Sunday, June 27, 2010

Precious and the Boo Hag - African American Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


McKissack, Patricia and Moss, Onawumi Jean. PRECIOUS AND THE BOO HAG. Illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2005. ISBN 9780689851940.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

Precious has a stomachache, but because it is corn planting time, Mama wasn’t able to stay home with her since every hand was needed in the fields. Precious assures Mama that she’s a big girl and will be fine. After dozens of dos and don’ts, Mama gives one final instruction – don’t let anyone into the house. As Brother heads out, he pulls Precious aside and warns her about Pruella, the Boo Hag, who will do whatever she can to get Precious to let her into the house. Brother’s last statement is, “Just remember this: No Boo Hag can get inside your house, less’n you let her in.” Is there really such a thing as a Boo Hag? Precious believes her brother was trying to play a joke on her and tell her stories until strange things start to happen and strange people start showing up at Precious’s house while everyone is gone. Is the Boo Hag real, and will Precious be tricked into letting her in?


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

From the legends of South Carolina’s Gullah culture, the Boo Hag is known to be a scary witch-like creature who will steal the skin of an unsuspecting victim to use during the night. McKissack and Moss create an original tale about a Boo Hag. Is it real? The story is engrossing as Precious first realizes that her brother has tricked her with yet another one of this stories, but she begins to change her mind as unusual things happen throughout the day to make her believe that a Boo Hag might be real after all. The language used is dialectical without becoming stereotypical of either African American or Southern speech patterns. It has the feeling of a folktale while still sounding authentic and believable. Mama instructs Precious by saying, “You need us, come a-running” and Brother describes Pruella, their neighborhood Boo Hag, as tricky and scary, “and she tries to make you disobey yo’ mama.” When Precious’s friend Addie Louise comes by to play jacks, Precious notices, “It looks like her, it walks like her, but it sure don’t talk like her.” Precious is able to hold her ground, which is very satisfying to the reader. As Precious tells her brother, “like you told me, a Boo Hag aine none too smart.”

The song Precious repeats when reminding herself not to let anyone in is catchy and will probably be heard in school hallways by young children who have heard the story a time or two. Perhaps through McKissack’s partnership with storyteller Moss, this book reads aloud with a flair for language that is not only fun to listen to, but fun for the one reading aloud as well.

Brooker’s art is a mix of oil paint and collage. The people are not rendered in a realistic way, but the technique makes Pruella the Boo Hag feel larger than life, and just a little bit scary. Facial expressions are exaggerated, but many of the pieces are “framed” in a realistic paintings of knotty wood with peeling paint. One of the pieces even includes some of Mama’s specific dos and don’ts, pulling the art directly into the story. The exaggerated characters are respectful, and they are not done in stereotypical ways.

Precious and the Boo Hag was a Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book for 2006, and was on the American Library Association’s 2006 Notable Children’s Books list.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT

*Publishers Weekly: “Brooker conveys the rowdy, larger-than-life goings-on in playfully exaggerated, stylized collage art which features a range of textures. The story's lively language, pleasing cadence and effective repetition of Precious's chant make this a buoyant read-aloud.”

*Booklist: “With the grand feel of a folktale, this lively story speaks to choosing right in a world full of temptation and peril.”

*Kirkus (Starred Review): “Brooker underscores the story's rustic flavor by surrounding most of her terrific paint and collage scenes with a peeling board frame and gives pigtailed Precious a winningly scared but resolute look.”


5. CONNECTIONS

• Older reader might like to read other stories about Boo Hags. Find one with a read aloud at http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/05/boo_hag.html
Compare Precious’s Boo Hag encounter to the one Bobby Hansen has.

• Compare various versions of Boo Hags as found on the internet. How is McKissack’s and Moss’s Boo Hag different from other descriptions?

• Boo Hags are sometimes compared to the legend of the Vampire. How do Boo Hags compare to Vampires?

