who explain what gay means by using common stereotypes. The two kids get frightened into thinking their uncle is going to be dressed in women's clothes or wear chains and leather. But when they meet Uncle Brett they are relieved to find that he is just like any other person. They learn that Uncle Brett shares the common interests, such as playing catch and hating brussel sprouts. During his stay they kids ask Uncle Brett about being gay, and they learn that it means that he likes men instead of women. They also learn that some gay men dress up as women or wear lots of leather and chains, and that is okay too.
I know this book is a controversial picture book, but I think it has an interesting story and lesson. I think this book is important because it deals with the common experience of misconceptions about another person. I know that many students will be able to relate to the experience of judging someone before they meet them, and then realizing that what they had been told or thought before isn't necessarily true once they meet the person. In this book the kids judge their uncle based on stereotypes, and then realize that he's a really great guy. I think this is a great book because it shows that stereotypes are not a reliable way to categorize people. I think that the overall message of this book is wonderful, and I think that kids should learn that there are all different types of people.