Quite A Character

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Stonewall

by Jean Fritz

with drawings by Stephen Gammell

published by Puffin, 1979

Summary: "A biography of the brilliant Southern general who gained the nickname Stonewall by his stand at Bull Run during the Civil War."

Strengths: I was not sure how I would feel about reading a book about a Confederate soldier. However, this book was very well written and presents Tom Jackson, later to be nicknamed "Stonewall" as an interesting and quirky character with an interesting life. A lot of the information is provided through contact between Tom and his sister, Laura, or his wife, Anna, as well as narration on the details of his life. Students reading this book will be interested to find out what happens next to Tom because of the descriptive way that the book is written. His oddities, such as following the same routine everyday at the exact same time, may be humorous to readers, but his behavior connected very well with some of the information I have learned recently in a psychology course. The setting of the book is also excellent for students to relate to if they live in Virginia or in areas in which Stonewall travels. The story of the Civil War is explained in an easy-to-understand manner and Stonewall's religious reason for supporting slavery provides a lot of insight into his character. Readers also learn a lot about other important people in the Civil War. How Tom approaches the challenges in his life will provide inspiration to readers.

Concerns: This book is about a war hero, so it may be considered violent for some children. However, the violence is not portrayed in a very morose way. There are some swear words in the book.

Classroom Use/Other Comments: This book would be appropriate for children aged 9-12. Teachers could have students read this during a unit on the Civil War or students could use this to do a project on a significant person in the Civil War.

A Tale of the Meaning of Love

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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

by Kate DiCamillo

illustrated by Bagram Ibatulline

published by Candlewick Press, 2006

Summary: "Edward Tulane, a cold-hearted and proud toy rabbit, loves only himself until he is separated from the little girl who adores him and travels across the country, acquiring new owners and listening to their hopes, dreams, and histories."

Strengths: This beautifully, but simply written story tells an interesting tale with a wonderful message of the power of love. Children may be able to relate to both Edward, the rabbit, and Abilene, the girl who loves him. The simple pictures at the beginning of each chapter provide a clue to what will happen in the chapter. I also like the various full pages of color illustrations throughout the book. The dialogue and thoughts of the characters show some humor and show how Edward learns a lot from listening to the stories of the people he meets. I like that the book is wider than most books and that the text is very spaced out. The plot and how Edward moves from place to place keeps the story fast paced and keeps the reader's attention. I especially love the last chapter of the book and the coda.

Concerns: Edward learns about the lives of the people whom he meets, some of whom have very sad stories, such as death, homelessness, and abuse.


Classroom Use/Other Comments: Children aged 8 and up would enjoy this book. Teachers could begin with a picture walk to predict what will happen in the book. The simple text would allow upper elementary readers to read this by themselves and the book would also be excellent read aloud. Teachers could use this as an introduction to the journey of characters. A lot of interesting vocabulary is used in the book, so it can be used as a tool to expand vocabulary, with words such as "conquering (p. 61)" or "callused (p. 61)". In addition, as the number of days Edward is in each location is told, a math lesson could be incorporated in addition to discover how many days, weeks, months, and years have passed.

A Field Guide on Witches

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The Witches

by Roald Dahl

illustrated by Quentin Blake

published by Puffin Books, 1983

Summary: "Read this story and you'll find out all you need to know......the most gruesome, grotesque gang of witches imaginable!"

Strengths: I love pretty much all books by Roald Dahl, but The Witches was one of my favorite books as a child. As I re-read my worn-from-love copy of this great story, I remembered why I liked it so much. I like the introduction stating that the book is not a fairy tale, which really gets readers into the mindset of believing the funny and interesting young narrator, to whom young readers can relate with his curious nature. The story has a lot of humor with imaginative characters and an interesting storyline. I like the simple sketches that are placed throughout the book that complement the text, but also like that the text is descriptive enough that you can picture what is occurring.


Concerns: Some readers may be concerned with the content of witches itself if they have certain religious beliefs. In addition, the ideas presented in this book may be scary to children if they do not understand that the book is a fantasy.


Classroom Use/Other Comments: This book is great for children aged 8 and up. The book would be a great addition to a classroom library for individual reading or for a discussion on fiction. When looking for a picture of this book on amazon.com, I found that many of Dahl's books, including The Witches, have been converted into plays for children to perform. This would be a great way to work on fluency and presentation in the classroom.

