Literary Elements

By having the slightest understanding of literary elements one can get so much more from a book.  For myself, as a future educator, the literary elements are something that I naturally think about whenever reading a book.  But I always find that by having a discussion or a type of book talk makes me realize all the things I might have skipped over.  All the different interpretations of the metaphors and symbols are nice to hear from people’s views.  So, when I am reading books I find meaning and worth behind a book by being knowledgeable of the literary elements.  Sometimes I will discover a very difficult book to read, but it is important to give it a chance before completely giving up on it.  One can comprehend a story, even a difficult one, by being able to recognize the literary elements of the story.  The literary elements give you meaning and life within the story.

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears

Author: Verna Aardema; Illustrator: Leo and Diane Dillon

Caldecott Medal: Grades K-2

4 stars

            A mosquito tells the iguana a silly lie, so the iguana puts sticks in his ears so he doesn’t have to listen to this nonsense.  The snake thinks the iguana is planning a evil plot against him so he hids in a rabbit hole.  The rabbit is frightened so he runs away.  The crow is startled from the rabbit running away.  The monkey sees the startled crow and figures to go and send the alarm.  While sending the alarm the monkey kills a baby owl.  The mama owl is sad, and the animal kingdom finds out that the mosquito is the reason why the baby owl is dead.  So the mosquito was to be punished.  But the mosquito is hiding and only comes out and whines in people’s ears, “Is everyone still angry at me?”

            I enjoyed this book very much!  I simply love the watercolor illustrations that are vibrant and full of life.  Every animal had a nonsense word attached to their description that enhanced their image for me.  For example, “..the python, who came slithering, wasausu, wasawusu, past the other animals.” 

             I feel this book would provide students a good prompt to their writing notebooks.  Also, in the science subject, it shows how one thing affects another and another and another.  This would be perfect in the elementary setting.  It could also be used in a social studies setting that may be discussing different cultures because this story is a West African Tale  that tells us why mosquitoes buzz in our ears. 

Boo to You!

Boo to You! By Lois Ehlert

Picture book for ages 2-6

3 stars

            These two mice dislike this black cat very much.  The mice have a garden that has a pumpkin patch and they are going to throw a fall party.  They decorated the pumpkins to look very scary, and they invited everyone they knew except for that scary cat.  But the cat shows up and the mice put on their masks and scream “Boo to You!” and the cat leaves them alone to their wonderful party. 

            The first time I read this book I found the pictures fascinating but confusing.  Ehlert uses a unique style of collage that she photographed, color Xeroxed, and combined with various colored papers, hand-painted papers, handmade papers, Italian marbleized papers, and twine and string.  I didn’t even realize the ‘main characters’ were mice until the third page and I actually could tell they were mice.  Also, by the second time I read it I noticed that they were in a pumpkin patch with the vines and the big leaves.  As you can tell, everytime I reread it I notice something new that amazes me.  I decided to bring this book to my two-year olds I work with and read it to them.  They loved looking at the pictures for a long time and they repeatedly said “Boo to You!”  I read it to them three times in a row.

            This book is great for the younger children who are starting to read.  It has minimal words but offers them to expand their vocabulary.  One thing that bugged me a little bit was when the mice called the cat a puss and a creep.  It is very negative language to say to a young child who will most likely repeat it.  This book would be great for an opener to the fall season, and to talk about fall harvest because even on the last page Ehlert offers pictures of about 15 different harvest items. 

Pinkalicious

Pinkalicious By Victoria Kann & Elizabeth Kann

Picture book for Grades K-2

3 stars

            A young girl helps her mother make pink cupcakes on a rainy day, and she ends up eating quite a few pink cupcakes.  Then the next day she turned pink!  She wasn’t scared like her parents were.  She loved being pink.  The doctor told her she should eat green things and no more pink things to go back to the way she was.  But she ate one more pink cupcake and woke up red!  She did not want to be red anymore, so she ate every green food in the house and turned back to normal.

