The Best Beekeeper of Lalibela

Title: The Best Beekeeper of Lalibela: A Tale from Africa

Author: Cristina Kessler

Illustrator: Leonard Jenkins

Publisher: Holiday House (June 30, 2006)

Readability Lexile: Grades 1-3

Children's Picture Book

Summary and Target Audience:

Young Almaz, who lives in a mountain village in Ethiopia, loves the honey she buys in the market. She wants to keep bees and make her own honey, but the men laugh at her: "That's men's work, little girl." Encouraged by the local priest, she proves them wrong, devising a way to put a piece of honeycomb in a container to keep away the water and the ants and draw in the bees.

I would use this with children in the classroom in Grades 1-3.  Another great read-aloud!

Evaluation of Literature:

This is a great story- not only does this book inspire young ones to "prove their elders wrong" and find a more innovative way of doing things but also gives hope to the girls in the classroom to do all the things the boys get to do.  It is so easy to get caught up in the gender differences in the classroom and this book truly inspires teachers as well to give equal opportunity to the boys and girls in their classroom.

Growing characters- Almaz is a fantastic growing character.  She is met with defiance when she wants to become the best beekeeper in her town especially among the men.  So she finds a solution and has the sweetest honey and the longest lines in the market.  When her solution is met with another difficulty she finds a way to overcome the ants that have invaded her hive and tries all sorts of new innovations until she finds the perfect solution.

Culture portrayed- the African culture is portrayed in this beautifully illustrated book.The scenery and characters are vivid and detailed with a hint of mystery.  The story gives an opportunity to show the strength of the African women.

Literary Elements:

Analogy- to describe the different experiences Almaz is having with her beekeeping adventure the author uses descriptive language and analogies to help the reader visualize the items: "Almaz let the honey drip down her finger like a string of golden diamonds and into her mouth."

Metaphor- the author also uses metaphors to capture the experiences Almaz has with the bees and the honey: "Her arms and legs were the bark on the tree."

Foreshadowing- from the beginning of the book the author hints at Almaz and the bees and what they will become in the future.  With her endurance and determination the reader learns quickly that Almaz is not one to give up and will find a way to have her bees and honey: "For months they chuckled each time Almaz passed their tree, saying to one another, 'She's learned her lesson.' But they didn't know Almaz."

Illustrations:

As mentioned before, the illustrations are amazing.  They are bright and colorful with depictions of all sorts of characters and animals that were involved in the story.  The test is almost a little difficult to find with all of the different colors and bright strokes across the page to show the background and the setting in Africa.

Mini-lesson:

This story is great to teach perseverance and women's rights.  You could tie this story into a history lesson on civil and women's rights and talk about other events in history that women weren't allowed to be in just because of their gender.  I would love to teach a history lesson using this book as a reference or starting out point.

Not Me!

Title: Not Me!

Author/Illustrator: Nicola Killen

Publisher: Egmont USA (October 12, 2010)

Children's Picture Book

Readability Lexile: Preschool-1st Grade

Summary and Target Audience:

Jake, Jane, Bertie, Paul, Louise and Jess the Pup are on an adventure of making a mess.  The kids all take turns making messes in the house and it's a guessing game of who it is leaving water all over the floor or driving a dirty bike across the rug.  At the end, the only innocent character left is the dog who refuses to clean up. 

In my opinion, children from preschool even up to 1st grade.  It would be a great book for a read aloud in a classroom.

Evaluation of Literature:
Could this story really happen- this story with the children could really happen.  However, most likely they would not be alone in a house causing a mess without any adult figures.  The plot of younger children making a mess could really happen and I'm sure you could find students in the class who have made a mess in their own house.
Theme worthwhile- as far as the theme it was a little difficult to put a finger on the point of the story.  The children in the story were making a mess and pretending they didn't make it.  At the end the author alluded to the fact that the children then cleaned it up.  However, I think the rhyming and predicting was the reason for writing the story.
Characters as individuals- the characters were all given their own two pages and portrayed as individuals.  However, at the end they were all a group again as they were pictured in the beginning of the book.  They each had their own outfit and particular props that identified them.

