End of Semester Reflection

I have really enjoyed this class. I have learned a lot not only about how to pick childrens literature, but how to discuss the issues in the books. I have read a variety of different books and know more of what kinds of books I want and do not want to include in my future library. The genre project and text set were both incredibly helpful. Finding a variety of books for a certain topic can be hard. It is difficult to find books that have different kinds of characters but are under the same topic or genre. These projects helped me learn how to search for different kinds of books. I really enjoyed our class discussions on books that are controversial. Hearing everyone's views as well as a teachers prospective was very helpful. I think these are important things to deal with before you teach. The novels we read were fun to read. I really enjoyed Love That Dog more then I expected as well as the activity we did on poetry. I could definitely see myself using this book and this activity in my future classroom. It was a fun and creative way to learn about poetry, a unit which some students find difficult and boring. Overall, I really enjoyed this course and learned a lot from it. I am excited to start my own library with many of the books I read while in this class.

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by John Scieszka and Lane Smith

This fractured fairy tale has many classic stories in it that we all know and love, only they are not the way we remember them. Story like the gingerbread man, the princess and the pea, and little red riding hood are given a totally new twist. Our narrator Jack, makes a mockery of the title page, the table of contents, and even the endpaper by shuffling, scoffing, and generally paying no mind to structure. Characters slide in and out of tales; Cinderella rebuffs Rumpelstiltskin, and the Giant at the top of the beanstalk snacks on the Little Red Hen. There is not much to learn or take away from this book, it is just simply a fun story.

I always loved this book as a kid. One of my favorite things to do was to read this book to my younger friends or kids I babysit for. I loved the idea of fairy tales I know and love being completely turned upside down. There was something so interesting about stories we know so well being changed. In most fairy tales there is a happily ever after or some lesson learned, but in The Stinky Cheese Man, that is not the case.

This is just read a loud book for students in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade. They will simply laugh out loud while the book is being read. I think this is a fun book to include in a classroom library because it goes against many of the stereotypes of what people think a book should be. Reading is reading and if kids want to read a book that is a little different and fun, then this is the book for them.

Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey

Players in Pigtails is the story of a girl who loved to play baseball. During World War II all the men went off to fight in the war. Baseball was still going on because they wanted to give the fans something to look forward to. With not many men left to play, Phillip Wrigley decided to starts a baseball league for women called the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Katie Casey goes out for the league and makes the team. She gets to play baseball with other women who love the sport as much as she does. Though people were skeptical about women playing, they eventually came out to the games and cheered for the women baseball players dressed in skirts and pigtails!

This book is based off the movie A League of Their Own which is one of my personal favorites. Reading this book reminded me of the movie. I know that movie is not appropriate for elementary school children, but telling them about that time and maybe watching a clip of the movie so they could see would be good paired with this book. I like that this book is breaking down the stereotyps of boys and girls. Many people think that baseball is a boy sport, but this book proves that wrong. Many girls tried out for the league and played during this time. Though many women chose softball, the girl version of baseball, many women still enjoy playing baseball instead.

I think this book would be a great addition to a classroom library. It shows baseball in a light and from a girls perspective. It is important for kids to learn about things from different angels and perspectives. If they only read on version of something they will think that that is the way it is and not believe anything else. Offering variety will show students that there is a big world out there and many different kids of people who like different things. They cannot assume that something is just for boys or just for girls because as this book has shows, that is not the case.

Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki

Baseball Saved Us is a touching story of a boy who everyone called Shorty, for obvious reasons, and his family who were thrown into Japanese internment camps during World War II. Life in the camp was hard and the people were very bored and unhappy. Shorty's father decided to build a baseball field so that it could give everyone something to look forward to. Shorty was not a great player, but he was still excited to play. While in the camp, and then once he was released, Shorty made some great hits and became the hero of his team. This book shows how people can rise above even during hard times.

I used this book for my text set on baseball and fell in love with it. I enjoyed the historical aspect of the book as well as the story of the boy Shorty who overcame adversity and being the small kid on the team. This book gives kids hope everywhere that they can do anything they set their mind to if they word hard and try. I think there are many things can be learned from this book. Many children may not know that Japanese Americans were put inside camps. This book is a good way to introduce that.