            This young girl reminds me of some of the daycare kids I watch.  A couple of them are obsessed with just one color, their favorite color.  I love when she actually turns pink and she thinks it is wonderful.  The pictures in the book are amazing.  Kann does a fantastic job with collage.  My favorite page is when she is eating all the green foods because the page is filled with green grapes, artichokes, peas, lettuce, and green tea.  Since it is in collage form it makes it really fun to look at.  When I read this book with a 2^nd grader, she started naming all the green foods on the page, and saying if she likes it or if she has ever had it before. 

            This is a fun book to read to a class.  I see a lot of prosepective uses for it in an art class.  You could show it for an example of collage, or to get students to veer away from their favorite color.  In the subject area of reading, you could work on predictions.  For example, when she is pink and she eats just one more cupcake, you could pause the book and have the students predict what is going to happen.  This book also has a few follow up books called Purplicious, Goldilicous, Pinkalicious: Pinkalicious and the Pink Drink, and a couple other Pinkalicious books. 

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! By Mo Willems

Picture book: grades PreK-2

5 stars

 

            The Pigeon wants a lot of things, including a puppy.  He really wants a puppy.  Finally a puppy shows up and he comes to the realization that puppies are really big and have sharp teeth and decides that he doesn’t really want a puppy anymore.  The pigeon wants a walrus instead.

            I loved this book so much that I had to buy it.  The Pigeon has a simple yet hilarious personality.  The story starts before the book actually starts.  On the first page you see a list of “Things I Want 1. Drive a bus 2. Eat a hot dog…” The pictures are as simple as the text.  There is a solid, light background color and the pigeon doing its thing, freaking out over a puppy.  This book is fantastic and I would suggest it to everyone.

            This book is clearly for the lower grades.  It would be good for students in a way to start recognizing common greetings.  For example, the first couple of pages say, “Oh, hello.  How are you?  I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”  These obviously want us to reply and it is good for children to become knowledgeable of different ways to greet people.  Also, you could use this book as a intro to writing in their writer’s notebooks.  The students could write about what they want and why they want it. 

JUMANJI

Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

Picture Book, grade: 3-5

4 stars

            Judy and Peter are left alone at the house and are very bored.  They end up going to the park and finding a board game, Jumanji that they take home to play.  Little did they know when they unfolded its playing board that they were about to enter a thrilling adventure into the jungle.  Their ordinary house becomes filled with lions, monkey, and snakes. 

            Chris Van Allsburg is both a phenomenal author and illustrator.  The story keeps you guessing what will be next?  And the pictures look very realistic.  I personally have never read this book, but I have seen the movie.  The movie is exactly the plot of the book.  Even the interpretations of the pictures line up with the movie.   I enjoyed the realism of the pictures, and how they were only black and white pictures.

            This book would be great to use in the classroom when introducing jungles.  What animals are in a jungle?  What insects?  What is the weather like?  Jumanji would also offer students a great read for those who are in-between elementary picture books and juvenile chapter books.  It has a good plot and includes dialogue between the children. 

Walk Two Moons

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Children’s Novel grade 5-8

4 stars

            Walk Two Moons is about a thirteen-year-old girl, Sal, who is on a 2000-mile road trip with her Gram and Gramps to Idaho, where her mother is.  On the road, Sal tells them a story about her friend Phoebe and the Lunatic.  Sal acts mature for her age, and she is very different from her friend Phoebe.  Once Sal gets to Idaho, Gram is very sick and needs to go to the hospital.  So Sal, goes to visit her mother’s grave on her mother’s birthday, and when she gets back she finds that Gram has died. 

            I loved this book on so many levels.  I remember reading it in school, and rereading it now I feel that I missed out on so much.  Sal has a somewhat objective view and mature personality, and I felt that I was exactly the same way growing up.  In the first chapters you can see this personality but are unsure of where it is coming from.  I really liked the notes they got from the lunatic, and seeing the difference between Sal and Phoebe’s reaction to them.  Phoebe was frightened or didn’t care and Sal was curious as to what they meant.  One thing that did bother me is the opinion of Sal when discussing the title of Native American versus Indian.  Maybe the ‘teacher’ in me sees this as politically incorrect, but Sal is merely expressing her opinion on the matter. 

            This book covers so many things that using it in the classroom would be easy.  It’s a book that you can read and then refer back to it throughout the entire year.  It would be great for a book group of 4 or 5 kids to discuss what they think about the book, and the meaning behind certain things in the book.