• Notice how the art uses collage. Create a piece of art that primarily uses crayons, pencils, or paints, and then add elements that are cut out and glued on to make unusual, original art.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

A Cool Moonlight - African American Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


Johnson, Angela. A COOL MOONLIGHT. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2003. ISBN 0803728468.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

Lila is about to turn nine, and she has never seen the sun. Born with xeroderma pigmentosum, a rare allergy to sunlight and certain types of artificial lights, Lila can never go outside during the day. However, two mysterious friends have given her cause to believe that when she turns nine, she will be able to go into the sun. So the three girls begin collecting items for the “sun bag” which will make it possible for Lila to dance in the sun. Finally, on the night of her birthday party, Lila and her family witness a miracle that helps Lila come to terms with her condition and realize “i’m [sic] really okay being a moon girl. there’s [sic] nothing wrong with moon girls.”


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Angela Johnson presents a strong picture of family loyalty and obligations in this novel. The youngest member of the family of four has a serious condition that affects the entire family in ways that require much sacrifice by all, but they have banded together to do what is necessary so that they all have happy, fulfilled lives. The strength of the family is on every page of Johnson’s story, to a fault. Lila’s older sister has been helping with her younger sister’s care for nine years. Now 18, Monk tirelessly bakes cookies with Lila, and takes her little sister with her into the city after dark when she goes to meet friends or when she does her “secret shopper” job. Lila’s mom home schools her since she is unable to go outside to attend regular school, and her dad builds her a special clubhouse to play in after dark. The family takes “night vacations” and plans night birthday parties, inviting the whole neighborhood. There is no sign of struggle or frustration on the part of any of the family members, especially the teenage daughter. The family is too perfect; the relationships are unrealistic. However, the fantasy of a family who has and continues to deal with a devastating, degenerative disease without conflict is a happy fantasy to enter into, even though the reader will be conscious of the flaw in the story.

It is also difficult to discern what is real and what is fantasy in the story. One begins to think that Lila’s friends Alyssa and Elizabeth are make-believe, but it’s difficult to tell for sure when Lila seems to spot them on one of her secret shopping trips with Monk. When new friend Jackie enters the story, again the reader finds some confusion as to whether she is real. Finally, when the reader gets to the scene where Lila gets her opportunity to dance in the light while covered in fireflies, he may wonder if this is real or another fantasy. I found it hard to remain comfortable with fantasy versus reality throughout the story.

Johnson uses unconventional sentence structure – she does not use any capital letters. Punctuation is grammatically correct, so reading fluency is not an issue. The language is simple and flowing and pages contain lots of “white space.” Lines are widely spaced and margins are wide. Adult readers will find that they can read this novel in an hour or two, while younger readers will find this small book less intimidating than some.

Angela Johnson is a three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner for her novels Toning the Sweep, Heaven, and The First Part Last.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT

*Publishers Weekly: “Johnson raises intriguing themes of the supernatural, the lure of nighttime and the heroine's yearning for the sun, but despite her lyrical language, fantasy and reality elements sit uneasily together in her latest novel.”

*School Library Journal: “The writing is lyrical and fluid, and uses no capitalization, but captures a child's feelings. "i feel like i've been eight for practically a hundred years. if i stay eight any longer, i will have gray hair when i turn nine." This small, poetic book requires a special reader, but those who meet Lila are likely to remember her.”

*CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center): “Angela Johnson's memorable first-person narrative captures the complexities and maturity of a child who has had to acknowledge her own mortality, and then go on with living.”

*Kirkus: “Poignant, evocative, and as lingering as sunburn, Lila's story is one of courage, hope, and dreams.”


5. CONNECTIONS

• A Cool Moonlight would make a good read aloud. Its length would make it manageable in a fairly short amount of time, and the topics (family ties, illness, friendship, imaginary friends) which could be discussed in an interactive read aloud would interest students of all ages.

