The Red Book

Barbara Lehman's The Red Book tells the story of many adventures surrounding a red book. Walking toward school on a snowy day, a girl finds a red book in a snow bank. While in class, she opens it up to find a picture of a boy on a beach who finds a red book in the sand. The next couple of pages reveal a surprising twist - sparking curiosity for both the readers and the kids experiencing the magic of the red book.

Opening up a world of imagination for kids, this wordless book prompts readers to look closely at the details and consider the relationships between the characters, as well as wonder about possibilities in this introduction into the fantasy genre.

Readers can enjoy this book for different reasons each time as they discover new details that add additional layers to the magic of the story. As a result, it is a perfect book to enjoy as a community of readers being able to share different thoughts and ideas.

Targeted to emergent readers, this book can also foster a sense of appreciation for pictures. With writing development, I am used to the concept of valuing pictures as writing prior to kids being able to write words. This book is perfect, reaffirming the worth of wordless stories.


*Caldecott Honor Book

Looking Down

I don't remember ever buying a wordless book (or checking out any from the library). I decided to order four from Amazon in order to explore a new genre. This week I will be posting a series of posts on the wordless books I bought.

Using cut-paper illustrations, Steve Jenkins' book Looking Down starts out in outer space and then zooms in increasingly more with each flip of the page. I always think that it is fascinating to watch scenes below from airplane windows, and this book reminded me of that sensation. 

In addition, I enjoyed analyzing the type of paper and textures that Jenkins selected for each aspect of the illustrations. It made me think of the ideal paper to create other scenes around the globe.

I was always guessing which aspect of the current picture would be featured as an enlarged version on the following pages. Once I reached the end, I loved the detail that ended up being the focal point. Inspiring wonder and awe with both the zooming in details and the artwork, this wordless book has a lot to offer in order to prompt discussions. 

Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English

Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English by Alma Flor Ada shows many aspects of Mexican and Mexican American culture through realistic illustrations. The bulk of the text features aspects related to field work; however, it also includes values, such as honor and pride, as well as other aspects.

The words featured match up to the Spanish alphabet. While at times the translated word in English starts with the same letter, some are different in English, such as duraznos and peaches. In addition, letters distinct to the Spanish alphabet are included. Flor Ada explained why she decided to include Ch and Ll in the alphabet on the first page, "By the year 2000, to make it easier for computers to alphabetize text, Ch and Ll will no longer be considered separate letters in the Spanish alphabet. They have been retained here as unripe fruit, not yet ready to be taken from the tree, since all of us who love our language and the traditions it keeps alive will need some time to grow accustomed to this change" (n.p.).

I first saw illustrator Simón Silva's work in La Mariposa and loved his style, so I was excited to see that same style in this book. The combination of the illustrations and the text set a celebratory, as well as nostalgic tone. Aside from the words that align with the alphabet, there is an accompanying poem for each letter. While many of the poems have a similar style, some are distinct, providing readers with a range of possibilities with poetry. While some poems are free verse, others follow repetitive patterns, such as, "Pride", which repeats the verse starter "Proud of [...]". Teachers could read the book with students for general enjoyment, but then they could also pull out specific poems as part of a genre study. Classes (or small groups or individuals) could write their own Pride poems, which if they are related to family and culture as the one in the book, could then be used as a piece of writing as a gift.

Hibernar / Hibernation

Many kids, including my girls, love to read informational texts about animals. Hibernar / Hibernation is part of a set of bilingual books from Capstone Press (Pebble Plus: Patrones en la naturaleza / Patterns in Nature books). The book walks readers through the process of hibernation, with the following headings: Why Hibernate?, Getting Ready, A Place to Rest, and It's a Pattern. It also introduces young readers to text features of non-fiction texts, with aspects such as a Table of Contents, Glossary, Internet Sites for further research, and Glossary. One common text feature that is not present, however, are captions and diagrams, with the exception of one cyclical chart with captions to describe the pattern.

On each two page spread about two thirds or the left hand page has a light colored background and text, while a photograph spans the full right side extending onto the remaining third of the left side. All off the text is large, with a lot of space in between, making it a user friendly read for emerging readers (or for parents and teachers to model tracking for those who are not quite reading this level of text independently).

My daughters were fascinated to read about the various animals that hibernate, as well as differences in their processes. As always, they loved the photographs, and the ideas presented naturally spark additional questions to inspire an early love of curiosity toward the natural world. This book is a great addition to the classroom library for independent reading and would also support units specific to animals.

Good Boy, Fergus!

I love reading David Shannon's David books with my girls because they always inspire so much laughter. On our latest trip to the library, I saw his Good Boy, Fergus! and decided to see if the girls would love it just as much, and they were not disappointed.