Now I Know!

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Don't Know Much About Thomas Jefferson

by Kenneth C. Davis

published by HarperCollins, 2005

Summary: Questions about the personal and political life of Thomas Jefferson are answered and explored in this book.

Strengths: I read another book about Thomas Jefferson to compare it with the other nonfiction book with more of a picture book feel about Thomas Jefferson by Cheryl Harness. The books are both excellent resources in different ways. This book has a lot of interesting information that may not be found in normal informational books about Thomas Jefferson. The question and answer format provides an interesting way for students to learn information. The book provides definitions to words that may not be understood by students, a timeline, and an index allows a way for students to look up specific information. Information about the general life of people during Jefferson’s time is also written, so readers can learn how Jefferson was a product of his time. The pictures, diagrams, and maps are simple because the focus is on the information.

Concerns: Some of the information may be inappropriate for younger ages, such as the fact that two of Jefferson’s siblings died young. Students learn Jefferson’s hypocrisy of having slaves and writing that “All men are created equal.” The topic of religion is also discussed, which may be against some parents’ beliefs.

Classroom Use: For younger ages, teachers can find specific questions that would interest students and discuss them in class. This book would be excellent to research the accomplishments and life of Thomas Jefferson when learning about great American citizens. Many interesting facts are found in this book. Children aged 9 and up would enjoy this book.

Traveling with Lions

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LionBoy: The Chase

Book Two in the LionBoy Trilogy

by Zizou Corder

published by Dial Books, NY, 2004

Summary: "After saving the lions from evil Maccomo, Charlie, a boy with the ability to speak the language of cats, goes to Venice to search for his parents and solve the mystery of their kidnapping with help from Bulgarian King Boris."

Strengths: After reading the first book in the Lion Boy trilogy, I had to continue reading, not only because the reader is left on a cliffhanger, but because the books are written so well that I wanted to keep reading. I like that the book is placed in the future, but that a lot of the environment will be familiar to the reader, such as cell phones. It is interesting to consider how some things will change in the future, such as the removal of cars. Charlie travels to a variety of interesting places, which the reader learns a lot about. While reading this book, I could picture Paris, Venice, the Alps, and Morocco from travelling myself in these locations and from the beautiful descriptions by the authors. I love the maps and diagrams in the book, which allow the reader to clarify what is happening in the text. The use of science in this book through Charlie's parents is interesting and applicable to readers, especially those with asthma or allergies. The text was very descriptive and the plot was believable and interesting. I am glad that this book did not leave you on as much of a cliffhanger as the first in the series, but am still excited to read the third book when I get a chance.

Concerns: Some readers may be wary of the idea of the parents and Charlie being kidnapped. I think that the book moved a little slow in the middle before the lions and Charlie escaped from the doge, but that the rest of the book had an excellent pace.

Classroom Use/Other Comments: This science fantasy book could be used by teachers of upper elementary grades as a read aloud book or as an independent reading book in middle school. Ages 8 and up would enjoy the story. Teachers can use the book to introduce different areas of the world and discuss maps.

Looking to the Future

I read and commented about a great blog today about two children's books introducing a variety of fun and interesting jobs. One book involved poetry and the other was a nonfiction book.

Full of Life (Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness)

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Thomas Jefferson
By Cheryl Harness
Published by National Geographic Society, D.C., 2004

Summary: “Harness combines lively narrative and vibrant illustrations to bring this extraordinary Founding Father to life.”


Strengths: This book has beautiful, detailed illustrations that provide a lot of insight into Jefferson’s life. The text has interesting information about the life and trials of Thomas Jefferson, but the illustrations really captivate the reader. The maps and illustrations of locations, such as Independence Hall, show a lot of information that is useful.


Concerns: This book is lengthy for a picture book, but the pictures make the text move along quickly. The text includes a lot of details that children may not find interesting or may not be appropriate depending on the age of the reader, such as the death of many of Jefferson’s children and wife.


Classroom Use/Other Comments: In a unit about Thomas Jefferson, teachers can read a bit of this book each day to students or select important information to read to students. Students can skim through these pages and look at the illustrations to learn more about Thomas Jefferson’s life. Older students would be able to read this book to learn about Thomas Jefferson. This book would be appropriate for ages 8 and up.