Literary Elements:
Assonance- For every character, there is a rhyme of their action with their name: "Who's been playing in the rain?  Not me! said Jane." ("rain" and "Jane")
Foreshadowing- In the beginning of the book there are pictures of all the characters and their names.  They each have specific outfits and props that help in identifying who is making the mess.  For example, Jake is carrying a dinosaur and on the first page there is a missing cake and a dinosaur is sitting in its spot.
*The story is very short with very little text

Illustrations:
The illustrations are fun and very detailed.  The characters faces don't show a ton of expression but as mentioned before the illustrations hold clues to who is making the mess on the next page.  It also has clues on the page as to what the next mess is going to be. The messes made are full of color and detail and completely above and beyond fantastic to give some great clues.

Mini-lesson:
The rhyming is fantastic as well as the prediction in this book.  I would use it as a read-aloud and then have the students work on their own story of the messes they have seen using rhyming words and illustrations.

Erika-San

Title: Erika-San

Author/Illustrator: Allen Say

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; First Edition edition (January 26, 2009)

Children's Picture Book

Readability Lexile: Grades 3-5

Summary and Target Audience:

Erika is fascinated by a picture in her grandmother's house of a cottage in Japan.  She learns Japanese in school and finds a teaching job in a remote island.  She studies to learn how to perform a tea ceremony for a friend who after a year becomes her husband. 

This story is a good modern-day fairytale for 3rd-5th Grade.

Evaluation of Literature:
This story could really happen- the author does a great job of making the story real and having a plot that could happen in real life even though it is not based on a true story. The plot and series of events could most definitely happen.
Felt like the time and place- the authors description of the cities the main character Erika went to and being so excited to go visit a  foreign place are things that students dream about on a daily basis.  I felt involved in the story and the illustrations helped me put a picture in my head of what it all looked like from her perspective.
Nonwhite characters- while the main character was a white female the book did a good job of making sure that the other characters were portrayed in a positive way.  As far as being factual and honest to their culture I am not sure.  I have heard of tea ceremonies and I did enjoy that it showed growing Japan with all of the technology while still showing the culture there.  I really liked that it was a female character as well even though the woman came from the U.S.  However, the second character, Aki-san, wasn't as complex as the main character and didn't show a lot of emotion like Erika did. 

Literary Elements:
Allegory- the painting in the beginning of the book is an allegory throughout the book and is used to symbolize her grandfather and her hopes and dreams for the future. It is seen again at the end of the book when she is having tea with Aki-san and later purchases the tea house to live in with him as husband and wife. "Erika would remember the picture all through her life."
Analogy- Erika has to take a bullet train to her destination in Japan and says she feels like she's in a space station.  This helped to visualize what it would look like if you visited a station like this in Japan.  "Erika struggled to the bullet train platform.  Now I'm in a space station, she thought.  And here comes the rocket."
Foreshadowing- at the beginning of the book the author makes sure to spend time describing her looking at the picture of the cottage in Japan and making multiple references to it throughout her journey.  When she goes on a bike ride, a build-up is made to let the reader know the house or something that reminds her of home will be seen. "As they walked toward it, a cottage appeared.  Erika covered her mouth with a hand."

Illustrations:
The illustrations were detailed and beautiful.  They captured the event on the opposite page and were a very good representation of the story.  The characters were depicted in action scenes and the scenery varied from watercolors and general, sweeping mountains to very detailed Japanese houses.

Mini-lesson:
The pictures were really fantastic and the story set up a great plot for teaching modern-day fairy tales.  It could also be used for prediction and setting up a story with a main theme with a central object.