A book for 2nd-4th graders. The story can be fun and enjoyable for young kids, but also educational for the older kids. I would definitely include this book in my classroom library for several reasons. I am a lover of baseball therefore I would enjoy having this book. I like the historical aspect of this book and think it a good way to tie in reading a social studies. The last reason is because it sends a positive message about being an underdog or an unlikely hero. I think kids will love this book as much as I did.

A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk A forest of poems by Deborah Ruddell

This lighthearted poetry book takes the reader through the seasons in the forest. Using animals like a beaver, snail, and squirrel the reader feels like they are being sucked inside this magical forest. The poems are fun and great for anyone who is an animal lover. The rhymes fit perfectly in the poem and do not feel forced like some poems do. The perfect mix of poetry and illustrations to create a lovely poetry book for kids.

The book has a nice collection of poems about animals during the different seasons. A book I would consider using in my classroom library. It could be beneficial during a lesson on poetry, a just a fun book to include for the kids to free read. The rhyming words and the pace of the poems could also be helpful for kids working on their fluency skills. When kids are learning to read, using short poems like these could be helpful.

This book should be used with students in 2nd and 3rd grade because some of the words are a little more difficult to read for beginning readers. A fun book that has light beautiful art work that really compliment the poems. For animal and poetry lovers, this book will for a sure winner.

Button Up! by Alice Schertle

Button Up! is a picture book filled with short poems told from the perspective of the clothes in our closets. With creative and funny poems told from the perspective of undies, hats, shoes, jammies, swim suits, and other various articles of clothing. These poems are unique and fun for kids to read who are learning about poetry.

When writing poetry, children usually get stuck on what to write about. This book had poems that are all about an article of clothing. Children can read this book and get ideas for things to write about. They can write about a favorite thing of theirs. I really enjoyed the poems in this book. I think they had a creative idea and clever rhyming. I can see a book like this being used in my classroom for students who are struggling with ideas.

A great book for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders. Reading some of these poems out loud to the class can stir up ideas for writing of their own. The students can also draw pictures of their own based on the poems they hear. I wish I had a book like this when I was in grade school because poetry was so hard for me. When reading a few poems I could already think of a few ideas of what I could write about for my own poem. I think kids will find the poems funny and will want to write ones of their own.

Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry by Joyce Sidman

This unique poetry book follows a lost dog and a cat who gets abandoned on the the side of the road. The two find each other, and although sworn enemies, they team up during a thunderstorm and find shelter. They sleep underneath a picnic bench and snuggle up together to find warmth. In the morning, the puppies owner finds him with the cat, and decides to cat the cat home with them because the two have become friends.

I have never read a poetry children's book like this one before. The trees, street, clouds, and rain were all made of descriptive words instead of just a picture. I found this to be very creative. You could spend a long time reading every word on every page of this book. Ir was a unique way to use poetry in a childrens book. I liked that it did not rhyme like most childrens books do. It used many description words that are good in poems. I think children could learn a lot from this book during a poetry unit.

For 2nd-4th graders, this book uses story, art, and concrete poetry to bring the book to life. The pictures filled with words catch your eye and are a different way to use poetry in a story. For the cold, it uses white font to say "plump, bright dome of sugary white sky muffin". This is just one of many great examples of how descriptive words are used. The overall message of the story of the cat and the dog was fun as well and with the added poetry, it made for a fun story that I think kids will enjoy.

The Everything Book by Denise Fleming

The Everything Book is just that, a book of EVERYTHING. It has colors, counting, shapes, letters, rhymes, ect. This book is filled with fun poems and fun rhymes.

Kids will fall in love with this book. The poems are fun and easy to learn. They all have some educational value to them and could easily be used in a lesson. The letters, numbers, and shapes could also be used. With poems including five little chickens, traffic lights, choo choo, two little black birds, and tippy toes, kids will for sure find one that they love. All of these rhythmic poems can be used to help fluency. The pictures in the book are fun and engaging. This book can be used during a lesson on beginners poetry. The poems could also be used as songs. You can create a melody for them poems and have the students sing a long.

This book is great for Kindergartners and first graders. It is a book with many things that students can use to help them learn. When using it with second graders, they really enjoyed the many different kinds of poems and learning tools that are easy for kids to follow and read. I would include this book in my classroom library because it is a fun, educational book that kids will enjoy.

