In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

In the Night Kitchen is a controversial book about a young boy named Mickey who is sleeping in his bed. All of a sudden he is disturbed by a noise coming from downstairs. He begins to float out of his bed, and his clothes, and drifts into a surreal world called the night kitchen. He then falls into a pot of cake batter. Three bakers continue to mix the batter and are unaware of the naked boy inside. As they are about to bake him, Mickey pops out and says that he is not the milk for the batter. Mickey, now covered in dough, makes an airplane and uses it to fly to the top of a giant milk bottle. He dives into the milk to recover some for the bakers. He sends the milk down to them and they are delighted to finish their cake. Mickey slides down the bottle and ends up back in his bed, with only the memory of this crazy dream.

This book is considered controversial because Mickey is naked for most of it. Though I agree that the nudity may not fully be necessary in the story, I do not see the major controversy in it. Sure, kids may point and giggle and the body parts of Mickey, but I think they are young enough to get past that and still be able to pay attention of the plot of the story. In class we watched the book being read to a young boy. He took notice that Mickey has no clothes on, but did not dwell on it and continued to listen to the story.

If parents have a problem with this book because in my classroom then I guess I would consider removing it, but I do not see why this book would not be included in a library. I think it is a cute story and do not find the nudity to be that distracting. I can see how people may find it controversial however that is why I would use discretion. I would use this book K-second graders. It is a fun story that children will laugh out loud at.

My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco

My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother is a story that anyone with a sibling can relate it. It is the story of the author Patricia and her big brother Richard. He can do everything Patricia can do, only better! He can run faster, climb higher, and throw farther. Patricia's grandmother teaches her she can wish upon a star and so Patricia wishes that she could do something better then her older brother. The next day they attended a carnival and went on a merry go round. Richard got off before Patricia and she was so excited that she had stayed on longer then. The next thing she knew she was in her house and her family was hovering over her telling her she had fallen off the merry go round. Richard had carried her home and ran to the doctor. Patricia thanked Richard and he told her that was what older brothers were for.

Having an older brother myself, I could relate to Patricia in this story. My brother and I used to play together a lot when we were younger and I hated how he always beat me at things. We would fight a lot, but in the end, I always knew he would have my back no matter what. I think this story is a fun book for kids and easy to relate to if you have siblings. I love how Patricia writes about her own childhood because they are things are the reader may have experienced in their own childhoods. The strong family values in her books are so special.

I would include this book in my classroom library. This is a book book for students in second and third grade. Her books tend to be longer and more challenging, but still have great illustrations for students. Her books always find a way to warm my heart and I believe they will do the same for the students who read them.

Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco

Sheldon was left for dead in a pasture somewhere in Georgia when Pinkus found him. The mahogany skin colored boy was wearing Union colors just as Sheldon was. He picked him up and carried him out of the field and brought him to his mother Moe Moe Bays house. She was very kind and gentle, and cared for both of the boys. They were putting her in danger because they were in confederate territory. Though Sheldon, who asked to be called Say, did not want to go back and fight, he knew he had to do it for Pink. Before they could get out of the house, the marauding Confederate troops rode in. Moe Moe Bay hid the boys, but sadly she was killed. Pink and Say were then captured and thrown into a confederate camp. They were separated in the camp and never saw each other again. Say would survive and go on to have a family, but sadly Pink did not. This book is in memory of Pink.

This amazing story of friendship in time of war is beautifully written and incredibly sad. This picture book is a great story to include in a classroom library for students in older grades for 9-12 year olds. It could be a good book to read when learning about the civil war. The war is not the focus, but the effects of the war on those who were fighting in it. Pink and Say form a strong bond in such a short amount of time. Pink and Moe Moe Bay took Say in and nursed him back to health. This is a great way for students to see that helping others in need is very important. This book dealt with deep issues that could be hard to discuss with younger kids, but I think would be good for 4th and 5th graders. The book was long and very detailed.

I was tearing up while reading this book and saddened to find out that Pink did not make it. Though this book does not have the happiest of endings, it is important for children to learn that now everything in the world is perfect. Parents like to shield their children from the world, but the truth is we all are going to loss at some point in our lives. There is a proper way to learn about these subjects and I think there is no way better to learn about it, then with a childrens book.

When Lightning Comes in a Jar by Patricia Polacco

When Lightening Comes in a Jar is a story about family, like many of Patricia's books. It is time for Trisha's annual family reunion. All of her relatives are coming and she cannot wait. Every year they do the same activities. They throw a feast with tons of jell-o, a croquet game, and best of all there is storytelling time when all of the great aunts pull out their photo albums and try to top each others stories with another fantastic memory. This year, Trisha's gramma promised that she will help them catch lightening in a jar. She is so excited for her gramma to show her this magical trick. Once it is dark all the children go outside and gramma brings them all jars. She calls to the ground for the lightening to appear and like magic little fireflies are everywhere. This new tradition is one that will be passed on for generations to come at the annual family reunion only this time, it will be Trisha performing the magic of lightning in a jar.

This book made me think of my own traditions I have with my family. Every family has their own traditions so this book could be a good way to get kids writing about traditions they have in their families. I love the sense of love and family in Patricia's novels because it is something that most people can relate to. This book could be good for a read a loud in class because it is long for a picture book. I usually like pictures that are very colorful and unique, but I love the realistic pictures that Patricia draws. Since this story is realistic fiction, it makes sense.