Though the focus of this book is a dog, rather than a boy, the illustrations have a familiar feel, and the text has a similar voice. One of my girls' favorite pages was when the owner took Fergus for a ride in the car right after his bath and Fergus ends up with his hair sticking out. Then there's the page where Fergus has peed on a car tire, a pole, and a fire hydrant, and the text says, "Good boy, Fergie!" They loved that page about as much as some of those famous pages from the David books.

One thing is for sure, David Shannon books definitely bring a lot of laughter. My girls frequently ask to read them over and over again, positively adding to a sense of early love of reading. The information about the author shares that Fergus appears in the illustrations of ten of David Shannon's books. I can already imagine the fun my girls would have going on a search for their favorite dog!

Laughing Tomatoes/Jitomates Risuenos

Laughing Tomatoes and Other Spring Poems / Jitomates Risueños y otros poemas de primavera is part of a four book set of poetry related to the seasons by Francisco X. Alarcón. Illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez, readers will notice the same style of art as My Very Own Room/Mi propio cuartito. The images contain both realistic and imaginative aspects. For example, the first two page spread accompanying two poems "Dew" and "Roots" has a woman sleeping, and her fingers are roots leading into the ground. The sun, hills, and clouds also have smiles. The illustrations are sure to draw the attention of readers.

Many of the poems are quick -- some just a few lines long with one or two word verses, related to different aspects of spring. However, other poems span the length of the page, such as "My Grandma's Songs". The joy of the poems transcends into the illustrations, such as the title poem "Laughing Tomatoes" accompanied by an image of kids and dogs with tomato smiles.

The poems and illustrations also incorporate cultural references, such as the importance of family, food, and traditions. One poem titled "Chile", states, "sometimes / a bite is all it takes / for a supernova / to explode" (n.p.). A simple poem that can conjure up many memories for those who have bitten into a chile picante! There is also a mention of a historical figure, César Chávez, along with the experience of working in strawberry fields.

The book offers a fun exploration of poetry that students would be able to explore in order to consider possibilities for their own poems.

*Pura Belpré Award Honor Book in 1998

My Very Own Room/Mi propio cuartito

Similar to In My Family/En mi familia, My Very Own Room/My propio cuartito by Amada Irma Pérez is a bilingual Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Award book. In the first person narrative, the author retells experiences from her life when she was almost nine years old.

Illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez, the book opens with a two page spread of six kids sleeping in two beds. Amada is getting kicked in the face by her baby brother and reflecting on how she is getting too old to have to share a room with her five younger brothers. With mixed emotions and humor Amada recognizes family dynamics while living in close quarters. She is bound and determined to find a creative solution. The vibrant pictures capture the emotions in the book well.

Children who have wished that they could have their own room will be able to relate to Amada's experiences. Despite Amada wanting to have some space from her brothers the central role of family is still prevalent throughout the book, providing avenues to consider families and communities.

In the author's note, Amada states, "My parents, like many of the parents of the children I now teach (and learn from), wanted to provide us with more space, but could not. However, they taught us strong values, supported our education, and insisted that we become bilingual. Their children to be successful." The picture book portrays these family values.

This book can inspire students to share the stories of their own families and all of the emotions involved. This would also be a good book to incorporate around Thanksgiving to talk about dreams, as well as being thankful for what kids have. Kids from a range of grades could read and enjoy this book at different levels.

In My Family/En mi familia

I love cultures and traditions and value sharing everyday experiences. Carmen Lomas Garza's My Family/En mi familia captures glimpses into her childhood through her art and words. As the title indicates, the full book is bilingual.

Before beginning her stories, Lomas Garza notes, "Every time I paint, it serves a purpose -- to bring about pride in our Mexican American culture. When I was growing up [...] we were punished for being who we were, and we were made to feel ashamed of our culture. [...] My art is a way of healing these wounds," (n.p.). When I first saw the book, I thought about how it was a great celebration of culture, and I am glad that she shares background of how she felt others perceived her culture while growing up, an important aspect of our country's history.

Each page contains a painting on one page accompanied by a quick memory in both languages on the other side. The experiences link to various part of life, such as: regional geography, religion, cultural beliefs, legends, and customs. Throughout it all there is a strong presence of family and community. Kids can enjoy the book as a whole or individual two-page spreads as stand-alones.

As a reading and writing workshop teacher, I can see a lot of potential for Slice of Life Story mentor texts, focusing on the idea that everybody has stories to tell. For those who have experiences with Mexican culture, they will be able to connect and consider what aligns to their (or their friends') lives. Others can enjoy learning about another culture. In addition, the paintings have a lot of details to prompt discussions.

I also love that there is a kid friendly Question and Answer at the end of the book to prompt younger readers to think about the process of writing books and to consider who the authors of their favorite books are as people.

This is Lomas Garza's second children's book. Her first, Family Pictures/Cuadros de familia is very similar in format.