• Although Lila has a debilitating disease that prevents her from interacting with children her own age through the usual channels, she has friends and neighbors her age who interact with her as they would with a “normal” child. Discussing how David and Jackie are Lila’s friends as the story progresses, and comparing those relationships to relationships students may have at their school or in their neighborhood can help children think about how to treat those who are different.

• Students, especially older elementary writers, may enjoy playing with conventions such as not using capitals. Why did Johnson choose to write without capitalization? Experimenting with other unconventional ways of writing will help them see that professional writers deliberately choose to “make mistakes,” but that they do not affect the reader’s ability to understand. What happens when the writer does not use periods, writes sentence fragments, leaves out quotation marks in conversation, etc.? Is the writing still comprehensible? Can it add to the power and interest of the writing?

The Moon Over Star - African American Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


Aston, Dianna Hutts. THE MOON OVER STAR. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2008. ISBN 9780803731073.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

On July 20, 1969, Mae and her family live in the town of Star, and like most of the rest of the world, they are watching the sky as Commander Neil Armstrong and his team land on the moon. The town prays for the safety of the men at church that Sunday morning, Mae and her cousins build their own spaceship at the family picnic that afternoon, and Mae and her gramps talk about the possibility of Mae going to the moon that evening. As the family sits under the stars looking at the moon where three Americans now fulfill John Kennedy’s dream, Mae learns to dream as well.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Aston’s text tells the story of an eight-year-old girl’s dream to go to the moon in a way that inspires readers to think about dreams. Using the Apollo 11 landing on the moon in 1969 as the backdrop, Aston tells of Mae’s dream through both her thoughts and her interaction with her grandfather. Gramps is proud of Mae, and encourages her. “Keep on dreaming, Mae,” he said. While the story is realistic and can help young readers feel what it was like to know three men stood on the moon that day, Mae’s thoughts and interaction with her family make her seem much more than eight, especially when she answers her cousins questions about the event using information she had read in the newspaper, when she wonders about her gramps’s dreams, and when she realizes that her gramps is “lifetime-tired.”

The format of the text is poetic in appearance; every line begins with a capital letter and the returns at the ends of the lines often create short lines. The returns feel random, though, and the capital letters at each line feel a little confusing, not seeming to contribute to the flow or telling of the story. However, facts from the historical event are woven seamlessly into Mae’s dream of becoming an astronaut.

The family is portrayed as a typical, middle-class family watching an event along with millions of other people around the world. Except for Mae’s name – perhaps in reference to Mae Jemison, the first African American female astronaut who was 12 when Apollo 11 landed on the moon – the story does not have any other references to African American culture. But as is often the case in African American literature, the family is a loving, extended family who worships together, fellowships together throughout the day, and finally sits in front of the television to hear Walter Cronkite announce “Man on the moon!” followed by Armstrong’s now famous statement, “The Eagle has landed.”

Jerry Pinkney’s graphite, ink, and watercolor artwork portray the earth and the moon in magical ways, and his paintings of the astronauts and the launch of the rocket make it easy to see why Pinkney was one of the official NASA-sponsored artists to commemorate the Shuttle Columbia launch in 1982. His portrayal of Mae’s family and her grandparents’ farm is warm and welcoming. The closeness of the family is evident in their facial expressions and gestures, as well as their coming together to share the day of this important event. Intragroup color differences are also evident. In the paintings of the children, the reader can almost hear them when they carry the heavy watermelon and when they imagine they are on a rocket hurtling into space as they play during the afternoon. Pinkney was one of the 2009 Coretta Scott King Honor recipients for his illustrations in The Moon Over Star, and the illustrations are definitely the strength of this picture book.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT

*Publishers Weekly: “In some of his finest watercolors to date, Pinkney supplies both his characteristically affectionate, realistic portrayals of African-American families and lyrical views of the moon, giving visual form to what Aston evokes: awe.”

*School Library Journal: “Pinkney's remarkable graphite, ink, and watercolor paintings evoke both the vastness of space and the intimacy of 1960s family life. Writing in the voice of a nine-year-old African-American girl, Aston is lyrical and sometimes evocative, though some of her narrative choices are overworked.”