Welcome, Baby! Baby Rhymes for Baby Times by Stephanie Calmenson

This book of poems and rhymes is fun for pre K-Kindergarten students. It is a book filled with poems about babies. It celebrates their daily lives from birth up to toddlerhood. The catchy poems will make you smile, and show babies learning about themselves, their families, and the world around them. From diaper changes to playing horsey, and from splashing in the tub to giving mommy a good morning kiss, the love, happiness, and fun that babies bring to our lives are captured by the poems in this book

This book of poems and rhymes are fun for young readers. It will not only help with fluency and other reading strategies, but it will teach readers about basic poetry. All of the poems in the book rhyme, which is a good thing for children learning to read. It can be helpful when learning lessons about the onset and rime of a word. This book seems to be for "babies" or really young children, but I can see these poems being used in an elementary school. Everyone knows about babies and was a baby at one point. They can relate to the poems in the book. I would include this book in my classroom library because it is a great way to teach beginners poetry to your students. The poems are cute and fun. All will enjoy them.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Love That Dog is a book in poetry form about a boy named Jack. The book is notebook entries that Jack writes to his teacher along with poetry. In the beginning of the book, Jack was very shy about his writing. He was not share whether his work was considered real poetry. He enjoyed reading many of the poems that his teacher read to them. As the book goes on, Jack begins to get more comfortable with his poetry, telling his teacher she can put it up on the board, but without a name. He became a fan of them poems of Walter Dean Meyers. He really wanted Walter to come in and speak to his class so he wrote him a letter. Jack did not expect a response, but to his surprise, Walter Dean Meyers came to his class. By the end of the story, Jack was very open about his poetry and was pleased to have it shown for people to see.

I thought this book was a quick and easy read. In poetry form, kids will be sure to love it because it does not look long like a regular book. It also challenges what people consider "poetry". Many students can relate to Jack. Everyone is a little self conscious about their writing, especially poetry. I still get worried that a poem I write is actually poetry or not. Jack's personality through out the story was very fun and relatable. I can see many kids out there like Jack. The progression that Jack went through throughout the book seemed very organic. He slowly became more comfortable with his writing abilities.

This book would be great for 5th and 6th graders. When doing a poetry lesson, it would be a good idea to include this book. I think students will enjoy it and it will open up poetry to them in a new and fun way. It will show them that poetry is more then what they are made to believe. It does not need to look a certain way or need to rhyme. There are many different forms, and that is something that Love That Dog really shows. I would definitely want to include this in my classroom.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

Yoko Kawashima, her mother, and her sister are living in Nanam, a city in northern Korea. When Korea becomes dangerous, Yoko and her family must return to Japan, hiding from both the Japanese military and the Koreans. Her brother, Hideyo, also tries to flee but he is separated from his family as he is employed at an ammunition factory because he can't join the army. The family experiences a difficult journey as they make their way to Seoul and to Pusan to take a ferry to Japan. When Yoko, her sister Ko, and her mother reach Fukuoka, they travel to Kyoto, as the mother had been educated there. She then leaves for Aomori to seek help from their grandparents. She returns to Yoko and her sister bringing sad news that both of their grandparents are dead. The mother dies on the same day, leaving Yoko and Ko waiting for the eventual return of their brother, Hideyo. Yoko's essay is later published in a newspaper, which helps Hideyo find them. A few months later, Yoko, Ko, and Hideyo are eventually reunited at Maizuru, and Hideyo tells his tale of how he escaped North Korea and made it to Japan.

This story could be used in a classroom along with Year of Impossible Goodbyes because the two stories are different perspective on a part of the war that very little know about. I think this story is a compelling one, but also has some controversy to it. There were some parts of the story that may be difficult for students to read, but I believe the best place to read about these things is in the safety of a classroom. I think it is important for these stories to be read together, rather then one or the other because then the class can get two perspectives.

This book can be read with 6th-8th graders. I think students may find some of it difficult to read, but will ultimately learn a lot from it. Controversial books like this are often the most exciting for kids to read. They can learn a little bit more about a time in our history that they are probably unfamiliar with. I think it is important for students to get different perspectives from books like these and know that they are not entirely factual. I am not sure if I would use this text in my classroom, but if I do, I will definitely use it with Year of Impossible Goodbyes