I think this story would be good for second and third graders. I am sure after reading it they will want to try to catch lightning in a jar themselves. This book is very heartwarming and really made me appreciate my family and my traditions. I think after reading this the students will have many of their own family memories to share and could make for a fun lesson after reading this book.

The Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco

The Lemonade Club is a true story about two best friends, Traci and Marilyn. They love their 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Wichelman. They learned from her that when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade! Things are going well, until Traci begins to notice that Marilyn is growing thinner and weaker. She finds out that Marilyn has Leukemia, a type of cancer. Marilyn is fighting a tough battle and is having a hard time dealing with the pain of her illness. When she returns to school, she discovers that she has the support of her whole class, who all shaved their heads to look just like her. Mrs. Wichelman is forming a close bond with Traci and Marilyn, and the girls discover that is hiding something from them. It turns out that she is fighting a battle too, with breast cancer. The girls motivate Mrs. Wichelman to fight her illness as well and to be all she can be, just like she taught them. Mrs. Wichelman explains that she wants the girls to attend her wedding in yellow dresses. In the end, the book jumps five years into the future in a church...for Mrs. Wichelman's wedding! Both Traci AND Marilyn are their for her in their yellow dresses to celebrate this wonderful day!

This book was incredibly emotional and I shed some tears while reading it. It is a beautiful story of friendship in the hardest of times. I connected with this story because my next door neighbor pasted away from Leukemia right after we graduated high school. He was a fighter, but unfortunately the cancer won. This story, though sad and very serious, did have a happy ending. Not all of these stories have happy endings, but there are some that do. This is a true story, so it makes it that much happier! While reading I kept thinking how I would feel reading this to my class. It would be a tough story to read because some students could have a connection to the story like I did with a relative or a friend. It is tough to say if I would include it in my library. If I did, I would maybe make a note on it that said it is a serious story that deals with serious issues and the children can chose to read if they want.

I would use this book for 3rd graders. It is a picture book, but a longer picture book. I think children books that deal with issues like this are important to include in a library, but you have to be very careful with it. It is a subject that can be hard to understand and difficult for students. It would take a mature classroom of students to be able to use it as a read aloud. I really did enjoy this book because it was a real story and really touched me.

Babushka's Doll by Patricia Polacco

Babushka's Doll is the story of a girl named Natasha who is spending the day with her Babushka, which is grandmother in Russian. Natasha is being a bit naughty and asking her grandmother to do feed her and push her around in a goat cart on their farm. Her grandmother has many things to do and keeps telling Natasha to be patient or do something herself. They do inside and Natasha see's a doll of her grandmothers. Her grandmother explains she has only played with it once. Her grandmother leaves for a bit and Natasha is left with the doll. All the sudden the doll comes to life and Natasha, though frighten at first, begins to play with the doll. After a while, the doll is commanding things of Natasha. It makes Natasha feed it, push it on the swing and in the cart, and iron its dress. Natasha is not happy with this because she is just a little girl and is finding the doll to be very rude. When her grandmother comes back so tells her what happened and explains that she never wants to play with the doll again. As grandmother puts the doll away, it winks at her and Natasha was never naughty again.

This story is a fun way for kids to learn to be a bit more respectful to their elders. At first when the doll comes alive, I think it is very exciting and will give Natasha some to play with, but then you see how naughty the doll is. It was a fun twist for Natasha to get a taste of her own medicine. Many children are like Natasha and become very selfish and demanding of their parents and grandparents. It is hard for them to know they are doing this, so this book is very clever and teaches Natasha a lesson. It is not fun to have someone boss you around and order you to do things for them. You have to be polite and then they will want to things for you.

I think this book would be a great addition to my classroom library. It has a nice message that children can understand and maybe relate it. It is for ages 4-8 years old. The pictures, also done by Patricia Polacco have a very old fashion feel to them which I like. It may not be as appealing to kids, but I really enjoyed this book and think that kids will find it fun and learn from it as well.

The Misfits by James Howe

The Misfits is the story of a group of friends, Bobby, Skeezie, Addie, and Joe. They are transitioning into their teenage years. They are the outcasts of their school. Bobby is overweight, Skeezie is the "hooligan", Addie is the activist, and Joe is just beginning to discover his sexuality. Addie decides to take a stand and form her own political party at school to run for student council. They are sick of the popular kids running the school. Middle School is a tough time for many kids who do not feel like they belong and this group of misfits takes a stand for outcasts everywhere.

I think this book, though controversial, is a book that I would want to read with my students. I know that many schools ban it, so I probably would not be able to. Though this book deals with issues like sexuality, I think it is important for students to learn about that in school and through literature rather then from things they may hear from others. In middle school everyone is discovering who they are and trying to fit in. The misfits shows students that it is OKAY to be different and to stand out. It shows that you can stand up for what you believe in and be who you are.

I would read this book with 6-8th graders. 6th graders might be a little young for the content, so maybe just 7th and 8th graders. It is a quick and easy read. I think that this book would make for great conversation in the class, especially because it has been banned. When books are banned it makes students want to read them more. They are curious and want to know why the book was banned. The friendship between the friends is what I really liked about the book. They accepted each other for who they were. I think everybody needs friends like that, especially in middle school.