*Booklist: “Spaced vertically in phrases like free verse alongside the large illustrations, the text combines dignity and immediacy in a clean, spare telling of events. Pinkney's evocative artwork, created using graphite, ink, and watercolor, depicts a black family captivated, and perhaps subtly changed, by the moon landing in 1969. A quiet, satisfying tribute to this milestone in human history and its power to inspire others.”


5. CONNECTIONS

• Follow up Aston’s story with Buzz Aldrin’s Look to the Stars, a picture book account of his Apollo 11 trip to the moon. Mae wondered what the astronauts could see from the moon. What can we learn from the account of one of those men who were there?

• Pair this fictional account of Mae’s experience of the Apollo 11 landing with the true account of the “Mercury 13 Women,” women who fought for their place in the male-dominated world of the astronaut. Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone will demonstrate the difficulty of an “Other” group’s struggle to break into the world of the white male.

• Students can compare their dreams to Mae’s dream of being an astronaut. What are their dreams? What have they seen or experienced that inspires their dreams? Students may write their own stories incorporating facts from a historical event into their personal story.

The Space Child’s Mother Goose is a funny book of poetry for older readers about space that would go nicely with Aston’s book. Students can select poems to share with each other in read-alouds or select pieces for their own illustrations.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Possum Magic - International Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


Fox, Mem. POSSUM MAGIC. Illustrated by Julie Vivas. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1983. ISBN 0152005722.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

Grandma Poss uses bush magic to make little Hush invisible in order to protect her from snakes. But one day, Hush wants to know what she looks like, so she asks Grandma Poss to make her visible again. Unfortunately, Grandma Poss cannot remember how to reverse the spell and she cannot find it in her spell books. She thinks the key might be in people food, so she and Hush take off on a trip across Australia eating delicious foods and bringing Hush back to visibility one little piece at a time.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

American readers will find it is immediately apparent from page one of Mem Fox’s Possum Magic that we are not in Kansas anymore. The pages are full of rich Australian detail from the animal characters (possums, wombats, kookaburras, dingoes, and emus), to the food (Anzac biscuits, mornay, Vegemite sandwiches, pavlova, and lamington), to the geographical locations (Adelaide, Melbourne, Darwin, Perth, and Tasmania). And then, of course, there’s the bush magic. The characters and landscape are authentic, and the simple map and glossary at the back of the book will help American readers get a feel for where Hush goes and what she eats in her quest to become visible.

The story is well-told; however, rhyming that occurs on the second page, and then later on an additional page, may confuse the reader who expects the story to rhyme throughout. (I had to start reading over when I thought I had missed the rhyme scheme on the third and subsequent pages). Having the text go in and out of rhyme interrupts the flow of the reading, especially the first time through. Once it is squared away that the book in general is NOT a rhyming text, the reading is easier.

Julie Vivas’s illustrations, many which are full two-page spreads, are watercolor paintings that are simply beautiful. Realistic enough to know what the various animals really look like and what they do, they are also sweet enough to convey the personalities of the characters in ways that will make older readers ooh and ahh in appreciation of their adorable expressions. Vivas does a nice job of portraying little Hush during her invisible days, as well. And the snake will stop readers in their tracks in his terrifying splendor. Showers of stars representing Grandma Poss’s magic are magical in themselves.



4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

*Children’s Literature: “The book provides a warm, wonderful first exploration of Australia!”

*The Horn Book: “One enchanting book.”

*Children’s Book Review Service: Another treat from Mem Fox that is sure to be treasured.”

*Aussie Reviews: “This gorgeous story is sure to be a favourite with both children and parents because of its flowing, up-beat rhythm and cute ending. The detailed illustrations by Tony Oliver [sic] make a perfect complement to the text.”