Sugar Cookies

Title: Sugar Cookies, Sweet Little Lessons on Love

Author: Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Illustrators: Jane Dyer and Brooke Dyer

Publisher: HarperCollins, October 2009

Readability Lexile: Ages 4-8

Children's Picture Book

Summary and Target Audience:

This story is about making cookies and using the cookie process to talk about character attributes.  It defines words that are associated with love.  From letting your best friend have the last cookie (selfless) to waiting to lick the bowl together (considerate) here is a book for anyone who wants to say I love you.
The audience for a book like this is tricky.  While it does have some great definitions that teach some great lessons about being a "good" person the words chosen are debatable and some parents would not be comfortable having these lessons taught at school.  It is more for personal conversations between students and their parents.
*Has some advanced vocabulary that may be useful for slightly older children such as unrequited.

High Quality Literature:
This is a good story- it was a new way of defining words of character and I really enjoyed the relatable cookie making process that helped kids put into terms words they may be hearing at home or around school.  "Constructive means that if the cookie tastes funny, I'm going to be honest and tell you.  I think you mixed up the salt and sugar."
Illustrations- the illustrations are unfortunately not very diverse.  It is mostly Caucasian children with their moms and dads and some smiling and generic animals.  There were a few different characters but they were few and far between. The animals were all very well dressed as well as the characters.  Some of the characters acted out the vocabulary words as well.
Setting- the setting was generic as well.  Some was outside, some at a table in the kitchen, some at a cookie stand.  None of the settings were very relatable or life-like. I wasn't very impressed with where they were all pictured.

Literary Elements:
Analogy- the whole book was an analogy.  While making cookies there is constant reference to the meaning of the word and how to compare that to sugar cookies and activities that involve sugar cookies. "Heartbroken, my heart feels sad and hurt, like a crumbling cookie."
Metaphor- Throughout the analogy of the book there are metaphors in the definition of each word that help the reader even more in identifying meaning. "Adore means I think you're simply delicious. Oh, I could just gobble you up."
Personification- used in this book again in that the animals all wear clothes and are showing human emotion.  The goat, for example, is holding her heart and has a very loving look on her face while trying to show "adore" on the previous page.

Illustrations:
As mentioned before, the illustrations are not anything special.  The animals are extremely generic and the watercolors, while beautiful, aren't anything that help the reader picture the scene.  The characters are mainly Caucasian with the A-typical family as well as the animals.  There are only two diverse characters, one pictured with a mom who's face is not full profile while another does not have a parent figure with her.

Mini-lesson:
This book would be great for definitions of terms.  However, the types of terms may be advanced for some students or unfamiliar because some terms of love for different cultures are much different than the main stream.  It would help to open up discussion on all terms of endearment.  You could create a word wall of different types of words that build character in all different cultures.

Moo Who?

Title: Moo Who?

Author: Margie Palatini

Illustrator: Keith Graves

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publication Date: September18, 2007

Readibility Lexile: Ages 4-8

Children's Picture Book

Target Audience:

Children ages Preschool-1st Grade

Hilda Mae Heifer has lost her moo after getting bonked in the head with a cow pie- she searches the farm in search of what she is and learns she is not a cat, hen, pig or duck and finally finds her identity when she finds her "moo" once again.

High Quality Literature:
This is a great story- it involves multiple characters and has a good plot involving fun animal noises and would start great conversations for finding out who you are in the world.
The characters grow- not only does Hilda have friends who help her discover who she is but also who she is not.  She tries out multiple different skins and finds that as a cow she is the happiest.
The character overcame the problem- not only did Hilda find out who she was she was able to do it in a fun and entertaining way.  It was an easy read with sounds that could be used for a read-aloud.

Literary Elements:
Personification- like it says in our Through the Eyes book this story has great personification.  Hilda has a very relatable personality and great expression brought to life by the illustrations.  She is pictured as a large cow with very distinct red hair and a big nose.  She never appears to be sad when she can't remember who she is but is confused.
Assonance- the whole book is not in rhyme but the characters have some rhyming lines which makes for a nice flow and develops some great vocabulary.  ("Who?" answered Hilda. "Me? Moo?" "Moo, yes, that is what you do." said Duck.)
Metaphors- this book is full of little metaphors and figures of speech which would be great to talk about in the classroom. "Yup. It was lights out for Hilda Mae Heifer."