Norton Juster

Born June 2, 1929 in Brooklyn, NY.  Norton is married and has a loving daughter and grandaughter.  Attended school at the University of Pennsylvania for Bachelors in Architecture and the University of Liberpool for graduate studies.  He now resides in Amherst, MA.  Some of his hobbies/interests include gardening, bicycling, and reading.  

Norton Juster is an incredible author.  His first book, The Phantom Tollbooth has been around since the 60s and it is still a very popular book.  It is a chapter book about a young boy named Milo who is bored and doesn't understand all of this information he is 'learning' at school and why it is important to him.  This book is relate-able to all kids and even is enjoyed by adults.  

What was surprising about Norton Juster is that he is an acclaimed architect.  He is currently retired, but went to the University of Pennsylvania and got a Bachelors in Architecture.  He also is a retired professor of design and environmental design.  When he first started writing The Phantom Tollbooth he was doing it more as a hobby and of course out of enjoyment.  

The Hello, Goodbye Window is a more recent book and it definetly is a different style than his earlier books.  It is a Cladacott Award winner for the impressionistic style of art. 

All of his books are books I would consider using in my classroom for many topics and for the simple pleasure of reading.

Madlenka

Madlenka by Peter Sis

Picture book: K-4

5 stars

                Madlenka has a loose tooth!  She must tell everyone.  She lives in New York City and she knows everyone on her block and they are all her friends.  She tells the French baker, the Indian news vendor, the Italian ice-cream man, the German lady who sits by her window, the Latin American greengrocer, and the Asian shopkeeper that her tooth is loose.  For Madlenka, a trip around the block is a trip around the world. 

                I simply love this book!  It starts on the back side of the cover with a really small earth that has a little pink dot on it.  And in the next four pages that pink dot zooms into New York City, a block in New York City, and we find out that pink dot is Madlenka.  The pictures are pencil drawn with dark and pastel colors and Madlenka is drawn wearing a pink dress.  On every other page Peter Sis shows a square sort of aerial view of the block and the words are going around the block and as the reader you are forced to turn the book around to read it all.  It is as if you are going around the block with Madlenka.  Towards the end of the book when he shows the picture of the block you can see the specific places Madlenka has stopped to visit her friends.

                Madlenka is a great book to us in a Geography lesson or even a culture lesson in Social Studies.  On each page when her friends around the block greet her they say hello in their own language and tweak her name just a little bit.  For example, Mrs. Kham who is from Asia says, “Tashi delek, Mandala.”  One could even have students draw a picture of their home and then write a specific story that takes place at home. 

Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie

Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie
Author: Norton Juster; Illustrator: Chris Raschka
Picture book for grades K-3
3 stars

This is a sequal to The Hello, Goodbye Window and has the same idea of the little girl going to her Nanna and Poppy’s house. Now the question is “Is it Sourpuss or Sweetie Pie?” Sometimes it’s both!

This book doesn’t necessarily continue the story of the Hello, Goodbye Window; it is describing more of the relationship of the granddaughter with her Nanna and Poppy. And how sometimes she can be a real Sourpuss and sometimes she is a Sweetie Pie. I didn’t like this book as much as I liked the Hello, Goodbye Window. It is hard to follow because there isn’t really a story. In the first book, she told us what a day at Nanna and Poppy’s was like. In Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie, every other page is an example of her either being a Sourpuss or a Sweetie Pie. For example on a page it says, “I need a hug, Nanna. The biggest one you’ve got.” Then the next page, “It’s my music and I can play it as loud as I want to – even louder if I want. Don’t you like music?” Towards the end of the book she claims that she can be Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie all at the same time. I like this part of the book because the pictures have two girls in one scene. There is one where Nanna is giving her a bath and it looks like she is washing two girls, one is Sourpuss and the other is Sweetie Pie.

Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie show a lot of different emotions on both ends. One could discuss with your students different feelings or emotions that might describe a Sourpuss or a Sweetie Pie or even someone else. The students could write their own story (nonfiction or fiction) about one or the other or both. I think it is also important to reflect on how our emotions affect the people around us by relating to how Nanna and Poppy might feel when Sourpuss or Sweetie Pie is around.