*School Library Journal: “Although the characters, locales, and vocabulary are thoroughly Australian, Possum Magic has universal appeal. Fox chooses her words carefully, making readers believe that certain foods just might be magical. Vivas uses a variety of techniques, including splatter painting and washes to create full- and double-page watercolor illustrations which complement the text and will entrance readers. A perfect choice for storytimes, but also useful for curriculum enrichment, thanks to a simplified map and glossary.”


5. CONNECTIONS

• Choose an Australian animal or food to research.

• Research the concept of “bush magic” – what it is, who does it, how it works, is it real, etc.

• Use the stars as models for creating watercolor paintings.

• Create a map and glossary of your own neighborhood similar to the ones in the book, highlighting foods and places that might be particular to your area of the state or country.

Monday, June 14, 2010

The Paper Bag Princess - International Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


Munsch, Robert. THE PAPER BAG PRINCESS. Illustrated by Michael Martchenko. Toronto: Annick Press, 1980. ISBN 0920236162.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

Prince Ronald and Princess Elizabeth plan to get married until one day a dragon burns up the kingdom and carries off Prince Ronald. In a twist of stereotypes, Elizabeth dons a paper bag after her clothes are all burned up, and goes to rescue Ronald from the dragon. In the process of outsmarting the dragon in order to save her prince, Elizabeth discovers that Ronald is not her idea of a good partner after all in a surprise ending that turns the traditional happily-ever-after  fairy tale on its head.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This story is set in the typical fairy tale format, except for the role reversals. The wit and wisdom demonstrated by Elizabeth is refreshing for an original fairy tale. The ending is surprising and delightful, especially for the older reader (middle school and high school readers love this story when done as a read-aloud), and I must admit that this is one my favorite picture books of all time. Girls will definitely enjoy the princess being the heroine this time, and the boys will like it because the twist in the story will make them laugh almost every time while vowing they would never behave as Ronald does.

The illustrations are colorful and simple, but they support the story very nicely with characters who are engaging and full of expression and personality. The dragon is particularly delightful, especially as Elizabeth begins working her magic on him. The reader can almost begin to feel sympathy for him.

While this book was published in Canada, the story has no cultural markers that indicate it is an international story. Because the format is the fairy tale, the setting is in the time of dragons and castles. The setting and names are generic, perhaps leaning toward British royalty. But most children are so familiar with the “Once upon a time . . . . and they lived happily ever after” story, this story will be a new favorite to add to their collection.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

*School Library Journal: “A wonderful translation of the story of a princess who rescues the prince, tricking and vanquishing the dragon. The book features humorous illustrations of the dragon and other characters, including a very clever heroine.”

*BookHive: “Witty illustrations and a flowing storyline create a funny tale with a great message.”


5. CONNECTIONS

• This story is a great example for students to use as a model for writing their own fairy tales.

• Students can compare this story to fractured fairy tales in order to see how authors such as Munsch and Jon Scieszka infuse humor into the traditional format, again to use as a model or just to enjoy the twist on the traditional tale.

THE PAPER BAG PRINCESS would be an excellent text for students to use to try their hand at writing a Reader’s Theater script and then performing it. With the characters limited to three, and most of the dialogue being between Elizabeth and the dragon, the story could easily be scripted and performed by a group of 5 or 6, depending on how groups divide up the narrator parts.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

The Pull of the Ocean - International Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


Mourlevat, Jean-Claude. THE PULL OF THE OCEAN. Translated by Y. Maudet. New York: Random House, 1999. ISBN 0385733488


2. PLOT SUMMARY

Based loosely on Charles Perrault’s fable “Tom Thumb,” seven brothers, three sets of twins led by their youngest brother, flee from their abusive parents’ home in the belief that their parents intend to harm or kill them. Traveling west across France, the boys head toward the Atlantic Ocean. The book chronicles their journey across the countryside as they attempt to reach the coast under the direction of their unusually small, mute, yet wise and resourceful brother Yann.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This novel is immediately engaging as the reader is plunged into an adventure where seven brothers, aged 10 to 14, head into a stormy night in order to escape the fate they believe awaits them at the hands of their parents. Each chapter, told by one of the brothers or by one of the people they encounter as they travel toward the coast, offers an insight into the difficulties the children encounter as they find themselves in the world by themselves. A social worker, a truck driver, and a bakery owner, among others, offer fascinating insights into what they see as they encounter the boys. The journey is not easy, and most readers will have difficulty putting the book down until they discover the fate of the brothers.