Illustrations:
The illustrations were very fun in this book.  The illustrator did a fantastic job of using some watercolors and making the characters very vivid and lifelike.  Their emotions are "written on their face" and he does a great job of illustrating what it would look like if Hilda had "webbed feet like a duck" or "chased a ball of yarn like a cat."

Mini-lesson:
I would use this text to talk about rhyming words and prediction.  I would also talk about voice and have the students come up with their own characters who can't find their identity.  It would also be great for a beginning lesson and having them create their own story of what would happen if they lost their identity and what the thing that means most to them would be.

Where is Tippy Toes?

Where is Tippy Toes?

Author/Illustrator: Betsy Lewin

Publisher: Atheneum, 2010

Children's Fiction Picture Book (32 pages)

Readability Lexile: 4-8

Summary: This children's book is about a small orange cat who goes on an adventure and our curiosity with what our pets at home do while we are away.  This is a great book for ages 4-8 or Pre-K and K.

Evaluation:  This is a fiction book for early childhood education.  It is considered high quality literature because it contains prepositions which will help to reinforce language skills in preschool.  It also has an interesting plot that is not simple but not entirely complex.  It is somewhere in the middle.  It is also a picture book that would allow for children to talk about what they did yesterday and open discussion about pets and family and to engage them in a conversation about what they believe their pets do all day.  It has great illustrations and would be a wonderful starting point for using descriptive language.

Literary Elements:
Rhyming- "Where does Tippy Toes go?  In the soft grass so low."
Foreshadowing- the illustrations allow for predictions and some foreshadowing such as in the middle of the book when there are scaffolded pages where you can only see a tip of Tippy Toes tail.
Personification- Tippy Toes is doing places people would go around the house and outside and also has the facial expressions of a person in the illustrations.


Illustrations:  The words on the pages directly relate to the pictures in the book and showcase the main character of Tippy Toes (or a small piece of the cat) in every page and highlight her main action in the text.

Lesson: As mentioned before this would be very early elementary or even pre-primary.  I would use this to help teach rhyming words by making a word bank of the words that rhyme in the book and putting them up on the board or giving them to students to help hold up or pair together to reinforce the idea of rhyming.

Tuesday

Tuesday

Author/Illustrator: David Weisner

Publisher: Sandpiper, 1997

Children's Picture Book (32 pages)

Readability Lexile: Ages 4-8

Summary: This book takes place on a "Tuesday," and some very interesting events take place from the time of Tuesday Evening (around eight) to the following morning.  The pictures are fanatastic and depict a story of frogs flying around on lilly pads.  It then gives a hint on the last page of pigs taking a similar adventure the following Tuesday night at 7:58pm.  I believe the younger elementary and pre-school ages would love this book and it would be a great tool in teaching predicting and storytelling.

Evaluation: In my opinion this is a great story.  It is not something that would happen in real every day life but it plays on students already amazing imaginations and would help, as mentioned above, in teaching how to tell a story with a clear beginning, middle and end.  It even previews to the next possible story.  The groups of frogs were displayed mainly as a group and even as one strayed to get chased by a dog the group of frogs came and on the next page it showed the opposite; all the frogs chasing the dog.  Although it is not a factual book this is an amazing fiction book with beautiful illustrations.

Literary Elements:
Personification- the frogs appeared human in their facial expressions and reactions to certain events
Foreshadowing- there was some foreshadowing such as the frog who was getting chased by the dog and then the group of frogs came to chase the dog but it also had an element of surprise
"Watercolors (of the illustrations) allow the artist to create illustrations that appear to vary from transparent to heavy" (Through the Eyes of a Child, Chapter 4: Understanding Artists and Their Illustrations, pg 139)

*This story was mainly intended to have the reader tell a story and not so much to teach about appropriate text or morale values.

Lesson: I would use this story if trying to teach early elementary students how to make appopriate sentences for pictures or the other way around.  I would have them write one sentence for one page out of the book that they most enjoyed that they believed would be appropriate for the illustrations.  I would also have them create an illustration of what they believe would be a good last page for the book or a good first page for the next book in this series.