A Calming Collection

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'Til All the Stars Have Fallen

selected by David Booth

illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

published by the Penguin Group, England, 1989

Summary: A collection of poems about a variety of subjects for children.

Strengths: The diverse selection and beautiful illustrations create a excellent selection of poems to share with children. A wide variety of poems written in different styles are presented. Some of the poems are in different shapes and some include repetition. This provides an introduction to these styles for students and there is a wide selection of poems from which to choose. The illustrations are wistful and the combination of black and white illustrations with colored illustrations add to the fun and calming nature of the book. The students can relate to many of these poems.

Concerns: Some of the poems seem randomly assorted. For example, in the section titled "In Silent Snow", there is a poem about mosquitoes. However, in the introduction, Mr. Booth said that his poems were organized in a unique way. Some children may consider the pictures abstract because they are not like picture book pictures complimenting the text.

Classroom Use/Other Comments: Teachers can use these poems in the classroom by sharing them with students. My practicum teacher has been giving her class a poem a day as part of fluency practice. She reads the poem as they read along and then the whole class reads chorally. They look at different aspects of the poem. Teachers can have students pick a poem from this book and present it to the class or illustrate it. Children can also read this book for fun. Ages 8 and up.

Swirl and Whirl Away a Bad Day

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Mrs. Biddlebox

by Linda Smith

illustrated by Marla Frazee

published by Harper Collins, 2002

Summary: " With baking magic, Mrs. Biddlebox uses fog, dirt, sky, and other ingredients of a rotten day to transform it into a sweet cake."

Strengths: The dynamic illustrations and rhyming text make this book a memorable tale sure to change any bad day into a day full of laughter. Younger children will enjoy finding Mrs. Biddlebox's duck that is along for the adventure. The imagery and delightful pictures make this story a fun read. Children can imagine following Mrs. Biddlebox's actions in order to improve their own bad days.

Concerns: Students may not understand at first what exactly is being baked. Readers will need their imagination hats on!

Classroom Use/Other Comments: This book would be a great book to read aloud and to discuss rhyme. Only the second and fourth lines have an end rhyme, which is something that students can discuss. Children aged 4 and up would enjoy listening to the book and older students would be able to read this book on their own. This book could be a good introduction to imagery and figurative language. Children can write their own story about making something into a cake without using tangible, normal ingredients.

Annie in Action

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heartbeat

by Sharon Creech

published by Harpers Collins, NY, 2004

Summary: "Twelve year old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life the year that her mother becomes pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and her best friend (and running partner) becomes distant."

Strengths: I love the rhythm used in this book that definitely portrays the feeling of running and of a heart beating. The way this book is written makes it very unique and very catchy. The imagery used in Annie's class assignment of depicting an apple over time is very symbolic and adds a lot to the book. Students who have aging grandparents and students who will soon have a baby sibling can definitely relate to the main character. The relationship between Max and Annie as they run and help each other adds another interesting story line. I really like that this book encourages one to stay true to oneself, just as Annie stayed true to herself by not running on a team. (I also enjoyed that I could relate to the character through my name and passion for running!)

Concerns: Elementary school aged students may have difficulties relating to this book. The main character is 12 years old, so middle school aged students would probably really enjoy this book. Students need to be prepared to read this book in a different way because it is written as poetry. Without preparation, students may be very confused.

Classroom Use/Other Comments: Ages 9 and up. Teachers can use this book in the classroom to introduce footnotes through the parts of the book about learning footnotes. Students could read this book for fun or as a way to learn about use of poetry in books.

Relax in the Meadow

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Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow

written by Joyce Sidman

illustrated by Beth Krommes

published by Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 2006

Summary: The meadow is explored in the form of poetry and illustrations.

Strengths: The scratchboard illustrations in this book are intricate and unique designs that depict the meadow very well. I really like that the layout of the book gives children the opportunity to guess which animal is being described and that the layout of each poem is different. The illustrations also provide clues to the reader. Some of the poems, like those about the snake and the toad, are in the shapes of the animals, which adds a very fun twist. A few of the animals in the book may be unknown to students, so these poems and pictures are excellent ways of learning more about nature.

Concerns: Children may be confused reading this on their own without guidance of pronunciation and how to guess the animals. They may not want to read the information about the elements of the meadow and may just stick to reading the poems.