The Hello, Goodbye Window

The Hello, Goodbye Window
Author: Norton Juster; Illustrator: Chris Raschka
Picture book for grades K-3
4 stars

The book is about a little girl visiting her Nanna and Poppy. They have a Hello, Goodbye Window that they greet each other through and many other things happen with the special window too. The little girl describes a day at Nanna and Poppy’s beginning with the Hellos, spending the night and saying goodnight to the stars, and ending with goodbyes.

I feel that whenever I am reading a children’s book, I can think of a person who would love this book. I instantly thought of my mom and dad. They have been grandparents for two years now and love every moment of it. (Also, my nephew calls them Nana and Papa) The text takes on the voice of the child so well. This book starts before the book starts with a picture of the parents waving bye to the girl on the dedication page. The illustrations done by Chris Raschka take on an impressionistic style of art with the loud colors and minimal detail.

In the classroom one could use this book to discuss the impressionistic style of art and why the author might have chosen this style. Maybe even have students try to create an impressionist piece of work. A teacher could also discuss what everyone calls their grandparents this could show the diversity within the community of the classroom. Another idea would be to have students create what they would want to see through the hello, goodbye window.

The Dot and the Line: A romance in lower mathematics

The Dot and the Line: A romance in lower mathematics by Norton Juster
Picture book: All ages
5 stars

This is a story about a line who is hopelessly in love with a dot. But the dot has nothing to do with a boring old line. Instead she likes the squiggle. The line tries and tries to win her over but nothing works. Until one day, the line discovered that he could bend in all sorts of ways, and make complex shapes. He could be anything, but in the end he was still the line. With this new discovery the line showed the dot how amazing he can be and the dot and the line lived happily ever after.

This book was amazing. I instantly feel in love with and I already asked my mom to get it for me for Christmas. Part of the reason I love it so much is because I really enjoy math and I can see myself using this in a future math classroom. The pictures have a simplicity about them that makes the dot and the line come alive. On the left page would be the text and the right would have the same white background and show a black line on the page, or the pink dot next to the squiggle on the page. I also enjoyed the emotion of the text. For example the line’s friends were saying, “She’s not good enough for you.” “She lacks depth.” “They all look alike anyway. Why don’t you find a nice straight line and settle down?” [Turn page] But he hardly heard a word they said. Any way he looked at her she was perfect.
You can almost hear the love and sadness in his voice.

In the classroom this book can be used on so many levels. It would be useful for Kindergarten students learning about different shapes. Grade school children discovering how lines can be used in many different ways. High school students learning about ellipses, this would be a great introduction. Even the vocabulary in the books is phenomenal. The words the line uses to describe himself when attempting to win over the dot: dazzling, clever, mysterious, versatile, erudite, eloquent, profound, enigmatic, complex, and compelling. Also, there is an animated short film of the book as well! Check it out.

The Little Island

The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown and Leonard Weisgard
Picture book: K-3rd
4 stars

The book is about a little island, and Margaret and Leonard describe the little island in the different seasons of the year. Then a little cat comes to the island and claims that she may be little but she is apart of this whole world, and the island is disconnected from the world because it is surrounded by water. Then the fish tells the cat that the little island is connected because of the world beneath the sea.

When I read this book for the first time, I caught myself reading a sentence and then looking at the picture. For example, “And the fog cam in from the sea and hid the little Island.” I would instantly look at the picture and take notice of how the island was indeed covered by fog. That’s what this book did for me. As I read picture books to children, sometimes I will just be reading the words and not taking a look at the pictures. The book also made me feel like I was on the island but invisible. It did this through the descriptions of the island. In a way, that was the one downfall of the book. It had a small plot and I felt that I could simply put the book down in the middle of the story and not care about the ending. This is the meaning of 4 stars instead of 5.
As a teacher, this would be a great book to use for teaching about descriptive words. The book is full of amazing descriptions such as, “…and one tickly smelling pear tree bloomed on the Island.” This would be a great way to show that there are other descriptive words than ‘cool’ or ‘pretty’. It would also show students how the words on a page connect to the picture. How when we read it we instantly looked at the picture to find the pear tree and see its beauty. This book could also be used in terms of ‘social studies’ how we are all apart of this big idea but we still are unique individuals.