The book was originally written in French, and the names of the characters and places reflect the setting of France, its countryside and people. However, while the names of people and places reflect the culture from which the story comes, the children could be any children growing up in a place where life is hard and families struggle just to survive. The people the boys encounter as they travel toward the ocean do not seem different from those the boys might have encountered were they traveling across rural America, which will make it accessible to U.S. children. The story is the driving force, while the cultural setting is a backdrop, adding texture to the adventure in which the boys find themselves. Readers looking for a book with a strong international flavor will not find that here. In fact, as the boys headed west to the Atlantic Ocean, I found myself thinking, “The Atlantic Ocean is not to the west. That would be the Pacific,” only to have to remind myself that the children were not in America, but in France, where the Atlantic Ocean is to the west.


The book is an easy read – the translation is friendly and the story engaging enough to hold the attention of young teen readers who will want to know what happens. Many, if not most, children have thought about being on their own, and to read a story where children must fend for themselves is a way to experience that vicariously. However, the ending will probably feel lacking to most readers. Too many questions are left unanswered, such as why the youngest brother decided to run away, where he is heading, and whether or not anyone ever finds out what happens to him and what the brothers think about being intentionally misled on this adventure. The conclusion might feel somewhat unsettling and unsatisfying to readers who like a tidy ending.

This book won the Batchelder award for outstanding book originally published outside the United States.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

*Publisher’s Weekly: “Mourlevat enchantingly blends the harshly real and the make-believe, with the latter tipping the balance as this effectively haunting, fluidly translated tale comes to a close. Ages 12-up.”

*School Library Journal: “A well-crafted mystery awaits anyone reading this fabled jigsaw puzzle.”

*Booklist: “The ending leaves readers a bit at sea, but the story is intriguing, and the relationship among the brothers is heartwarming.”


5. CONNECTIONS

1.  Once finished, readers may have many questions (and teachers can guide the readers toward questions) that would be great for formal or informal conversations that help them stretch their reading skills of prediction, understanding author’s craft, application, etc. Questions might include:
  • Did Yann mislead his brothers on purpose in order to get them to help him escape his home and achieve his dream of getting to the ocean?
  • If he did, was he right to do so?
  • What happened to his brothers? How do you think they felt upon finding out the the parents were not going to harm them, but rather the kittens?

2.  Students can compare this story to Perrault’s “Tom Thumb.”

3.  Students can compare the experiences of the boys to the experiences of children where they live. How are they boys’ experiences like their own or those they know?

Monday, June 7, 2010

A "New Year" - Multicultural and International Literature

Almost a year has gone by since I posted my last blog. While my intention had been to continue it through the last school year, keeping up with my statistics classes kept me otherwise occupied.

I'm happy to be back. For the summer, I will be posting reviews of multicultural literature, some written for children and some for young adults. The choices will include literature written in other languages and subsequently translated into English, as well as literature written by and about various cultural groups in the U. S.

Visit your library, grab a book of your own, and read with me. Want an adult suggestion to start off with? Try the trilogy by Stieg Larsson. Written in Swedish and translated to English, this mystery series is a New York Times bestseller, and Entertainment Weekly says it is "a gripping, stay-up-all-night read." I have already read book one. I'm in the middle of the second book and hope to read it and book three over the next few weeks. Warning - I hear that if you start book two, you will have a hard time stopping until you've read book three as well. The trilogy is more like one (very) long story that was simply divided into three parts.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo






 

The Girl Who Played with Fire








 
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest







Join me. Let's make this a summer of multicultural literature.
Happy reading!