Classroom Use/Other Comments: This book is an excellent tool in the classroom. Not only does it provide excellent examples of poetry, but it has information about animals and other elements of a meadow. The poetry also gives children an opportunity to guess which animal the poem is describing. Teachers can add art to lessons by learning more about the technique of scratchboard illustrations, which many students may enjoy. The book also includes a glossary, so that children can learn scientific terms and practice looking up words that they do not know. (Ages 8 and up)

A Day In Nature

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Fireflies at Midnight

by Marilyn Singer

pictures by Ken Robbins

published by Atheneum Books for Younger Readers, NY, 2003

Summary: This is a collection of poems about animals depicted throughout one day.

Strengths: This collection provides a great connection between illustrations and text. I like that the book uses different types of poetry and does not consist only of rhymes. This book is very fun to read aloud and really tells a lot about each animal through poetry. The pictures are unique and provide different perspectives, like a close up image of a robin with a dog in the background at the bottom of a tree. My favorite poem in this selection is Otter, which provides a vivid depiction of an otter.

Concerns: My only concern was that I thought that some of the pictures were a little unusual and had grainy textures.

Classroom Use/ Other Comments: These poems would be great to read when teaching about animals. Each student could pick an animal and write a poem. A lot of vocabulary is also introduced and I think that the poems would be useful for teaching different parts of speech. Young children would enjoy hearing this book and older children would enjoy reading these poems. I think it is appropriate for ages 7-10.

More Travel Through Traditional Literature

Paul Bunyan

retold and illustrated by Steven Kellogg

published by Morrow and Company, NY, 1984

Summary: Recounts the life of the extraordinary lumberjack whose unusual size and strength brought him many fantastic adventures.

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The tale of Paul Bunyan is well known to me after countless summers spent visiting Paul and Babe in Bemidji, Minnesota and screaming in a log chute on the Paul Bunyan ride at the Mall of America. The dynamic illustrations of this book provide details and compliment the easy-to-read sentences. This story would be great for teaching geography by giving students the opportunity to follow Paul's path and discover the tall tales of how different landmarks are made. For example, students could find the Grand Canyon when reading that it was made by Paul dragging his ax.

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Cendrillon

by Robert D. San Souci

illustrated by Brian Pinkney

published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, NY, 1998

Summary: A Creole variant of the familiar Cinderella tale set in the Caribbean and narrated by the godmother who helps Cendrillon find her true love.

The colorful and bright illustrations of clothes, landscape, and architecture in this book provide insight into the culture and landscape of the Caribbean. I really liked reading this traditional story from the perspective of the godmother and learning the history and connection between the godmother and Cendrillon. The French Creole words and phrases are explained and defined at the end of the book.

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The Way Meat Loves Salt
by Nina Jaffe
illustrated by Louise August
published by Henry Holt & Company, NY, 1998

Summary: In this Eastern European Jewish variant of the Cinderella story, the youngest daughter of a rabbi is sent away from home in disgrace, but thanks to the help of the prophet Elijah, marries the son of a renowned scholar and is reunited with her family. Includes words and music to a traditional Yiddish wedding song.

I love the use of white space on the pages of this book with blurry borders of different colors on white pages. I also really liked the patterns on the traditional clothes of the people in the story. The illustrations and words share a lot about traditional Jewish customs and traditions. I liked that this story was very different from the "Disney" version of Cinderella and that the boy left the wedding first.

Crossing the Wadi While Building Vocabulary

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Hosni the Dreamer

by Ehud Ben-Ezer

pictures by Uri Shulevitz

published by Harper Collins, Canada, 1997

Summary: "Hosni, a shepherd living in the desert, finally realizes his dream of traveling to the city where he spends his gold dinar in a way which changes his life forever."

Strengths: The beautiful illustrations in this picture book describing an Arabian tale provide a beautiful color palette of warm colors to remind the reader of the setting and culture. The illustrations, especially those in the city, provide insight into the lives of the people in the story with beautifu designs. I like that the story encourages individualism, travel, and adventures. The story also relays the important message that material things are not essential and that listening and knowledge are more important. In addition, the message that making fun of people leads to unfortunate circumstances.

Concerns: The story starts off with the word, sheikh, which students may not know. If they are reading on their own, they may be confused and concerned that they will not understand the story. Teachers should be sure to go over any of these vocabulary words before starting or make sure the students know that they can use context clues or a dictionary to look up any unknown words. In addition, some of the characters in the book drown, which may be a touchy subject in class, depending on the maturity of the students.

