The Trip of A Lifetime

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The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963

by Christopher Paul Curtis

published by Delacorte Press, 1995

Summary: "The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963."

Strengths: This book involves many emotions, as the characters add humor and the story has sad elements. Through this story, you learn a lot about the time period and the effects of racism. The themes of friendship, family, bullying, and acceptance provide important messages. This book is extremely well written.

Concerns: This book involves violence, racial slurs, and swearing.

Classroom Use/Other Comments: This story would be an excellent book to discuss the Civil Rights Movement. Children aged 10 and up would enjoy this book.

True Bravery

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Number the Stars

by Lois Lowry

published by Dell Publishing, NY, 1989

Summary: A story of bravery, friendship, and family in Denmark during World War II.

Strengths: This very moving novel provides insight into the life of Danish citizens when the Nazis invaded. Readers can relate to the young girl, Annemarie, as she learns more about the problems Ellen, her friend who is Jewish, faces. The story is written in a captivating way that makes the reader want to continue reading. Re-reading this book after a visit to Denmark and Sweden provided me with a different perspective on the landscape as Lowry exquisitely describes it. Lowry provides insight into a lesser-known region affected by the Holocaust and shares stories of the courageous and compassionate people.

Concerns: The story has a sad overtone, as should any book taking place in the Holocaust.


Classroom Use/Other Comments: Children aged 10 and up can relate to the characters in this book. This book would be an excellent tie-in to a social studies unit on the Holocaust.

A Buzzing Outlook on Bees

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clan Apis

by Jay Hosler, Ph.D.

published by Active Synapse, OH, 2000

Summary: The life of bees is examined with humor and science in a graphic novel context.

Strengths: I began reading this book hesitantly because it looked like common comic books, which are book in a genre I do not tend to enjoy. Fortunately, this book surprised and captivated me! I was wary that the pictures had no color, but began to realize that color would make the pictures too busy. The characters were all very funny and the book added a lot of humor and characterization to science. Readers learn about metamorphosis, different insects, prey, and camouflage, as well as the message of individualism and trying new things. This book also provides information about the author that will be comforting to children with allergies to bees.

Concerns: Some parents may be concerned with the way the book starts with the relation to the creation of Earth, but teachers can have students begin reading the book after that part if it is a problem. There are some large words that students will need to look up in the dictionary and some of the jokes will not be understood by students unless they have background information on the topic. Finally, the aspect of death is present in the novel.

Classroom Use/ Other Comments: This book would be great for children 10 and up. Teachers can use this in lessons on metamorphosis and insects. There are neat ways for students to remember things about bees, such as the word "pupa", through the witty statements of different characters. Information at the end provides In addition, teachers could teach a lesson on math based on pages 94 and 95 about the shape and size of the combs. Finally, teachers can incorporate dance into instruction through this book based on the dance the bee describes.

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.