Cornrows by Camille Yarbrough

Do you know why the hair braids of blacks are called cornrows? Do you know the significance of the intricate or simplistic pattern of the braids? Gramaw and Mama will tell you. As they braid Mama's two children's hair, they warmheartedly tell stories and sing songs about their hair, slavery, and life in Africa to sister and her younger brother, Me Too. The black and white illustrations in this 48 page picture book vividly capture the family's deep affection as well as the poignant horrors of slavery. This book is best suited for students that are at least in fourth grade. If you are looking for a book that will bring the celebration of black culture and heritage to life, and provides a variety of thought provoking discussion topics, I recommend Cornrows.

No, David by David Shannon

If you want to "hook" young readers on a book, read No, David. Young readers will immediately connect with David, a little boy that does things that kids do that upset mom's. What child has not put their finger up their nose, walked into the house with dirt or mud all over their shoes, or had their bedroom covered in toys? Laughter abounds when readers discover David running down the street, with his backside exposed. Through out the story, David's mom repeatedly tells him, NO! In the end, as she tucks David into bed, students will take comfort in her expression of unconditional love. This highly visual, limited text childrens book is a must. Be ready for students to beg you to, READ IT AGAIN!

Knuffle Bunny: a cautionary tale, By Mo Willems

Taking the advice of an article that we read for class this week, I chose a book that a class of first graders that I subbed for just loved rather than a favorite of mine.
The book that they were so anxious for me to read was called Knuffle Bunny:  a cautionary tale.  This is the first in a series of books.  The next book is Knuffle Bunny Too, and the last is Knuffle Bunny Free.  I could not wait to read the book to the class to see what their excitement was all about.  What I discovered was that anyone who has ever had a favorite toy as a child will be able to identify with these books, thus the popularity for both children and parents.  The illustrations, which are photographs with cartoon characters superimposed on them, are very captivating to the audience.  The first book in the series is about a little girl named Trixie who goes to the laundry mat with her father.  Before leaving Trixie tries to tell her father that her stuffed bunny is missing but he mistakes her babbling for being fusy.  Upon arriving at home the mother discovers that Trixie's stuffed bunny is  missing.  They return to the laundry mat and upon finding the stuffed bunny Trixie screams, "Knuffle Bunny!"  Those were the first words that Trixie had ever spoken.
I'm not sure if I would have chosen this book on my own as it seemed a little juvenile for first graders.  I'm glad that I took the advice of the students to read it.  It was a cute story and now I can't wait to read it to another class!

Dog Eared by Amanda Harvey

The book I would recommend to read to students is Dog Eared by Amanda Harvey. This book is about a floppy-eared dog whose ears are too long compared to other dogs standards. Other dogs made fun of Otis which made him self-conscious of his ears. He has trouble sleeping and thought of different ways to "wear" his ears. Fortunately for Otis, he has a wonderful owner who loves him for who he is...especially for his great snuggly ears. The next time he encountered the mean dog who was making fun of his ears he stood up for himself. I really appreciate this book to teach students to be proud of themselves for who they are. Also, this could be a read aloud to talk to students about bullies and ways to handle if a student is mean to them.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Phillip C. Stead

When I first skimmed through this book, I was disappointed that it had won the Caldecott while my recent favorite, JIMI SOUNDS LIKE a RAINBOW, didn't even get an honorable mention on any of the lists. However, a closer read revealed why it won.

This book feels like a throw-back to GOODNIGHT MOON in terms of the minute details and the color separation techniques. Young children will enjoy looking for the small creatures who tag along with the larger zoo animals - a bird carrying books, the bird sitting on top of a bus, and the mouse waiting at its own mini-bus stop. Readers will puzzle over the balloon - it appears on the title page, is in the background as the zoo animals troop to Amos's home, settles slowly to earth so the penguin can catch it, and is then floating in Amos's bedroom.

As befits a Caldecott, the writing fully supports the calming illustrations. I didn't experience a single jarring moment as I read the story. The rhythm is flawless and the compassion shown by each character to the others is a welcome respite from the sometimes spiteful world of pop culture.

Finally, do notice the dedication of the author & illustrator (a husband/wife team) to each other.

Sit-In: How Four... by the Pinkneys

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to hear Andrea & Brian Pinkney, a husband/wife team, talk about their book projects.

I was fascinated to hear Andrea deconstruct the artwork in this book. She said that the way Brian portrayed the lunch counter in his images almost made it another character in the book. For example, on one page, the counter was shown from two different angles so that it seemed to cave-in on itself in the gutter of the book. This symbolism represented the way that segregation was caving in.

On later pages, the lunch counter became a road with ups and downs, showing the series of successes and failures that the civil rights workers experienced. Finally, a road was shown on a track similar to that of a roller coaster, symbolic of the out-of-control twists that one can encounter when on a frightening journey. Every time I hear someone do a visual analysis of art, I'm impressed at the added layers of meaning that the images add to the story.

This is definitely a picture book for many ages. Children in the early elementary grades will be moved to discuss the ways that teens try to help others. Children & youth in later grades can use this text as a jumping-off point to explore the many incidents in the civil rights movement.

Two of Everything Heather Cook

Two of Everything was written by Lily Toy Hong. It is a humorous book about an elderly couple that comes across a brass pot. This pot is magical and doubles whatever you put in it. The couple spends hours doubling the few bits of money they have in order to become wealthy. It is an excellent book pertaining to math. The conflict in the story is when Mrs.Haktak falls in the pot and out come two Mrs.Haktaks! Thankfully the couple comes up with a brilliant idea in order to resolve this conflict and live comfortably.