Classroom Use/Other Comments: This book would be great for younger children, aged 4-8 as a book to which to listen and to possibly compare the city and the country. Older children, aged 8-10 could read this on their own as an examination of different traditional tales, as an exploration of different cultures, or just for fun. The story also introduces different vocabulary, like sheikh, pilaf, halvah, wadi, and dinar, which will expand the childrens' vocabularies.

Learning About the World Through Folktales

I read a variety of traditional stories from different cultures around the world in addition to the other traditional literature books I described in other posts. The messages in these stories are universal, but the characters, settings, and illustrations provide a glimpse into different cultures, times, and places.

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The Rooster Who Went to His Uncle's Wedding
Retold by Alma Flor Ada
Illustrated by Kathleen Kuchera
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, NY, 1993

Summary: "In this cumulative folktale from Latin America, the sun sets off a chain of events which results in the cleaning of Rooster's beak in time for his uncle's wedding."


This book would be a great book to read aloud to children aged 4-8. They will be able to catch on and help read as the rooster meets all of the different elements of nature in the story. The beautiful illustrations provided a glimpse into the colorful, bright, and tropical landscape of Latin America, possibly in Cuba, where the author first heard the story. The liveliness, dress, and props of the characters also show the reader some of the cultural traits of Latin America.



The Wise Old Woman
retold by Yoshiko Uchida
illustrated by Martin Springett
published by Macmillan Publishing, NY, 1994


Summary: "An old woman demonstrates the value of her age when she solves a warlord's three riddles and saves her village from destruction."

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The simple, but meaningful illustrations of this story show the reader the mountainous landscape and provides images of the people, animals, architecture, and nature of Japan. The story reveals the important Japanese message of respect for your elders and for wisdom. I really like how the pages are illustrated not only with a one page colorful illustration, but also with a solid color and black illustration of something else happening on that page of the story.

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Mr. Semolina-Semolinus
retold by Anthony L. Manna and Christodoula Mitakidou
illustrated by Giselle Potter

published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, NY, 1997

Summary: Areti, a Greek princess, makes a man fit for her to love from almonds, sugar, and semolina, but when he is stolen away by a jealous queen, Areti searches the world for him.

The author includes in her note about the story information about similar stories from Mediterranean countries and explains that Areti means "virtue" in Greek. I loved the unique illustrations in this book that added a sense of comedy, while matching the words in a lovely way. The moon, sun, and stars whom Areti visits are beautifully illustrated and show the importance of astrology to Greek culture. The landscape and buildings show the diversity of Greece. The use of certain phrases seem to be unique and may be Greek translations, such as "One time in a time" and "...she took roads, she left roads, until she wore out the first pair of iron shoes." Finally, I really liked how the character of Mr. Semolina-Semolinus was more important than his beauty because his kindness was ten times above all others, but his beauty was only "five times above all others".

Storytelling Revival of the East Coast

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Grandfather Tales: American English Folk Tales

collected and retold by Richard Chase

illustrated by Berkeley Williams, Jr.

published by Houghton Mifflin Company, Massachusetts, 1948

Summary: This book is a collection of traditional stories from North Carolina and Virginia meant to be read aloud and shared with children and adults.

Strengths: The stories in this book are very funny and provide a lot of information about the people of North Carolina through the dialect, dialogue, and story. The tradition of storytelling is emphasized throughout this book as an important way of sharing a culture. The characters in the stories are very distinct and have unique characteristics that make the stories exciting and interesting. I also like how the story includes some songs including the music, which can help students who are auditory learners and can add something different to a story.

Concerns: . I noticed that some of these illustrations do not fit with what is going on on that page. Beacuse it is not a picture book, it is not a huge concern, but may add some confusion to students. In addition, some of the words were written in a dialect, which may confuse students if it is not discussed and addressed properly before reading. I was also concerned with the content of some of the stories. Although the stories are not inappropriate, some, such as "Old Christmas Eve" may be considered too religious for school.

Classroom Use/Other Comments: I think that this book would be appropriate for older students, aged 10 and up, because of the dialect and unique stories told. This would be an excellent book to practice fluency. Students could work in groups to rehearse telling one of the stories and then present to the class. Teachers could also develop these stories into Reader's Theater, especially if there are stories with more than one character. For example, "Gallymanders! Gallymanders!" includes dialogue with the old woman, the two girls, the cow, the horse, and the peach tree. With practice, the students can put much expression and feeling into their presentations. This would also be an appropriate collection to compare traditional literature of different regions and to show how traditional literature provides insight into different cultures.

Building a Multicultural and Poetic Bridge

I read and commented on a blog with information on a few books that received multicultural awards. I plan on reading these books along with the related books that the blog author recommends!

I was also greatly saddened by Ms. Vardell's posting of a moving poem and link to another blog commemorating two librarians, Kate McClelland and Kathy Krasniewicz, who passed away in a car accident in Denver. I would like to offer my condolences for the families and friends of these women, specifically Kyle Stetson and Lauren Glover. Take a moment to reflect on the impact librarians, family members, teachers, and friends have had on you.

School Librarian

By Kristine O’Connell George

Mrs. Thompson knows I love sad stories.

The books she lends me

come with

hidden bookmarks—

folded tissues tucked into

the sad parts.

From: George, Kristine O’Connell. 2002. Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems. New York: Clarion Books, p. 35.,

found on http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com/

Do You Have Any Advice for Those of Us Just Starting Out?
Ron Koertge

Not surprisingly, libraries are a good place to write.
And the perfect place in a library is near an aisle
where a child a year or two old is playing as his
mother browses the ranks of the dead.
Often he will pull books from the bottom shelf.
The title, the author's name, the brooding photo
on the flap mean nothing. Red book on black, gray
book on brown, he builds a tower. And the higher
it gets, the wider he grins.

You who asked for advice, listen: When the tower
falls, be like that child. Laugh so loud everybody
in the world frowns and says, "Shhhh."

Then start again.

From: Koertge, Ron. 2006. Fever, 2006. California: Red Hen Press,

found on Carol's Corner and Poetry180

A Twist of Darkness in a Light Fairytale

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Zel

by Donna Jo Napoli

published by Dutton Children's Books, New York, 1996

Summary: "Based on the fairy tale Rapunzel, the story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Zel, her mother, and the prince, and delves into the psychological motivation of the characters."

Strengths: This novel puts a definite twist on the story of Rapunzel by adding a variety of perspectives, enhancing the readers' insight into the events of the story. I thought that the story was very well written with much imagination. This is a story to which some students can relate if they feel they have an overbearing parent, feel suicidal or psychologically mad, feel trapped, or feel locked out of love. The nature of the story also urges the reader to continue reading to find out what will happen. For an appropriate age group and with guidance, this book can provide insight into the psychology and thoughts of different characters.

Concerns: This book had a dark and morose feel, with many religious, suicidal, and sexual overtones. I did not personally care for the change in tenses throughout the story because it seemed to put more emphasis on Mother, who was presented in first person and less emphasis on the Zel and Count Konrad, who were presented in third person.

Classroom Use/Other Comments: This book would only be appropriate for older students, at least eighth grade or high school, depending on the maturity of the children. This story could be used as an individual reading activity or involve lessons on writing from different perspectives and points of view, as well as lessons on the difference between first and third person. Parents could possibly read this story with their older children to bring up conversations on feeling protective or on suicidal or sexual feelings.

Growing Plant Vocabulary

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Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf

by Lois Ehlert

published by Harcourt Inc, Florida, 1991

Summary: "A child describes the growth of a maple tree from seed to sapling."

Strengths: This book is beautifully illustrated with very unique depictions of nature. The pictures are very well coordinated with the words and show unique perspectives of the tree as it grows and moves. This book offers a unique perspective of how the tree grows from seedling and then is moved to the nursery. I think that children would be able to relate to the child narrator and the word choice is great for children learning to read. Many of the pictures are labeled with words describing parts of the picture, such as maple tree roots, garden glove, and Black-capped Chicadee, which promotes science vocabulary development. I also liked the bright background colors used on each double page spread. I also like how the illustrations involve different mediums, such as string, foil, twigs, and cut outs, which allow the pictures to stand out.

Concerns: The book does not have a very moving plot, but does have a story described by a child to whom the student can relate.

Classroom Use/Other Comments: This book would be great for children aged 4 to 8, depending on the use of the book. Younger children could use this book as they are learning to read, as they develop their vocabulary, and as they learn about plants and seasons. A recipe and directions for making a bird treat is located at the back of the book, which would be a fun activity for children. Older children can use this book to learn about the process of tree growth and observation, as a lesson integrating literature with science. The end of the book also has a lot of information about different elements of maple trees, which can be useful for older students.